Happier Abroad Forum Community

Hi all,
I've been thinking, maybe I should enable attachments here so you guys can upload images to put into your posts? That way, it'd be a lot easier and less work sharing your trip report photos. It'd be easier for me as well. However, there are several things to consider:

1. Each photo uploaded will go into our server space. So I'd have to purchase an additional 10 GB of hosting space, which would cost me another $10 a month. Otherwise, we only have a few more gigabytes in this hosting space.

2. Your images would have to be under a certain size limit, like say 250 kb. The forum cannot resize your photos. You'd have to resize them first in Microsoft Paint (a free accessory which comes with windows) or something.

3. We'd have to have some rules to control the uploading of images and minimize hosting space. For instance, only images related to trip reports can be uploaded. But not comical stuff, or celebrity photos or other stuff for entertainment. Maybe images of graphs related to discussions could be allowed too. Or screen shots.

4. I'm not sure we should allow every member to upload attachments or photos. Maybe at first, we should only allow veteran expats to upload images, such as those in the Expat VIP board, the ones that qualified for membership there I mean. If it were up to me, I would only allow those with 1000 posts or more to upload images, but there is no way in this forum admin panel to do that. So I'd have to create separate groups that can do it, such as the Expat VIP group.

5. I'm not sure whether to ask those who will upload trip photos to help share the extra hosting costs. If so, I could ask them to pay maybe like 5 or 10 dollars a year. That would pay for the additional 10 dollars a month in hosting fees I'd have to add. Or I can buck it and pay it all myself.

Anyway, those are things to consider. What do you all think?

Winston wrote:Hi all,
I've been thinking, maybe I should enable attachments here so you guys can upload images to put into your posts? That way, it'd be a lot easier and less work sharing your trip report photos. It'd be easier for me as well. However, there are several things to consider:

1. Each photo uploaded will go into our server space. So I'd have to purchase an additional 10 GB of hosting space, which would cost me another $10 a month. Otherwise, we only have a few more gigabytes in this hosting space.

2. Your images would have to be under a certain size limit, like say 250 kb. The forum cannot resize your photos. You'd have to resize them first in Microsoft Paint (a free accessory which comes with windows) or something.

3. We'd have to have some rules to control the uploading of images and minimize hosting space. For instance, only images related to trip reports can be uploaded. But not comical stuff, or celebrity photos or other stuff for entertainment. Maybe images of graphs related to discussions could be allowed too. Or screen shots.

4. I'm not sure we should allow every member to upload attachments or photos. Maybe at first, we should only allow veteran expats to upload images, such as those in the Expat VIP board, the ones that qualified for membership there I mean. If it were up to me, I would only allow those with 1000 posts or more to upload images, but there is no way in this forum admin panel to do that. So I'd have to create separate groups that can do it, such as the Expat VIP group.

5. I'm not sure whether to ask those who will upload trip photos to help share the extra hosting costs. If so, I could ask them to pay maybe like 5 or 10 dollars a year. That would pay for the additional 10 dollars a month in hosting fees I'd have to add. Or I can buck it and pay it all myself.

Anyway, those are things to consider. What do you all think?

I think it would overall be a bad idea because lot's of people on the internet break rules and anyone that doesn't like the movement, feminists, or trolls could intentionally break the rules uploading anything they want (including things that would be outright illegal or resemble things outright illegal).

People can easily join postimg.com or another free image hosting website, then use what we already have to upload images. It would be easier for a group to bring down a website if anyone can upload attachments and have the FBI or other organizations get involved. It's not being paranoid because things like that can easily happen.

Even if nothing "illegal" gets posted by individuals hoping to bring the site down, individuals could still add attachments of XXX images to intentionally shutdown Google AdSense. It would take even stricter and almost real-time monitoring if attachments were allowed.

Posters that link images belonging to models or other people using their personal image hosting account, aren't exactly going to get much attention. But if someone uploaded them as an attachment and it was on your server you could be served with a copyright violation (or served with a lawsuit). America is like that and they will do anything to make money even from people who don't have money. Some courts fine people millions of dollars (even though they that those people will never be able to repay that fine, but regardless, that person has no way out except to go abroad and be in contempt of court or repay what they can afford (aka the maximum ordered by the Court per their income). The US Court fines are one debt that is not discharged in bankruptcy...along with taxes, child support, and student loan debt.

Well I wouldn't allow everyone to attach images. It'd just be veteran posters or those in the Expat VIP group that have proven themselves to be trusted and credible people with knowledge and experience. So it'd only be certain screened members that I have more trust for. Not everyone. Didn't you see that above?

I can monitor the attachments. They would go into a folder that is not seen by the public unless they are placed inline in the post.

might be easier to use an app or plugin that uses a 3rd party site to upload the pic