PICTURE MAY tell a thousand words, but all too often it's not that flattering a story. As many of us have learned to our cost, having the whole world see what we've been up to, courtesy of tags added by well-meaning friends, is not always cause for celebration. However, tagging is the' way the web works these' days and, used properly, it can help you climb to the top of an image search results list and get noticed. Alternatively, tags can be used in a far more niche manner, so that only those in the know where to look.

Few of the best-known sites are as focused and user friendly as Flickr. The web¬site is almost entirely concerned with photos and beautiful images, and it presents a very pretty face to the world. Flickr is remarkably easy to get to grips with. It's almost a model of Web 2.0 simplicity and easy to navi¬gate. There are millions of photos posted on Flickr, yet finding relevant, interesting, high-quality photos, often along with interesting commentaries and detailed descriptions of the conditions or techniques needed to replicate the effects, are very easy to find.

You may already have a photo stream on Flickr, and the basics of posting and sharing pies are so intuitive that you'll hardly need any help. But this isn't the same site it was even a year ago, let alone when it first launched in 2004. We'll help beginners and experienced users alike get more out of the site's hidden tools and options.

If Flickr is your way of showing the world what you think, where you've been and what you can do with a camera, why not try some of our tips and show the world your best side?