Photos gone from old threads

[California]

I've noticed several cases where photos in a post are no longer present.

Here's an example. Everybody discusses the photos - but they aren't there.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/projects/227548-putting-drain-pipe-underground-middle.html

After some research I could also find examples in my own old posts where I'm sure I didn't delete the photo.


Is anyone else encountering this?

 

[Muhammad]

We don't delete any of the photos... it's possible that they were referenced from another site, like a file hosting site, and removed by that site or the user. In that case, there isn't anything we can do about it as the images were never uploaded to our server, only linked.

 

[Bigfoot62]

I used a photo hosting site for years. Then, it shut down. So, every pic, thumbnail, even every link was lost. ):

 

[bumperm]

Happened to me too, but it was my own fault!

I reorganized the files of photos I have at Photobucket. Oops, that screwed up the links from my posts here. At Photobucket, I moved a picture back to it's original position, but the link numbers were still not as original so the posted links here no longer work.

I can't find any way to edit my posts here with new link information. I sent a post to Admin (I thought) questioning if there is a way to edit older posts to get the photo links to work again . . . no answer yet. Muhammad, please advise?

bumper

 

[Muhammad]

Right now you can only edit a post in the first 24 hours after you submit it. I suppose that we might reconsider that in light of all of these issues that have come up now but weren't an issue in the past (everything from legal issues with the content of posts to image links being broken). The potential downside of changing it is that people could change the content of their posts at any time, possibly changing the value of the post (for better or for worse).

 

[RDrancher]

It's annoying, but I see photos missing on forums all the time that were linked to photo hosting sites. That's the main reason I upload photos from my computer. Sure would be nice if the bulk uploader still worked here at TBN...wink wink.

 

[dfkrug]

We don't delete any of the photos... it's possible that they were referenced from another
site, like a file hosting site, and removed by that site or the user. In that case, there isn't anything we can do about it
as the images were never uploaded to our server, only linked.

I can not overstate how important this is. Many TBN members who use photo hosting services do so at their
peril. Most often the member does not use the paid premium service, so the free postings can be eliminated
by the host at any time. (Check those end-user agreements.) Not to mention if the host goes out of biz.

I can see using a hosting service for a bunch of vacation photos you want friends/relatives to see, but for
pix on TBN, why not upload them here, then link to TBN?

Anyway, I am prob in the top 10 of TBN users as measured by how many photos I have uploaded. I expect
TBN to be around for a long time. (Thx, Muhammad.)

 

[mjw357]

I think with photobucket, if you don't log in every few months, your pictures won't show up until you log in again.

 

[kennyd]

Yup, that's a problem on all forums. I agree that extending the post edit timer will just bring many other problems, and they're are many users (probably most) who wouldn't go back and edit old posts even if they still had the pictures to upload.

 

[California]

Agree, I don't think its a good idea to extend the edit window beyond 24 hours. 24 hours is just right to edit an obvious error when you next notice it.

 

[California]

Ok, here's an example of a post of mine that had a visible photo when posted but none now. (The photo was at the blank space following the first two lines of text).

The photo I linked to still exists on TBN, but my 2013 link to it doesn't work in 2014.

(Here's where I first uploaded the photo to TBN).



And ... a technical explanation of why the photo doesn't show now:

See the difference? (I padded some .... to make the comparison easier)

Where it was when I linked to it successfully:
tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/yanmar/49339d1136573387-ym3110-oil-filter-dash-lights-802253-img_5916rym-dashlights.jpg

Where it is today:
tractorbynet.com/forums/files.........../yanmar/49339d1136573387-ym3110-oil-filter-dash-lights-802253-img_5916rym-dashlights-jpg

 

[aczlan]

Hmmm:

Does not work: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/yanmar/49339d1136573387-ym3110-oil-filter-dash-lights-802253-img_5916rym-dashlights.jpg

Works: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/files/yanmar/49339d1136573387-ym3110-oil-filter-dash-lights-802253-img_5916rym-dashlights-jpg

The difference appears to be /forums/attachments/yanmar/ vs /forums/files/yanmar/
I wonder if a symlink from /attachments/ to /files/ was removed?

Aaron Z

 

[California]

Hmmm: ...
I wonder if a symlink from /attachments/ to /files/ was removed?

So that's what that [ code ] tag is for!

Yes, I think that's the issue. I'm not enough of a programmer to know the solution but I think we've identified the problem.


I have quite a few old photos on here documenting various aspects of my 30 year old Yanmar. Since these are orphans, there are always new Yanmar owners showing up and asking the same novice questions that I struggled through ten years ago. My old photos are a continuing resource to help these newbies. I think it is worthwhile to keep them accessible.

 

[Muhammad]

Ohhh okay, I see now. We plugged one hole and created another. I'll see if we can fix this. The photos are still there but the URL has changed recently.

 

[California]

Thanks!! :thumbsup:

 

[Xfaxman]

I have several posts that the pictures disappeared from.

They where copied from my post in another thread, like "Today's Seat Time" or http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...appling-fun-picture-thread-2.html#post3379704 and pasted in my thread like this one: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...mpact-telehandler.html?highlight=#post3569150

The pictures are still in the first thread.

 

[bumperm]

Maybe I'm naive, but I can't comprehend the issues and reasoning behind *not* allowing the original author to edit or delete a post beyond 24 hours (this is not like Lerner and the IRS :c( is it? Firstly, unless it was to correct an error or update a url or link, why would someone even want to edit an old post - - and for that matter, why would anyone else care (as long as a suitable notation "EDITED/ DATE" etc was automatically inserted).

It is quite frustrating, while trying to learn from an interesting thread, to run into a post or string of posts where there are missing pictures - - it's kind of like reading a good book and finding pages have been ripped out.

bumper

 

[California]

Here's a 2011 thread with pictures missing.

Looking at Page Source I don't see a link to pictures (hosted anywhere), but the replies indicate there were pictures in the first post.

 

[bumperm]

I was hopeful that there might be a simple resolution (that was a WAG on my part, as I don't know computers well) after I had goofed, inadvertently changing pretty much all the photo links in my posts.

So, if there's no admin resolution in the offing, I guess I have 3 choices, add a post to the "dismembered" thread, inviting anyone who would like the photos to contact me directly (easy enough, and that's what I've done). Not so effective though, I know I would not make the effort to contact a poster for photos unless there was a truly compelling reason. Second choice is to leave the threads as they are - not very useful without photos - nothing new, there are lots of frustrating threads out there. And finally, I could start a whole r'nuther thread - more effort required and adds meaningless redundancy to the database - not a good option.

Absent some procedure allowing the original poster to edit photo links, I see no good, viable workaround.

bumper

 

[California]

I guess I have 3 choices, add a post to the "dismembered" thread, inviting anyone who would like the photos to contact me directly (easy enough, and that's what I've done). Not so effective though, I know I would not make the effort to contact a poster for photos unless there was a truly compelling reason. Second choice is to leave the threads as they are - not very useful without photos - nothing new, there are lots of frustrating threads out there. And finally, I could start a whole r'nuther thread - more effort required and adds meaningless redundancy to the database

Wouldn't another option be to add one more post to the threads you are concerned about, showing the missing photos or perhaps just a link to where they are now?