The Photobucket is all bucked up merged threadfest .

[John in PA]

Is there any way to migrate the images en masse to a new site, or to download the entire library to a file on your own computer?  I couldn't find anything on PB that looked like you could do any more than one at a time it.

 The site has been hinky for the last 6 months, failing to show recently uploaded pics, difficulty logging in, etc.  I bet that was going on all the while they were prepping the site for the big switcheroo.

[John in PA]

As I posted above, according to their web site, the number is $100, not $400.  Not that a hundred is much better, but $400 is for 3rd party hosting, not photo linking.

Except that the issue is that the overwhelming number of users HAVE been using the third party feature all these years, for many forums it was the ONLY way to post images. The only way to change them around would be to go to every forum post individually and change the IMG connector to a Link, on those forums where that will work. One at a time, for every picture you've ever posted.  Shame, because the incredibly valuable "how-to" resources documented on thousands of web forums of all types, are now up in smoke.

 It actually makes the everyday ransomware scum seem like "nice guys."

[fotoguzzi]

Is there any way to migrate the images en masse to a new site, or to download the entire library to a file on your own computer?  I couldn't find anything on PB that looked like you could do any more than one at a time it.

 

yes there is, I was able to transfer in bunches to Smugmug..

https://portal.photom.me/portal/migrate-photos-smugmug-using-smugglr/

 

https://www.picbackman.com/blog/help/how-to-backup-photobucket-photos-to-smugmug/

[Sasquatch Jim]

  At last! A way to puck Botto phucket!

[John in PA]

yes there is, I was able to transfer in bunches to Smugmug..

https://portal.photom.me/portal/migrate-photos-smugmug-using-smugglr/

 

https://www.picbackman.com/blog/help/how-to-backup-photobucket-photos-to-smugmug/

Actually, PB closed this loophole.  From Smugmug Help today, :

Hey John,

Thanks for contacting SmugMug.

Normally I would say please use our free migration tool - which worked perfectly until recently:

http://www.smugglr.com/

Unfortunately Photobucket has blocked our app and is not allowing us to access user images.

Our engineers are working on a workaround for this.

In the meantime you could just download your content to your computer and then upload to your SmugMug site.

I wish I had a better answer for you.

Take care,

Tom
SmugMug Support Hero

[Steph]

PB $399/year! Friggen hell!!

Edit: what free photo hosting keep the full definition of the pictures? PB definitely doesnt.
Testing if it still works (not mine):

[Steph]

PB $399/year! Friggen hell!!

Edit: what free photo hosting keep the full definition of the pictures? PB definitely doesnt.
Testing if it still works (not mine):

I just received an email from PB asking for the $399 ransom money. They can go scr3w themselves

[Triple Jim]

I finally got mine yesterday.  I replied simply "piss off", but I doubt if it will get through to anyone.  As of this afternoon, my photos were still coming up on forum posts, but I guess that will stop soon.

[LowRyter]

reminds me of this guy

[Steph]

If you still can, download the important one into computer. I couldn't and had to take screenshots. I will be deleting my PB account and want nothing to do with them

[Scud]

You can use this web-utility to re-enable photos on this, and other, forums that use bulletin board code. Just copy the image address from the "photoblockit" image, and paste it into the box at this link:

https://photoruckus.nicinabox.com/

Then it displays your image, along with a link that you use when you edit your post. The image is saved to an Amazon web services account.

The script was written by the son of a moderator at V11LeMans - he's a programmer for work and V7 rider too. I believe he intends to launch a no-tracking, no-ad photo hosting service that caters to people like us who want to share pics on various sites.

I've "unblocked" tons of photos over at V11LeMans site and have been updating my posts here too.

[Zoom Zoom]

Just got my notification that I was using them for 3rd party hosting, as if I have been doing something bad. Wanting me to pony up $$. Not gonna happen!

Personally, I hope they go down in flames!

John Henry

[rocker59]

When I get home after taking a bunch of photos at an event, I create a folder on my computer for those photos and download from my camera to my computer.  Then, I upload the images I want to share into an equivalent folder on Smugmug.

So, I'm not really understanding all this "holding my photos hostage" talk.  If Smugmug locked me out today, I have every image I've ever uploaded to Smugmug saved in folders on my computer.

Are some of you saying that you don't save your images on your computer, but delete them after uploading to Photobucket, or whatever photo hosting site?

I don't get it.  Why would you do that?  Listen to Rodekyll:  the cloud cannot be trusted.  Keep copies of anything you upload to a hosting site safe in a folder on you own computer or external hard drive.

Oh, and I've been using Smugmug for more than twelve years.  No ads.  No BS.  Yes, it costs about $30 per year, but it's probably the best hosting site out there, and it's owned by a motorcycle enthusiast.  The same guy who owns ADVrider.

