Space allocation increase --- and image hosting question to the Forum

[I_cant_Swim_]

Folks, after recalculating our server storage space, it would appear safe enough to raise the limit on allocated space to 75 mb per member, up from 50 mb. Said and done. Note, though, that if you ran out of space already after 3 months, 50% more is not going to last very long... For some reason I feel the urge to mention  @Wolfswetpaws and @Sailor_Moon here...

We'll need to check up compatible image hosting sites next.  Which image-hosting platforms do you guys use, and what is your experience with them?

[Snargfargle]

 

Imgur is a good, free service. It appears that by using their direct link function the images will show up here.

My former cat, now my sister's cat.

[I_cant_Swim_]

@SnargfarglePlease check this:

I believe hotlinking is not desired...

[Snargfargle]

I'm confused. I've direct-linked pictures I've uploaded to Imgur for well over a decade now to all of the forums I've been a member of without an issue. The pictures I link are my own, not banned, and not for advertising. Although they recommend embedding BBCODE (which doesn't work on this forum it seems), Imgur includes the direct link option along with all the other image posting options. Here is an excerpt from their TOS. Your call, however, as it's your forum.

Quote

Don't hotlink to adult content or to file-sharing, gambling, torrent, warez, or Imgur rip-off sites... Also, don't use Imgur to host image libraries you link to from elsewhere, content for your website, advertising, avatars, or anything else that turns us into your content delivery network.

[I_cant_Swim_]

In essence, all we do is request that members follow the requirements of the image hosting site. What we are unsure of is that bit: "Also, don't use Imgur to host image libraries you link to from elsewhere, content for your website, advertising, avatars, or anything else that turns us into your content delivery network." The responsibility for uploaded images and methods used lies with the poster, but as this appears a bit murky for our members I may have to contact imgur for clarification of what that means exactly.

[Sailor_Moon]

5 hours ago, I_cant_Swim_ said:

Folks, after recalculating our server storage space, it would appear safe enough to raise the limit on allocated space to 75 mb per member, up from 50 mb. Said and done. Note, though, that if you ran out of space already after 3 months, 50% more is not going to last very long... For some reason I feel the urge to mention  @Wolfswetpaws and @Sailor_Moon here...

We'll need to check up compatible image hosting sites next.  Which image-hosting platforms do you guys use, and what is your experience with them?

I've been mainly embedding gifs via url, so it  shouldn't take up SO much space....

Btw, Imgur is a solid image-sharing platform imo. I've used it many times 😄

Edited December 21, 2023 by Sailor_Moon

[Admiral_Karasu]

3 hours ago, I_cant_Swim_ said:

In essence, all we do is request that members follow the requirements of the image hosting site. What we are unsure of is that bit: "Also, don't use Imgur to host image libraries you link to from elsewhere, content for your website, advertising, avatars, or anything else that turns us into your content delivery network." The responsibility for uploaded images and methods used lies with the poster, but as this appears a bit murky for our members I may have to contact imgur for clarification of what that means exactly.

It would be could if this matter were clarified.

Here is what their FAQ says:

https://help.imgur.com/hc/en-us/articles/115003264766-FAQ-for-Forum-Users-

The Content Delivery Network thing seems to cover things like logos and avatars, among other things. They also ban commercial use. Websites, blogs and forums can use the images, as long as 'they do not break our Terms of Service' (meaning Imgur's).

Supposedly here:

http://imgur.com/tos

But I can't see it because all I get is this...

data
error	"Imgur is temporarily over capacity. Please try again later."
success	false
status	403

[I_cant_Swim_]

3 minutes ago, Admiral_Karasu said:

The Content Delivery Network thing seems to cover things like logos and avatars, among other things. They also ban commercial use. Websites, blogs and forums can use the images, as long as 'they do not break our Terms of Service' (meaning Imgur's).

Yeah I got that. But there are two issues in all we would need to clarify: Hosting the image (is that ok based on the ToS etc) and the link method. They (Imgur)  said elsewhere they did not want people to use the hotlink method. So what does that mean? I'm not quite sure. To avoid complications for our members we'll need to find out. I'd really like to have it in print, crystal clear.

