NOTICE: Editing your old posts - OPEN

Well, I'm down to about 25 posts remaining...though some of those have multiple images. I ended up using TTR's native image hosting function. I did create an Imgur account, which I like much better than Photobucket, but I ran into a bit of concern there. Their Terms of Service make it sound like they don't allow hotlinking. But, I did a bit of searching and read a clarification from an Imgur staff member that linking to forums is fine. They just don't want other websites using Imgur as a third-party content provider. So, I that's cool.

Then, while searching for more information, I found a thread in a garage forum (yes...an entire forum dedicate to garages....who knew!) that Imgur does not allow hotlinking from sites that have a classifieds section. If they discover that they are being linked to a forum with classifieds, they may ban the offending Imgur member, and block the entire domain from linking to Imgur...this means NOBODY's hotlinks from that forum back to Imgur would work, anymore.

So, in the end, I re-re-created those links I had already switched to Imgur from Photobucket so they now reside right here on TTR's host.
 
Just like the license plate frame I used to have on my 1970 Dodge Challenger...
Catch me if you can
 
DONE!!!!

After much work downloading albums, creating new albums, searching for posts with image links, and recreating links...I am finally finished. All my images on this forum are now linked to TTR's self-host.

(Of course, all my links at ETSG are still messed up...as well as a couple other places.)

Now...what should I do with my Photobucket account?

Hmmmmm........
 
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Yeah Photobucket went down the tubes quick! I have been switching to Imgur.
 
chilipeppermaniac said:
I asked this before, WHY do we need a place like IMGUR or Pbucket anyway?
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On this particular forum you don't. TTR can function as it's own image host. This means that the Xenforo software allows you to create image links that let you embed images. Also, when TTR was set up, additional space was anticipated to provide storage for us to upload images.

Traditionally, however, forums and their predecessors, bulletin boards, were essentially text-based platforms with very little native image capacity. Storing text on a server consumes very little space. Images consume much more. In the past, storage was more costly and server space was more limited.

In order to embed images into a forum, you have to link to another web location. This is where sites like Photobucket come into play. They provide storage for photos. In reality, whether you put the images onto TTR or someplace like Photobucket, the process is the same...an image is linked in the post. The only difference is where your browser goes to display the image...on TTR's own server or some other location.

Now, you may wonder why Photobucket would want to charge for linking if storage is actually less expensive. The real cost is not in the price of a hard drive. Think of it...every whenever someone pulls up a page that has an image you've posted, their browser navigates to the web address where that image is hosted and displays it on your computer. It actually retrieves the image and stores it in your browser's cache. Now, think of all the people around the world who may do that. The hosting server is dealing with a lot of image requests and has to serve those back to the requesting computer. Not only does that put the server through a bit of a workout, but it requires bandwidth to meet the demands of all the people. This does not come free. There are real servers housed in real buildings that require a lot of power and climate control and real IT technicians to keep it all running. There are a multitude of other costs, as well.

Incidentally, this is one of the benefits of having a browser cache. If, during the same browser session, you revisit the same webpage, in most cases, if your browser encounters a link to the same image you've just seen, it will display the image from the cache rather than making a fresh request back to the image host.

My issue with Photobucket is not so much in wanting to be paid. I suspect all the free hosting services will eventually have no choice but to charge something, as well. Ad-driven revenue streams only go so far. My problem with Photobucket is with how they rolled this out. I also think the huge price they want will really hurt them. I think they'd have gotten better reception if they charged a much lower price. More people would have stuck with them and begun paying. Not only are they losing the free account holders, but they've alienated those who were actually paying, but at a lower pricing tier.
 
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chilipeppermaniac said:
Well explained, smitty. That's all I can add.
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I hope I explained it clearly enough.

Years ago I actually had a webpage that was dedicated to Oldsmobiles, particularly my Cutlass. The web host I used had a finite amount of space, but I was able to store everything right there.

I coded the site (@WavMixer will appreciate this) entirely by writing in HTML 4.1. I used no web creation software.

Anyway, image linking is how images are displayed in webpages, forums or otherwise. Usually you create a folder on the server called , "Images" or something, and every place in the webpage where you want an image, you enter the image tag pointing back to where the image is stored.

It's one thing for a website to do that for its own site. There may be just a few dozen or a few hundred images. Some may have a few thousand. But, the server will only have to serve up images to people that visit that website.

An image host like Photobucket, on the other hand, has billions of images and has to serve to millions of websites where people may have posted image links. The load on the server is exponentially larger. Actually, there will be a lot of servers sharing the load. That can be a lot of equipment to maintain.

Again, I really think PB made a dumb move, but the need to start charging is something I do understand. I think as the internet becomes more and more image-dependent, other image hosts may feel the need to charge.

I can almost guarantee they've already had board meetings to discuss it.
 
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RVA said:
Mates,

Due to the recent situation with Photobucket, we have decided to temporarily lift time restrictions on editing your posts. You may edit as far back as you wish for a limited time.

Thanks,

TTR
Click to expand...

Photobucket - man that guy's a real piece of work; he's being banned from a bunch of forums left & right.
 
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