Street Source has been around longer than most modern social platforms.
It was never meant to be a replacement for generic social media—the kind of platforms where everything from politics to personal relationships competes for attention in the same feed. From the beginning, Street Source was built around a single idea:
A place where people come to talk about cars.
Over time, a few features drifted in that don’t fully support that purpose. One of those is the personal photo album / user photo feature.
This post explains why that feature is being retired, how little it’s actually been used, and what comes next.
The Direction I’m Moving Street Source Toward
As the platform continues to evolve, I’ve been asking a consistent question:
Does this feature encourage conversation about cars?
Personal photo albums are great for:
Personal memory keeping
Passive browsing
Image-first posting without discussion
But Street Source is intentionally moving toward:
Context-driven posts
Threads that explain why a photo matters
Questions, progress updates, and problem-solving
Conversations that stay on-topic and automotive-focused
That’s a very different goal than being a generic social platform.
A Deliberate Break From Generic Social Media Noise
The internet already has plenty of places to argue about:
Politics
Culture
Relationships
Everything unrelated to cars
Street Source doesn’t need to be another one of those places.
The goal here is to provide a focused space—a break from the broader internet—where the topic is clear and shared. When you visit Street Source, you should know exactly why you’re there.
To talk about cars.
By keeping the platform tightly scoped, it becomes a place you can return to without being pulled into unrelated discussions.
What the Data Says
Before making this decision, I looked at how the user photo feature has actually been used.
Private Albums
Total private albums: fewer than 364
Last private album updated: March 13, 2011
Last private album created: March 30, 2014
Private Album Photos
Total private photos: 1,837
During migration and review, I intentionally erred on the side of caution:
Some photos were ambiguous, so they were treated as private
Historically, photo uploads defaulted to private
Many users likely intended to share photos but didn’t realize the checkbox was enabled
When spot-checking content, I didn’t find anything that would pose a concern if public. And realistically, once an image exists on the internet, it can be shared anywhere regardless.
Public Photo Activity
Total photos uploaded overall: ~20,000
No photo uploads since 2020
photo uploads have been inactive for years.
What’s Changing
Private photo albums have already been removed
The user photo feature will be fully removed in 90 days
This gives everyone plenty of time to:
Download any photos they want to keep
Re-share meaningful images inside discussion threads (where they belong)
Nothing is being removed suddenly or without notice.
What Replaces Albums?
Photos aren’t going away.
They’re just being re-centered around discussion.
Going forward:
Photos belong inside threads
Every image should help tell a story, show progress, or spark a question
Context comes first—images support the conversation, not replace it
The Bigger Picture
Street Source isn’t trying to compete with Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter/X.
It’s intentionally different.
By avoiding the traps of generic social media—and by keeping political and cultural debates out of the picture—the platform stays true to its roots and its audience.
Final Thoughts
This isn’t about taking features away.
It’s about reinforcing what Street Source has always been.
A place to:
Talk about builds
Share progress
Ask questions
Learn from other enthusiasts
Not another feed trying to be everything to everyone.
Thanks for being part of a platform that puts cars first, conversation second, and leaves the rest elsewhere.
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