[Arc Angel]

For anyone who would like to know more about how to post pictures on the worldwide web, here's the deal: The, 'Browse Button' found on most websites, simply, allows a user to search through his own computer's photo files in order to select an appropriate picture to, 'attach' to a post. With many members, an on-line forum is able to log and retain their computer's, 'IP' address; consequently, any photo, 'browsed' into a post will continue to be displayed from day-to-day. However this is not always true! There are a number of reasons, 'Why' a forum may suddenly, 'lose' a posted photo.

Before you are able to post a photo, you need to, first, download that photo into your computer. Transferring photos from a floppy disk or CD is the easiest way to accomplish this. However, do NOT store photos in Windows XP's, 'My Photos' directory UNLESS you want to, also, use them as wallpaper. Set up a new directory inside your own Windows account. On my notebook computer the separate photo directories are, c:\desktop\my computer\local disk (c)\documents and settings\arc angel\photo collection\*.* … . I store the photos I want to use in one of these picture subdirectories.

A problem may arise in keeping pictures posted for an extended period of time. One of the main reasons posted photos are, 'lost' is because your IP (Internet Provider) address may change every time you log onto the internet; consequently, any photo(s) that you post, today, will show today; but may NOT be displayed, again, after you log on and off a few times.

This is, 'Why' you should use a third-party picture host for anything you want other people to see, again and again, on the internet. There is, another, darker reason for using a third-party picture host: If you give a website - any website - access to your photo files; well, there are programs out there that have the ability to keep right on going once they're inside your computer. An attachment is, after all, a 24-hour open door into your computer's innermost sanctum.

For all of these reasons it is always better to use an outside photo hosting site. This, 'IP' address (Not quite the same thing as an, 'ISP'.) never changes; and, unless there's a storage time limit, your posted photo(s) will remain with the post(s). (Personally, I like to, 'clean house' on my posted photos every 90 days - or so.)

Here's some more information that may help to explain things, better:

http://consumer.net/IPpaper.asp

Because most (but not all) 35mm camera photos are too large to post attractively, most of your stored personal photos will need to be reduced in size. I have found it easy and convenient to upload the photo(s) I intend to post into an on-line photo editor. So far, my favorite photo editor is, http://www.myimager.com/ It is, 'intuitive' and simple to use.

The two most popular (and attractive) reduction sizes are, either, 60% or 70%. After you reduce a photo it will, first, be saved to the editor; you will need to, also, save it back to your own computer. When you do this change the photo's name from: 'myphoto#1.JPEG' to, 'myphoto#1R6.JPEG'. The new name reflects a reduction in size (R) by either 60 (6) or 70 (7) percent.

Download the new reduced photo into your working, on-line photo directory. On my notebook that would be the: 'c:\desktop\my computer\local disk (c)\documents and settings\arc angel\photo collection\on-line photos' directory. Now you are ready to select an on-line, 'Photo Host' website with a permanent web address in which to store your on-line photos for others to view over the internet. Once you've given your photos a PERMANENT INTERNET ADDRESS, you will be able to display them for others to see for extended periods of time in spite of: network ambiguities, dial-up service changes, a new internet provider, an automatically reassigned IP address, and internal file transfers or name changes.

I am presently using 2 third-party photo hosts. The first is, http://www.villagephotos.com I use their free program; but this is an excellent photo hosting site; and I may decide to upgrade to the $4.00 a month plan.

The other third-party photo host is, http://www.photobucket.com . This site is completely free, and offers automatic size reduction. This program is, a little, buggy; and it doesn't, always, run correctly; but it seems to be improving over time; it does work; and it's free.

:wink:

 

[Bloofington]

:duh:

I lost you after "How to Post" . . .

Could you repeat that?

Hey, give a guy a break here!!! I don't know if you knew this, but they don't call me The Great Dumboni for nothing, and I've got the evidence of why its true, two irrefutable pieces of evidence that were part of the United States Government vs. The Great Dumboni.

Not that I didn't already know it, after all I am a blond y'know.

Anyway, thanks fer the tips, young feller!

:duh:

 

[Alarmed]

Hmmmm, I am having an EAO flashback. All we need is alot of colors & all caps & I would swear it was one & the same.

 

[Arc Angel]

:shock: Hey, Bloof, I’ve already made the serious mental mistake of regularly reading your posts; and, Heaven help me, I think I'm, now, addicted! I know what you do for a living; so, yeah, you would already know all of this stuff; but what about everyone else?

