burning galleries to DVD

dizavedizave Registered Users Posts: 19 Big grins
edited October 25, 2004 in SmugMug Support
Dearest smugmug guys,

My current problem with image archiving is backups. I'm using Gallery on a hosted site. The site gets backed up and I'm not terribly worried about losing the data, but I'd feel better if could get the data backed up and stored in my fire safe. I won't be able to do this with my hosted solution, so my first thought was to check out smugmug.

Does smugmug have any provisions for this? For example, selecting a gallery / galleries to be burned to DVD and mailed to the user?

How are others addressing this? Is the common theme to have faith in the smugmug backups? God forbid someone should want to switch photo hosts, but do you have some idea what people do to move entire archives between smugmug and other sites?

-dizave

Comments

  • patch29patch29 Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 2,928 Major grins
    edited April 30, 2004
    dizave wrote:
    How are others addressing this?

    I burn my cd's or dvd's prior to uploading to a smugmug account or website. If you don't have enough to fill a dvd at one time store them on your hard drive until you have the right amount of data. That seems to work for me.
  • wxwaxwxwax Registered Users Posts: 15,471 Major grins
    edited April 30, 2004
    I keep all of my originals. I do not rely on Smugmug to save anything. I bought a separate external hard drive and a DVD burner for archival reasons. My ultimate storage will be a book of DVD's. Sure hope they don't lose data over time.
    Sid.
    Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam
    http://www.mcneel.com/users/jb/foghorn/ill_shut_up.au
  • BaldyBaldy Registered Users, Super Moderators Posts: 2,853 moderator
    edited May 1, 2004
    I also burn all my photos on DVD as soon as I shoot them and before I upload to smugmug. Chances are I'll lose a DVD or it will degrade long before smugmug loses anything, but I'm not taking any chances at all.

    Having said that, our customers want to be able to bulk download photos back to their machines and to buy DVDs with their backups. Honestly, we should have done this long ago but our plans were probably too ambitious (to provide them in galleries for easy viewing). If we just have to download the photos in bulk it will be a lot easier.
  • ian408ian408 Administrators Posts: 21,934 moderator
    edited May 1, 2004
    Baldy wrote:
    I also burn all my photos on DVD as soon as I shoot them and before I upload to smugmug. Chances are I'll lose a DVD or it will degrade long before smugmug loses anything, but I'm not taking any chances at all.

    Having said that, our customers want to be able to bulk download photos back to their machines and to buy DVDs with their backups. Honestly, we should have done this long ago but our plans were probably too ambitious (to provide them in galleries for easy viewing). If we just have to download the photos in bulk it will be a lot easier.
    What would the effect of bulk downloads be on bandwidth consumption?
    Time for QoS :)

    I would be happy with the simple download of original material.

    ian
    Moderator Journeys/Sports/Big Picture :: Need some help with dgrin?
  • PerezDesignGroupPerezDesignGroup Registered Users Posts: 395 Major grins
    edited May 1, 2004
    wxwax wrote:
    Sure hope they don't lose data over time.
    Seems doubtful that they would. Since DVD's are sandwiched between 2 layers of plastic, they offer more secure storage than CD's and better protection. I personally use the very best DVD's for my photos. Verbatim, Memorex, etc.At least I'm hoping ;)

    I don't think it's reasonable to download all your images from Smugmug from a bandwidth perspective. I for one, must have at least 2 gigs up there by now. It would be cool to order a pre-burned DVD in case of an emergency though. And Smugmug could make some money from that on the side as well.
    Canon Digital Rebel | Canon EOS 35mm | Yashica Electro GSN | Fed5B | Holga 35 MF

  • HighLightPhotosHighLightPhotos Registered Users Posts: 68 Big grins
    edited May 4, 2004
    maybe this needs it's own thread....
    I have the opposite question.....
    I've recently joined smugmug. rather than spending hours uploading pix, can I send a DVD and have you populate galleries based on the folder structure on the DVD?
    After I get the bulk of it up there, Ican keep it current through the regular uploading methods.
    What do yuo think?
  • BaldyBaldy Registered Users, Super Moderators Posts: 2,853 moderator
    edited October 22, 2004
    dizave wrote:
    Dearest smugmug guys,

