Feedback *** Orphan Images ***

pdh

Legend
Looking through image threads, I occasionally come across images that have "disappeared" ... often these have the Flickr placeholder "This photo is currently unavailable" ... others are just blank.

In the case of images linked from Flickr, it's usually because the image has been deleted or replaced on Flickr without updating the link in the thread ...

So, two suggestions:

1. If you delete or replace an image on your photo-sharing site, don't forget to check in case you've linked to it from thread ...

2. If you come across an image like this, PM the owner and let them know ...
 
Threads get old, and storage space is limited. It is impossible to go through years of threads and detect every place that an image is posted, and to edit that post to eliminate the link.

As a forum matures, deleted images is one of the inconveniences that members will have to suffer.

Some forums set threads to "no-Archive" and they are automatically deleted as they age. That solves your problem.

Some forums delete attached images as they get a few years old, and space gets to be a premium.

If you come across an old threads, and an image is missing in an old post of mine- do not PM me.

If it is that much of a problem with the Forum, then a Moderator or other volunteer should spend the time culling old posts and eliminating the bad links. It is not reasonable to expect the members to edit all of their old posts when an image is deleted.
 
Paul, I'm very thankful for the PMs you have sent me just recently. So for anyone who sees some broken links from me, please do let me know.:flowers_2:

Generally, I usually only contact people whose photo are only recently "orphaned".

To each his or her own. The Moderators here are not going to go combing through the threads, but if anyone stumbles upon a recent problem with a link, feel free to contact the member unless, such as Brian has, they directly ask not to be. People can always ignore the PM, if they choose to.

Thanks for starting this thread, Paul.(y)
 
Of the camera forums that I have been on over the past 10 years, I've never seen a member suggest to PM another member regarding broken links to a deleted image in an old post. I have 14,000 posts on rangefinderforum going back 8 years. Images get deleted, and some really old threads get brought back to the top of the list after years of inactivity. Attachments are long gone. Broken links happen. As this forum matures, expect images to be deleted.
 
I'm one of those guilty parties. The photos I've been linking from my Flickr site are uploaded via a plugin from Apple's Aperture program and kept in sync. I'm not sure what's happening but I haven't had time to investigate but I think there's something going on between Aperture's syncing routine and it may change the URL address on Flickr. When that happens the linked used to post here is then lost. Not sure yet but have to do some testing when I get a chance.

Its been a long day and I'm still not home yet. I'm updating a couple of my links from a free wifi connection coming thru an airport I'm making connections in.
 
This isn't an Aperture problem specifically, it's a flickr peculiarity.

Here's a few steps to reproduce:

1) Upload your photo into the wrong gallery. Publish it to flickr. Paste it in a thread here. Move the photo to the right gallery. Note that image link is broken.

...this is because nearly every change to a flickr photo will re-generate its unique ID.

Other ways to reproduce.

2) Upload your photo. Publish to flickr. Paste it here. Add keywords. Note broken link.

Etc.
 
Brian, no one is suggesting that this become a de rigueur or mandatory thing. Recently there have been posts made in one day that haven't shown up due to a link problem. Personally, posts made from months ago are, yes, bound to end up missing in action, but if it's a post made within a day or even a week it seems likely that the member might like to know.

I don't think that this issue will become an annoyance and if it does, I'd like to ask that the members who become annoyed let it be known. I can't imagine a cadre of members combing through the threads for old posts with missing images. If it becomes a problem, we'll put them - the repeat offenders who send PMs - in stocks in The Watering Hole.;)

As far as I read pdh's suggestion here, it was more a helpful suggestion than anything else.
 
My two cents are that I don't want to be PM'd about my broken images, and I don't think most members would want to be PM'd about them either. On a new post with a broken image, I think it suffices to reply in the thread to the effect of "Your image isn't showing for me".
 
People tend to come across as cranky in these short text exchanges, so we all should keep in mind that this is just a discussion amongst friends. I know that the original suggestion was made in the interest of improving this place we all spend time, and the same can be said for every reply in the thread.
 
I have been deleting some old images from my gallery in the interests of creating more space. If any body comes across a broken link I don't really want to know as I feel the usefulness of the image is long past. If it's a recently posted image then, as Amin suggests, a note in the thread will do.
 
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