Technorati Tags: Tabblo,Hewlett Packard,HP,photo sharing,photos,photography,network,collage,online,poster,social,Patty O'Hearn Kickham,Guelph,Ontario,Canada,June 29,2011
In 2006, Tabblo, a unique photo sharing site appeared on the web.
It permitted photographers to tell a story with multiple photos on a single page. Layouts and templates were preset with some customizable tools. We could essentially make an online poster and add our own text.
In 2007, Hewlett Packard acquired the site. They must have been able to visualize some financial potential at that time. A fantastic technical support team was in place. They responded to members’ needs and problems in an expedient manner – always willing to be of service!
The members felt they had found the perfect “home” to store photos and share their “Tabblo” creations online. In 2010 print ordering services that had been previously available were switched over to Snapfish (another HP site used by Flickr). We could link Flickr account photos to Snapfish, but not Tabblo photos. Why? The answer came about a little over a week ago. Rumours of the impending closing of the site began to surface. No official announcement has been made by HP, but it appears that the writing is on the wall. Sadly, some of our most beloved and talented contributors have started to leave.
Many members have made Tabblos with their pleas to keep us alive and running and with hope in their hearts, sent the links to HP Corporate. Have our collective appeals fallen on deaf ears?
It is far more than photo sharing. We have learned new techniques with tips from photographers who have more experience. People have taken us around the world on the most fabulous guided tours! It is a social network of sorts to which no other site on the internet can compare. People have made good friends on Tabblo. They find solace, warmth and most of all acceptance. That kind of validation can't be found in very many places. It has helped to bridge the global gap. We talk to people from other countries and celebrate their triumphs and share in their sorrows by leaving comments on their Tabblos. We have come to understand what being a member of the community of mankind is all about.
I have revisited Tabblo founder, Antonio Rodriguez’ original plan for Tabblo.
"By the end of 2004, I came to the view that personal publishing on the Web had crossed the chasm and become the purview of regular people, who didn't need to know HTML or any of that," he says. "We built Tabblo for them, and to make it easy to seamlessly transition between online and offline, with photo books, calendars, greeting cards and so on."
"Imagine a music fan site, where you could click and edit your own poster and then incorporate it into your site, or theirs, or both -- or print it out," says Mr. Rodriguez. "Anywhere there's a need for layout of words or pictures, or both, that's somewhere Tabblo could fit in."
Globe and Mail Update ,Published Thursday, Oct. 26, 2006
Antonio had a vision, one that still applies today…………..