    Does smugmug have any provisions for this? For example, selecting a gallery / galleries to be burned to DVD and mailed to the user?
    Your wish is our command: http://www.smugmug.com/help/backups
  • AllenAllen Registered Users Posts: 10,013 Major grins
    edited October 23, 2004
    ShareGroup backup
    I've noticed there is no backup button for a share group. Could this be added? I've assembled a bunch of private galleries for family viewing and it would be nice if I could burn CD/DVD's as family gifts.
    Thanks,
    Al
    Al - Just a volunteer here having fun
    My Website index | My Blog
  • AllenAllen Registered Users Posts: 10,013 Major grins
    edited October 23, 2004
    Additional Thought
    If you wanted to burn/backup a few selected galleries from multiple catagories they could be added to a sharegroup and only those would be burned. This function would have to be added to ShareGroups.
    Al
    Al - Just a volunteer here having fun
    My Website index | My Blog
  • BenBen Vanilla Admin Posts: 513 SmugMug Employee
    edited October 24, 2004
    Backing up sharegroups is a great idea... I will make sure it gets passed around.

    Until that time though, since it is relatively easy to put galleries in a new category... another idea for backing up a random grouping of galleries is to put them into an unused category long enough to order and then placing them back in their correct categories.
    Smug since 2003
  • ginger_55ginger_55 Registered Users Posts: 8,416 Major grins
    edited October 25, 2004
    I don't understand this back up thing. I thought that by putting my stuff on smugmug it was safe, another back up, to my computer.

    I have stuff on webshots, Shutterfly and Ofoto. Had a PC break down 1 1/2 yrs ago, the only photos I had saved were some I had backed up to CDs because of the advice of a friend, and I had all the ones I had parked at the different commercial places.

    Why would I want to back up the ones here?

    OK, got that question asked. I am really curious. Is this not a back up for me in and of itself?

    gheadscratch.gif
    After all is said and done, it is the sweet tea.
  • ginger_55ginger_55 Registered Users Posts: 8,416 Major grins
    edited October 25, 2004
    Baldy wrote:
    I also burn all my photos on DVD as soon as I shoot them and before I upload to smugmug. Chances are I'll lose a DVD or it will degrade long before smugmug loses anything, but I'm not taking any chances at all.

    Having said that, our customers want to be able to bulk download photos back to their machines and to buy DVDs with their backups. Honestly, we should have done this long ago but our plans were probably too ambitious (to provide them in galleries for easy viewing). If we just have to download the photos in bulk it will be a lot easier.
    I am having trouble UPLOADING photos in bulk. Yesterday it said that I needed to redo it as there was an error. I procrastinated, and hehe, all the files showed up eventually. I don't usually do this, want to put so many on at once. This is for a friend.

    There is a lot about smugmug I don't know. I changed the prices on her site to my prices, I don't want to actually "charge" her, then all my prices changed. I just figured, oh well........... haven't sold anything lately anyway.

    g
    After all is said and done, it is the sweet tea.
  • BenBen Vanilla Admin Posts: 513 SmugMug Employee
    edited October 25, 2004
    ginger_55 wrote:
    I don't understand this back up thing. I thought that by putting my stuff on smugmug it was safe, another back up, to my computer.

    I have stuff on webshots, Shutterfly and Ofoto. Had a PC break down 1 1/2 yrs ago, the only photos I had saved were some I had backed up to CDs because of the advice of a friend, and I had all the ones I had parked at the different commercial places.

    Why would I want to back up the ones here?

    OK, got that question asked. I am really curious. Is this not a back up for me in and of itself?

    gheadscratch.gif

    Your photos on our site are definitely as safe as we can make them, which means they are safer than on your computer for sure. We store everything redundantly, and then again on entirely redundant hardware. We have taken every precaution so that we don't lose a single copy of your photos, let alone the multiple copies we keep of each one.

    That being said, we always recommend people keep another copy of their photos. But this feature is more aimed at people who have lost their library at home for whatever reason and want to recover it quickly and easily. We also have a lot of people travelling the world who upload their photos from internet cafes. They would then love to recover those photos to keep a copy at home.

    I hope that clears it up a little. :)
    Smug since 2003
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