# Photos - how the %&! are you posting them? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [August 25, 2020, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-how-the-are-you-posting-them/918991 "2020-08-25T15:46:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-how-the-are-you-posting-them/918991/1 "2020-08-25T15:46:29Z")
Is embedding a photo directly into a post possible **when posting from my phone?** I think I got it when I went and fired up my laptop, but I do 99.9% of my doping from my phone. Is this supported by Android? All my pics are online, but in a Google Drive folder that’s not public. If I post a photo on Facebook (with “friends only” security) does the security still block the FB image link, for Dopers here? Let’s assume not being FB friends with any Dopers … Help. I have a new kitty, and I know the rule - I’m just having a hard time following it. ---
**Author:** ![SurrenderDorothy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/surrenderdorothy/32/1221_2.png) [@SurrenderDorothy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SurrenderDorothy)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-how-the-are-you-posting-them/918991/2 "2020-08-25T16:07:43Z")
Upload the photo to imgur or whichever photo hosting site you prefer and then link it here: [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/YM2sWO6.jpeg "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/YM2sWO6) No tags or anything, just the url. The board sometimes crops it a little strangely, but it gives the gist. And if you click on the picture of my tabby child there, you get the full image. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-how-the-are-you-posting-them/918991/3 "2020-08-25T16:44:55Z")
Yeah. The problem has nothing to do with SDMB or your phone or your browser or the url. If you want everybody else to see your pic, _you need to put it someplace that everybody else’s computer can connect to with no logins or otther security hoopla required_. That means a public photo sharing site in a non-secured folder. Given that lots of people here hate FaceBook (and Twitter) and have them blocked, trying to host your images there in any form is going to be less than 100% successful. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-how-the-are-you-posting-them/918991/4 "2020-08-25T16:51:14Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > All my pics are online, but in a Google Drive folder that’s not public. Even if the folder is private, can’t you make individual images public by changing the sharing setting for those images? ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-how-the-are-you-posting-them/918991/5 "2020-08-25T17:17:04Z")
What happens if you browse using your Android phone, but click the menu option to “switch to desktop view”? I assume you can then upload your file to the SDMB as usual? But if it’s already on Google Drive then @GreenWyvern’s advice would seem to apply, by changing the settings in the “Share” menu. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-how-the-are-you-posting-them/918991/6 "2020-08-25T17:18:13Z")
On Facebook, I opened a “Friends” only photo, then right-clicked to open it in a new tab. I copied that URL and pasted it on its own line with a hard return at the end: [https://scontent.fhio2-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/p180x540/49571730\_10217906554444409\_3174343030631038976\_o.jpg?\_nc\_cat=107&\_nc\_sid=e007fa&\_nc\_ohc=htU8bWKMlF0AX\_8PD0M&\_nc\_ht=scontent.fhio2-2.fna&tp=6&oh=ea54a3d95d4f854fdbd39a4757e5d145&oe=5F6A662B](https://scontent.fhio2-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/p180x540/49571730_10217906554444409_3174343030631038976_o.jpg?_nc_cat=107&_nc_sid=e007fa&_nc_ohc=htU8bWKMlF0AX_8PD0M&_nc_ht=scontent.fhio2-2.fna&tp=6&oh=ea54a3d95d4f854fdbd39a4757e5d145&oe=5F6A662B) In the WYSIWYG window to the right of the composition box, I waited until the little blue wheel stopped spinning and coughed up my photo. Then I clicked the Reply button. There’s no identifying information in the URL if you follow this sequence. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-how-the-are-you-posting-them/918991/7 "2020-08-25T17:35:18Z")
> [@susan](#): > > There’s no identifying information in the URL if you follow this sequence. Your pic url looks like blah://scontent.fhio2-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/p180x540/49571730\_10217906554444409\_3174343030631038976\_o.jpg?\_nc\_cat=107&\_nc\_sid=e007fa&\_nc\_ohc=htU8bWKMlF0AX\_8PD0M&\_nc\_ht=scontent.fhio2-2.fna&tp=6&oh=ea54a3d95d4f854fdbd39a4757e5d145&oe=5F6A662B All that excess tracking stuff sure looks like it connects back to you. Just not in a way that an ordinary netizen can decode. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-how-the-are-you-posting-them/918991/8 "2020-08-25T17:37:10Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > I assume you can then upload your file to the SDMB as usual? Files (other than avatars) are never uploaded to SDMB. The url of wherever the file is can be _copied_ into a post. But the file stays where it is. And that someplace needs to be accessible to everybody who would want to see it. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-how-the-are-you-posting-them/918991/9 "2020-08-25T18:05:02Z")
Test: [![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/7/7b60e87f9b2511d03d7e1fa8e1ea6974e73464bf.jpeg) ](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/7/7b60e87f9b2511d03d7e1fa8e1ea6974e73464bf.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-how-the-are-you-posting-them/918991/10 "2020-08-25T18:13:30Z")
Shows up OK for me. I was going to do the same test. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-how-the-are-you-posting-them/918991/11 "2020-08-25T18:13:52Z")
Weird, but I found a roundabout method of uploading an image directly to this board and embedding it. Too technical for most users, and probably not intended, so I won’t go into details. An exercise for the reader! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-how-the-are-you-posting-them/918991/12 "2020-08-25T19:06:59Z")
That’s an evil trick. I like it! Ed might not. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-how-the-are-you-posting-them/918991/13 "2020-08-25T22:12:02Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > Weird, but I found a roundabout method of uploading an image directly to this board and embedding it. Yeah, for those of you that figure this out, don’t do that. We’re not an image hosting site. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-how-the-are-you-posting-them/918991/14 "2020-08-25T22:19:21Z")
Is brown an indication of being on your shit list? ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-how-the-are-you-posting-them/918991/15 "2020-08-25T22:52:12Z")
Yeah, I assume someone with skillz could get back to my Facebook page, but it’s pretty shut down. Agreed that your average person-like-me wouldn’t be likely to be able to do so. Still seems potentially more private than links I’ve followed to people’s photo hosting sites, where I can see their name, belly-dancing class photos, and sometimes contact information. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-how-the-are-you-posting-them/918991/16 "2020-08-25T23:32:51Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > Is brown an indication of being on your shit list? Brown? ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-how-the-are-you-posting-them/918991/17 "2020-08-25T23:42:29Z")
Your post background color is brown for me. Something I haven’t noticed for any other post. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-how-the-are-you-posting-them/918991/18 "2020-08-25T23:48:47Z")
Ah. It’s technically “staff color”, which by default is yellow. It may be a different color depending on what theme you are using. Apparently on your theme it’s brown. We add staff color to posts to indicate or clarify that we are speaking as a moderator. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2020, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-how-the-are-you-posting-them/918991/19 "2020-08-26T00:01:34Z")
Makes sense ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2020, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-how-the-are-you-posting-them/918991/20 "2020-08-26T00:01:45Z")
> [@SurrenderDorothy](#): > > Upload the photo to imgur Seconded. You’ll want to install the Imgur app. From there you can take a picture or upload from your gallery. No need to sign in or anything. It gives you a short URL which you can paste into a post. Takes about 20 seconds. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photos-how-the-are-you-posting-them/918991.md?page=2)