I’ve finally got a system for sharing pictures without having to worry about dealing with anything too technical – at least after the installation of Gallery.
In order to get this to work you need a windows or *nix server. I was unable to get it to install on my Mac system, but fortunately had plenty of linux server space I was not using. Gallery lets you set up a template and easily creates web pages to share your pictures. You can utilize slideshows, thumbnails, EXIF data from your pictures and even get prints done through Shutterfly or several other services. The sites you create are managed through CSS as you might expect these days which makes it relatively simple to make global changes to your gallery site.
You can upload pictures to your system via a traditional web interface, a java app and now a direct export from iPhoto thanks to the terrific iPhotoToGallery. This installs an export option into iPhoto (I’m using with iPhoto 4) so you can upload pictures into new galleries or add pictures to existing ones you’ve been working on.
I was messing with a few other set-ups for sharing pictures with my family but felt that this system was the easiest to use for the full level of computer users (total novice to advanced) I expect to be viewing our shots.