Until you guys started poking fun at me I was in the process of preparing my next two magnum opuses: (1) ‘How to Read Photo Tag-Lines in: Photobucket.com, VillagePhotos.com, and MyImager.com’; and, (2) ‘The Meaning of Life - A Thesis on Existential Absurdity, or Why We Are (Really) Here!’

But, hey, if you guys aren’t going to take any of my intellectual largess seriously; well, then, I guess I’ll just head on back over to the ScientificAmerican.com forum where I’m usually held in awe, treated with reverence, and receive the respect I’m accustomed to. :fire:

By the way, what the Hell is an, ‘EAO’ moment? Does it have anything to do with Einstein? (No, not the name of my Maine **** Cat – that other guy, Albert!) :mrgreen:

PS: Who are you calling, 'young feller'? I may be ingenuous; but I sure, as Hell, ain't young – innocent and good-looking, maybe, but not young. DFBTK - (NECHYWHWHAG!)

 

[Bloofington]

Not so, my brother. I meant it when I said you lost me after "How to Post." Concerning the post's topic, I actually am quite interested in the subject, but I'm going to have to reserve reading it until I actually want to post pictures. I did very poorly in school after about 8th grade, marks-wise, and am really horrible at studying.

I must say though, I always appreciate when someone covers a subject as you did. It's a lot like product manuals. Whenever I get a new product, I find the parts in the manual I need to know about to get the product up and running safely, properly in every way and without leaving out anything important concerning regular operation, cleaning and maintenance. However, usually at least two thirds of the manual contains features that I will either never use or won't need to read about until I use, and that's what your post reminded me of, because studying makes my head hurt real bad.

As for what I do for a living, I work for a great metropolitan law firm on the graveyard shift as a temporary legal word processing operator, and spend the rest of the week doing the same thing on a freelance basis for one or two person law offices on a spot basis, or doing resumes, flyers, programs and small newsletters for other small businesses, black box theater companies, friends, etc.

As for knowing what you were talking about, I honestly didn't. I tried to read it all, and about halfway through my head hurt really bad, and I was swimming in "Oh my, it's feeling like schoolwork" so I had to stop. My computer knowledge is limited to being a crackerjack word processor and page layout (desk top publishing) operator, and having a decent basic working knowledge of systems, a bit of troubleshooting, etc. But as for knowing beans about what you were talking about, heck no, but I'll need to know it someday, so thanks for the information, and sorry for the misunderstanding.

As for the compliment, thanks for that too.

 

[Arc Angel]

:roll: OK, Bloof; but, who do you think you’re kidding! Nobody who posts the kind of subtle whit you do is, ‘slow’; e.g. ‘Proque Rhoste’. (Remember that one; I, sure, do!) I went to a lot of trouble to set you up in the preceding post; (I thought rather cleverly.) but, to my surprise, you side-stepped me beautifully! Quite frankly, I’m pissed; all that effort went for nothing!

You are, obviously, a diabolically clever individual who has learned to hide his true lethal persona behind a, somewhat, self-deprecating mask. Alright, I am able to respect that; after all, that’s the way my mother raised me, too. She used to always say to me; ‘Son, never let them see it coming!’ :wink:

I think you and I might turn out to be good friends. You can do my desktop publishing; and I’ll do your taxes! By the way, are you any good at printing money? :mrgreen:

Oh, yeah, I’m still waiting; what, the Hell, is, ‘EAO’. :?:

 

[Bloofington]

Actually, I've already got a tax man, but thanks anyway. As for an EAO moment, :dunno: , you'll have to ask the talking dog. I think that was part of his shtick.

 

[Alarmed]

EAO was the alias of a member at a couple other boards, non gun related, that I visit or used too. He was famous for the signature in his post were usually half a page long. He put all kinds of posting tips & how to use the search features of VBulletin.

That wasn't so bad & many people learned things just by reading his signature. BUT, he had this problem of using all caps & changing colors every word of the post. If you ever saw one of his post, it was hard on the eyes.

EAO started getting paranoid, very paranoid, more than me even, & started seeing conspiracies behind every rock. He started going off on tirades causing him to earn the title of Endless And Often. He finally got banned frome several places because of his antics.

I want you to know I meant no disrespect by the comment of comparing you to him. Everywhere else I am a member knows of him & it is always a joke to mention him whenever an instructional post like yours is made. I should have realized no one here would have known of him & I would have to explain this.

 

[Arc Angel]

That's good because I know next to nothing about taxes - you just have to pay them, right! :mrgreen:

'EAO' - Oh, I guess that's, 'Why' all Google could come up with is, 'Einstein Archives, On-Line'.

Enjoy the 4th!

