Pictures in threads

[Nate]

I've seen countless threads on this board with images posted and no credit given to where the photo came from. I've seen photos from my site being used in a few posts. I don't care that much, but if someone is linking to an image on my server and using my bandwidth I would like to be credited.

Giving credit to the site where the photo is coming from also allows people to go see more pictures that were not posted in the thread. The new monorail at Disneyland thread comes to mind.

[Thrill Reconnoiter]

I couldn't agree more; I was thinking just the same lately. It's not only courteous to post the URL of the images origin, but in fact just about every site prohibits hotlinking of their photos!

When in doubt, just post a link.

[IntaminFan007]

^ ...unless a photo is by yourself.

I also agree. Maybe people should take an effort to provide a source.

If it is from RCDB, do we just put "RCDB" or the source of where it is from, and, if it is from a website, do we put the URL, the Main name of the website, or (if it is provided), the exact name of the person that made the photo?

[Thrill Reconnoiter]

"Hotlinking" is direct linking to a web site's files (images, video, etc.). An example would be using an [img] tag to display a JPEG image you found on someone else's web page so it will appear in your post.

Some sites prohibit it without a citation or link to the original file, some prohibit it all-together. It wastes bandwidth-the amount of data transferred from a web site to a user's computer. When you view a web page, you are using that site's bandwidth to display the files. Since web hosts charge based on the amount of data transferred, bandwidth is an issue. If a site is over its monthly bandwidth, it's billed for the extra data or taken offline.

*Excerpts from http://altlab.com/hotlinking.html


RCPro doesn't mind it if people do this, just as long as people are courteous enough to include the original link. I'm sure other sites are the same way.

[Nate]

That's the problem, people don't include the original link. Is there a way that you could make this a policy so that sites are given credit for their work.

[IntaminFan007]

Yeah, maybe put it in the "Read before you post" threads in each forum, and also on the Site Rules. There is no surefire way to get everyone to notice, but these will help a lot.

[Thrill Reconnoiter]

Please reference Forum Policy #10: http://www.rollercoasterpro.com/community/showthread.php?t=2

*locked*