[Admiral_Karasu]

8 minutes ago, I_cant_Swim_ said:

Yeah I got that. But there are two issues in all we would need to clarify: Hosting the image (is that ok based on the ToS etc) and the link method. They (Imgur)  said elsewhere they did not want people to use the hotlink method. So what does that mean? I'm not quite sure. To avoid complications for our members we'll need to find out. I'd really like to have it in print, crystal clear.

Well, they state their preference is the embedding method. As far as I can see, this is because it includes the Imgur logo and other information, as opposed to just hotlinking an image this doesn't. I assume in both cases the technical aspects are the same, though. We can't use the embedding, but we could make the requirement in our ToS that any image posted via Imgur would need to state the source as 'Imgur'. I don't know if that would satisfy Imgur, though, if that still remains an issue.

At least we wouldn't be using Imgur for avatars, logos and banners or for any commercial activity such as advertising, so there we would remain in line with their ToS.

[Amaruk]

imgur has allowed hotlinking to forums since it's inception. It's the primary reason it was created back in 2009.

 

https://help.imgur.com/hc/en-us/articles/201569776-I-can-t-see-the-images

 

Edited December 22, 2023 by Amaruk
added link

[I_cant_Swim_]

That's excellent @Amaruk, thanks.  That covers the majority of members here. Now we just need to know what "content for a website" means. Basically, this is  a website. And everything here is content. So the definition is key. If a member writes a review, that article is content hosted here. Are hosted, hotlinked images in such an article allowed? SO many questions...but we appear to be getting there...

[Snargfargle]

Under current US law, "no provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider." That is, what posters post is their content, not the content of the forum itself. 

https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:47 section:230 edition:prelim)

[I_cant_Swim_]

@Snargfargle That is correct, and why our ToS are valid. Here though, our concern is for the poster himself/ herself.

• So if a user submits a post and pastes an image by hotlinking, it appears he/she is in the clear by the info Amaruk found (in this case, the issue was the method -hotlinking- as opposed to embedding with a tool, which Imgur said they 'preferred'. )
• What about the user who wants to submit an article like a review, with hotlinked images? Sure, it is the users responsibility, but the article could be seen as "content for a website" which Imgur, as they appear to state verbatim, prohibit. In this case then, should we recommend our members to use the embedding tool (we have already done that elsewhere) or to use a different image hosting service with clearer ToS? @HogHammer has been working on finding an alternative, so we may hear from him soon...

[HogHammer]

Imgur drastically changed its terms of service when MediaLab purchased it from its original founder in September 2021.  For whatever reason, some Imgur images show up, and some do not. One example of where they were recently working and no longer working is in all @LittleWhiteMouse ship reviews.   Now, only the links show up, and you must click on the link to view the image.

It seems this is possibly related to who uploaded/owns the image, but I am not 100 percent sure.  In Imgur's "FAQ for Forum Users" it states If you'd like to add images to your website or blog, we recommend using Imgur's embed unit to easily make the post visible. More information on finding the embed link can be found here. It will look something like this:

Here is the link: FAQ for Forum Users – Imgur

The instructions are here: Embed Unit – Imgur

For me, I only see an "Embed" option and no option to "hotlink" an image while on Imgur.  As an embed function, I see no way to make it work on DevStrike after several attempts.  

Example following Imgur's instructions: <blockquote class="imgur-embed-pub" lang="en" data-id="MON81Ew" data-context="false" ><a href="//imgur.com/MON81Ew"></a></blockquote><script async src="//s.imgur.com/min/embed.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

(The image does not show up following directions)

This is what the original image should look like:

Based on the inconsistent results with Imgur, I will follow up with a post for viable options.  I have already tried a few and they all work flawlessly and do provide a hotlink feature.

[Wolfswetpaws]

13 minutes ago, HogHammer said:

Based on the inconsistent results with Imgur, I will follow up with a post for viable options.  I have already tried a few and they all work flawlessly and do provide a hotlink feature.

👍

[Admiral_Karasu]

@HogHammer Yes, I also tested the embedding, it's no go. Apparently there's no way to make it work with Invision.

[I_cant_Swim_]

@HogHammer and others: According to InvisionCommunity Support, Imgur image embedding is not compatible with our platform. So we will need an alternative.

[Snargfargle]

1 hour ago, HogHammer said:

I only see an "Embed" option and no option to "hotlink" an image while on Imgur.

