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Adding Photos

  • March 25, 2013 10:59 AM
    Quote
    Message # 1251375
    Deleted user
    There seems to still be some confusion or reluctance to post photos on the site. 
    You do need to first post them to a Picasa site/account, but that's easy. Then you 
    simply copy and paste to the Westsail site. This is vastly easier than the old site. 
    Photos are safe and only those you chose can view them.  Ours are open to 
    anyone, although we don't have that many photos.  

    Another great reason to have a site is that you can have them professionally 
    bound in a hard cover.  Although obvious we had never thought of it until we 
    anchored out with our friends E&e, whom had just returned from 4.5 years 
    in the So. Pac.  They had 21 volumes and it took us over three hours to go 
    through them.  We decided to do one of our cruise to Mexico 
    (example below).  The hardest part was selecting the photos.  Julie had taken 
    over 4,000 photos and narrowed it down to 330.

    Lastly this is a great way to back up your important photos.  I wish we had 
    this earlier as I've lost a large chunk of Westsail photos, some were important
    like our ice-box rebuild.

    Jim 



    Last modified: March 25, 2013 11:03 AM | Deleted user
  • March 25, 2013 11:22 AM
    Quote
    Reply # 1251392 on 1251375
    Anonymous
    The reluctance to post photos here is because it is hard to post photos here.  

    I'm an IT guy.  By trade, I manage a company that supports 7 million users. 

    I know good IT and bad IT.  This website handles photo posting in a way that is not standard by any stretch of any imagination.  I'm a member of about 10 message boards.  On 9 of them I can post either a BBCode IMG tag link or a standard html imagine link to any post I want.  On the other one I can simply dump directly to their servers using custom code to upload to them.  This is the 11th message board I'm a member of and its the only one I cannot do these things on. 

    I chose to use photobucket for my photos.  I have a paid account.  Our (personal) website consumes so much bandwidth that I have to pay to host photos.  I picked photobucket. I don't feel like using picaso ( I already paid for and use photobucket.)  I already have all my photos backed up, uploaded, and can get prints if I want on another site.  Why does this message board FORCE me to use a service I don't want, have no interest in, and don't really care about?  

    Furthermore, the whole "copy/paste" thing is shakey.  Does it work in every browser?  Does it work in every OS?  Does it work in the different combinations of browser to OS?  Signs point to no because of a lot of feedback in past threads.  Professionally I use tools at my office to test cross platform compatibility that spans the gambit of browser/OS combinations including mobile platforms, so I know just how hard it can be to get compliance across all the devices on the web.  That is why its so GOOD to use standard best of breed practices and not this custom stuff.  I can post photos from my mobile phone on 10 other message boards I use.  Will it work here?  Who knows.  Will it work from a tablet?  Crap shoot. Windows 7 using google chrome?  Probably.  

    So when you tell people to just "do this simple thing" please consider that it might not be so simple for them.  They are using different gear.  A guy that is setup with a single line reefing can't say to some guy with 4 line reefing, "just pull that one line and cleat".  Its different stuff. 

    I like this message board a lot because there are a lot of great people here and because there is a lot of good knowledge being shared.  However, the hosting platform is rigid, web 1.0 ish, proprietary, and difficult for users.  I've heard that it makes moderation easy, maybe that is why we stick with it.  I don't know how much moderation is called for on a board that routinely sees only double digit daily post counts.  (Often single digit, some days none.)  Maybe we use it because it makes member management easy for the paid stuff.  I don't really know.  But my opinion is that this whole adding photos stuff is neither easy nor intuitive, no matter how many times people say it is.  I'm not buying it.  

    But even if you think I'm just some IT evangelist spouting off...  Consider this.  Of all the other boards I frequent, I've never in my life seen so many posts explaining how to do something "simple", especially on a board as small as this one. 

    I have no problem continuing on with this platform and using it.  But lets be realistic about its limitations and the reasons why we're using it.  

    If its just too hard to move to another platform?  Fine. 
    If it handles our membership system?  Fine. 
    If it is what is familiar to us?  Fine. 

    But to say the photo posting is simple and easy... No.  Maybe for some people, but really, its a boxed in rail road system that a lot of people don't like and some flat refuse.  

    Sorry to be long winded and I don't mean to attack anyone, especially not you Jim, but I thought I would offer a different perspective since I feel very strong about this having supported web users for 10+years. 
  • March 25, 2013 11:29 AM
    Quote
    Reply # 1251400 on 1251375
    Deleted user
    Yeah....but it's so much to keep track of, I mean I just finally created a picasa account and after doing so Google tells me that the public views my personal info, locations....blah blah
    And I have to figure how to watch these things and keep up with their changes in policies, emails, passwords. It's just too much.
    And in the end, after time this forum ends up with a boatload of dead links to photos from previous users conversations and deleted accounts.
    I own a Westsail, not the Space Shuttle.

    I love Westsails and am proud to be a member, I'm not in anyway trying to be negative, I'm simply replying my opinion of adding photos to your opinion of adding photos.


  • March 25, 2013 6:05 PM
    Quote
    Reply # 1251720 on 1251375
    Deleted user
    Tate, all the points you've stated are well taken.  If there is a better way to do it then I'm all for it.  But running the web is an all volunteer effort. Keeping the site easy to run is important as time is important, especially when they're not being paid. It took me a solid week to figure out to post a picture on the old site because the code had to be just right. I'm not saying there aren't better ways to do this, but compared to the old site this is much easier. It takes me less than a minute or two to post a picture.  

