<b>Hotlinking Pictures; Please Read, YOU COULD BE A THIEF WITHOUT KNOWING IT. </b>

Webmaster know how ^ | Donna O'Gara

[wolicy_ponk]

Hotlinking: loading an image onto a webpage from another website's server, without permission, thus stealing bandwidth and often violating copyright When you make a webpage you can specify the images that will appear on the page, either as stand-alone images, or as backgrounds.

If you search the web you will find a lot of images that will be just what you want. Some of them will be copyrighted. Some will be noted as "help yourself" and for many there will be no comment made.

If you see images that you are given permission to use, please understand that the permission will not include permission to HOTLINK. If you want to use an image you find on someone else's website, and you have permission to use it, FIRST, COPY IT TO YOUR OWN SERVER. Then link to it from there. If you HOTLINK, (call it from someone else's server), and they find out about it, you may notice that they have changed the image, and you may have a pornographic picture on your site, or an angry note, or something else equally rude.

When I find people hotlinking my images I change them so that they see a message about hotlinking instead of the image they intended to show. I use the .htaccess method. If you can't use that, you can just replace the images that are stolen with the ones you would rather have show up on the thief's website. Use your own imagination.

Your website host should have instructions for you about how to set up your own .htaccess file. You need to specify all the domains that are allowed to link to your images, and the image you want all the others to see. It can be great fun to make an image for the hotlinkers to use when they think they are using your nice one.

[wolicy_ponk]

If you an experienced FREEPER, and already host pictures yourself, you can feel free to skip this post, or add your helpful comments.

I have clicked on a few pictures, and found them to be hotlinked.

Put yourself in the webmaster's place.

Someone is linking to their content, without their knowledge or consent. That is stealing, because they pay for the bandwidth to accommodate traffic to and from their site.

There are numerous free pic hosting sites, just be careful that they don't install spyware/adware for you to be able to upload pictures.

I use photobucket.com

I know that this subject applies to a very small minority, but since we are supposed to be the good guys, I thought it was once again worth mentioning.

If you are too lazy to host your own pictures, don't hotlink to someone else's. It's just not cool.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

[cripplecreek]

Im staying away from posting articles and pictures till i gain the experience to do so correctly.

[Glenn]

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Thanks for taking the time to post this.

Those damned bandwidth thieves must be hunted down and killed. It's an outrage! Everyone on FR surely has a personal server and an attorney to research copyright. They are just too damned lazy to do so!

Whew. Glad to have that off my chest.

[Drango]

I hotlink, I admit it and I don't consider it stealing...It's how the internet operates IMHO.

[EggsAckley]

HoKay, boss......

[American_Centurion]

Those websites that generate hits to charge advertisers probably don't complain one iota about hotlinking.

Oh, forgot about those huh? What about government owned servers. I link tons of pictures found on those, in that case I guess I'm stealing from everyone.

Well, I guess I'll have to face the cat-o-nine tails for this one.

[lewislynn]

If you are too lazy to host your own pictures, don't hotlink to someone else's. It's just not cool.

Why do you assume everyone knows what you know?...How about if you're not lazy or stupid you just don't know how to do it?

A tutorial by you would go farther than wholesale name calling.

[1rudeboy]

Remember when the Internet was the frontier? Now, it's turning into a loose assortment of the same folks who agitate against dogs, smoke, etc. in city parks. If you (third-person plural) don't want someone posting one of your photos, then add some code to disable that ability, and quit whining. Let others actually enjoy themselves.

[ElkGroveDan]

ahhhh....did someone steal your bandwidth?

[TADSLOS]

Did the RIAA put you up to this? ;~)

[American_Centurion]

Give us a link to your website.

[theFIRMbss]

>If you are too lazy to host your own pictures, don't hotlink to someone else's. It's just not cool

Is this official? Is this FR's policy, or one Freeper's view?

[Drango]

Did you hotlink that picture?

[mitchbert]

Thanks for the Photobucket tip.

[American_Centurion]

Is this a troll post?

11 replies to his article, and he hasn't posted a thing yet.

[Tijeras_Slim]

Well, I'm just gonna end it all...

[EggsAckley]

No.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4dc35b3127cceb8d4198086830000001610

I use Shutterfly as a host.

[TADSLOS]

ROFLMAO!!

[1rudeboy]

Oh yeah . . .

come get me, coppers!

[Lael]

Did the RIAA put you up to this? ;~)

ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!