I just got an email from Flickr, where they are releasing the pricing for the Pro Account upgrades... it's $59.95/year (but, while they are still in beta, you can save 30% and get a year for $41.77). Back when I signed up for Flickr, I had asked myself "how much would you pay for this service" and came to a price of $3.00/month, or $36.00/year. So, with the sale price being fairly close, I went ahead and signed up... but I'm not so sure I would have spent the $59.95 "original price." Sure the Pro Account gives you a nice way of backing up a full gigabyte of hi-res photos each month, but it it really worth sixty bucks?

Uhhh... probably not.

So whether or not I continue on with my Pro Account after it expires will probably be decided by what new features and conveniences are added in the coming year. I really like the idea of Flickr, so I'm hoping they keep making it worth my while to remain a customer. Some things I would like to see:

• Restrict access to hi-res images.
• Customizable templates, so I can make my Flickr area look as I want.
• More batch functions, to more easily add keywords and attributes to groups of flagged photos all at once.
• A "date photo taken" field and the ability to view photos in the order they were taken not uploaded.
• Ability to mark photos "purchasable" so guests can purchase physical copies (like Ofoto).
• Sets within sets for better organization.
• Stand-alone software for uploading with a Mac (not from within iPhoto).

In the meanwhile, I plan on pushing that 1-gig limit every month so I can get my money's worth!