After a sneak peak of five weeks, the new Flickr homepage launches

Five weeks ago I wrote about the home improvement going on at Flickr HQ. The Yahoo-owned photo service presented the design in a sneak peak fashion. After clicking on a button on the homepage, going through the Flickr balloons and a MIDI version of Sinatra’s Strangers in the Night, the new homepage appeared.

Those of the 31 million Flickr members who could resist the temptation of clicking on the “Psssssst! Want a sneak peak at your new homepage?” will now see the new homepage as well.

Flickr wanted to show its users more of the social interaction of the service, hence the homepage now consists of all kinds of “check out these things in your social circle” elements. The page shows more pictures from your contacts, introduces the latest pics from your groups, and pushes the blog plus your personal stats to the front.

Check out the announcement on Flickr and don’t forget to watch the fancy screencast.