Photobucket

I deleted my Photobucket account, fortunately I only had a limited quantity and nothing only stored on their site.

Now I am reasonably OK with Port, Starboard, Forward, Aft Abeam etc., but I start to glaze over when the terms PHP, Apache, Internet server and Bandwidth (amongst a plethora of other computer geek terms) are mentioned. After all to use this forum requires use of a computer, but the users do not have to understand how computer systems function just to use them, just as SWMBO does have a scooby about how a clutch works, but can drive a car.

So when this all settles out would someone provide some reliable low (or possibly no) cost options to allow those of us less interested in obtaining a degree in modern computing systems to link to an image. I think the term is 'Idiot's guide".

Thanks guys.
 
superheat6k said:
I deleted my Photobucket account, fortunately I only had a limited quantity and nothing only stored on their site.

Now I am reasonably OK with Port, Starboard, Forward, Aft Abeam etc., but I start to glaze over when the terms PHP, Apache, Internet server and Bandwidth (amongst a plethora of other computer geek terms) are mentioned. After all to use this forum requires use of a computer, but the users do not have to understand how computer systems function just to use them, just as SWMBO does have a scooby about how a clutch works, but can drive a car.

So when this all settles out would someone provide some reliable low (or possibly no) cost options to allow those of us less interested in obtaining a degree in modern computing systems to link to an image. I think the term is 'Idiot's guide".

Thanks guys.
Click to expand...
+1
Thanks for asking on behalf of the rest of us. I was going to upload to Petem's website
 
superheat6k said:
I deleted my Photobucket account, fortunately I only had a limited quantity and nothing only stored on their site.

Now I am reasonably OK with Port, Starboard, Forward, Aft Abeam etc., but I start to glaze over when the terms PHP, Apache, Internet server and Bandwidth (amongst a plethora of other computer geek terms) are mentioned. After all to use this forum requires use of a computer, but the users do not have to understand how computer systems function just to use them, just as SWMBO does have a scooby about how a clutch works, but can drive a car.

So when this all settles out would someone provide some reliable low (or possibly no) cost options to allow those of us less interested in obtaining a degree in modern computing systems to link to an image. I think the term is 'Idiot's guide".

Thanks guys.
Click to expand...

I'm writing some software to do exactly as you ask.
Make it simple to create a link from this forum to a cheap/free internet server.
I'm writing it for my own use but it anyone would be able to use it.
I've already written the link generating software - kept it simple and easy to create miltiple links from multiple photos.
I've also written the bit that actually serves the images - and sizes the pics automatically on the fly.
I'm in the process of writing the browser module - at the moment, it browses through directories nicely but I want to include thumbnails of the images to make it easier toselect the correct image.

I spent a few days looking at various existing options but nothing works the way I want so I decided to write my own.

If anyone is interested let me know.
Everything is on hold at the moment - we are away cruising.
 
I once again stand in ore of Hurricanes IT ability and tenacity to make thinks work.

Regarding Superheat6k's comment. I have not got the whole port, Starboard thing at all to me it is still left and right and as for a heads aint that a toilet :rolleyes:
 
I've read through this thread and don't wholly understand most of the content but my links seem to be working. I have paid for PB for a while now to get extra storage and I think a larger bandwidth, but $29.95 / year not $ 400.

I've just seen the renewal charge appear on my credit card so no point in carrying on if they want an extra $370.

The only reason I use PB is to share images on forums such as this. I don't mind paying a few quid but at $400 they want 4 times what Netflix charges for hosting and streaming years worth of films, box sets & other goodies to my sitting room, boat and computer devices around the world!

What's interesting is that I paid my $29.95 per year on the basis that any links created would remain in place indefinitely, certainly so long as I continued to pay my annual subscription so that my pictures could form a historic record and reference for other users of the various forums I contribute to. If you don't pay for something I accept you are at the mercy of the provider but I've shelled out 30 bucks a year like a good boy for some time now. That doesn't seem right.

If you have shares in Photobucket now is the time to get out.

Henry :(
 
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Yes, Henry.

