of course it's not required.
it's a big component of goodwill, however.
it's a big component of goodwill, however.
Backup your Gmail account. Backup your Flickr account. Backup any free service you're using. Otherwise, you have no one to blame but yourself when the rug gets pulled out.
Edit: or start paying for them, as a sibling comment said.
a 1 week notice, with a, say, $40 plan (or even just $40 for the first year with a higher rate later) would probably have had a lot of grumbling, but people who wanted their images back 'on' various sites would be more inclined to pay $40 to make the problem go away. For many folks, $400 is just... beyond their ability to pay immediately.