Ph0t0bucket Ransom Demand!
Comments
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[with the freebie account] One may still download one's own files and thenput 'em someplace else.
see? Here's one
I just downloaded it from PB & uploaded it here.
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I was never a serious user, but I definitely never will be now, mostly out of principle for this preposterous move, and for annoying me for the past year with their ransom placeholders plastered all over the web forums.
They should have offered the $20 plan when all this started. People would still have complained, but many probably would have subscribed after settling down.I disabled signatures. -
The ransom demand didn't work out well for Photobucket. They supposedly have a new management team and are now offering a yearly subscription for $19.99.
I recall some predictions that they would either go out of business within a year or come back a year later with reasonable rates. I was thinking the former would happen.I think they will have a very hard time getting folks to come back.
Agreed. There is really no reason for casual user to come back due to many other alternatives. On the other hand...there are quite a few "power users" that have been waiting them out.They should have offered the $20 plan when all this started. People would still have complained, but many probably would have subscribed after settling down.
The ransom demand was aimed at business people and bloggers who make money off their photo content...people they thought would reason that it was more economical to cough up the cash rather than have their blog sites and business websites vandalized. To Photobucket management's dismay and bitter disappointment, even most of those users abandoned ship. So now, here we are back to common sense.
I just paid the $20 subscription fee to release close to two decades of tutorial pictures in threads on multiple forums. I have to wonder, though, if they have more tricks up their boxers.
Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country! -
Thanks for that!! I just went back and looked at one of your old dreadnaught threads, and it was nice to see the detailed pics again!DarqueKnight wrote: »I just paid the $20 subscription fee to release close to two decades of tutorial pictures in threads on multiple forums. I have to wonder, though, if they have more tricks up their boxers.
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Just got an email from them....
Salk SoundScape 8's * Audio Research Reference 3 * Bottlehead Eros Phono * Park's Audio Budgie SUT * Krell KSA-250 * Harmonic Technology Pro 9+ * Signature Series Sonore Music Server w/Deux PS * Roon * Gustard R26 DAC / Singxer SU-6 DDC * Heavy Plinth Lenco L75 Idler Drive * AA MG-1 Linear Air Bearing Arm * AT33PTG/II & Denon 103R * Richard Gray 600S * NHT B-12d subs * GIK Acoustic Treatments * Sennheiser HD650 * -
It was very nice of them to admit what we all knew: The previous management team DID NOT want to do the right thing.
Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country! -
I feel a little bad for the management team that inherited this problem, though it looks like they're off to a good start.
I'd love to hear the previous management's accounting for this fiasco. Truly a "What the $#% were you thinking?" situation.I disabled signatures. -
It was truly extortion IMHO2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC
erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a -
SCompRacer wrote: »Just got an email from them....
I wonder what will happen when the “limited time” is up?
Lumin X1 file player, Westminster Labs interconnect cable
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Three 20 amp circuits. -
^^^that's the scary part
Is this a scam? Or a true reconciliation? IMHO, I would market under a different name, and privately email their old customers.
I honestly think this is beyond repair2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC
erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a -
Imgur is still free.afterburnt wrote: »They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.
Village Idiot of Club Polk -
-- as is Flikr, with far less malware and ad junk than Photobucket.
Adblock always finds high double-digit levels of junk to block on the latter on those rare opportunities when I go there to rescue something held hostage by those morons.
My own feeling is that the sheer guileless stupidity shown by Photobucket with their antics of a year ago are full stop unforgivable and should result in the extinction of the commercial entity. I feel no sympathy for them, and I wish them nothing but the worst for having willfully committed such an egregious misstep. Sorry.
That said, I am not sure that Flikr's recent merger with SmugMug augurs well for Flikr's durability as a cheapskate-friendly platform.
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"For a limited time."
At the end of the year, your $19.99 will go up 10% and do the same every year thereafter.
Get your photos back, go elsewhere and tell Photobucket to shove it!Marantz AV-7705 PrePro, Classé 5 channel 200wpc Amp, Oppo 103 BluRay, Rotel RCD-1072 CDP, Sony XBR-49X800E TV, Polk S60 Main Speakers, Polk ES30 Center Channel, Polk S15 Surround Speakers SVS SB12-NSD x2 -
"For a limited time."
At the end of the year, your $19.99 will go up 10% and do the same every year thereafter.
Get your photos back, go elsewhere and tell Photobucket to shove it!