The real sad thing is that past YBW threads have the PB links.
So, the past is the past.
But maybe we should learn from this lesson and have full control of the links.

How - I hear you say.
A solution is to buy a domain name.
Domain service providers usually provide web forwarding.
This means that you can then "map" your domain's www address to any server.
The server you choose would host your photos.
Then use the domain name in the links to direct the YBW forum posts to the photos.
Then, if your photograph service does something like PB, you can simply remap your domain name's www address to a new provider with your photos loaded.
All existing links would then work (sadly, not the ones that PB have screwed up).
So, you might be able to switch from (say) Flickr to Dropbox in the future if things went pear shaped.

We are also a bit dependant on Youtube for the same reasons but I'm not sure how to tackle that one.

It is worth noting that PB ?uggered us up in another way.
They added a trailing reference in the photo links making it virtually impossible to reconstruct the original link.

Yes, Henry, I can live with less ghan (say) 50 quid p/a bur 400 dollars is simply stupid for a forum post.
 
Mike,

you're absolutely right, but ppl should bear in mind that "preparing" a dozen or so pics for an update on my rebuilt thread means selecting pics (ok you do that anyway), opening them in Pshop, cropping if needed, resizing to 800pix width for the forum (OK you can use another ext program), RENAMING them with something meaningful (which you don't do in PB) and uploading to my server manually, as well as creating the IMG link and editing the path in the post. So you gain some you loose some time otoh.

cheers

V.
 
Hurricane said:
Yes, Henry, I can live with less than (say) 50 quid p/a bur 400 dollars is simply stupid for a forum post.
Click to expand...

Totally agree. I was paying $30 / year just so that I could have a convenient way of putting pictures on a forum and I don't mind putting my hand in my pocket but when Netflix stores, streams and even buys in HD video content for just over £80 / year I'm struggling to see where $400 comes in to store and stream my own photos.

Photobucket have just finished themselves off. I do also pay to use Vimeo after Youtube dropped us in the poo on our CCTV42 website some time ago but it's nothing like $400 a year. Someone made a typo and added in an extra zero.

Henry :)
 
Bon débarras photo rust bucket

One way of moving from PhotoBucket and reinstate broken image posts on forum

There are different ways of restoring broken PhotoBucket images in your forum posts, this is the way I did it, not necessarily the best, but it worked a treat for me and done in an evening. I was NOT going to fork out $400 to PhotoBucket to enable 3rd party linking! I already had a private web host available to me so was able to skip item 1.

The key premise is not wasting time having to visually match photos with forum posts as this would be too time consuming.

  1. Use basic web site hosting package and a domain name (approx £30pa + £7pa respectively), there are cheaper alternatives.
  2. Create a folder on your PC to receive your PhotoBucket images
  3. Create subfolders using the same subfolder album name structure as they were stored in your photobucket albums url
  4. Download an entire PhotoBucket album to your PC or Mac in one step using the 'Download Album' option (rhs of page). Might take some time if your album has many pics or they are not compressed.
  5. Upload album folder(s) from your PC to same folder names on your web site using an FTP tool to bulk upload entire folders (many hosting packages provide this tool on their control panels, or if your techie just use any FTP tool). May take some time - coffee or watch and old episode of Howard's Way! :)
  6. Edit the PhotoBucket URLs in any of your effected posts (i.e. edit tags)
    [*]Just swap the domain name from the PhotoBucket one to your own web sites domain name (see example below)
    [*]It is vital that the folder/directory structure is identical to what it was on PhotoBucket. This way the editing of posts will be really quick and you won't even need to know what each photo is match with which thread, because the folder paths will be preserved. [B]Just swap the domain names[/B].
    [*]
    [/LIST]

    [B][U]Example[/U][/B]:

    [LIST]
    [*][B][COLOR="#FF0000"]http://i98.photobucket.com[/COLOR][/B]/albums/l278/OceanFroggie/Model%20Rail/DSC_8818.jpg
    [COLOR="#FFFFFF"].[/COLOR]
    Change to this
    [COLOR="#FFFFFF"].[/COLOR]
    [*][B][COLOR="#008000"]http://www.derg.ie[/COLOR][/B]/albums/l278/OceanFroggie/Model%20Rail/DSC_8818.jpg
    [/LIST]

    The long winded bit of the URL doesn’t change, just the beginning bit.

