In past blog entries, I've mentioned the photography website 500px. I find the website to be inspirational as many amazing images make their way to the top of the "Popular" category.

It's also a fun way to share pictures. Viewers may express appreciation for an image by "liking" or by marking an image as a "favorite". A pulse rating is calculated for each picture based upon the number of viewers who voted for the image (with a "favorite" vote receiving more points than a "like" vote).

Timing also impacts the pulse rating. If an image doesn't gather enough votes quickly enough, it begins losing ground as points are deducted over time. After 24 hours, so many points are deducted from the pulse rating that it's nearly impossible to overcome with additional votes--which in turn opens the Popular category to fresh images on a regular basis.

Cumulative scores are computed for photographers--not just individual pictures. The following three categories are shown for each photographer on the site: 1) affection, 2) views and 3) followers. Affection is an indicator of how many times viewers have liked images within the photographer's portfolio. Views represent how many times pictures have been viewed within the portfolio. Followers quantify how many other 500px photographers "subscribe" to view new images posted by a photographer.

Earlier this week, I surpassed the 15,000 affection score. My pictures have been viewed more than 300,000 times. And, over 700 other 500px photographer are currently following my 500px portfolio.

Sometimes it can be difficult to measure an intangible like affection. But, with 500px it's a precise number--like 15,244!

For those interested in joining 500px to share some of your own work, you have very little to lose. A basic membership is free.