External Images

[FungiJohn]

Please can I ask all members using third party websites such as photobucket and flickr to use the WAB forum image upload mechanism instead?

Using such third party websites to provide external links to images represents a real problem to WAB.

Problems start when posters move their images on their site or stop using photobucket / flickr etc and we end up with many threads with red crosses for images

Changing images is also a very time consuming exercise!

Many thanks for your co-operation

John

[Roy C]

John, does this apply to inserting an image in a forum thread using the 'insert image' button and then entering the URL ?. I have just done this as it is my only way of getting an image into WAB (I have spent hours trying to upload to 'Forum Images' in the past week with no success what so ever, it always shows 'waiting for Wildaboutbritain web site').

[FungiJohn]

Originally Posted by Roy C

John, does this apply to inserting an image in a forum thread using the 'insert image' button and then entering the URL ?. I have just done this as it is my only way of getting an image into WAB (I have spent hours trying to upload to 'Forum Images' in the past week with no success what so ever, it always shows 'waiting for Wildaboutbritain web site').

Yes Roy. I'm not sure why you should have problems uploading to the forum images, but I know a few members have had a similar experience. Can you let me know what screen gave the 'waiting for Wildaboutbritain web site'

Hopefully Stu or members who have previously had this problem can advise.

John

[Susie]

What if we don't want to upload our photos to WAB?

Does that mean you don't want us to post?

[FungiJohn]

Originally Posted by Susie

What if we don't want to upload our photos to WAB?

Does that mean you don't want us to post?

Hi Susie, We really do wish for members to post their images.

Its the problems I mentioned above ... Problems start when posters move their images on their site or stop using photobucket / flickr etc and we end up with many threads with red crosses for images.

I'm afraid I don't understand your first part (What if we don't want to upload our photos to WAB? )

Surely its reasonable to ask people who join WAB to use WAB has the image platform rather than a third party site

John

[Susie]

It is just my personal preference. If I have an image already uploaded to Photobucket, which is the host I use, I would prefer to use that.

I understand your request and the reason for it but would I would prefer to do things my way. I hope that isn't a problem.

[Paul mabbott]

I see where Susie's at .... .... I don't upload many things to WAB because it's time consuming and picky (the dimensions &c) - one can have pictures rejected without explanation or, when there is an explained rejection, it's because the picture is 100 px too wide or too narrow ... it's trying if you're busy and, as Susie said, if you already have an uploaded picture, why go through the process all over again?
Like Susie, I see the problem but I don't think that people are being anti-WAB by using alternative methods, just economical with their time!

[StuartDH]

Originally Posted by Susie

What if we don't want to upload our photos to WAB?

Does that mean you don't want us to post?

I regularly get emails from visitors who google a specific species and find it on WAB, only to get here and see that the image is no longer linked back to an external site.

I'd certainly rather not have those types of posts as they take a long time to sort out, track down the member, find out the new link or apologise to the new visitor for it disappearing and never coming back.

If all images are kept in the gallery then they can be easily catalogued, searched and found forever. After members spend a lot of time answering questions about the ID of species in some of the threads, I think it's the least we can do to try ensure that the images and thread stay usable. There's nothing worse than seeing a thread with 20/30 replies to an initial post about an image that's now just a red cross.

Obviously, if there are any difficulties in uploading images to the gallery then please let me know and I'll be happy to take a look at fixing any issues.

Thanks

Stu

[StuartDH]

Originally Posted by Paul mabbott

I see where Susie's at .... .... I don't upload many things to WAB because it's time consuming and picky (the dimensions &c) - one can have pictures rejected without explanation or, when there is an explained rejection, it's because the picture is 100 px too wide or too narrow ... it's trying if you're busy and, as Susie said, if you already have an uploaded picture, why go through the process all over again?
Like Susie, I see the problem but I don't think that people are being anti-WAB by using alternative methods, just economical with their time!

There are no rejections in the 'forum' or 'unidentified' sections of the gallery as these areas aren't moderated by the gallery editors. I'll even drop the dimensions on these areas to make it easier too.

[rolf]

I have to say that I gave up on trying to post to the galleries, did manage to get one onto the forum image gallery in the end though. My images are hosted on my own site, so shouldn't be a problem and when I do posts image links here they are only in threads like the bird of the day thread anyway, so not critical from a research point of view.

I appreciate that there can be problems with some of the big image hosts though, as have fallen victim to dead photo links on a forum I run, can make a thread meaningless if an important image no longer appears.

