Howdy,
Don’t know how to say it, so I’ll just say it.
At times, it’s pretty damn frustrating to not be able to put a picture up on here instead of “alpha-question1” then “beta-question2” you know the saying a picture is worth a thousands words… I’m re-ally feeling that one guys. I really don’t want to use the fact that i’m a paying member here as well… but maybe if what i’m asking for doesn’t exist yet it could possibly light a fire under the appropriate party’s butt.
Now don’t get me wrong I am sympathetic to the bandwidth issues, but why should I have to create a “work-around” for the fact that I can’t attach a small pic somewhere in here?
Provided i’m not speaking out of my ass, you could designate a specific area on here (SD.com) for tthe counter-part threads to be linked to with file size restrictions and possibly file posting restrictions (so many per week or month etc.) intact… I just don’t want to have to make-up a personal website so i can attach a link from there to here in order to effectively ask my question to the masses…
I hope i didn’t come off too rough… I just thought I’d give this issue a desperate deep stab and see what comes of it… Thanks
Not a horrible idea – but given the apparent strain on the SDMB server, perhaps not the best one, either.
What might be worthwhile is for a given member or members, with a server with space to host such a critter, or willing to subscribe to one of the sites that permit uploading of graphics for free or at very low cost, to set up a place where Dopers could post such graphics. This would greatly simplify GQ items asking for identification of a given tzotzke or critter (assuming the asker has a digital camera or a way to scan in an image), diagrams [Galadriel is Aragorn’s great-to-the-nth-aunt because…], etc.
What would be needed is a disclaimer that the other graphics site is not under the control or management of the Chicago Reader, Inc., which is not responsible for anything posted there, and a willingness on staff part to allow links to it in appropriate circumstances, neither of which sound tremendously burdensome on anyone.
There are several alternatives to creating your own website for the purpose of sharing and linking to images. I use Yahoo.com to upload images, which is free, and I believe there are sites that are specifically designed for this purpose, also free.
Once upon a time, we used to let people post graphics to this site.
Because of abuse of this privilege, we had to remove such access. Want the most flagrant example? Let’s all sing along now. . . “and goatse was his name!” (Oh!)
It’s probably just as well anyway, because of the oft-mentioned bandwidth considerations . . . .and because, well, frankly, most of us prefer it this way too. We’re not so much into bells and whistles and flying whatevers around here as we are about solid content.
There’s any number of sites available for you to store images that you can link to (provided they also fall within our other user rules for such images, see the registration agreement for more information); we see no reason why you cannot find this solution for your problem for yourself.
I have a paid account at picturetrail.com with enough space to spare. I can create an album called “Straight Dope” and anyone who wants to share a pic can just e-mail it to me with a caption and I can upload it. To view it you just go to picturetrail.com/adam88 and click on the “Straight Dope” album.
This is a free site that works well, and they offer 25M space and 1500M bandwidth/month. Premium (pay) services are unrestricted. I just started using it over at Fathom. It’s an easy site to navigate.
Nitpick: Galadriel and Aragorn have no common ancestor. Arwen and Aragorn are first cousins n times removed, being both descended from Earendil, and Galadriel is Arwen’s maternal grandmother, but the only links between Aragorn and Galadriel are by marriage.
For a while I was using Boomspeed for my eBay auctions, until it became apparent there was some kind of security problem. On a few occasions the pictures I was linking to mysteriously changed, and I occasionally found my auctions listed with porno images. :eek:
I don’t know if all free sites have this problem, but with the strict SDMB linking rules it’s worth bearing in mind.
I created a photo album at picturetrail.com/adam88l titled Straightdope. If anyone wants to share a pic with anyone just e-mail me the pic at xrayvision88@msn.com and I will post it. I check my e-mail several times a day, so getting it posted quickly shouldn’t be a problem.
