TheSamba.com :: View topic - Why all the photos missing from old threads?

Mon Dec 21, 2009 12:50 am

Hi everyone,

I have been looking around old threads about Dormobiles and in many cases the images are missing in place of a linkless message. For example the 10th post down by Keiichi in this thread:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=141535

"Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen"

There is no indication that there is a link behind that text but if you double-click on it then this link opens:
http://myspace-387.vo.llnwd.net/00308/78/35/308175387_l.jpg

However there is no image.

Its not the case for every post in a thread. Some posts the images load inside the thread as normal but in others they fail as above - and so I dont suspect it is a bug in my browser but a bug in this server.

If this can not be resolved then its pretty tragic as so many threads are like this. :(

Mon Dec 21, 2009 1:25 am

Many reasons for pics disappearing.

People post or load pics on a server that deletes images after an amount of time passes. Some sites change web hosts or upgrade their sites to something different. And some websites simply don't renew their licenese to the web host, so all or some data gets lost.

Another issue is hosting sites that delete images if the person who posted them - hasn't been to that site after a period of time. (such as Photobucket for example).

Yup, it's sad when things vanish indeed!

Mon Dec 21, 2009 1:34 am

Sadly you will find that in just about every forum on The Internet. It happens because short-sighted people choose to host their pictures remotely on the web using "Photobucket", "Picasa" etc. When they tidy-up their personal galleries the picture location is changed and the link broken.

No problem using Internet picture hosting sites, a great facility but if you're posting pictures in a forum topic just take a few extra minutes to upload them to The Samba Gallery. Once there. the url locator will never change and you won't lose those pictures in the thread.

The Samba Gallery is so easy to use... :?

Mon Dec 21, 2009 9:38 am

Quote: The Samba Gallery is so easy to use

yes and no......it is so easy to post directly from photobucket into a post versus posting in the gallery. I really don't understand why and the 3 times I have posted to the gallery was really a hassle. With that said why isn't it as easy to post in the "gallery"? Why can't I post to the gallery directly from photobucket?

It would make so much more sense to be able to do it that way and alleviate all the missing pictures. Or IF it could be done automatically but I really don't understand what would be involved with doing it that way.

Mon Dec 21, 2009 9:43 am

hpw wrote: Quote: The Samba Gallery is so easy to use

yes and no......it is so easy to post directly from photobucket into a post versus posting in the gallery. I really don't understand why and the 3 times I have posted to the gallery was really a hassle. With that said why isn't it as easy to post in the "gallery"? Why can't I post to the gallery directly from photobucket?

It would make so much more sense to be able to do it that way and alleviate all the missing pictures. Or IF it could be done automatically but I really don't understand what would be involved with doing it that way.

OK, I'll bite. Please explain what is so difficult about clicking this button in a Gallery following these instructions:
Upload a pic from your machine:
Maximum file size (KB): 500
Maximum image width (pixels): 1600
Maximum image height (pixels): 1600

and clicking the [Browse] button next to each upload field.

See this page to reference the above.

Mon Dec 21, 2009 9:47 am

Jeez...copy to your hard drive and then post to the Samba Gallery...it's written in the picture posting instructions...it's always been there. Generally people who have problems with that have problems reading. :roll:

Mon Dec 21, 2009 9:50 am

Quote: Your uploaded file is too large or corrupted

Just tried it and this is what I get.....let me go back and see if I can figure out how to re-size. Why can't this just be done directly from photobucket?

Mon Dec 21, 2009 9:54 am

John Moxon wrote: Generally people who have problems with that have problems reading. :roll:

Yeah, I'm an idiot, ask a question on making something simpler and I have a reading comprehension problem.

Mon Dec 21, 2009 10:19 am

hpw wrote: Quote: Your uploaded file is too large or corrupted

Just tried it and this is what I get.....let me go back and see if I can figure out how to re-size. Why can't this just be done directly from photobucket?
I have a feeling photobucket does not let you "steal" off their site but regardless of that, the Gallery here requires a photo description that I want people to enter so the Gallery is actually useful past the day someone posts something.

If I starting grabbing photos off other sites I wouldn't know what was contained in the photo.

Mon Dec 21, 2009 10:24 am

I Just uploaded my first pic from Photobucket to the Gallery! It Works! :shock:

Mon Dec 21, 2009 10:26 am

hpw wrote: yes and no......it is so easy to post directly from photobucket into a post versus posting in the gallery.
How is it easier to upload to Photobucket then post links in the Forums rather than post in the Gallery here and post in the Forums?

I am not familar with photobucket. What part is easier? Or is it that you don't want to have to upload to 2 different locations?