    I didn’t even have to know what pics were in what threads, and didn’t have to look at the photos or remember what their names were, just edited my posts and changed the domain name from PhotoBucket URLs to my own host. This is much faster than uploading photos to a new photo hosting site because you would have to rematch photos visually, this way you just know each URL will be the correct photo. Hope this makes sense.

    Bon débarras photo rust bucket
 
oceanfroggie said:
Bon débarras photo rust bucket

One way of moving from PhotoBucket and reinstate broken image posts on forum

There are different ways of restoring broken PhotoBucket images in your forum posts, this is the way I did it, not necessarily the best, but it worked a treat for me and done in an evening. I was NOT going to fork out $400 to PhotoBucket to enable 3rd party linking! I already had a private web host available to me so was able to skip item 1.

The key premise is not wasting time having to visually match photos with forum posts as this would be too time consuming.

  1. Use basic web site hosting package and a domain name (approx £30pa + £7pa respectively), there are cheaper alternatives.
  2. Create a folder on your PC to receive your PhotoBucket images
  3. Create subfolders using the same subfolder album name structure as they were stored in your photobucket albums url
  4. Download an entire PhotoBucket album to your PC or Mac in one step using the 'Download Album' option (rhs of page). Might take some time if your album has many pics or they are not compressed.
  5. Upload album folder(s) from your PC to same folder names on your web site using an FTP tool to bulk upload entire folders (many hosting packages provide this tool on their control panels, or if your techie just use any FTP tool). May take some time - coffee or watch and old episode of Howard's Way! :)
  6. Edit the PhotoBucket URLs in any of your effected posts (i.e. edit tags)
    [*]Just swap the domain name from the PhotoBucket one to your own web sites domain name (see example below)
    [*]It is vital that the folder/directory structure is identical to what it was on PhotoBucket. This way the editing of posts will be really quick and you won't even need to know what each photo is match with which thread, because the folder paths will be preserved. [B]Just swap the domain names[/B].
    [*]
    [/LIST]

    [B][U]Example[/U][/B]:

    [LIST]
    [*][B][COLOR="#FF0000"]http://i98.photobucket.com[/COLOR][/B]/albums/l278/OceanFroggie/Model%20Rail/DSC_8818.jpg
    [COLOR="#FFFFFF"].[/COLOR]
    Change to this
    [COLOR="#FFFFFF"].[/COLOR]
    [*][B][COLOR="#008000"]http://www.derg.ie[/COLOR][/B]/albums/l278/OceanFroggie/Model%20Rail/DSC_8818.jpg
    [/LIST]

    The long winded bit of the URL doesn’t change, just the beginning bit.

    I didn’t even have to know what pics were in what threads, and didn’t have to look at the photos or remember what their names were, just edited my posts and changed the domain name from PhotoBucket URLs to my own host. This is much faster than uploading photos to a new photo hosting site because you would have to rematch photos visually, this way you just know each URL will be the correct photo. Hope this makes sense.

    Bon débarras photo rust bucket[/QUOTE]

    Yes, I've done much the same for my old PB pics but how have you managed to edit your old posts?

    I did exactly this for [url]www.scmchat.com[/url] (the Sant Carles Marina forum) that I run as administrator.
    I then ran a MySQL query on the forum database to change all my PB links to my new domain/host.
    That has sorted everything for [url]www.scmchat.com[/url] but how do I edit all my old posts on this forum?

    BTW - as said above, PB also add trailing references in their links which make your process harder.
Click to expand...
 
It seems like PB are using ransom ware as a business model. We have your digital information and it will cost you to have access to it. I hope this not a trend
 
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oceanfroggie said:
[*]Edit the PhotoBucket URLs in any of your effected posts (i.e. edit tags)[/QUOTE]

Many thanks OF. Of course the problem is the above: - first, the edit period has expired on old posts (which I guess the mods could deal with...). Second, editing the IMG lines is still a massive job if you have say 100's of picture posts on here.
Click to expand...
 
jfm said:
Many thanks OF. Of course the problem is the above: - first, the edit period has expired on old posts (which I guess the mods could deal with...). Second, editing the IMG lines is still a massive job if you have say 100's of picture posts on here.
Click to expand...

