Dead image links: why so many?

[xRUFUSx]

I get that some may want to erase all digital trace of 420 activities at some points in life (running for public office, etc), but the resulting graveyard threads are shameful! Half the conversation is about the images often times!

If one takes the care not to choose their birth name as a username for FC, why not upload "questionable" pictures to a place that's more than 1 year future proof?!?!

The archival value of many threads are almost shit for this reason, and it sucks. Rant over.

 

[djonkoman]

I always thought imagesites just delete pictures afdter a certain time? if everytime I see graveyard-threads it was because the poster deleted them, than there are way too many paranoid folks.

 

[Delta3DStudios]

Welcome to the interwebs. This happens on every forum, not just FC.

Sadly, it's more so a case of the image host taking down the image for whatever reason (in this case, it's usually because they don't permit such images on their site). Or someone browsing that image hosting site will report the image.

Another usual case is when people link to an image on a store. Of course the store will update/delete their listing, and all the images will disappear with it.

 

[Eschient]

^^ Yup, one of the main reasons I still have an actual website. I write a lot of tutorials for forums and nothing was more annoying than having my images disappear because Imageshack or something decided it wasn't worth hosting anymore. Now I just host the images on my own site and save myself a lot of headaches.

 

[Tweak]

Would be nice if FC had it's own image hosting site.

 

[NorVape]

How bout we crowdfund an image hosting site for FC?

Dead imglinx is t3h worst when browsing for tutorials etc

 

[syrupy]

I started going back and removing images I posted that are months old. It felt right after starting to see my photos being used by shady DHG sellers. That's also why I watermark images now.

 

[Bouldorado]

I started going back and removing images I posted that are months old. It felt right after starting to see my photos being used by shady DHG sellers. That's also why I watermark images now.

Yeah I've definitely caused some broken links this way. I deleted a lot of pictures from my Picasaweb to save space and it was only after noticing an old post of mine with a broken image link that I realized many of those pics were posted on forums.

 

[xRUFUSx]

When I started here I got a few pictures in before I realized I was going to have a storage/discretion issue. I have a photobucket album setup now. My old myspace links from 2006 still work with photobucket. Big brother can have the pics; prohibition won't last forever.

 

[canj00digit?]

I've had great results for years using http://postimage.org/

 

[syrupy]

One thing we can do to help, is post headlines/captions when we post images, to help figure out what the missing content is. Especially on tutorials this can be a lifesaver. If there's an image missing that has a written caption "place material in extract tube", then we may be able to find a pic from google search.

In case @vtac is just bored, how about making an official FC image host. One that blocks hot linking and places an FC logo watermark on the images. I don't care if FC has my pics, I just want to keep them in house somehow.

 

[vtac]

In case @vtac is just bored, how about making an official FC image host. One that blocks hot linking and places an FC logo watermark on the images. I don't care if FC has my pics, I just want to keep them in house somehow.

That's a cool idea and in a perfect world we'd host our own images, however, the logistics make it a bit less attractive when there are already good image hosts out there.

To address the thread starter's question, some crappy image hosts were used early on that have since disappeared or mass-deleted images. Some of the reliable image hosts have an issue where when a user changes an album name it breaks all existing links. In other cases people have deleted images from their hosting account. Sucks, but the internet ain't perfect.

Imgur.com has been excellent for us since its inception (yes they did make a mistake for one day last week), they don't require you to sign up and as far as I know they don't delete images as long as they receive views.

 

[Snappo]

I've had great results for years using http://postimage.org/

Test... Hmmm - gives a link to the pic, but not a direct pic to post on the page like Imgur. Maybe I just haven't figured out how to do it. Didn't register/Sign in to the site... would rather be completely anonymous there if possible???
[img=http://s12.postimg.org/4g6byw9xl/AFZ222.jpg]

 

[t-dub]

I've had great results for years using http://postimage.org/

Same here. It works well. @Snappo download the desktop app and make an account, you don't have to have one just make sure you use direct links, all they want is a recovery e-mail. The desktop app will make screen capturing, editing, and uploading pics a breeze. Otherwise just upload from your gallery page. Will your body of work be password protected? No. However hiding in plain sight works for me. Once you start using your gallery hit "show codes" and use the direct links.

Link to Windoze desktop app: http://postimage.org/app.php

Like this . . .

 

[Snappo]

Same here. It works well. @Snappo download the desktop app and make an account, you don't have to have one just make sure you use direct links, all they want is a recovery e-mail. The desktop app will make screen capturing, editing, and uploading pics a breeze. Otherwise just upload from your gallery page. Will your body of work be password protected? No. However hiding in plain sight works for me. Once you start using your gallery hit "show codes" and use the direct links.

Link to Windoze desktop app: http://postimage.org/app.php

Like this . . .

Thank you kind sir!!! Go Ducks!!!!!

 

[canj00digit?]

Using postimage.org I've never downloaded the app or even registered because I am not keen on such a thing.

I simply upload the image and then get the following screen with a direct link to the image that works on forums:

Here is the direct link to your pic (I just used your link to figure it):

 

[t-dub]

Here is the direct link to your pic (I just used your link to figure it):

Didn't work, image broken. @Stu tried the same thing with one of my posts and it didn't work either. The direct links are not decipherable.

 

[canj00digit?]

Didn't work, image broken. @Stu tried the same thing with one of my posts and it didn't work either. The direct links are not decipherable.

Ahhhh I see, so Snappo's image didn't work eh?
It's weird, it works for me.

But the other image above it works, right?

 

[t-dub]

But the other image above it works, right?

Yeah it works. Try clearing your cache and viewing this page again.

 

[canj00digit?]

Yeah it works. Try clearing your cache and viewing this page again.

I gotcha.
Was just making sure the first one works, so I'm not running around posting broken images.
Thanks.

 

[syrupy]

That's a cool idea and in a perfect world we'd host our own images, however, the logistics make it a bit less attractive when there are already good image hosts out there.

But they won't protect me from hot linking! Arggggggggh....

OK I'm over it. I've taken a bunch of photos for FC the last few months but I'm tired of seeing my images floating around elsewhere. And I feel like a weirdo with the watermarks. Oh well.