Mon Dec 21, 2009 10:29 am

EverettB wrote: hpw wrote: yes and no......it is so easy to post directly from photobucket into a post versus posting in the gallery.
How is it easier to upload to Photobucket then post links in the Forums rather than post in the Gallery here and post in the Forums?

I am not familar with photobucket. What part is easier? Or is it that you don't want to have to upload to 2 different locations?

He may be referring to Photobucket's supplying the link with the tags present, which the Samba Gallery also does, but people fail to see.

Mon Dec 21, 2009 10:31 am

Gary wrote: EverettB wrote: hpw wrote: yes and no......it is so easy to post directly from photobucket into a post versus posting in the gallery.
How is it easier to upload to Photobucket then post links in the Forums rather than post in the Gallery here and post in the Forums?

I am not familar with photobucket. What part is easier? Or is it that you don't want to have to upload to 2 different locations?

He may be referring to Photobucket's supplying the link with the tags present, which the Samba Gallery also does, but people fail to see.
I'm not sure how I could make the Samba Gallery more obvious or easier but I'm open to suggestions.

Mon Dec 21, 2009 10:34 am

EverettB wrote: hpw wrote: yes and no......it is so easy to post directly from photobucket into a post versus posting in the gallery.
How is it easier to upload to Photobucket then post links in the Forums rather than post in the Gallery here and post in the Forums?

I am not familar with photobucket. What part is easier? Or is it that you don't want to have to upload to 2 different locations?

When I take pictures, I typically save them on my hard drive directly from my camera, with no resizing. I then go to photobucket because it will upload any size and resize based on what you tell it to resize as. Then if I want it on the samba, I have to save it again on my hard drive, and then re-upload to thesamba now that it's the right size. I've done this for years with no complaints, but if we had the ability to upload a large pic here, and it automatically resized the photo to samba standards, It would make life easier

again, no complaints here, the process I've used for years works, and it's just a few more clicks

Mon Dec 21, 2009 10:36 am

EverettB wrote:
I'm not sure how I could make the Samba Gallery more obvious or easier but I'm open to suggestions.

About the only thing I can think of would be to auto-resize images on upload. I always resize beforehand (it's not difficult, people!), but it would probably help a lot of folks who have no clue how to use image manipulation software.

Mon Dec 21, 2009 10:44 am

What I do is have a folder on my hard drive in "My Pictures" it's titled "Samba Pictures." I save my resized pictures to that folder and the other original size picture to Photobucket/Picasa/Anyotherfolderyoulike.

Then I upload my resized pictures from that "Samba Pictures" folder to The Samba Gallery. Why resized? because The Samba is not in competition with Photobucket et al as a web picture hosting site...it would use far too much bandwidth and slow the site to a crawl.

I'm sorry if you're offended by my tone but I dare say you don't have to answer the same questions every day about posting picture to the Samba.

Everett is the most patient man in the Universe...sadly, I'm not. :?

Mon Dec 21, 2009 10:46 am

///Mink wrote: EverettB wrote:
I'm not sure how I could make the Samba Gallery more obvious or easier but I'm open to suggestions.

About the only thing I can think of would be to auto-resize images on upload. I always resize beforehand (it's not difficult, people!), but it would probably help a lot of folks who have no clue how to use image manipulation software.
I could do that but the main problem is that the way this site uploads, a lot of people would see their computer time out or think it is frozen as there is no "progress bar". Another issue is that digital cameras take photos in uncompressed format so even the right-sized photos are HUGE in file size.

There are already people in the Classifieds that have problems uploading their four or five 1024x768 photos because they are on a slow/crappy connection.

Mon Dec 21, 2009 10:50 am

This site is chock full of information, yet people complain its features and functions are cumbersome or "don't work right". All too often, the Site Forum is the most unappreciated and overlooked.

Photo Resizing

Mon Dec 21, 2009 12:13 pm

IrFanView. Takes 30 seconds to resize the picture and upload to this site. Changing the size has the added benefit of the picture fitting on the page with out the browser having to add those annoying scroll bars on the bottom to scroll sideways.

Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:01 pm

Because you have to choose a category and write a description. Yeah, it's like 2 clicks, but if you don't do it, you get e-scolded. Posting a picture because I have a question about my bus, does it go in the Bus category? Or parts? Oops, maybe engine?
That's why I use photobucket. But I make sure I never re-arrange my pictures, so I'll never have broken links.

Now on the flipside, I can access TheSamba at work, however photbucket is blocked. So that makes screwing off at work a little less fun when I can't see all the pictures.