What's the crack with DP and photobucket?

[krela]

Just as further clarification it is unlikely that a viable solution will appear that I personally can do anything about to rescue the majority of old content without major input from you lot (editing your posts, moving your photos etc). Which is why I say there's nothing to be done. It's a big blow but it is what it is.

What I suspect is more likely is that some major player might buy PB out and reinstate third party sharing, or might offer some other kind of service to mirror content from PB in a way that can easily be fixed on forums etc. Time will tell.

I strongly suggest people use flickr for photo hosting from now on. It's owned by Yahoo - a major player, and is the photo hosting site most unlikely to go anywhere. Even if yahoo go bust someone will buy them out. Other sites are easier to use, but their longevity is questionable and some like ibb.co plain delete photos after a certain period of time etc. Even imgur isn't on the most stable of footings.

 

[Mikeymutt]

I am just going to hang on and see what happens with photobucket.i ain't going to reinstate lots of posts yet.they are still there and backed up on two laptops.i have never begrudge paying a few quid a month.but that's it.just best to be patient and see what happens first.

 

[krela]

I am just going to hang on and see what happens with photobucket.i ain't going to reinstate lots of posts yet.they are still there and backed up on two laptops.i have never begrudge paying a few quid a month.but that's it.just best to be patient and see what happens first.

I agree, as I said earlier the knee jerk response is rarely the best response. Decent solutions will appear in time I hope, fingers crossed anyway!

I have just found a way to let you open and close your own threads, so if you go to a locked report of yours and look for the "administrative" menu above the first post, you should see an unclose thread option. I've tested it on my test account but if one of you guys could let me know if it works I would appreciate it.

 

[Priority 7]

Yup that works like a dream fella just tried it. Also allows the poster to close the thread too.

 

[krela]

Yup that works like a dream fella just tried it. Also allows the poster to close the thread too.

Shweeeeet. Thanks for that.

 

[Mikeymutt]

I was then looking at photobucket they have put a statement up I ain't seen before saying if you were a plus member before June 1st then you can carry on using third party hosting till Dec 2018 anyone joining after June 1st will have to go for the overpriced plus 500 plan.ao I still have over a year with them with links safe hopefully.seems a little bit of a back track already with what they were originally saying

 

[smiler]

Make the lot of em Mods krela,

 

[tazong]

I think Flickr and a lot of other hosting people will be rubbing there hands together - they are going to get a massive influx of new users and new advertising to boot.
You can not hold a gun to internet users heads - they will just go else where - facebook took off big style from twitter mistakes.
I think in time photobucket will realise what a massive mistake they have made - it will be to late then of course - people are very unforgiving in situations like these.
As already stated i would make a flickr account and post on that - i would not touch your photobucket account just yet - i see a massive uturn coming thou i think it will take time.
No one is going to pay massive fees for hosting when someone else will do it for free - photobucket are effectivly hanging themselves.
The sit and wait policy i think for what its worth is a very good one?

 

[krela]

Okay I have just changed things again so now all threads should be open to all regular contributors, but threads with no new posts for 120 days will be closed to new users and lurkers. This means you should be able to edit your reports without having to open or close anything. It also means people won't register & post just to ask where the photos are, as has just happened (which is why I didn't want to blanket unlock everything, it encourages pointless posts).

 

[Foxylady]

...i would make a flickr account and post on that - i would not touch your photobucket account just yet - i see a massive uturn coming thou i think it will take time...

The sit and wait policy i think for what its worth is a very good one?

I agree. Having looked at my own threads & photos I've realised what an undertaking it'll be; more time than I can comfortably give to it right now. Better for me to wait a bit and see what comes out of it first.

 

[urban-dorset]

Cheers dude, most of it is email these days as the forum is locked down from troublemakers pretty well! I get lots of emails from irate landowners and pissy police though. All good fun.

What do they expect you to do about it? Take reports down, or what?

 

[krela]

What do they expect you to do about it? Take reports down, or what?

Yep, or give them the personal details of the explorers involved (which in 12 years I've never done, and will only ever do with a court order).

 

[urban-dorset]

Yep, or give them the personal details of the explorers involved (which in 12 years I've never done, and will only ever do with a court order).

I presume you have good Ts & Cs anyway, saying you're not responsible for content on here that's posted by others?

 

[urban-dorset]

I've just replaced the photos on four of my reports. Luckily I don't have too many more to do (13 total)!

 

[krela]

I presume you have good Ts & Cs anyway, saying you're not responsible for content on here that's posted by others?

T&Cs are irrelevant, criminal law is criminal law and trumps terms and conditions. If the police reasonably suspect a member of criminal behaviour they are within their rights to request any details I hold on them if they post a report placing them at the scene of the "crime".HOWEVER I am not legally compelled to hand them over without a warrant. If I am presented with a warrant and refuse to hand them over then I become personally liable to be prosecuted for obstruction of justice and withholding evidence. When this happens I always inform the member involved that this is going on. This is one of the reasons I do not allow exact dates on location reports. By using exact dates you are potentially placing yourself at the scene of a crime if anything happens the day you're there. This has happened in the past.

I regularly get asked for information by the police, however I have never been presented with a warrant so have never passed any over. Ironically most of the time the police are involved there's little suggestion of criminal behaviour they're just fishing without reasonable suspicion, but I do have a zero tolerance attitude towards people who DO criminal acts when exploring and often ban people who are idiots without involving the police. Usually they incriminate themselves by posting about it.

I have also had face to face chats (mostly in cafes as I don't want them coming to my home, and refuse to travel to them) at various times with the military police (army police), the provost (raf police), BTP, the London MET, and serious crimes / counter terrorism squads. Always about general issues and specific sites rather than any members here. None of those discussions have resulted in me taking any action. I have a bit of a personal history with some of these from times pre DP and they get a bit twitchy sometimes. This doesn't happen so much these days thankfully as it's pretty stressful, these aren't your average PC in a panda car we're talking about, and it's almost always political.

 

[krela]

Oh and the police do occasionally tell me to take a thread down. I always say that I will when they legally compel me to do so because there is no law under which they can make me do it. Funnily enough they've never replied.

 

[J_a_t_33]

Oh my this really sucks! Such brutality from PB.

A list of alternatives to Photobucket for those looking to jump ship!

https://screenshot.net/sites-like-photobucket.html