If they do anything financially abusive in the future, people will just use other alternatives, just as they have done during the 11 months of photo hostage.
Going forward, I think the Photobucket brand is tarnished forever and I don't see them regaining trust again. I think the best outcome for them would be rebranding by getting acquired by a reputable company with a good customer service record.
Over the next few months I will be archiving PDF copies of my review and tutorial threads and looking for a central repository. I should have been archiving those threads all along anyway, regardless of where the pictures were hosted. After my archiving project is completed, I really don't care if Photobucket lives, dies, or is bought out.
The archiving project will also offer some protection against the misadventure that occurs when forums and blogs change hosting services and all the prior photo links are broken.
Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country! -
SCompRacer wrote: »Just got an email from them....
I wonder what will happen when the “limited time” is up?"For a limited time."
At the end of the year, your $19.99 will go up 10% and do the same every year thereafter.
Get your photos back, go elsewhere and tell Photobucket to shove it!
I had forgotten about Photosuckit until I received this email on 10/01/18:
"Starting October 10th, you will see a discrete "Hosted for free on Photobucket: watermark on any images you display on sites other than Photobucket.com
photobucket
This change will allow us to continue offering our image hosting service to you as a free user. If you don't mind the watermark and wish to continue as a free user, you won't need to do anything. If you prefer no watermarking, simply upgrade to one of our affordable premium plans starting at $4.03 per month and enjoy all of the benefits of membership."
Rather than the 10% increase that Cathy guessed last year, the lowest plan went up over 100% from the "introductory" $19.99 annual subscription rate. The new annual subscription plans are:
$48.36 for 2 GB
$69.96 for 20 GB
$123.96 for 2TB
I would have continued to pay in the neighborhood of $20 annually for a subscription. Double that, or greater, is not worth it to me.
I never went back to using their service after subscribing. I took the subscription only to release a decade of past forum photos that were being held hostage.
By the way, my photos are now showing the watermark even though it is not October 10th. Seems they couldn't wait.Post edited by DarqueKnight onProud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country! -
Someone set me straight here....why would anyone use a 3rd party service for photos, when external HD's are so cheap these days ?HT SYSTEM-
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Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
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Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's -
Just because they told the world that there was "New Management" doesn't mean for one second that actually happened; I always have my doubts when I read that.
That they've already gone back to their old ways makes it obvious.So, are you willing to put forth a little effort or are you happy sitting in your skeptical poo pile?
http://audiomilitia.proboards.com/ -
Someone set me straight here....why would anyone use a 3rd party service for photos, when external HD's are so cheap these days ?
If you don't have a personal hosting server/site, for linking pics into threads. Some sites set a limit for uploading pics.Salk SoundScape 8's * Audio Research Reference 3 * Bottlehead Eros Phono * Park's Audio Budgie SUT * Krell KSA-250 * Harmonic Technology Pro 9+ * Signature Series Sonore Music Server w/Deux PS * Roon * Gustard R26 DAC / Singxer SU-6 DDC * Heavy Plinth Lenco L75 Idler Drive * AA MG-1 Linear Air Bearing Arm * AT33PTG/II & Denon 103R * Richard Gray 600S * NHT B-12d subs * GIK Acoustic Treatments * Sennheiser HD650 * -
Someone set me straight here....why would anyone use a 3rd party service for photos, when external HD's are so cheap these days ?
DK noted that When a forum like this changes software or servers, your photos might be lost. And if you have a small business website (like photography) it might be essential.
But I agree tony that for most of us it doesn’t seem necessary, but it is awfully convenient.Living Room 2.2: Usher BE-718 "tiny dancers"; Dual DIY Dayton audio RSS210HF-4 Subs with Dayton SPA-250 amps; Arcam SA30; Musical Fidelity A308; Sony UBP-x1000es
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Yup, in principle, it's a nice, portable way to 'share' content with a site like this or even with the world, as one sees fit.
I am -- so far -- perfectly happy with Flikr.
I'd share my thoughts about Photobucket -- but Vanilla would leave naught but asteriks
Oh, and I hope our resident grammarian/syntactician@Viking64 has seen Photobucket's latest stab at world domination.
Now, it's possible that they did in fact mean that the 'watermark' was discrete, but I reckon they were just being indiscreet bats#!t stoopit.
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Ok then, so tell me this.....would it not make sense then to back up your photos on a personal HD BEFORE using a 3rd party service ? So when stuff like this happens you can just flip them the middle finger ?HT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's -
I totally agree Tony, I keep NOTHING on any outside server.
