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Forum Update: Images!!


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  • ArenaNet Staff

We’re happy to announce that you may now embed images or videos on our forums through four major hosts: Tumblr, Imgur, YouTube, and Instagram.

To embed an image, click the small landscape icon to the far right of the editing options bar and input the URL into the indicated field. Your image then will be shared on the forums in thumbnail form, allowing member to click through to the larger photograph, screenshot, or piece of art. Please be sure to restrict image size to 2 MB or less.

We believe that expanding your options for sharing images will enhance our forum community, and we look forward to seeing what you share!

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Meh, still relying on external sources sux, but being able to have a thumbnail is a good improvement. As others may have mentioned, the size needs some tweaking though.

@"Shikigami.4013" said:What is the reason for letting people include images in their actual post but being scared of allowing people to use images for their avatars? I cannot find any justification for keeping the "no image upload allowed" policy for your avatar when you can include any image into any of your posts.

Simple answer: storage. Apparently Anet isn't willing to host images anymore and then because relying on external sources for images in posts and a limited list of avatars. Although their official reason is "security", that doesn't make any sense at all (and a subject for another thread).

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@"Inculpatus cedo.9234" said:Must the 'thumbnails' be so LARGE? Geez.

Imgur has a way of posting an image with a small thumbnail.Example:r85SXPym.pngThis is a medium thumbnail of a 1366x768 pic. The difference is an "m" was added at the end of "Py" in the url link.When you open your image from your "images" section (you click on the image), there should be a "sizes" option near the bottom of the window. There you select different sizes, and imgur gives you the link for the "re-sized" image.

Edit: OH. I see what you're referring to. Yup, those are big thumbnails the forums are using. :p

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  • ArenaNet Staff

Shadow -- you're completely mistaken. We have no issues or concerns about storage -- that is positively not the reason for our image policies. The prohibition against random uploads is based on security and on maintaining an acceptable standard for our private forums. Having vetted four sources for how they function on our forum, we've green-lighted Tumblr, Imgur, YouTube, and Instagram. I think that's great, because those are four major sites that are easy to use.

Shikagami -- I've posted at length on this subject on this forum. Please read my posts to learn more. The TL;dr version:

  • We do not want our moderators spending time reviewing and removing inappropriate images.
  • We do not want my time spent handling appeals because someone claims, "really, that picture of someone's [deleted] was perfectly ok!"
  • No, automated services are not adequate.
  • No, we're not going to hire someone to review images, nor pay a fee to have a bot review images (which, as above, is not 100% effective anyway).
  • Images in signatures or personal avatars will not be happening at any time in the foreseeable future.
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@AegisRunestone.8672 said:

@"Inculpatus cedo.9234" said:Must the 'thumbnails' be so LARGE? Geez.

Imgur has a way of posting an image with a small thumbnail.Example:
r85SXPym.png
This is a medium thumbnail of a 1366x768 pic. The difference is an "m" was added at the end of "Py" in the url link.When you open your image from your "images" section (you click on the image), there should be a "sizes" option near the bottom of the window. There you select different sizes, and imgur gives you the link for the "re-sized" image.

Edit: OH. I see what you're referring to. Yup, those are big thumbnails the forums are using. :p

Thanks for that. :)

It appears to be posting pictures at full size by default, so it's good to know there are options to re-size them, at least with 1 site.

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@"Gaile Gray.6029" said:Shadow -- you're completely mistaken. We have no issues or concerns about storage -- that is positively not the reason for our image policies. The prohibition against random uploads is based on security and on maintaining an acceptable standard for our private forums. Having vetted four sources for how they function on our forum, we've green-lighted Tumblr, Imgur, YouTube, and Instagram. I think that's great, because those are four major sites that are easy to use.

Well, I just meant that based on the statement that uploads were prohibited due "security issues" (I have even discussed that in another thread). I just can't see how self-hosted images can cause "security issues" and what I mean with that are issues like vulnerabilities allowing some unauthorized access or damage to the server. Images just can't cause or allow that so easily.

However, if the reason is "to keep an acceptable standard and preventing unappropriated content", that's very reasonable and understandable. And that type of issue has nothing to do with "security" in my view (maybe it's a language trick, I'm not native English speaker). I even agree that spending time reviewing unappropriated images is unreasonable and better spent somewhere else.