Imgur direct links show the pictures here. I don't really understand why they would prohibit their use if they include them as one of their image posting options.

[HogHammer]

@SnargfargleQuick question: are you using the mobile or PC app?

I ask because I have nothing like what you posted as far as options.  I only get the embed function, and there are no longer any "direct link" instructions on the Imgur website.  Instructions get directed here: Embed Unit – Imgur

It also says, Note: At this time it is only possible to obtain an embed URL on desktop.

On the other hand, if it works for you, by all means, keep using it.  

[Snargfargle]

30 minutes ago, HogHammer said:

@SnargfargleQuick question: are you using the mobile or PC app?

PC. I never considered that things were probably different for the mobile app. I'm one of the 2% that still connects to the Internet via a landline, LOL.

[HogHammer]

Just a quick update.  Still looking into other options for image hosting.  Just want to test a few out first before listing some options and pros/cons.  Hang tight, everyone.

[HogHammer]

Imgur is a popular image-hosting site that has been used by many over the years.  As with any company and new owners, things can change and may affect your ability to share images.  Currently, on DevStrike, some user images are still hot-linked, while others now just present a URL link.  Imgur currently, in their instructions, encourages “embedded images” that rely on HTML code and are slowly moving away from directly linked images.   See Imgur's "FAQ for Forum Users" for more information.

Below, you will find several available free options you can use that support direct-linked options to display your images here on DevStrike.  

Other available options to do a direct link of images --

Google Photos

Spoiler

I never gave a thought of Google Photos as a possibility of direct linked images, but there is a way to do so that gives great results and is very easy to use.

To use Google Photos as an image host, follow the video instructions:

Application link:  Embed Google Photos

Here is an example of an image from my Google Photos to give you an idea of quality and ease of use.  If you have Google Photos, this is a quick and easy method to use and works great here on DevStrike.  For the occasional user who posts images and if you have a Google account this may be your best option.  (Note:  Google Photos is a cloud-based storage for your images.  This is where you will pull images from for a direct link.  You are not using images located on your PC, but those that have been synced to the cloud - Google Photos -service)

PostImage

Spoiler

Postimage is a free service that's primarily aimed at people who want to post images on forums. It also allows you to create permanent links for Facebook, Twitter, and more.

Anonymous uploaders and free accounts have restricted file sizes. Your picture cannot exceed 12MB or 10,000 x 10,000 pixels. If you pay for a premium account, the limit is raised to 24MB. You can upload images individually or in bulk. Bulk uploads are limited to 1,000 at a time.

Best of all, there's no limit to the number of images you can upload to your account. However, Postimage does reserve the right to levy a charge. You'll see the charge if you host thousands of images on the site but never use your content in a way that allows Postimage to earn advertising revenue (for example, images embedded into links leading back to the site).

It is very easy to use and offers a direct link feature.  It is best you set up an account with PostImage to enable access to your library of images.

Postimages — free image hosting / image upload

Here is an example of an image from PostImage as a direct link.

 

ImgPile

Spoiler

This is the closet thing I have found that resembles Imgur and is loaded with features.  If you do a lot of images or create content I would strongly encourage to take a close look at ImgPile.

It offers free hosting and unlimited storage, meaning the site is an ideal alternative to Imgur for people who want to share images on Reddit, Facebook, Twitter, etc. using permanent links.

ImgPile supports hotlinking and lets you upload images up to 100 MB in size. The service supports uploads from your computer and via URL. You do not have to create an account to use the service, but if you do, you will be able to access your upload history and a few other useful features.

ImgPile - Free Unlimited Cloud Image hosting | Upload and share Images.

Here is an example of an image from ImgPile as a direct link.

Wrapping Things Up 

There are several other image hosting services I came across, so the above are recommendations only.  I looked for ease of use and the ability to use direct links for posting images.  If you would like to explore others, just search "Imgur Alternatives for Uploading and Sharing Images," and you will be offered numerous sites to visit.  Do your homework!

The three mentioned above have been tested and work perfectly here on DevStrike.  If you have Google Photos and post an occasional image here on DevStrike, it is really a great option.  Just follow the instructions in the video.  It is super easy to use.

PostImage and ImgPile are also great and offer a little more flexibility to those who like to share more images as direct links.  If you plan on doing content creation, I would seriously look at ImgPile.