    We use the Picasa site just for photos of Worldwind that we might want to post on the Westsail site and have other sites for other things like you.  The photo journal of our cruise to Mexico was done on Shutterfly.  I rarely look at other sites as I just don't have time. We've already canceled our spring trip to Hawaii and it will take us working seven days a week to get the boat/house ready for our cruise to Mexico and beyond this summer.  But the last time I checked SSCA site I noticed how much traffic had dropped off compared to before we went cruising. I know a lot of Westsailors who check this site often, some daily and never post.  I wish they would as they are very knowledgeable. 

    Jim  

    Last modified: March 25, 2013 6:06 PM | Deleted user
  • March 25, 2013 10:45 PM
    Quote
    Reply # 1251884 on 1251375
    Anonymous
    I have heard many times before that making the site "easy to run" is a priority because it is run by volunteers.  However, I don't think this holds water. 

    Jack Webb and myself both volunteered to take on IT duties.  I'm 2 years out from my cruise and have the time, energy, and know how to do it.  Jack Webb built an entire site just so other westsailors could easily search the old forums.  He obviously invested a lot of his time and is web savvy as well.  In addition, there are a great many pre-rolled forum packages that cost as little or less than this software platform that are a lot more standardized and just as easy to run and setup. 

    Making a site "easy to run" should never be a top priority.  Making a site easy to USE for the users is always a top priority.  You need users to have something to run.  I compared the number of daily posts from the old forum with the number of daily posts on this forum and the differences are pretty staggering.  This site is absolutely stagnant compared to other owner groups as well.  Take a look at something like an Ericson or Hunter forum and you'll see tons of user involvement.  Its no surprise.  Their forums are easy to use. 

    I suspect a lot of those lurking Westsailors out there don't join this site because it is a hassle.  Not only does it not allow anonymous membership (by forcing your real name), but it also doesn't display names to people just viewing it.  Its the only site I use that does that and I wouldn't tolerate it except I love the westsail group so much.  My wife refuses to join although she is very active on FB groups.  She says to me, "I look at that site and it doesn't even show me people's names.  Its so stupid."  I tell her she has to be a logged in member to follow the threads accurately and she just says, "That is so 1990."  And all I can think... She is right. 

    Our personal blog has a lot of comments on it compared to other blogs we read and a lot of interaction and conversation.  It isn't because we're good bloggers.  Its because we made it easy to comment.  Type in a name and email and post your comment.  No captcha.  No verification.  No added trouble.  Easy. 

    I appreciate the effort that goes into this place, but the point is, it could be a lot better.  And I'm not talking better by investing volunteer hours.  We should work smarter, not harder.  This is in no way a knock against any person currently involved in running this site.  Sometimes decisions are made for reasons the public does not understand.  Sometimes mistakes are made.  Sometimes some people just have different views.  I'm okay with all of that.  But I really think this place could be a whole lot more with just a little effort.  Free effort by volunteers.  The westail owners are a diverse group.  Jack and myself are both IT specialists that offered to help.  I'm sure their are other volunteers out there.  

    And I totally agree with you saying there just isn't enough time and too many sites.  That is why standards are important.  99% of forums operate in a standard way with only minor differences.  Learn one and you've mastered them all.  That is what makes standards great.  And that is why I wish we could use some standardized forum software. 

    Sorry I'm so long winded. Just some food for thought.  
  • March 25, 2013 11:06 PM
    Quote
    Reply # 1251885 on 1251375
    Deleted user
    I post a question or a comment in text once in awhile but never inlude photos --- the method is clunky and I don't have a high frustration threshhold.  Now if all I had to do was hit an "Upload Photos" link and navigate to the photos to upload, that would be great and easy to do.  But I can't be bothered with Picasso.
  • March 26, 2013 8:14 AM
    Quote
    Reply # 1252079 on 1251375
    Deleted user
    I'd love to have a username so I can dump my fake name.
    I don't like having my email address public to anyone other than who I choose so I had to create a new one just for this forum. I know we are all here to share information, I'm a grown up, I don't like an email being mandatory to encourage sharing. If you could see my user cp page on CruisersForum you would see the huge list of "Thank Yous" from other users confirming my helpfull contributions. And, alls it takes is for someone to copy/paste something here for use on another forum or whatever and there goes all my business along with my email and full name. Then anyone that searches my name or email on the web gets to know my business. 
    Tablet computing is huge, I use an ipad for it's 10 hour battery life, heck, I'm a sailor/full time liveaboard I need to conserve energy, not to mention ipads aren't very compatable on this forum and for use with Google. 
    I was following this board for a couple years before I finally became a member about 15 months ago. I had more access with the old format (which wasnt that great) than I do now with the new format and I wasn't a registered user.

    I absolutely love Westsails.

    Carl


  • March 26, 2013 11:12 AM
    Quote
    Reply # 1252220 on 1251375
    Kevin Donahue

    Just like Ralph, I respond to questions, but have found trying to post photos to be beyond my electronic skills.  It is frustrating as so many times a photo would answer a question easier that a long written explanition.  I too have found trying to respond to questions on this forum is very difficult to impossible from an Ipad, I don't understand why it is so, but it is.  I will admit that I am not computer savy.

    kevin