Yep it's just a vbulletin setting, pre the time inc takeover of ipc we used to have indefinite post edit permissions. Photo posts are fatally undermined without the images, so perhaps FAT might consider reinstating the edit permissions so that we can follow OF's suggestion above.
 
Hurricane said:
Yes, I've done much the same for my old PB pics but how have you managed to edit your old posts?
Click to expand...

Apologies I left out one of the bullet points, yes you will need to request mods of vbulletin forums to temporarily give your forum account edit permission (i.e. for your own posts). Then you will be able to edit.

jfm said:
Many thanks OF. Of course the problem is the above: - first, the edit period has expired on old posts (which I guess the mods could deal with...). Second, editing the IMG lines is still a massive job if you have say 100's of picture posts on here.
Click to expand...

As above plus I used a macro to do the text search/replace within IMG tags once each post in turn was manually opened in edit mode, as I obviously had no access to the underlying MySQL database. Obviously on some forums I only repaired photos posted in the last year, or special photo story posts. It took me a few hours one evening to get the important stuff fixed on some other specialist forums I use (photography, model railway, etc), but I managed to correct vast numbers of broken PB links. Luckily I didn't use PB everywhere.
 
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I can't be arsed reading through all the comments, so apologies if I am repeating anything

I'm a web developer by trade, and have my own hosting company that hosts many blogs and also vlogs (video blogs for those who may not know)

Back in the year 2007 for want of a better year ten years ago, hosting images on your server could be argued it would clutter up your resources - but for heaven's sake, it's now 2017 and web storage costs nothing - bandwidth okay, there's maybe still an argument there, but my point is, there are scripts that will optimise any members image upload that negates this issue.

As a developer, I do have to say that the YBW forum is very much behind the times - and dont get me wrong, I don't care, I like old school, I am just making comment on this one particular topic, and suggesting that they could/should review their image hosting policy - every forum I hosted I let them upload images, because lets face it, after the initial surge how much bandwidth does an image of an old boat use? Not much is the answer
 
Bouba said:
It seems like PB are using ransom ware as a business model. We have your digital information and it will cost you to have access to it. I hope this not a trend
Click to expand...

Indeed and think of all those people who are using the Cloud generally
 
A bit of a follow up from Photobucket :

I have been paying $29.95 a year for Photobucket, it gave me extra storage space and from memory additional uploading / week. Possibly even a bit more bandwidth on the odd occasion someone wanted to see a photo embedded in a forum. All my links have carried on working throughout this carnage and following my email to the massively overworked staff at PD - talk about putting out a fire as the forest burns around you, I got a reply back which explains why.

Because my account was in place and in good standing when they waded in with their scythes I am still afforded third party hosting rights until Dec 31st 2018 providing I maintain my plus 20 account. So I have a bit of breathing space. This is assuming they stay in business of course.

As for the $400 per year, even for a lazy not entirely IT literate man of my modest financial standing it is simply not going to happen and I should be the ideal customer for them. Relatively low use, happy to pay a few quid to support posting on forums, no video, only still images.

Henry :)
 
For us modest image posters this might be the answer I know some on other forums use it.

https://imgbb.com/

CA_J1.jpg


If you don't see my mug shot it is not public - so no good for here
 
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CharlieAlpha said:
For us modest image posters this might be the answer I know some on other forums use it.

https://imgbb.com/

CA_J1.jpg


If you don't see my mug shot it is not public - so no good for here
Click to expand...

Yes, there are many alternatives but "once bitten, twice shy".
Yes, you cound use this provider but what if they decided to do thd same as PB or went bust.
The answer is to redirect through a domain that you actually control.
Then you can switch later if circumstances change.

To YBW Moderators.
Please let us change our old posts.
That way we can edit some of the better old threads
 
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