Right, I understand that one shouldn't hotlink things. Now, as you may know, I am not exactly blessed with a vast technical understanding, so every time I post a link I am a bit worried that I may be hotlinking sth. How can I tell if I'm hotlinking, & more to the point, how can I make sure I'm not (other than just not posting links anymore)? Is there an easy explanation what to look out for that even someone with the understanding of a three-year-old when it comes to computers can understand?

Posting a link to another website is fine - it's if you post a picture that is on someone else's website that you're hotlinking.

If you post a link, this is not hotlinking.

If you have a picture on your own website (or one of those foto websites like flickr) and you post it here as a picture - this is not hotlinking.

If you post a picture that is not on your own website, THAT is hotlinking.

I see. I think I'll still have to wrap my head around it, but I think I get it.

Thanks a lot for the info!

So basically if I want to post a picture, I should first save it onto my computer or sth.

close.

but you can't save it onto your computer, you won't be able to link to it.

you'll have to save it onto your computer and then upload it to one of the picture saving sites...

faq quote...

quote:

How can you avoid being a bandwidth thief? It's pretty simple, really. If you find an image you want to use on the boards, only its on a website where you don't pay the rent, find a place to host it. There's www.flickr.com or www.imageark.net or www.photbucket.com . . . quite a few. They're free, and simple enough to use that I can figure them out. Really, that's pretty simple, trust me. Save your pictures there and then link to the picture at that hosting site.

see?

give me a yell if you don't

So, definitely not a How Do I Avoid Blinking thread then.


Of all the image sites I find Imageshack to be the easiest to use.

just a nitpicky observation: is the third link supposed to go to "photbucket" or "photobucket"? Because if it's the latter, then there's a typo in that link.

Thanks a lot for all the input! I've now given this a try with the restroom pictures. I'd be grateful if one of the mods could let me know if I've been hotlinking so I can amend my ways.

Cass, if we'd noticed you hotlinking we'd have told you straight away, truthfully i personally can't remember you posting any pictures before.

No, so far I haven't posted any pictures because I was afraid I would be hotlinking... My last comment was actually referring to the picture I posted today. But now I know how it works I think I'll find my way around, & I'll only post links otherwise.

Thanks!