When I buy books the first thing I do is download them to my pc and back up on multiple sources including a Iomega HD. That way when the site I bought them at shuts down, I still have my books.
I also make sure to strip the DRM so that I can't lose them that way and I can load them on all my devices.
Same goes for music, though I tend to buy cds if I want them that bad.Marantz AV-7705 PrePro, Classé 5 channel 200wpc Amp, Oppo 103 BluRay, Rotel RCD-1072 CDP, Sony XBR-49X800E TV, Polk S60 Main Speakers, Polk ES30 Center Channel, Polk S15 Surround Speakers SVS SB12-NSD x2 -
Bottom line, anything online can go pfffft at any time.
Nook went belly up as a format.
APPLE music could change things up and render your
Downloaded music null and void.
In the long run, nothing is free and prices go up.
Business is all about making more money.
If you don't have a physical copy
You don't really own it.
"The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg." --Thomas Jefferson -
sucks2beme wrote: »If you don't have a physical copy
You don't really own it.
^^^^^This 100000000000%^^^^^
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Ok then, so tell me this.....would it not make sense then to back up your photos on a personal HD BEFORE using a 3rd party service ? So when stuff like this happens you can just flip them the middle finger ?
I cannot imagine why anyone would not keep local backups of at least his/her own photos. I keep two backups on portable HDDs of my own photos.
I am more cavalier with scans and whatnot, though. Only single local backups of those.
The web-hosted stuff is strictly for convenience, not for archival purposes.
RSamps by Mark Hardy, on Flickr
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Ok then, so tell me this.....would it not make sense then to back up your photos on a personal HD BEFORE using a 3rd party service ? So when stuff like this happens you can just flip them the middle finger ?
Yup. If folks haven't learned to backup data by now, it's their own fault.Salk SoundScape 8's * Audio Research Reference 3 * Bottlehead Eros Phono * Park's Audio Budgie SUT * Krell KSA-250 * Harmonic Technology Pro 9+ * Signature Series Sonore Music Server w/Deux PS * Roon * Gustard R26 DAC / Singxer SU-6 DDC * Heavy Plinth Lenco L75 Idler Drive * AA MG-1 Linear Air Bearing Arm * AT33PTG/II & Denon 103R * Richard Gray 600S * NHT B-12d subs * GIK Acoustic Treatments * Sennheiser HD650 * -
I guess I shouldn't have gone ballistic on my account. When this originally happened, I deleted all my photos and cancelled my account. I never kept photos on photobucket that I didn't have stored on my PC.
If I had just ignored things, my photo tutorials, etc would still be up, but with a watermark. Oh well.For rig details, see my profile. Nothing here anymore... -
mhardy6647 wrote: »
Now, it's possible that they did in fact mean that the 'watermark' was discrete, but I reckon they were just being indiscreet bats#!t stoopit.
I just noticed that the watermark is gone from my Photobuggit pics...and I haven't sent them any money.Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country! -
they are flailing -- and I am manifesting a bad case (or a good case, depending on one's perspective) of Schadenfreude.
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DarqueKnight wrote: »I just noticed that the watermark is gone from my Photobuggit pics...and I haven't sent them any money.
Heyyyyyyy....waitaminnit...
My pictures never should have had the watermark in the first place because I paid for a $19.99 annual subscription in May 2018. Obviously they made an error when they watermarked my pictures and just recently corrected the error. It didn't "click" in my mind because Photoscammit is way out there in the far reaches of my imagination.
So, in May 2019 when my subscription expires, my pics will rightfully have the big, ugly watermark.
Let's recap:
1. I used Photosmuggit for free for over 10 years to host my forum pics.
2. In June 2017 they held my, and billions of other peoples', pics hostage in hopes of extorting a $400 annual subscription fee. I, and most others, didn't bite.
3. Eleven months later, in May 2018 Photosluggit offered to release my pics for a reasonable annual subscription fee of $19.99. I signed up. It was nice to have my tutorial and review pictures on multiple forums released from captivity.
4. In October of 2018, Photosuggit announced that everyone's pics would be released from captivity for free, but they would have a big, ugly "Hosted By Photomuddit" watermark on them. The only way to remove the watermark was to subscribe to one of their "plans", the lowest of which cost $48.36 annually. Strangely, my pictures were watermarked, even though my subscription was only 5 months old. Their lawyers probably advised them that they couldn't raise the rent before my lease expired.
Such good business.Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country!
