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    Linking vs hotlinking

    I just came across a post elsewhere on the board that Luxman edited by removing a hotlink and uploading the pic in question. I understand why hotlinking is a no-no, but I often know just enough to be confused. How can one tell the difference between a hotlink and a plain old "check out this page" hyperlink?

    Thanks,
    HM

    #2
    A link to anywhere comes up as a piece of text you can click (in attractive green). That's fine, as we aren't doing anything but pointing.

    But a "hotlink" is when an image is hosted elsewhere and we are drawing it way over here, causing bandwidth to be stolen. So you will see an image, inline, and not as an attachment. We know it's a hotlink because it shows up as such in the email notifications we Moderators get.

    Hotlinking via an image hosting site, such as imageshack, is okay. That's what they're designed for. But hotlinking from another person's website is not. In those cases either copy and attach the image, or point to the site with a text link.

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      #3
      Originally posted by Vid Dude
      Hotlinking via an image hosting site, such as imageshack, is okay. That's what they're designed for.
      True, but those sites too prefer you hotlink the small thumbnail image (they provide full text links for that, just copy/paste ;-). Something to do with conserving valuable bandwidth, as everybody viewing that page on the forum will download the pic.

      Besides, I think imageshack has a no-adult policy which they don't enforce much though

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        #4
        Thanks for the replies. Maybe I'm just being overly scrupulous. I am familiar with attractive green links but I don't know enough about web design or html coding to intentionally pass along a hotlink. I'm curious how an uninformed person like me would be able to recognize a hotlink elsewhere to avoid posting it here.

        HM

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by Havemercy
          Thanks for the replies. Maybe I'm just being overly scrupulous. I am familiar with attractive green links but I don't know enough about web design or html coding to intentionally pass along a hotlink. I'm curious how an uninformed person like me would be able to recognize a hotlink elsewhere to avoid posting it here.

          HM
          Easy; the text of a hotlink ends with something like .jpg or .gif or .png

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            #6
            No, the point with hotlinking is if the image has to be drawn when I load the page, and if so then every single view, from guests and members alike, causes a bandwidth steal from teh site. Text links do not do that, only an inline image does. And that's a hotlink.

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