Pictures Stored on Server

[Dee4707]

BUT...Any image that you post must be housed on your own server and you must own the copyright. You can't just link to a picture that you found on the web. This rule is because of issues of bandwidth theft and copyright violation.

Also, don't make the picture too large. If it is too wide it will stretch out the page, and if it is too tall it will take up too much space. Again, you can practice in the testing folder. Mathman

Math, this was in another thread but I wanted an answer. I didn't know that we could put pictures here that were stored on our own server. I thought they had to be on the web somewhere. I also thought that is why there are places like google images so that you could use those photos. Could you please explain more, I don't understand

Dee

[Tonichelle]

I answered your question in the poll thread where you originally asked... but they have to be uploaded to a web server of yours... you can't just go and take it from another person's webstie unless they give permission to do so.

[Mathman]

I am not an expert on this, Dee, so maybe someone will respond who knows the correct lingo better than I.

By "your own server" I didn't mean your own PC sitting in your house. I meant personal web sites that you own, for instance like when Yahoo or AOL or some big Internet service provider lets you have space (often for free) to house your own pictures. Like the pictures on Toni's or Realtor Gal's personal site.

You are correct that GS does not allow you to upload images (or anything else) directly from your PC.

I believe that Google merely provides a link to the image, along with a warning about possible copyright issues (which most people ignore, and use the pictures any way they want to).

Anyway, if a picture is copyrighted (it is not always easy to tell if this is the case except for professional photographers and commencial sites displaying their wares), you are not supposed to post it unless you have the pemission of the copyright holder. But it is OK to post the link, along with a statement to the effect that this image is copyrighted by so-and-so (people mostly dispense with that courtesy).

The other issue is bandwidth theft. If you own a web site with small bandwidth, and if too many people try to access your site, they won't be able to, or it will slow down or maybe even crash. If someone posts an image (rather than a URL) that is on that site, then every time someone looks at that page on GS, whether they want to or not, they are automatically linked to the person's web site, using up his/her bandwidth (which the site owner is paying for). So owners of small web sites don't like for you to do this.

(Also big commercial sites don't like it when you "deep link" to an image. This allows viewers to go directly to the picture they want to see, bypassing all the ads that the site owner is trying to show you. (Screw 'em, LOL.))

If a web site owner gave you permission to use an image from his/her site in your signature on GS, I guess that would be OK.

So anyway, that is my understanding. If someone else can explain these ideas better, please do.

Mathman

[Dee4707]

Ok Math, as always, you really help. I guess I got confused when you said the photo had to be stored on my server. So from what I understand you are saying if I had a personal picture, (like I did of Sasha, and you commented on it), I uploaded it to a web hosting site and put the link to it on GS. I think I understand now what you are talking about.

Dee

[gsk8]

Yes