Let's get it right out in the open. No one can compete with Facebook's dominance in the photo sharing arena. To put it in perspective, Flickr recently announced that it had received its 4 billionth upload, in total. Facebook is up to 2 billion a month.

Facebook's lead however, doesn't come without its disadvantages. So-so image quality with no plans to go high-res in the near future and lack of privacy controls is partially what's keeping professional photographers in Flickr's corner.

Tag, You're It!

The question is; why are people so drawn to sharing their every move through their online social circles and for others to view them in such high numbers? Scott Marlette, an engineer who helped invent and scale Facebook photos shared his thoughts, "It's funny," Marlette says. "For me, taking pictures is more about photography—I want to see the details in the photo. But the reality is, the value of the photo is who's in it, where was it taken, and your memory or experience associated with that."

iPic, Therefore I am.

So in the social-centric web, just like in real world social circles, it's becoming increasingly important to see and be seen. Add that to the fact that most Twitter mobile clients present your shared picture right alongside your tweets without having to click through a link, and it becomes prime opportunity to increase your visibility.

Facebook's stronghold aside, there are key players clashing it out to build thriving communities, some are even doing a very noteworthy job and have gotten me hooked. I've tried, compared and rounded up the best of breed to shed light on what they each have to offer so that it sparks up a few ideas on how they can each fit into your social marketing strategy.

TwitPic
Comparing Twitpic side by side with other photo sharing services makes them pale in comparison. It's gained the most traction with live pic updates of crucial events such as the Hudson river plane crash as well as celebs and semi-celebs sharing their most intimate moments.


Pickchur
A multi-platform app that lets users broadcast images automatically to multiple sites such as: Twitter, Facebook, Friendfeed, Tumblr and Flickr.

Yfrog
Get your pics and vids on Twitter. They've also integrated into several other services such as: Twitterrific, Tweetdeck, PowerTwitter and more to offer a complete solution but the thing that really sets this one apart for me is the search function which is currently lacking on TwitPic. I just don't get that one. Sorry TwitPic, no search? Come on.

DailyBooth
A relevantly new player in the photo stream game. Think of it as Twitter mixed with TwitPic and add a sprinkle of old school threads and you've got the makings of a service that I've quickly grown addicted to. Others have also been quick to pay attention, recently raising 1 million in a round of funding from a group of big name investors and VC firms. The only feature missing at the moment is the option to share your pictures through your social networks, but it's to be expected very soon.

Identifying how you or your business can benefit from sharing images through social networks has become an essential part of a new media marketing strategy. This is especially true for food related businesses right around lunchtime. Give your friends fans and followers a snapshot of what's on the menu. Trust me, that'll whet their appetite!

Let's hear it from you.

What photo sharing services are you most fond of and why?
How often do you share your pics and what results have you been seeing?
But most of all we'd love for you to share some interesting images with us!