[Wayne Orwig]

Are some of you saying that you don't save your images on your computer, but delete them after uploading to Photobucket, or whatever photo hosting site?

I think that is what some people are doing.
Kind of surprising. All of my photos are on my PC. Backed up to a local NAS drive. Synced to a SD card in a tablet. Even synced to an SD card on my phone. And occasionally copied to a hard drive that I store outside the home. If I take a photo with my phone, by the end of the day it is stored on 4 systems automatically.
Don't give me any files that you don't want remembered forever.   
A backup disk is not that expensive.
I like the 'cloud' for sharing things, but would NEVER trust it as my only storage option.

[Chuck in Indiana]

When I get home after taking a bunch of photos at an event, I create a folder on my computer for those photos and download from my camera to my computer.  Then, I upload the images I want to share into an equivalent folder on Smugmug.

So, I'm not really understanding all this "holding my photos hostage" talk.  If Smugmug locked me out today, I have every image I've ever uploaded to Smugmug saved in folders on my computer.

Are some of you saying that you don't save your images on your computer, but delete them after uploading to Photobucket, or whatever photo hosting site?

I don't get it.  Why would you do that?  Listen to Rodekyll:  the cloud cannot be trusted.  Keep copies of anything you upload to a hosting site safe in a folder on you own computer or external hard drive.

Oh, and I've been using Smugmug for more than twelve years.  No ads.  No BS.  Yes, it costs about $30 per year, but it's probably the best hosting site out there, and it's owned by a motorcycle enthusiast.  The same guy who owns ADVrider.

Well, Rocker.. the "hostage" thing is all about third party hosting. All the hours I have spent documenting Guzzi stuff here no longer shows up without ponying up that $400. They can kiss my patootie. Right down the middle. 
Of course, I still have all the original pix.. 800 and some for the Aero engine and Lario rehab thread.. or I can use the utility that Scud posted and "fix" every one. Labor intensive, to be sure.
I "think" they can be fixed  by an administrator in one fell swoop from the FAQs he posted.

[rocker59]

I can use the utility that Scud posted and "fix" every one. Labor intensive, to be sure.
 

I'd be worried that Photo Bucket would block a work around, like they blocked Smugglr, so I wouldn't go to all the labor to try and "fix" the Photo Bucket links. 

Maybe Photo Bucket will relent, but I'd be real tempted to cancel my account and move my business elsewhere.

Real bad PR on Photo Bucket's part.  Asking more than 10-times the going rate for other paid photo hosting sites.  I think they have jumped the shark with this move.  Probably the beginning of the end for them.

[Dilliw]

I haven't gotten the ransom letter yet and I guess my links still work:



Is it because I'm a "W" and they just haven't gotten to me yet?

[Zoom Zoom]

No Mike, however I have resized the photos I've created links to so they were not so large. Furthermore, I have no idea how many times or how many different threads just here that I have linked to over the years. The details and pics when I installed cruise control on my Norge come to mind. I have had several people tell me they used that info to complete their own install.

ZZ

[rocker59]

No Mike, however I have resized the photos I've created links to so they were not so large. Furthermore, I have no idea how many times or how many different threads just here that I have linked to over the years. The details and pics when I installed cruise control on my Norge come to mind. I have had several people tell me they used that info to complete their own install.

ZZ

Oh, it's a huge bummer, for sure.  Actually, I can't believe they've asked for $399 to continue hosting the photos.  Crazy, really.

Just look at how many ride reports and repair how-to threads will be impacted on our little forum, then think about how many tens of thousands of other sites will be affected.

I hope most people have the stones to tell Photo Bucket to piss off. 

[Daniel Kalal]

So, I'm not really understanding all this "holding my photos hostage" talk.

You make some good points, Rocker.

But, I'd go even further; why is there an insistence on using a photo-sharing site in the first place (or at least the seeming misunderstanding that there is no other way)?

For $3 per month you can have your own domain-name site and be able to upload and download photos (and any other files) just as easily as you already move files on your own computer (using the same file manager).  Linking to your photos is simple, and there are no 3rd-party fees to worry about.  I would suppose I've posted more photographs than anybody on WildGuzzi, and they've all been linked to my own domain (dankalal.net).  Fast and easy and cheap. 

It's cheap, but, not free.  If "free" is what you want, then your options (and control) are always going to be limited.

[Zoom Zoom]

Oh, it's a huge bummer, for sure.  Actually, I can't believe they've asked for $399 to continue hosting the photos.  Crazy, really.

Just look at how many ride reports and repair how-to threads will be impacted on our little forum, then think about how many tens of thousands of other sites will be affected.

I hope most people have the stones to tell Photo Bucket to piss off.

I could understand their wanting some kind of compensation from me if I was using their site for photos to support a business, but simply for sharing with others, it seems absurd.

