REQUIRED: The "dos" and "don'ts" of posting images

[hoi.polloi]

[img]full_URL_goes_here[/img]

Example; this: http://www.url.com/image.jpg

...would be typed where the dot is here: [img].[/img]

[hoi.polloi]

Also, it looks like they are killing the links to the pics so that they aren't viewable on forums it seems. Save and reupload.

In anonjedi2's thread on the recent Boston "bomb" incident (viewtopic.php?f=33&t=1602) upstream had this brilliant but simple advice, which we'd like to remind everyone here to follow.

If you want to show where you stand on our site being useless or useful to readers, you will choose to either hotlink directly to dubious sources such as the news media or you will download their pictures and reupload them on your own space and post a link to the original location (respectively).

Although there are plenty of arguments for why this isn't a perfect system, it is certainly better than each person quoting the original link location, only to have it disappear and instantly ruin a dozen posts talking about that image.

So PLEASE (you know how much I hesitate to type in all capital letters) honor this simple system and help the media expose itself ... instead of helping them cover their tracks.

This has been a CluesForum service announcement. And now back to your regular sleuthing. Thank you!

[hoi.polloi]

Suggested sites (I haven't checked all these out but for a quick solution):

http://www.imageshack.us
http://www.postimage.org
http://www.imagebam.com
http://www.photobucket.com

Please read the rules of those sites carefully, since their policies can change and they can remove images at their fancy.

Eventually, it would be nice if we could grant users some kind of FTP license to just put them on our site. For the time being, please use image hosting sites or - ideally - your own space.

[nonhocapito]

Eventually, it would be nice if we could grant users some kind of FTP license to just put them on our site. For the time being, please use image hosting sites or - ideally - your own space.

FTP is an idea, but our phpbb platform has already a built-in system to "attach" files to a post, uploading them to the server. Since now we have unlimited server space, this method should be perfectly feasible (as long as the media remains separated from the database, which otherwise would grow too much to backup). I just have to find the time to look into it, but this is definitely a priority...

[hoi.polloi]

I see what you mean. I think backups might be able to exclude pictures, in case we only want to make one picture back up once in a while and make more frequent text backups, but perhaps we can play with the admin cp and see what's possible. Thanks, nonhocapito!

[analucia]

Hoi,
I don't have the tab below the preview and submit buttons you referred to that says you can upload attachment. All I see is a tab that says "Options" which has check boxes for disabling smilies, signatures and notify about replies, etc. Am I missing something? I don't want to clog up the thread asking basic posting questions so I came here.
Thanks.

[hoi.polloi]

So there's the Options tab but not the Upload attachment tab - as seen below? Darn it!

Perhaps we need to edit permissions to get everyone to be able to use this feature.

...

Okay, I've just tested your permissions and noticed you don't have that tab. nonhocapito is playing with this feature right now.

In the mean time, could you post at image upload sites such as http://www.imageshack.us?

[nonhocapito]

So there's the Options tab but not the Upload attachment tab - as seen below? Darn it!

forum_attach.JPG

Perhaps we need to edit permissions to get everyone to be able to use this feature.

...

Okay, I've just tested your permissions and noticed you don't have that tab. nonhocapito is playing with this feature right now.

In the mean time, could you post at image upload sites such as http://www.imageshack.us?

I am done playin'... I posted my impressions here: viewtopic.php?f=32&t=1288&p=2383404#p2383404 and was waiting for a bit of feedback from the admins. The uploading of attachments isn't without problems or risks, since any kind of file can be uploaded including zip files, pdfs etc

[Maat]

It's still not showing for me



I had to upgrade my Photobucket account for $2.99 per month because all the recent traffic here had used up my allotted free bandwidth gigs.

[Maat]

Yay, thank you for fixing it Nonho!

[hoi.polloi]

Select upload attachment.
Select "Choose..."
Select a file to upload (keep it within reason)
Hit "Add the file"

Repeat as necessary.

A new dialogue appears below your post content for each image you upload.

To add these images in your text where you want them, put the text cursor where you want the image and then select "in line" post button next to the image name. Special tags will appear for that image.

NOTE: please delete unused files, since phpBB will just slap extra attachments onto the end of the post.

[HonestlyNow]

hoi --
How does one become part of the "Upload Attachment" group?
(i.e. that tab is still not showing on my "Post Reply" page.)

[hoi.polloi]

Ugh, sorry. I thought nonhocapito fixed that.

For now, upload to an image server instead and use our [img].[/img] tag.

Sorry about that.

[hoi.polloi]

*

*WHAT TO post around your images that you add to CluesForum:

It is important to reference context. So please, when posting do everything in your power to:

1. Name the original source, provide the original link, help us understand what we are looking at. Did you modify the image in any way?

2. For your convenience, the date of retrieval is not as necessary because the forum keeps track of when you posted. But for added certainty, you can also post the time you got the image.

3. Provide any contextual information about how the average person can confirm the image. e.g.; I got this from the Facebook profile known as [blank and blank]




* WHAT TO DO if the image cannot be retrieved:

In case you cannot download the media image, or in case you are critiquing video that has critical information in a single frame, please follow these instructions for acquiring the images you'd like to post at CluesForum:

1. Sometimes this is more useful than the original. Capture the photo in context by hitting the PrintScreen key on your keyboard and then pasting into your paint program. (Linux will often just create an image in your Pictures folder, and for Mac or iPhone you can use other hot keys.)

2. Crop out any personal information such as browser info, desktop icons, etc.

3. Save the file, optimally with a name that somehow references the original source/context for your own memory and to help us figure it out if the image is lost.



* HOW TO post the images:

Please remember not to abuse our forum with overwhelming images. Make the images, and any analysis clear enough for a child to understand.

1. Upload the file to a hosting service

2. Get the forum link

3. Use that in the image tags [img]{.URL_HERE.}[/img]

Thank you!