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Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2006 7:06 pm Post subject: Posting Pictures on the Forum
Posting Pictures on the Forum
In answer to a couple of inquiries, I will attempt to provide instructions for inserting pictures into a forum post:
Because of the nature of the world wide web, it is possible to referrence, or "link" multiple documents together, even though they are on separate computers, which may be quite some distance apart. It is this ability to link documents which allows us to include pictures in a forum post.
Most forum software is not capable of displaying pictures in a post. However, it is usually possible to include a "link" to another site, or web page. So we will upload our picture to another computer, then put a link to that picture in our post. In order to do this, we'll need to find another computer to store, or "host" our picture.
Fortunately, there are several companies which are in the business of doing just that. They create a web page where users can log on & upload pictures. Once the pictures are uploaded, these web sites provide for the user, the computer code necessary to link to thier pic. It is then a simple matter to copy this code from the host computer & paste it into a forum post. Since these companies get thier revenue from advertising & other advanced hosting services, they rarely charge a fee for simple photo hosting.
For this example, I'll use an outfit called Image Shack. There are others, & some would argue that Image Shack is not the best, but I'm using them because of the various photo formats which they allow to be copied.
In order to host pictures on Image Shack, just log onto thier website, & follow the prompts. It is not necessary, to create an account, but you won't be able to return to your uploaded pictures if you don't.
Once at the site, click the "browse" button, & you'll get a familiar looking box where you can navigate your computer to find your picture. Click the name of your picture file, & it'll be inserted into Image Shacks web page.
Next, check the box below the browse window next to the text:"resize image?" From the drop down list, select "640X480". This is a courtesy to the folks who will be viewing your pic. Please note at this point that Image Shack limits the size of the file you may upload to 1024kb (1mb). If your picture file is larger than this, the upload will fail. In this instance, you must first use your photo editing program to reduce the file size of your pic. Rather than go to all this hasssle, consider lowering the resolution on your camera (saves a lot of work).
Alright, now we're ready to upload our picture. Just click the "host it!" button, and Image Shack does the rest. Well, hopefully they will. Sometimes thier computer is prone to "hiccups". If the upload fails, wait a few minutes & try again.
Once your image upload is successful, you'll be taken to another page. On this page you may or may not see your pic, but you will see several lines of code in little boxes. Using your mouse, highlight the text in the little box labeled "Hotlink for forums (1)". Now, right click on this highlighted text & select "copy" from the menu which appears. Oh, and don't worry, your original is still intact. Image Shack just puts a copy on thier computer.
Meanwhile, back at the forum....
Place your cursor in your post, at the location where you'd like the photo to appear. Click the right mouse button & select "paste" from the shortcut menu.
That's it! When you post your message, the picture will appear in the forum.
This explanation is a bit long winded, in the interest of clarity. In practice, the entire procedure I've outlined can be completed in just a minute or two. With just a bit of practice, it becomes quite easy.
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