Two days ago I got my number fifteenth photo on Flickr's Explore list, but what's it all about.

For avid users of Flickr like myself, it can become quite an obsession to get your uploaded photos on Flickr's Explore page. The exciting thing about Explore is that it provides some extra exposure for your photo resulting in more faves and comments, likely boosting the photographers confidence as it did in my case. 

To get a confidence boost you first have to make it into the daily 500 photos that gets explored, but that's not easy. The "rules" governing the daily 500 photos isn't all that easy to figure out and they are said to be constantly changing. I have read many theories about it, and my favorite is the simple math version where the number of views on the photo multiplied with the number faves and comments, devided by the number of groups the photo is, give you a number indicating the photos "interestingness".

Views x (Faves + Comments) / Groups = Interestingness

But from past experience the number groups do seem to have an effect on the possibility for Explore. The photo above made it to #436 on the list and was in a total of 15 groups and if we do the math for that Explore the calculation would look like this...

512x(25+7)/15 = 1.092

...and If we compare that to another Explore of mine that made #62, which was only in 1 group...

304x(36+25)/1 = 18.544

...which could be a good indication that this rule of thumb does apply. The higher the number (interestingness) the better placement you get on the Explore list. So if we say that this formula is valid, we can deduct that the best way of getting your photos on Explore is thru being social on Flickr. Other than taking awesome photographs, you need to make friends, comment and fave on some of the fantastic images in the photo-ocean that is Flickr. You gotta give a little to get a little. And at one point you realize that your real interest on Flickr is to get feedback and connecting with other photographers, being inspired by their work, more than chasing the rush of Explore.

 

The #62 photo: