exdraken Posted July 10, 2017 Share Posted July 10, 2017 5 hours ago, Pin said: Of course, I'm ready to contribute P.S. This was an answer to a legitimate (I.M.O.) question if I'm ready to pay for additional storage. I'd prefeŕ to pay BM for storeing AND maintaining threads with pictures than to pay PB.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantome Posted July 11, 2017 Share Posted July 11, 2017 On 7/9/2017 at 10:18 PM, Tomtom said: Just been reading about PB it's the talk on most forums, I am surprised some lawyers haven't got involved to form a class action against them, this will be the next ppi How exactly are you going to be able to sue them for changing the terms of a free service? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantome Posted July 11, 2017 Share Posted July 11, 2017 17 hours ago, exdraken said: I'd prefeŕ to pay BM for storeing AND maintaining threads with pictures than to pay PB.... The problem is that threads with PB hosted pics are effectively dead now. Had PB given a couple of months warning about this change in policy, it is likely that utilities to save 3rd party images and be re-uploaded locally would have been created for each type of forum software. This is why what PB did is so deplorable. They've single-handedly mutilated forums that have existed since the beginning of internet time. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted July 11, 2017 Share Posted July 11, 2017 That's about the size of it, yeah. If anything, it's the loss of information and resources internet wide that's the "crime", so to speak. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomtom Posted July 11, 2017 Share Posted July 11, 2017 1 hour ago, Phantome said: How exactly are you going to be able to sue them for changing the terms of a free service? I don't know I am not a lawyer, but I am sure some smart bottom will find a way, The yanks would sue a fly for landing in there soup given half a chance. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Knight Posted July 11, 2017 Share Posted July 11, 2017 1 hour ago, Phantome said: How exactly are you going to be able to sue them for changing the terms of a free service? According to the Unfair Contracts laws it is illegal to change terms and conditions, or any part of the contract, without a period of notice and in some cases consultation with the users This is recognised international law. It matters not if the user gets the service for free or not Internet companies are not beyond these laws, vis Google getting a large fine a couple of weeks ago https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/jun/27/google-braces-for-record-breaking-1bn-fine-from-eu The question is really who will take a case to law? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantome Posted July 11, 2017 Share Posted July 11, 2017 2 hours ago, Black Knight said: According to the UnFair contracts laws it is illegal to change terms and conditions, or any part of the contract, without a period of notice and in some cases consultation with the users This is recognised international law. It matters not if the user gets the srvice for free or not Internet companies are not beyond these laws, vis Google getting a large fine a couple pof weeks ago https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/jun/27/google-braces-for-record-breaking-1bn-fine-from-eu The question is really who will take a case to law? That was an anti-monopoly case. Completely different context I don't know what the old T&C said, but if they did say that 3rd party hosting was not allowed (even if this was not enforced), then there's not much grounds for a case. It also means they'd be forced to continue offering a free service... at their expense. Don't get me wrong, would be great if they got sued, just don't see how. We all know the risk of using free internet services. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatW Posted July 11, 2017 Share Posted July 11, 2017 I had free 3rd party hosting with PB for over 5 years, giving me 2.0GB of space, I'd used just 0.62GB so they virtualy cut me off no prior warning/timescale. So they wanted $399 per year. Went to Fotki $120 for 3 years with 3rd party hosting! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Russell Posted July 11, 2017 Share Posted July 11, 2017 It's a peculiar business model. I imagine a few companies and Ebay shops (some of which have hundreds and hundreds of Botophucket images) might pay out $400 for the service. This could earn them a few million I suppose. On the other hand I'm amazed they didn't just charge, say $10 or $20 a year which most people would have paid, at least for a while. This would have made them some $10 x 25 million users = 250 million dollars/year! Assuming their user figure is true and not just PR BS and a quarter would have paid, which I think is statistically borne out by reading forum posts. I'm glad I don't have shares in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Knight Posted July 12, 2017 Share Posted July 12, 2017 On Friday 30th June at approx 05:16 Photobucket turned my photos on model forums into their ransom demand Wednesday 12th July at approx 01:08 I receive an email from PB telling me that I can no longer post my photos on forums and they demand I upgrade to the $399.99 account Not exactly very quick at the information bit are they? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted July 12, 2017 Share Posted July 12, 2017 9 hours ago, Phantome said: This is why what PB did is so deplorable. They've single-handedly mutilated forums that have existed since the beginning of internet time. Vandalism is a word that has sprung to mind on more than one occasion as I've pondered this outrage. Social & Cultural Vandalism. Steve. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony.t Posted July 12, 2017 Share Posted July 12, 2017 It's maybe time for forums to host images again and have a good turf out of the dross at regular intervals. It's also a salutary reminder that nothing lasts forever. The internet will increasingly comprise outdated fragmentary garbage. The cloud? Pfff... Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seawinder Posted July 12, 2017 Share Posted July 12, 2017 On 7/2/2017 at 7:55 AM, Roman Schilhart said: (snip) Seems like I have to move my photographs somewhere else, but the articles already written for BM can hardly be restored. Actually, that's not true: you can edit any of your own posts; once you've relocated your photos to another hosting service, you simply replace the old links with the new ones. I'm going with SmugMug, which is apparently aimed more at professional photographers, offering the ability to sell photos online. It's not a free service: the "Basic" plan, which will amply suit my needs, costs US $48 per year. I'm willing to pay that -- seems like a reasonable amount -- and I'm hoping that there will be less likelihood of a paid service pulling the same stunt that PB did. I would probably have paid PB the same sort of fee, especially if it would have meant escape from the copious pop-up ads; but $400 per year is outrageous IMHO. I've updated my links to HyperScale for 2016 and 2017 and will gradually work my way through it and Britmodeller, to which I've mostly posted Yearbook galleries. