Need Attachment Capability in Forums

[tylast]

Subject line says it all!

[tylast]

I know I can put hyper-links to photos in threads...but I don't have an online storare area that will let me host for threads. I still would like to attach JPGs & PNGs to threads.

[benblue]

this may not be ideal, but u can go to geocities.com and get free storage space. i ve had an account there since college, and used it for things like this.
and you dont need an FTP to up/download!

[tylast]

I have an account there, but they blocked suck linking 14+ months ago.

[Scoox]

It's been a while since this was posted... Coming from FL Studio, whose forum DOES allow attaching images, I find using third-party hosting inconvenient, not to mention the fact that when the third-party host goes under all those attachments are gone. I've had this problem with Dropbox since they discontinued public folders.

[Scoox]

I really don't see much added value here, not while there are a ton of sites out there where you can share your files.

Sure, some things may be a little easier for us users, agreed, but at what price? Because this can easily become an administrative nightmare for the Abes.. It would require extra storage space, they'd have to moderator all uploaded material somehow and then there's the possible issue of hotlinking: people dumping stuff on the Abes forum and then hotlinking (so: link only to the file) from other places .This way Ableton would get the traffic but not the hits or visitors.

And in the end it's only a matter of a little more convenience for us... Not sure I'm a believer here

What hosting site would you recommend that's guaranteed to work for at least 15 years (the age of this very thread)?

[Tarekith]

I can tell people right now that there are no plans currently to add hosting to the forums, sorry.

[jestermgee]

What hosting site would you recommend that's guaranteed to work for at least 15 years (the age of this very thread)?

A better question (IMO) is: why assume that a forum will actually last 15 years in the first place, and that the thread can't do without your content? Because if this is about sharing your content for your own purposes then it's time to consider a website of your own I'd say.

Anyway, to answer your question: OneDrive comes to mind.

That's being a little harsh. Keep in mind he isn't asking you specifically and your making assumptions about his intent.

As he pointed out, the thread itself is 15 years old so there is nothing to assume at all, it's a fact that it already is that old and one would expect it to live for many more years and I can certainly agree the ability to post images would be a benefit to all users (it's been discussed for years), especially in the case of assisting users when they have an issue. Keep in mind that many new users are younger than the internet and not as experienced with old bb forums where you need to post a hotlink and he has a point that some image host solutions can cause valuable images to become lost for users searching for answers.

Copyright issues are simple to deal with. If a DCMA comes through you remove the source. Easy. Moderators are here watching all the time too. Hotlinking for bandwidth can be easily monitored and since it's not 1998 anymore, a few MB of BW isn't going to place much of a strain on anything. And if it's a case of space I can send them a 6TB server drive to handle the space needs for images for the next 15 years if they like.

I would personally find it much easier (and would fully welcome the ability) to post images especially if you could just copy/paste images. It would make showing an example of how to set something up or where to look so much easier and save googling the image to spoon feed.

For whatever reason it's not allowed here and it does discourage users from posting detailed info about their issue but that's how it is. Certainly wouldn't shoot a user down for the suggestion especially given that almost every other decent forum has basic image posting abilities.

My suggestion is to use a site such as: https://imgbb.com/

Or if you are on facebook/google drive, create a public photo album and post images there then just right-click the image and copy image address and you can post it using the IMG tags

[Scoox]

Thanks for the replies guys, maybe I didn't make my point clear. Indeed, this is not about "sharing" my personal content—it's about supporting written descriptions with images. Some times a simple screenshot is not only more effective than a wall of text but also easier to understand. Furthermore, not everyone here speaks English natively (myself included).

When image hosting is built right into the forum, users are more willing to post bug reports and each help other. If you have to start dicking around with third-party image hosting, it's extra steps and some times people can't be bothered. I some times ask the question on Reddit because of this.

Any images used to support written material are essential to the text they accompany and therefore should, ideally, be stored as an integral part of the post, otherwise we might as well store the text on a third-party host too. The web is littered with old threads that would still be relevant today were it not for the missing images that render the whole thread meaningless.

[jestermgee]

People who are really willing to help others will help no matter what. For them this is merely a convenience. And for those who it's too much effort to store their images elsewhere I'd say "good riddance". Because trying to help others out begins with the willingness to put in (extra) effort to help them out. So if you (as a helper) aren't willing to put in any effort to upload a screenshot elsewhere then, yah, this may sound harsh but I would doubt the extra value you can add to the platform at hand.

Stromkraft, is that you

It's interesting you say "good riddance" to users who aren't willing to invest (in your opinion) 100% in their efforts but when someone goes to the extra trouble to create a video for users to demonstrate how to do something, posts a link in a thread and is then quizzed about the aspects of the suggestion (which are answered in the video):

Yah, I didn't watch that. IMO youtube videos are overrated, especially when it comes to explaining stuff. I've experienced too many self-promoting youtubers so I simply don't bother at all anymore to follow such links.

This is the issue we have at hand where people could not be bothered to follow links (for whatever reasons) to external resources sometimes even when the material would answer questions and save on typing.

Since none of this is really helping and this is all just differences of opinion (not an attempt to target your opinions so please don't get too defensive) i'll just agree that it would be a welcomed/useful/convenient (but not required) feature (but know it probably won't be implemented) and close the door on my way out.

[Scoox]

Funnily, I used to use Dropbox "public folder" feature before even on forums that DID support attachments, for example the Image-Line forum. Using Dropbox was very convenient because I could edit an image locally and have the changes propagate automatically to the forum post without having to go through hoops. Sadly, Dropbox killed the public folder later and hundreds of broken links ensued. I then switched to a service called Copy (copy.com) which at the time was the closest I could find to Dropbox public folder. Many of those broken threads were still relevant and I had to go in, one post at a time, to re-link the images to the copy.com, only to learn that Copy.com would shut down in May 2016, taking with it all the images. In the end I decided to stop using third-party hosts and just use the forum's built-in facility if available.

I'm on many other forums as well, for example, www.unicyclist.com, and I regularly see old threads that are still relevant today (e.g. a thread discussing riding technique) with empty image placeholders that point to defunct third-party hosts. Often, such threads are meaningless without the images.

@ShelLuster If you feel third-party image hosting works better for you that's cool. It worked fine for me for a very long time—until something went wrong. Now I've grown sceptical. Obviously, nobody is going to stop using Live just because the forum doesn't support attachments, but it wouldn't hurt if it did, and it shouldn't bother you or anyone because you can ignore it if you don't use it.

[jestermgee]

I can kind of understand your view but there are a few things to keep in mind. Not everyone is focused purely on likes and revenue, that's a cynical view of the world. Every video I have posted for example is simple "how to" videos, no ads, no request for likes, no monetization at all. It saves me loads of time when the question arises to post a link. If you follow a link and it is a "cash grab" then you can simply just press stop and move on.

Users these days typically don't want to read walls of text and mixed in opinions when they can easily watch a 3 minute video that explains exactly what they want. Also, it is sometimes MUCH easier to demonstrate in a video especially given the extra hassle of not being able to post images easily in your post. The fact it is easier to sometimes demonstrate something with pictures and video which is what makes boards like this seem so archaic and outdated.

Flip side to your argument would be to not use the internet to find answers at all because companies just use it to force adverts in your eye sockets. Users need to make money and if the content is valid, clear and applicable then I see no issue at all with a sponsor or request to "hit that like button" (tho I cringe when I hear it) because if they are good I will certainly show respect and have done so many times. If it helps them make a little money and deliver more videos I find interesting then why not.

Wintergartan comes to mind where I have actually donated because his videos and his passion for his work is so great and I appreciate the effort he puts into his videos. I would definitely not suggest he lacks the ability to put in "effort" because he chooses to create videos of his work instead of writing it down, that would be quite an insult.

In today's world there are many forms of media you can rely on for answers and a skill one needs to learn is how to quickly and efficiently use tools like Google and Youtube to find answers and to brush aside the stuff that does not apply. It's easy to just ignore the parts that don't apply to you if there is useful content to make use of.

Also keep in mind that sometimes the information provided in a thread is for the users that asked the question so maybe if it doesn't specifically apply to your interest (or you are not willing to follow the link yourself) then it doesn't always require input especially when assuming the intent is just to get your precious view on the videos count. That's why I jokingly asked if you may be Stromkraft because that was his schtick around here for years.

In the case of the video I posted, funnily enough I created a forum thread before that video I posted which I initially went to post but wouldn't you know, the images have all disappeared because the i8mage host solution I used (dropbox) stopped. Which leads us nicely back on track as to WHY it is much better value to have integrated image hosting on a forum so in your words:

If you really want to help out then just write it down so that everyone gets to benefit with no strings attached, that's my motto

I should have just done all of this in a video, would have been much easier and faster to explain