iSoaker.net :: Soaking the world!

by **SilentGuy** on Sun Oct 15, 2006 11:39 am

Note: This is a direct copy of my thread over at SSC. I left in the EDIT, too.

One of the most common questions I see from new users (and one I myself asked when I joined) concerns the uploading of images to the SSC forums. People who are new to forums--or at least to forums that require much image uploading--might be at a loss as to how to do this, and people who have been members at forums that allow for attached images might also be concerned.

When attached images are allowed, members generally use up lots of server space, which is why attachments are disabled for users here. However, there is a workaround that also allows for much larger images than the ones here, and it involves directly linking to an image hosted at another site.

First, sign up for an account at a free image host, such as Photobucket. I personally don't like Photobucket too much, but they are decent for regular use, so I will assume that you are using Photobucket for the rest of this article. Once you have signed up and are logged in, upload the image (or images, but multiple images often play havoc with your upload speed and timeout errors might occur)--and that instruction should be simple enough. Thumbnails of all the pictures in your album should be visible, and from here on, there are a few options.

1) Copy the text below the appropriate thumbnail and paste it directly into the post editor here at the SSC forums. This should be the simplest procedure, but for some reason I haven't been using it. I'll start that right now.

2) Copy the text in the first field under your thumbnail--it should be the picture's URL. In the post editor, click on the tool button at the top that looks like a postcard with a picture of a mountain on it; then, a popup should appear, and you can paste the image's URL directly into the popup's field. Alternatively, experienced users might use the template, "[IMG]copy URL here[/ IMG]." Note: There shouldn't be a space between the / and the IMG], but IPB won't let me use a faulty domain so I didn't let the tag appear correct.

3) Click on the thumbnail, and you'll be taken to a page that only has that image. Note that this page does not have the same URL as the image itself, so do not just copy the page's URL! If you want to copy the URL from the address bar, you'll have to click on the link with the name of your image.

4) This page (right after the album page, not the one with the actual URL) will have the same information about the picture as the main album page. Use options 1 and 2 here.

EDIT: I guess I forgot to mention that you can just create an old-fashioned link to your image's URL. Some people do that, and I don't blame them, because less actual images on a page helps improve load times for people with slower Internet connections.

by **isoaker** on Sun Oct 15, 2006 1:53 pm

@SilentGuy: Thanks for the repost! I was, however, actually on just planning to link to the already existing threads either at SSC or at WWC.

:cool:

by **SilentGuy** on Sun Oct 15, 2006 2:24 pm

Well, delete this if you want, although it might be more effective to point a link to an article at these forums instead. I guess it works either way.

by **WaterNapoleon** on Sun Oct 15, 2006 4:10 pm

Yeah make this an instruction page on our forums.

Edited By WaterNapoleon on 1160964701

by **SilentGuy** on Sun Oct 15, 2006 6:19 pm

^ Umm...either it already is a so-called "guideline," or stickied topics aren't inherently guidelines. Or most of them aren't.

by **CA99** on Sun Oct 15, 2006 8:36 pm

I won't copy and paste but I'll repost my general ideas.

You can also use http://www.imageshack.us if you don't like photobucket. (I believe images are deleted automatically when they're inactive for a while) Also, there is no need to use thumbnails if the pic is at a reasonable size, all they do is force the user to click it if he/she wants to see it. Thumbnails/links should only be for large, detailed images. Otherwise just resize it to 800x600, 640x480, or 512x384 and post it directly on the forums.

by **SilentGuy** on Mon Oct 30, 2006 12:27 am

I've just found the perfect host! FileFront!

Seriously, I always thought that it was only a gaming site, and not a free file host. But's that what it also is. Just take a look at these stats, from http://freespace.filefront.com/1:
Unlimited file uploads
Unlimited file downloads
Unlimited bandwidth
Unlimited space
Public and private storage
[Max file size of 1 GB--which is huge]
[implied: Unlimited number of files]

Isn't that amazing?! Plus, it's a well-known and popular site, with next to nil chance of downtime or bankruptcy. I believe this isn't really against the rules of the forum regarding "advertising" products, as this is free.

Edited By SilentGuy on 1162186476

by **isoaker** on Mon Oct 30, 2006 8:36 am

@SilentGuy: it'd only be advertising even for a commercial product if you, yourself, (or the one posting) had financial or personal gains for products sold. Otherwise, it'd just be a consumer recommendation which is alright. Of course, if you continually posted the same post over and over, it'd look like an ad, but likely fall under 'spamming' first. :goofy:

Thanks for sharing the file server info! That could help a lot of members who don't have their own webspace or prefer a different place to store some types of images.

:cool:

by **SilentGuy** on Mon Oct 30, 2006 6:45 pm

No prob. I was just surprised, as I have spent a good bit of time looking for a better host than Photobucket. And what do you know, it's a [great] gaming site that has the best service! They also do have other services such as a blog, webspace, etc., but that's not relevant. I did join by the way.

Thanks for the confirmation about the nature of the post, though.

Edited By SilentGuy on 1162248367

iSoaker.net :: Soaking the world!

Uploading Images - How to get images online and visible

Who is online