I can't add an image to a post on this Web site unless it's already posted somewhere else on the Web? Do I understand this correctly? I have to refer to a URL to get the image to post? Why? If not, how do I post an image that's not already on the Web?

-- steve (s.swinehart@worldnet.att.net), October 24, 2000

Answers

Steve, you are correct in that, unlike photo.net which can actually "hosts" image files, i.e. images can be uploaded directly by us, the greenspun.com forums like this one can only reference images that are already somewhere else on the internet. When "posting" an image, one merely points to it with the "img" HTML tag. What goes inside the tag is the same as what you would type in the "Location:" field of your browser (if using Netscape) or the Goto: field in Internet Explorer.

-- Tony Rowlett (rowlett@alaska.net), October 25, 2000.

You have to find a place on the web to put it.

It's the way the software on these forums works. Not much you can do about it. There's free and cheap webspace out there, just upload some stuff.

-- Jeff Spirer (jeff@spirer.com), October 25, 2000.

There are other free hosting services out there that you can use, though. I shudder to mention, but Geocities -- you know, the domain that floods you with all the annoying advertising windows that are hard to get rid of even after you get rid of them once and they keep coming back -- has free web hosting and you can upload images there. But there are others, I believe.

-- Tony Rowlett (rowlett@alaska.net), October 25, 2000.

Jeff and I were "sync-typing!" :)

-- Tony Rowlett (rowlett@alaska.net), October 25, 2000.

I have my images on Geocities and I havenB4t noticed any "annoying advertising windows that are hard to get rid of even after you get rid of them once and they keep coming back" :) Om my pages thereB4s a very very small pop-up in one corner which minimizes itself after few seconds - feel free to take a look

The catch is that once you sign on, you have to actually build a webpage within a week or two, or they will cancel your account. But itB4s easy - just put up a single page with a couple of pictures and say that this is Steves place, and you 10 Mbs of storage space. The pictures that you link to this forum do not actually have to be visible anywhere on your homepage.

If you choose another web host, please make sure that they allow direct links to images. The host for my online gallery, Crosswinds, does not, and neither do Tripod and Xoom, as far as I know. If you choose Geocities and you have any problems building a page, feel free to ask :)

-- Christel Green (look.no@film.dk), October 25, 2000.

I stand corrected. Love those applets, especially the blue ice one. Cool.

-- Tony Rowlett (rowlett@alaska.net), October 25, 2000.

RE: Geocities

I used to have a page on GeoCities, but when Yahoo took over they put some very objectionable language in the terms of service that basically gave them ownership and full rights to everything you posted, for any purpose whatsoever. They've since amended the ToS to a more friendly version that states specifically that you are only licensing them certain rights to present and promote your site.

Still, with so many other services out there that have never made such a sticky-handed grab for the rights of inidividuals to their own content, I'm sticking with the maxim "once a thief, always a thief" and keeping my pages elsewhere. Decide for yourself, but I'll never have a page on GeoCities again, and it has nothing to do with annoying popup boxes.

-- Jonathan Van Matre (jvanmatre@calmco.com), October 31, 2000.

test http://www.photo.net/photodb/image-display?photo_id=427299&size=md

-- Gerry Widen (gwiden@alliancepartners.org), November 14, 2001.

-- Doug Ford (dford@san.rr.com), February 09, 2002.

-- Doug Ford (dford@san.rr.com), February 09, 2002.