Photo & Video: Hosting & Posting Instructions

A list of picture and video host will be compiled in the next post to this thread. Please note that while there are many services out there, we're only going to list the ones who provide a great user experience for owners and visitors. Some of the free host options overload the albums with way too many advertisements, limit the bandwidth causing delays in viewing or have poorly designed systems that limit capability.

For those who already have a host there's a few ways to share those pics and vids. While posting a link to an external site that hosts your media is still doable, you can also utilize the media embed feature of the forums. The advantage to embedding is the user doesn't have to leave the LAOR forums to see your content. A disadvantage to embedding is users with slow internet connections can experience lag. Please pick the option you use based on the number of media files you're sharing in the thread. You can also mix and match, embedding a few really interesting or great pics/vids while providing a link for the rest. This may be your best option to generate interest in your media.


LINKED

The process for photos and videos is the same as before a relatively simple. Simply post the full URL to your album. You can find this link on your services page or in your browser window.

Example from Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.950752287865.2681150.23433522&type=3

Example from .Mac:
http://gallery.me.com/mdnky/100105

Example from Picassa Web Albums:
https://picasaweb.google.com/ic51dc...ainGilmerTxRide?authkey=Gv1sRgCN7J18mmpqiT-AE



EMBEDDED

Photos
Please exercise caution when embedding photographs into your posts. While our server is not hosting the pictures, you can still cause a poor browsing experience for people with slower internet connections that view your post. The images still download from somewhere when embedded. For this reason, please try to limit the number of embedded pictures in a single thread to 25 or less. Note you may be limited to less depending on your user group level.

To embed an image, click the picture icon on the tool bar and past the full URL to your image. Some services may supply a "embed link" or "embed url". If yours does, use this link. You can also open the picture on your service and opposite-click your mouse over it, selecting the "Open Image in New Window" feature (or similar option). This should open the image only in a new window or tab depending on your system. It will look something like this example. Copy the URL from this window to ensure success.

Example from .Mac:



Videos
Videos can now be embedded (viewed directly within your post). To embed videos in a post you'll need to use one of six free services. The preferred host is YouTube. You can also use Dailymotion, Facebook, LiveLeak, Metacafe and Vimeo. More hosts for this feature may become available at a future date.

Simply copy the URL of the video (use the "embed link" provided by the service, don't forget to check the HD option) and put your cursor in the thread post form where you want the video to show up. Click on the media icon on the toolbar and past your URL in the popup, clicking the embed button on the bottom left to complete. The number of videos you can embed in a single post depends on your user group level.

Example from YouTube:




Mix & Match

Example from .Mac:




View all the pics at: http://gallery.me.com/mdnky/100105


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