[nightshade]

I have not been able to post to the galleriesand was considering using the
third party sites.
I posted images to wild about the world with no trouble but cannot get
anything but postage stamps through on WAB

[StuartDH]

Originally Posted by nightshade

I have not been able to post to the galleriesand was considering using the
third party sites.
I posted images to wild about the world with no trouble but cannot get
anything but postage stamps through on WAB

If you send me one of your images to email@wildabout....co.uk I'll give it a go from this end

[Kayleigh]

I don't have software for resizing photos. I upload to photo bucket there is a link to put them onto forums. When is WAB going to be that easy. It needs to be idiot proof and until it is I cannot upload to WAB. Sorry..

[wildone]

Originally Posted by nightshade

I have not been able to post to the galleriesand was considering using the
third party sites.
I posted images to wild about the world with no trouble but cannot get
anything but postage stamps through on WAB

I have the opposite problem, being unable to upload or even see any images on Wild About the World. Have no trouble uploading images to WAB but any images posted by a member who has used another method of uploading are never able to be seen by me. Have the same problem with some other forums but not all. Odd!!

[FungiJohn]

Originally Posted by Kayleigh

I don't have software for resizing photos. I upload to photo bucket there is a link to put them onto forums. When is WAB going to be that easy. It needs to be idiot proof and until it is I cannot upload to WAB. Sorry..

Hi Kayleigh

You can download a free piece of software called Picasa, which allows you to:

• Locate and organise all the photos on your computer.
• Edit and add effects to your photos with a few simple clicks.
• Share your photos with others through email, prints and on the web: it’s fast, easy and free

Picasa

Hope this helps

John

[StuartDH]

Originally Posted by Kayleigh

I don't have software for resizing photos. I upload to photo bucket there is a link to put them onto forums. When is WAB going to be that easy. It needs to be idiot proof and until it is I cannot upload to WAB. Sorry..

You no longer need to resize images for the 'forum' or 'unidentified' sections of the WAB gallery, and you can also use the image code under the photo to add your pics to the forum

[Roy C]

Originally Posted by FungiJohn

Yes Roy. I'm not sure why you should have problems uploading to the forum images, but I know a few members have had a similar experience. Can you let me know what screen gave the 'waiting for Wildaboutbritain web site'

Hopefully Stu or members who have previously had this problem can advise.

John

John, I replied to this post about 30 minutes ago and it is not showing - any ideas why?

[StuartDH]

Originally Posted by Roy C

John, I replied to this post about 30 minutes ago and it is not showing - any ideas why?

I moved it and replied to it here Problem uploading so that we can keep the original topic of this thread on track

[Barbara]

Originally Posted by FungiJohn

Hi Kayleigh

You can download a free piece of software called Picasa, which allows you to:

• Locate and organise all the photos on your computer.
• Edit and add effects to your photos with a few simple clicks.
• Share your photos with others through email, prints and on the web: it’s fast, easy and free

Picasa

Hope this helps

John

Good advice John. Kayleigh I have used Picasa2 since March last year, it is the only software I use and I would highly recommend it. If find it very user friendly.

Barbara

[Kayleigh]

Thanks for the help and the link.

[agrumpycow]

I can't understand why anyone would not want to put a photo on one of the galleries yet want to include it in a forum thread.
Reading this thread I feel like I'm pretty much the only one who has no problems uploading images to the galleries!
I think it is a reasonable request by FungiJohn, this is a charitable website and is run and moderated on a voluntary basis and is one of the best sites/forums I use.
(You can also resize imaged using Microsoft Photo Editor which comes on most platforms (as far as I know)).

[Susie]

Because, as already explained, it is quicker and easier to upload from another host.

Also I don't think the gallery really should be cluttered up with pictures of my pond and such like, but pictures like that can have relevance in a thread when it is being discussed.

Anyhoo, I had my say on the matter, everyone else can do what they think is best

[Boddie]

Originally Posted by agrumpycow

I can't understand why anyone would not want to put a photo on one of the galleries yet want to include it in a forum thread.
Reading this thread I feel like I'm pretty much the only one who has no problems uploading images to the galleries!
I think it is a reasonable request by FungiJohn, this is a charitable website and is run and moderated on a voluntary basis and is one of the best sites/forums I use.
(You can also resize imaged using Microsoft Photo Editor which comes on most platforms (as far as I know)).

I could not agree more. Its not rocket science to resize images, it just takes a little care to read the rules and apply them. Certain threads have been destroyed by broken links so I would consider that, in return for the countless hours that certain people put in behind the scenes, this sort of request is more than reasonable.

[StuartDH]

Originally Posted by Susie

Because, as already explained, it is quicker and easier to upload from another host.

...and a lot more time consuming for the mods and eds to sort out the problems that result.

Hopefully it's not too much to ask for members to take a few minutes uploading their pics to the gallery to save the mods and eds from doing even more work on top of the hundreds/thousands of hours that they already put into the site.