Maybe this type of issue was quickly dealt away from our eyes in the old forums then it seemed it hadn't had such type of issue, that made it hard to understand it as a reason here. It's then why I made the assumption that it had to do with storage. That, plus the fact the new forums are hosted in a third party server (with possibly limited storage)... led me to that guess.

Anyway, if it's to keep a "good standard and prevent unappropriated content", it's very understandable. But saying the reason is "security" doesn't make much sense. External links are way less safe, but at least with thumbnails it's somewhat less risky now.

P.S.: Actually, even using external sources it's still possible to have unappropriated content poping up here... hmm...

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@"Gaile Gray.6029" said:

Shikagami -- I've posted at length on this subject on this forum. Please read my posts to learn more. The TL;dr version:

  • We do not want our moderators spending time reviewing and removing inappropriate images.
  • We do not want my time spent handling appeals because someone claims, "really, that picture of someone's [deleted] was perfectly ok!"
  • No, automated services are not adequate.
  • No, we're not going to hire someone to review images, nor pay a fee to have a bot review images (which, as above, is not 100% effective anyway).
  • Images in signatures or personal avatars will not be happening at any time in the foreseeable future.

I did read that thread at the time it was active concerning this topic, and the posts in it were made before images in posts were now allowed.It seems logical that what you wrote about avatar images should now apply to in-post images in exactly the same way. I want to make it clear that I am in no way attacking you with what I write or feel the need to "complain" or make a fuss. Still, allowing images being linked into posts but not allowing avatars being linked seems "strange" at least. Thats is why I asked for the reason for handling these images appearing in your forum so differently. Sadly, the points you wrote give no reason and basically just repeat what was said when images were not allowed at all (not as avatars and not in posts).

-> Moderators now have to spend time on posts containing images, do they not? If not, it should not be an issue for avatars either. Do you consider images hosted on these platforms as "safe"? If so, you can as well allow avatars being linked to there.-> People can now send appeals about in-post images being deleted or inappropriate instead of avatar images-> I am not sure what "automated services" have to do with avatar images, I assume someone suggested an automated service to check/rate/police avatar images. Of course this is not adequate, but neither is it for in-post images-> If you don't want to hire people checking avatar pictures why allow pictures in posts? This sure is a lot more work than some tiny avatar pics which most people choose once and keep forever, as there are plenty of people who just love to post tons of pictures in their tons of posts. Once again, if you feel you do not need to check those images because they are hosted on platforms that check images for being inappropriate themselves, you could as well allow avatars that are hosted there.-> As this is the same stance that we already know I asked about the reason that makes you handle in-post images so drastically different from avatar images, although the amount of in-post images to check will likely outnumber the amount of avatar images to check by far. But the TL,DRed points contain no reason. On the contrary, those points kind of scream at us "If what we wrote about avatar images is true and makes sense, images in posts should never have been allowed either".

PS: Maybe I should point one last thing out, I wrote " I cannot find any justification for keeping the "no image upload allowed" policy for your avatar when you can include any image into any of your posts." but what I really meant was " I cannot find any justification for keeping the "no other images than our own self-hosted ones allowed" policy for your avatar when you can include any image into any of your posts." My conclusion based on logic was that just like you can now link images in posts, you should be allowed to link an image from those four sites as your avatar.

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@Danikat.8537 said:

@AegisRunestone.8672 said:

@"Inculpatus cedo.9234" said:Must the 'thumbnails' be so LARGE? Geez.

Imgur has a way of posting an image with a small thumbnail.Example:
r85SXPym.png
This is a medium thumbnail of a 1366x768 pic. The difference is an "m" was added at the end of "Py" in the url link.When you open your image from your "images" section (you click on the image), there should be a "sizes" option near the bottom of the window. There you select different sizes, and imgur gives you the link for the "re-sized" image.

Edit: OH. I see what you're referring to. Yup, those are big thumbnails the forums are using. :p

Thanks for that. :)

It appears to be posting pictures at full size by default, so it's good to know there are options to re-size them, at least with 1 site.

No problemo!

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@Donari.5237 said:... I'm gonna have to start using Imgur, aren't I. All my zillions of saved shots on TinyPic won't cut it here :(

Glad there will be visuals again, though, I hated clicking to outside links to see pics!

You can always post those images to Imgur (pro-tip, don't make them public if you don't want to flood their front page) and then link from your private stash

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