Photobucket Hosting Changes

[back alley]

i still have a 'pro' account at flickr...pay 25 bucks a year and have no problems with the site afa posting pics...and no adds...

 

[Emile de Leon]

Photobucket just nixed me...lol..time to switch..

 

[Pioneer]

Well, I guess all my links will be switched soon, if not already, since I have also been using Photobucket for several years.

 

[jarski]

been using Google Photos for a while now (few years). it works best on Android devices, but is avail for Apple ecosystem too. for sharing on forums and blogs, its not the best solution least yet, but I've grown to like how well it works with everything else.

 

[bonatto]

**** the MBAs

 

[Jockos]

This case really represents the 'danger' with cloud computing. You've left you data in the hands of another, and you're basically at their mercy.

Hosting yourself is the only option to be responsible for your own data.

 

[Rune]

I've used Photobucket as well, but yesterday I deleted my account and all images on the site. I really don't want to be held hostage by those guys, so deletion of account was the only real option.

Additionally, there are quite a few troublesome issues in their terms of use, for instance this one:
"When you make your Content public, you grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, non-revocable, right and license to copy, sell, convey, distribute, stream, post, publicly display (e.g. post it elsewhere), reproduce and create derivative works from it (meaning things based on it), whether in print or any kind of electronic version that exists now or is later developed, for any purpose, including a commercial purpose with the right to sublicense such rights to others."

 

[Doug]

I have noticed that recently there are a lot of broken links for thread photos from Photo Bucket... now I know why!

In this sort of pickle, I think I'd dig through my RFF posts looking for ones with linked photos... tedious if you have a bunch... and then it appears that RFF presents you with only the most recent 1000. Of course you'd want to replace those links with fresh ones to the same pics hosted elsewhere... What a chore, easier to identify before the old links break... good luck!

Other than the 6 or so pics uploaded to Flickr to see how it worked, all my online photos are here in the RFF Gallery. It's been easy to post links to those pics to other websites as well as RFF threads.

 

[Keith]

For a pay option Zenfolio is pretty decent and the presentation is very good.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

This is why I have always advised photographers to have their own personal websites. If you own the site, you control it, and no one can screw you.

Yes, it costs money to buy a domain name (about $15 a year) and to pay a hosing company ($10-$20 a month), and I know some people stamp their feet and cry when told to pay for something online, but that is really not much money to have full control over your web presence. And yes, you may have to pay someone to design it if you don't have the skills to do web design. So what; most of you guys have spent enormous sums of money on gear. Some of you have $20,000 or more in Leica lenses and bodies. If you can afford that, you can afford a website.

There is no such thing as 'free.' Look at all the hand-wringing over the terms of service of companies like Flickr, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc. Fears that they'll sell your images, etc. Never had to worry about that; my images are on my website where I pay a reputable hosting company to serve the site to visitors.

 

[peterm1]

I effectively gave up on Photobucket years ago. It went downhill perhaps 10 years back and more recently it is far worse than it was even back then. It just became so ugly and demoralizing to look at and use. And more recently it is also slow, buggy and dysfunctional. I pay $25 per year at Flickr for pro membership and am happy with their site. I am not sure if this rate is still open as I seem to recall it was a short term offer when they started taking adverts some years ago open to existing members. I have only used Photobucket in more recent years for hosting a few (very few) images that I did not want on Flickr and which I used for the RFF site for example when I needed to post an image to one of my posts. A few weeks back I tried to access an image I knew I had on Photobucket to post in a thread and it was horrible - just as you said every click was a new advert. It is also slow and buggy to upload to and navigate. Anyone paying $40 would have rocks in their head as its way way way over what you would get for your money even without the adverts.
My only (small) gripe with Flickr are the limited options available for layout and presentation.

 

[sepiareverb]

...The process they used to get to this point was sleazy. They first started to pump my account with more and more pop ups, with the advice to pay extra to remove the ads. When I didn't bite, they sent me a note saying that I was in violation of their recently updated terms of service by linking my images to 3rd party websites. i.e. like this one...

Exactly the MO they used with me.

And I do have the basic free account. What gives?

Maybe if I get to Photobucket through an Australian VPN....

So I guess that all those photographers who were using Photobucket to host their images are now not going to be using Photobucket for prints.

Nope.

...And more recently it is also slow, buggy and dysfunctional...

Absolutely.

I've used Photobucket as well, but yesterday I deleted my account and all images on the site...

And your old posts don't show the ad, only the old "Photo Not Found" image.

I suppose I should also delete the whole thing.

...my images are on my website where I pay a reputable hosting company to serve the site to visitors.

And do you post images here that reside on your own site? If I can generate an IMG link that might be simplest.

 

[jarski]

This is why I have always advised photographers to have their own personal websites. ...

problem with such websites is that they continue cost you in plugging security holes and other maintenance. and when Google, Apple, Microsoft, Firefox develop their browsers, they may break something that your website depend on. so, enter re-development costs that often come without warning.

(IMO) old style websites fit quite poorly to this age mobile apps, social media integration and presence on search engines. least, unless you have budget big enough to tackle these issues.

 

[gnuyork]

I use my own hosting through Blue Host (for my website that I have never built and keep meaning to 🙄 ). I can't remember what it is per month, I usually pay 2 years in advance. It's really not too much if I recall.

 

[icebear]

I always uploaded images directly to my RFF gallery and copy&paste from there into any thread. It's no the most convenient process but if you do it on a regular basis it becomes easy enough.

As others mentioned already, in the end there is no such thing like a free lunch.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

And do you post images here that reside on your own site? If I can generate an IMG link that might be simplest.

Yep, all the images I post in my "Photos from Ft. Wayne" thread and in other RFF threads are hosted on my website. Its completely painless to do. I just right click the image on my site, choose "Copy image location" and then paste the resulting address for the image into the RFF thread using the IMG button or IMG tags.

 

[ColSebastianMoran]

And I do have the basic free account. What gives?

Keith, I think what works for you is you are in Australia, looks like the new PB rules don't apply there.

Consumer protection laws? Or they just haven't got around to you yet?

 

[sepiareverb]

Yep, all the images I post in my "Photos from Ft. Wayne" thread and in other RFF threads are hosted on my website. Its completely painless to do. I just right click the image on my site, choose "Copy image location" and then paste the resulting address for the image into the RFF thread using the IMG button or IMG tags.

I shall give this a try.

Easy peasy! Thanks.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

I shall give this a try.

Easy peasy! Thanks.

Cool abstract images. I like them!

 

[Calzone]

This is why I have always advised photographers to have their own personal websites. If you own the site, you control it, and no one can screw you.

Yes, it costs money to buy a domain name (about $15 a year) and to pay a hosing company ($10-$20 a month), and I know some people stamp their feet and cry when told to pay for something online, but that is really not much money to have full control over your web presence. And yes, you may have to pay someone to design it if you don't have the skills to do web design. So what; most of you guys have spent enormous sums of money on gear. Some of you have $20,000 or more in Leica lenses and bodies. If you can afford that, you can afford a website.

There is no such thing as 'free.' Look at all the hand-wringing over the terms of service of companies like Flickr, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc. Fears that they'll sell your images, etc. Never had to worry about that; my images are on my website where I pay a reputable hosting company to serve the site to visitors.

Chris,

Thanks for this post. I have no online presence, but I see wisdom in having control over my rights and content.

A website seems the way to go.

Cal