posted on December 31, 2002 08:30:17 PM new
Sorry, but I need your advice on picture hosting. I was using PictureList but I think it's on the way out as I've been having trouble with the site for a few weeks. I need to start listing and thought I'd ask your opinions. Any other reliable ones? I don't need templates or listing tools, just the URL's for the pictures. Thanks.
posted on January 1, 2003 09:02:18 AM new
KD - Is there a reason you don't want to use IPIX [ebay pics] for your auctions? First one's free, then only $.15 a piece. I've found them very reliable and so easy to use.
posted on January 1, 2003 12:06:41 PM new
Thanks Linda & junque! The only problem with ipix is I find the pictures too small. I like to just add the pictures to my description so they turn out big enough. I'll go look up Boomspeed.... thanks u 2!!!!
posted on January 1, 2003 07:22:39 PM new
Ever thought of hosting your own? Most ISP's will give you 20 to 40 megs of space you can use for either a personal web page or ftp storage. A good ISP will walk you thru how to ftp your pix up to your folder and tell you what your url for the pix will be. It's free. You can store a lot of pix (or whatever) on 40 megs.Some ISP's don't advertise the space as one of their features, but lots of them offer it. I've been doing my auctions that way for quite a while now. I post thru a free posting service, but keep my pix "at home".
posted on January 2, 2003 04:08:47 PM new
Thanks so much prof. I'm trying to find info on that now. I'm semi-dense when it comes to that stuff but your idea sounds great. Thanks!
posted on January 2, 2003 08:48:28 PM new
KD, typically speaking, an Internet Service Account is made up of one or more of these things:
+ Access from your computer to the Internet
+ Email acount for email
+ Web Hosting (Web Space) for files
+ Provider Content; like AOL, Juno, etc.
You may imagine all of these things to be included into a single package when you think of connecting to an Internet account. It really isn't so. If you want to, you can easily purchase just one or two of those features that you need.
For instance, since I AT&T Broadband, I get cable access to the Internet. I also get several email accounts. Each email acouunt is given 10 megabytes of Web Space. And, if I want it, AT&T provides a lot of content so that AOL transferees won't go into cold-turkey convulsions.
I also have an e-commerce web site. I first used my web space on my ATT acccount, since it is not free and you pay for it whether you use it or not. I then used Paypal's Shopping Cart service. That was last Christmas ('01). That last Christmas, I got done setting up our Shopping Cart web site and Paypal changed their button code. ARG! I had to go recode the entire web site buttons which took days to do. Then the Web space that I was using on my ATT account was being hosted by Excite.com. Remember them? Two days before Turkey Day '01, they went under. That crashed my sales and I learned my lesson.
The point is that this year I went out and purchased a professional Shopping Cart system of my own that didn't threaten to change the code all of the time. If Paypal ever does change their code again, I can make one managerial change and all is well, instead of fixing each button. I also shopped around and purchased Web Hosting services on the cheap. Now I can put the whole kit and kaboodle on the Internet very cheaply.
You see, the majority of the cost of most Internet accounts is connection, whether Dial-Up or Cable. The rest of it is practically given away.
Now, as far as web space on your Intenet account goes, there are two ways to host your own picutres; that is, to get them on and off of there.
The first way is to go through the beginner's proicess offered by your Internet Service Provider. Slow, cumbersome, difficult, yet effective, this is how most folks do their web hosting.
The second option is to put your pix up onto your web space using the backdoor method called FTP (File Transfer Protocal). Some programs allow you to do that through them, like most HTML editors and some graphics programs. But most people who know how use a small program called an FTP client. Most are free and easily available. It usually opens up into a split screen. One one side is your computer's hard drive contents and in the other window pane, it shows the contents of your Web Space account and the files, if any, that are on there. You simply drag and drop files from your computer to your account. That's the easy part.
What is difficult about most FTP clients is that you have to put the correct account information into it so that it can logon the backdoor for you. Major ISPs are of no help. AT&T's Help Desk "Engineers" (Tier Two) have never heard of FTP, let alone a seperate URL to put into your auction so that it can pull up the picture of the item that you are selling, and they will deny it up and down that FTP even exists on the Internet. Have a friend help you out.
Remember: you are paying for that picture hosting space (Web Space) whether you use it or not, so you may as well learn how to use it and get your money's worth.
posted on January 2, 2003 09:24:45 PM new
Kraft, that's what I'm talking about...ftp. You will use a little program called an ftp client, which basically will send the pic files you tell it to up to your ftp folder which your ISP will set up for you when you ask them to. It's really pretty easy. Just call and tell them you want to set up an ftp folder and you want them to tell you how to upload your files and what the url's to those files will be so you'll be able to use them when you post auctions.
When you call your internet provider to set up the ftp, they will give you the correct information to fill in the form.
For example, I use ftp.mindspring.com. You will need your user ID and your email password. If you have any questions, let me know.
posted on January 2, 2003 09:56:48 PM new
Yeah. I use WS_FTP Pro there. I suggest WS_FTP Le FREE edition. There's no nag and it is more than anyone really needs. Simple to use. Thanks for posting that Helen.
posted on January 2, 2003 10:14:02 PM new
I knew exactly what you meant prof. It's still foreign to me but I think I'm catching on. And thanks for the link Helen. I'll book mark it for when I know more.
Borillar, Borillar, Borillar... is there ANYTHING you don't know?? Do you have multiple brains? What's the heck's your I.Q anyway????
And thanks for the link Helen. I'll book mark it for when I know more.