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Knight Posted July 12, 2017 Share Posted July 12, 2017 I've noticed that since a few days ago smugmug have been offering 'introductory first year' special discount prices Quite the opposite public relations to photob's 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PVChairman Posted July 12, 2017 Share Posted July 12, 2017 I'm really saddened to read all this. There are so many forums with useful threads around the Internet which are going to be ruined by PB's rapid change in their T&Cs not giving any time for anyone to do anything about it. This website in particular has many useful topics that have suddenly been denuded of images, and the images are sooooo important to may of the topics covered here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Air-to-Air Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 Photobucket’s approach to third party hosting appears to have become even more aggressive since recent events started unfolding. On page 11 of this thread I suggested that Photobucket users should leave their images on Photobucket’s servers because clicking on the substitute image (i.e. the P500 image) used to take one through to the image on Photobucket’s webpage. At that time, Photobucket Support was reporting (page 12): “We aren’t deleting photos or holding any photos at arm’s length for download; we are simply asking our non-paying users to join our subscription service to continue enjoying benefits of our site.” Despite Photobucket’s appalling handling of this whole affair, I thought this approach would help drive traffic to their site and that would allow them to pick up some advertising dollars, without rendering the page on which the image was used as completely useless. However, Photobucket’s approach appears to have changed over the last week and now when I click through to an image on Photobucket’s servers, I don’t get the original image, I get the P500 image! Furthermore, there is no way for a visitor to access the original image (e.g. by clicking on an enlarge button). I think Photobucket is now definitely holding images at arms length. Millions of threads on hundreds of thousands of forums, sites and blogs going back 10 or more years have been rendered completely worthless by Photobucket’s approach. I concur with previous commentators, this is Internet vandalism at its most heinous. As a result of this recent change, I withdraw my previous suggestion that you leave your content on Photobucket. I have a paid Photobucket account which expires in about a month. I will shortly be joining the tens of thousands of users that have downloaded their images and closed their accounts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 When you click on a photo which takes you to the PB website & the evil icon, trying doing Ctrl + F5, which should refresh the page, I'm finding, within the last 24 hrs, that that still brings up the original photo. I'd be interested to know if that works still & for others. Steve. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bentwaters81tfw Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 Yet again received another email from PB asking me to upgrade. Talk about Hotel California. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 @Mike just wondering, have you already noticed a decrease of activity on BM (like new posts per day, visits per day etc) after the brilliant idea at PB was fielded? Alex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 Not that I've noticed - the new members have been coming in thick & fast though... so far it seems to be business as usual at BM HQ. it's saddening to see a topic bereft of pics though, when you're stooging about the place. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Des Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 15 hours ago, stevehnz said: When you click on a photo which takes you to the PB website & the evil icon, trying doing Ctrl + F5, which should refresh the page, I'm finding, within the last 24 hrs, that that still brings up the original photo. I'd be interested to know if that works still & for others. Steve. Just tried it and it works although being Photobox it is very , very slow in loading which was acceptable for free but yet another reason for not paying them a penny. Will come in very handy in identifying specific images whenever I get enough time to find hosting elsewhere and start to change over , many thanks Steve. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Knight Posted July 14, 2017 Share Posted July 14, 2017 Photobucket has started [actually started three days ago] spamming me with messages about 'some changes to my account' [which I actually closed down 10 days ago]. The message is very belligerent. Getting two or three per day Instead of just ignoring them and deleting them I first forward* them back to P/b, then I delete them Hopefully they are taking up space in P/b's email box * not a 'reply'; but 'forwarding' to one of their email addies 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wm Blecky Posted July 15, 2017 Share Posted July 15, 2017 I haven't read through all 17 pages here, but if it has not been said already, I'll say this now, PB sure must be making all sorts of "friends" with their decision. I can not believe the number of website that I have come across since this happened where instead of a picture all their is is a message saying to upgrade one's account. It's a real pity and quite a disservice to those who use(d) PB. Did anyone receive advance warning of this or was it pretty much just just woke up one morning and no pictures? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShipbuilderMN Posted July 15, 2017 Share Posted July 15, 2017 For whatever reason, Photobucket did it on purpose! It is unlikely they will change their mind. As far as I can see it, the only solution is to accept the fact, and move on. Everyone must deal with it in their own way. To go on and on about it will only cause added stress - of which we have more than enough in modern life! Bob 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Russell Posted July 15, 2017 Share Posted July 15, 2017 These links have a graph showing traffic on Botophucket. http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/photobucket.com http://www.rank2traffic.com/photobucket.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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