 

[Dean Speir]

AA: I think you've made this process a tad too difficult. It's a whole lot more simple than the gyrations through his you've been going.

Hell, if me 'n' Schmit had to go through what you've outlined, we'd be straight text kinda guys!

 

[Bloofington]

Ummm, Mr. Speir, I was just rereading the second paragraph of your post and noticed a certain word. Just a thought, ummm, is it really okay to say "outlined" in a post? Just checking.

 

[Arc Angel]

:roll: Come on! What's hard about:

(1) Select a 35mm photo from your computer's on-line picture sub-directory.

(2) Open, either, http://www.myimager.com/ , http://www.photobucket.com/ , or http://www.villagephotos.com/ and follow the instructions to upload the selected photo.

(3) In, 'MyImager' make the 60 or 70% reduction, rename, and follow the instructions to, either, download back to your computer's on-line picture sub-directory, or COPY THE PHOTO'S ADDRESS LINE into whatever post you're presently writing.

(4) In, 'Photobucket' do the exact same thing as described above; except use the automatic size reduction button to make the reduction. You'll recall from my original post that I mentioned; 'Photobucket can be a little, 'buggy.' This is because (At least on my computer) every photo address line has to be modified before it is able to be successfully displayed.

Here's an exact example:

Original Photobucket tag-line, http://img51.photobucket.com/albums/v15 ... ction=view¤t=Golden_Handcuffs_R5.jpg

The above tag-line, copied verbatim from the Photobucket address line will not reliably display in a post. It needs to be modified as follows, REMOVE ALL TEXT FROM THE QUESTION MARK, ('?') TO THE EQUALS SIGN, ('='). Now your photo will display every time, under every set of circumstances:

Here's how a rewritten Photobucket tag-line should read,

http://img51.photobucket.com/albums/v15 ... ffs_R5.jpg

That's it! If I made this appear to be more difficult than it actually is, well, I apologize. When I, originally, started posting pictures on the WWW I had to figure all this stuff out for myself. It was, 'computer picture Hell' for me; and I thought I'd try to make it easier for everyone else.

Oh, yeah, if you don't want to use, 'MyImager' to edit your photos, you may also use the Microsoft Photo Editor that comes with every version of Windows. Doesn't do, quite, as much as, 'MyImager' but it's good for simple photo edits.

(That's it - The second and final installment of, 'How To Post Pictures On The Internet.' Now it's onto, 'The Meaning of Life - A Thesis on Existential Absurdity, or Why We Are (Really) Here!' Hey, if you thought the photo stuff was difficult to understand, wait until you read this next post!) :mrgreen:

PS: If you read the above photo tag-lines you should quickly see, 'Why' it's always a good idea to use someone else's tag-line instead of your own. Tag-lines are an electronic conduit straight back to the source computer.

 

[Bloofington]

:duh: :dunno:

D'uhhhhh, could you please repeat the part after "C'mon on!"???

I knew I shouldn't have tried to read that post. It's only a little past 1100 hours and already I have a full day's hurt in my wittle head.

:banghead:

 

[Guest]

Hell, if me 'n' Schmit had to go through what you've outlined, we'd be straight text kinda guys!

Aaaaa the wonders of Digital Photograph (or a scanner for conventional photos), manipulation software, a modem, and free websites!

Goes to show, you can teach old dogs (or Jarheads) new tricks.

 

[Arc Angel]

Dean, if you look around the various popular, 'gun-orientated' websites you will easily see that there is a wide degree of variance among the pictures that everybody posts. Some are HUGE, and others are missing with the photo area marked by nothing more than a white square with a red X inside.

(And, if you'll notice, I haven't begun to discuss: photo quality, clarity, nor exposure - You can adjust a lot of this with, 'MyImager', too; but, for the sake of trying to keep things simple, ??? !!!, I omitted all mention of this stuff. Hey, I've learned my lesson, though; from now on, I'll stick to guns - OK! So which full length guide rod should I use in my GM, Series 70, anyway?) :mrgreen:

 

[Arc Angel]

:lol: And here's a classic example of what I'm talking about:

http://www.glocktalk.com/showthread.php?s=9e07d60beb33e6975b0b65c0a2b673d3&threadid=263560

Now, this is CERTAINLY a case for a good on-line photo editor! :shock: With a little bit of, 'Photobucket' and, 'MyImager' legerdemain it could have been this,

[IMG=left]http://img51.photobucket.com/albums/v155/War_Angel/Glock%20Talk%20Photos/Much_Smaller_Glock.jpg[/IMG]

See that - A picture really is worth a thousand words! :mrgreen: