vernon smith
Well Known Member
Duly noted and edited, we don't want to incur the wrath of the Administrator. [ed. Grin. v/r,dr]
Last edited by a moderator:
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Just thinking about the time that just went down the drain. Uploading, editing, wading through pop-ups to get image link.
This is the risk of requiring your users to host their photos elsewhere. When Photobucket and other sites began eliminating 3rd party hosting, all the existing links on VAF will be useless. I'm a paid Photobucket subscriber so you'll see my photos through then end of December 2018. Then, any photos I've posted will show up as one of those hated ? icons.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Doug, I love VAF and have all the respect in the world for how you've structured your business model. But, this is a sea change. So, again, I suggest you consider a new business model that includes a paid subscription that allows users to upload and post photos directly on VAF. Most of your users are aircraft owners, people of means, and I expect most of us could afford a few extra bucks a year and would appreciate the convenience of being able to upload our photos directly. The bigger benefit though is you / VAF will own and hold the photos! No more nasty ? icons in pasts post.
What say you Doug? Can you implement a paid subscription, beyond the normal donation, that includes photo hosting?
I don't see any easy answer here besides grabbing and keeping our own copies when we see something good, or using a pay-site like smug-mug.
The problem with this line of reasoning is that builders may not know they need the information until they need it.
A post from 3 years ago, for example, solves a problem I have today. Never looked for the issue until today and the pics are gone for whatever reason so the knowledge is incomplete and sometimes even useless without the pics. This has happened to me on numerous occasions. Old posts, great info that refers to pics, missing pics.
Hence the reason to host the pics with the database, a forever archive of builder knowlege.
There are software types on this forum. What if someone else built a web server dedicated only to VAF, and charged for it's use as it's suggested DR charge.
While installing the capabilities to host photos on the web site server how much more effort would be needed to install photo auto sizing software, like used by eBay, Craig's List and the like?
Size doesn't matter much any more if built-out right using services like Amazon provides.
it's trivial to resize images.
I agree but a lot of posters do not seem to get the hang of it
The same issue as using hosting companies .. the pics need to be with the forum close to the database to preserve the knowledge. Separating the parties doesn't solve the problem, you end up in the same place.
Not sure what you are getting at here:
There is a vast difference between a company like PB making a change that screws things up vs a VAFer or two managing a database.
Preservarion of the knowledge is there because it's VAFers running it not some faceless 3rd party.
Even if DR put the db on the Forum servers it can still disappear if he decides he's sick of managing it.
Keeping the images with the forum to preserve the knowledge, not images linked all over the internet to services that may or may not exist tomorrow, whereas when they disappear the forum knowledge becomes fractured.
In the case where Doug loses interest there is an opportunity for someone else to take the reins, database, images, and all.
In the case where a VAFer or two is maintaining the photo db loses interest in the image server, there is an opportunity for someone else to take the reins.
In the age of the Internet physical proximity is no longer an issue. It's a personnel issue whether the image db is in DR's place or anywhere else.
Done! $10/month. Who wants to sign up? Doug, set us up a DNS alias pointing img.vansairforce.com to vaf.halie.com. I'll spin-off a service, will take me 20 minutes. Payments via PayPal. I'll even use the VAF logo. But this doesn't really solve the problem .. I bet there won't be 20 people interested in paying for a VAF affiliated photo site, not while there are free options out there.
Well ok that's a DIFFERENT issue than the one youhave been talking about. And there are others in this thread who have suggested paying DR to do it if he's interested. So now you are sayng that even if DR did it, and charged us a little for it, no one would use it.
The forum software provides a convenient image upload facility while you are posting your message, eliminates the extra step of using a hosting site. Having it together is still a better solution.
We've been using a hosting site all along and some people continue to use a hosting site and other people are using sites where they pay. So I'm not sure I believe you. But now you are saying that even if it's part of the VAF site, it won't be used if people have to pay for it.
So how can that be a better solution?
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The only way to protect that value and guarantee the knowledge is not fractured and the images stay with the forum is for the forum to host its own images and not rely on links to other sites that the forum cannot control.
That is not the only way