The Bikini Beat Flickr Group is no more — at least for the time being. After several months, 180 photographers joining the group and more than 1,200 images submitted, Flickr has ruled that Bikini Beat is a commercial use and has disallowed the group.

Of course, it should be clear from a glance at the site that Bikini Beat is not a commercial use. There are no ads. The only links are to our friends and content partners who link back to us in return. We’ve never made a dime from this site. It’s a labor of love, and a way for photographers to share their images in a forum where they will be seen and appreciated.

The dozens of photographers who regularly submit their photos in hopes they will appear on Bikini Beat know this. They know that we are performing a service not only for our readers, but also for photographers, by bringing bikini lovers together in a safe-for-work, non-commercial environment. We will continue to do this.

If you would like us to consider your images on Flickr or other photo-sharing sites for inclusion on Bikini Beat, just post a comment here with a link to your photostream, or e-mail us at bikini.beat@yahoo.com.