Last year Photobucket (PB) said if we wanted to keep using images here that we had stored on PB, we'd have to give them $400 for "Third Party Hosting."  Hateful extortion.

Now, apparently due to a huge wave of complaints, they have lowered their extortion level to $99.

I considered using some other service and replacing all the images (hundreds) in the Double RYCA Build thread to get back to a free situation, but jeeeeez, that would be many hours of work.

Now that they lowered their extortion level to $99 (their so-called Premium plan), I can avoid those many hours of work.  It is painful to pay it, but at that price, it is worth paying the fee and getting all the images back on the Double RYCA Build and several other threads I generated here.

Personally, I attach photos in forums so that they will be hosted by the forum.  That way if I fall by the wayside, the photos will still be there.

As far as PB, I don't use it, but how is it extortion for a company to charge for their services?  There are costs associated with storing your photos (which they do for free) and additional costs associated with publicly hosting those photos.

kylejang wrote on 03/15/18 at 08:51:16:


It is a convenience factor.  When most folks are reading through a thread on a forum like this, they usually don't feel like going somewhere else to view a pic or video.

Fast 650 wrote on 03/15/18 at 09:22:03:


Valid point

I agree with Gyrobob (although I think the label "extortion" is a bit extreme).

It's definitely poor form. The company offers a free service - probably making their money from advertising on the site. They switch business models to one where the user pays for the service. However, they know that many people have invested hours upon hours in uploading images. They may even use the site as the basis for a business, such as a photographer or designer who uses the site as an online folio.

To jump from free to $400 is hefty. That decision probably relies on the assumption that people will feel they have no other option but to pay, because of what they have already invested in time.

I have no problem with their new business model, but the history in this particular instance creates a problem. They are using their 'free' service, and the popularity of it, as leverage to launch their new model. That creates ill-feeling.

And post its URL for your viewing pleasure:
http://suzukisavage.com/yabb2.2/Attachments/pb.jpg

Which can now be inserted in any forum as long as I don't change or delete it from the above post (or, until suzukisavage.com goes down or removes it).

How so?  The photo I "attached" is now being hosted by suzukisavage.com

What exactly is your point that I just proved?

EDIT:

Oh, do you think the photobucket 3rd party warning image is from them?  Not the case, I downloaded to my computer off of the internet and then uploaded it to this site as an attachment in my previous post, and then referenced it as a (hosted) photo in the post right after.  

The URL tells you what you need to know.  For example, your screenshot is located here: http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh253/Gyrobob_theOriginal/3rd%20party%20ho... (photobucket).

I can save that and put upload it as an attachment...
 

To further prove my point, (which is your point?)  I can even go back and edit what I attached to the earlier post...

The new attachment is now hosted here: http://suzukisavage.com/yabb2.2/Attachments/IMG_20170727_071804829_001.jpg

And it can be inserted here...