Daniel made an interesting point regarding an inexpensive alternative. If I knew then what I know now, I would have done that very thing. Of course hindsight is 20/20.

Yep, piss off photohostagebucket!

John Henry

[Chuck in Indiana]

I'd be worried that Photo Bucket would block a work around, like they blocked Smugglr, so I wouldn't go to all the labor to try and "fix" the Photo Bucket links.

Maybe Photo Bucket will relent, but I'd be real tempted to cancel my account and move my business elsewhere.

Real bad PR on Photo Bucket's part.  Asking more than 10-times the going rate for other paid photo hosting sites.  I think they have jumped the shark with this move.  Probably the beginning of the end for them.

Right now the fix site says

Currently seeing a high amount of timeouts when downloading images. Fetching your image may not be possible.

So PhotoBlockit may be trying to stop it now. Or... there is such a high level of traffic from others downloading their pix, etc.

[LowRyter]

You make some good points, Rocker.

But, I'd go even further; why is there an insistence on using a photo-sharing site in the first place (or at least the seeming misunderstanding that there is no other way)?

For $3 per month you can have your own domain-name site and be able to upload and download photos (and any other files) just as easily as you already move files on your own computer (using the same file manager).  Linking to your photos is simple, and there are no 3rd-party fees to worry about.  I would suppose I've posted more photographs than anybody on WildGuzzi, and they've all been linked to my own domain (dankalal.net).  Fast and easy and cheap. 

It's cheap, but, not free.  If "free" is what you want, then your options (and control) are always going to be limited.

Daniel, I was looking at your website years before I acquired a Guzzi.  First, because you were riding where I live, and next, I found so much more. 

You're a google motorcycle ambassador.  A legend.   

[screamday]

You make some good points, Rocker.

But, I'd go even further; why is there an insistence on using a photo-sharing site in the first place (or at least the seeming misunderstanding that there is no other way)?

For $3 per month you can have your own domain-name site and be able to upload and download photos (and any other files) just as easily as you already move files on your own computer (using the same file manager).  Linking to your photos is simple, and there are no 3rd-party fees to worry about.  I would suppose I've posted more photographs than anybody on WildGuzzi, and they've all been linked to my own domain (dankalal.net).  Fast and easy and cheap. 

It's cheap, but, not free.  If "free" is what you want, then your options (and control) are always going to be limited.

This is exactly what I've been doing for years.

[Lannis]

It's cheap, but, not free.  If "free" is what you want, then your options (and control) are always going to be limited.

Well, in my case, I don't pay for a web-site for the same reason I don't make my own shoes ... I'm not very good at it.   Some people might be, but not me.

I also realize the "If it's Free, You're Not The Customer;  You're The Product Being Sold" motto that you mention, and as Facebook and Photobucket have demonstrated.

So, I pay a small amount (not much more than $3 a month) to folks who will maintain a photo-hosting environment for me.   This won't keep them from holding me hostage if they bare their teeth like PB did, but will make it much less likely, in my experience.

Since all the sites I post on don't have a site-based posting method like WG does, I need a separate hosting site, and paying a little bit to qualify me as a "customer" and not a "product" seems to work .... !

Lannis

[LowRyter]

It looks like AOL is doing the samething.  AOL is doing away with the existing "Desktop" and replacing it with $5/month "Gold" replacement. 

I seldom use the Desktop version but still rely on my AOL web mail.  Hopefully my e-mail won't be affected but it's not entirely clear.  And even if they keep the free e-mail, I wonder about my other uses such as investment portfolios and the like?

Anyway they're giving 30 days notice and will allow 30 days free trial for "Gold".  I suppose I should reactivate my Yahoo e-mail (which was I never renewed after the password breach) or my Gmail which I've never really used. 

You know, any of these e-mail providers could try the Photobucket trick and hold our e-mail accounts hostage. I hope that it's not happening to AOL nor any of the other providers.

[Steph]

I have downloaded my photobucket pictures on my phone and deleted my PB account. Used PB for about so many years, too bad it had to end this way.

I predict they will not be around in a year

Edit: I would suggest other delete their accounts too before PB sells your details to the highest bidder

[LowRyter]

Steph, it could a money grab and run.  But now I am wondering if the same thing will happen to our e-mail accounts.  it seems to be more than a coincidence that this is all happening at once. 

[johnr]

Photobucket, which I reluctantly went to after my favourite image hosting site went dog has now in it's infinite wisdom decided that it will cease allowing 3rd party image hosting, like posting pics to this site, which is my entire use of it.

That is of course unless I pay $400 per year for the privilege. That is most certainly not going to happen!

So....

What recommendations for a free image hosting site do we have out there?

[oldbike54]

 John , there are some answers here .

 Dusty