Linking to photos? Instructions to visitors for details?

lokerd

[Sorry if this is a FAQ...at least I searched back about 5 pages...and it hasn't been discussed REAL recently. If there is a better thread, please delete this and I will reply there.]

I don't know if this is because of the recent changes, but something is sure causing a lot of confusion as several clients in the past few weeks have gotten confused about what picture they are talkingn about...and then I have to go throught the process of explaining how exactly to copy and paste the ACTUAL url for a picture. I can't image how many people are probably out there looking through my galleries, thinking they are sending a link to a picture...but are instead linking to a gallery of HUNDREDS of pictures...speaking of a wedding gallery that is.

How can I EASILY explain to people about why they can't just copy and paste the url?

So far, my solution to address several issues is to use a custom headers. Thankfully I learned to do a header for my entire site as I was having to go into EACH gallery to modify the diescription anytime I came up with a new instruction.

But now, the instructions are getting to be too long...and to many details such that people are going to get lost in the details and miss the really important stuff.

So how all are you handeling the many things that people need to know? I love my new setup wtih SM (say over what I had at dotphoto...or pbase), but it just seems there are so many little things that people need to know. Maybe it is just me...and this is normal.

Anyway, take a look at my header...and please share with me any ideas...or what you have for your header.

Thanks!

denisegoldberg

lokerd wrote:

[How can I EASILY explain to people about why they can't just copy and paste the url?

You have share photos enabled, so they can still copy and paste the URL. If they click share photo, the header on the screen that displays says

Flaunt your photos: email | forums / blogs / etc

There are only two choices, both clickable - either email, or forums / blogs / etc. Your user can click on forums / blogs / etc (and the next time they enter that screen that will be the default) to get the urls.

--- Denise

DavidTO

Check out the tutorial linked in my signature and see if that helps?

Andy

The share button, Drew:

Email sharing
http://www.smugmug.com/help/photo-community

Getting a direct photo link or suitable link for posting in a forum:
http://www.smugmug.com/help/picture-sharing

Holler if you need any more help, OK?

lokerd

Not me...my visitors???

Andy wrote:

The share button, Drew

Thanks for the replies. I know how to do it...the question is how to EASILY get other people to know how...you know...the common person, the one who doesn't have 5 monitors (3 computers) in front of 'em 12 hours a day.

The problem is that people are just going up to the URL and copying and pasting...and sending that to me in an email. I get the email, and invariably, they have menitoned that they sent the link to somebody else as well. Then, I have to damage control and try to explain that it is not that easy, blah, blah, blah.

It is a little easier in that I just go find the last email, copy the explination, and then paste it. The question I am asking here is how to convery that in my header...when the header is already getting TOOO long with DETAILS!!! Who has written up a good header of instructions? I feel like mine is getting too long...and people already don't read! The more there is...the less they are going to read!!!

Any tips for the header????

Andy

lokerd wrote:

Thanks for the replies. I know how to do it...the question is how to EASILY get other people to know how...you know...the common person, the one who doesn't have 5 monitors (3 computers) in front of 'em 12 hours a day.

The problem is that people are just going up to the URL and copying and pasting...and sending that to me in an email. I get the email, and invariably, they have menitoned that they sent the link to somebody else as well. Then, I have to damage control and try to explain that it is not that easy, blah, blah, blah.

It is a little easier in that I just go find the last email, copy the explination, and then paste it. The question I am asking here is how to convery that in my header...when the header is already getting TOOO long with DETAILS!!! Who has written up a good header of instructions? I feel like mine is getting too long...and people already don't read! The more there is...the less they are going to read!!!

Any tips for the header????

Is there something wrong with the email feature? Also I'm curious, what's wrong with a link from the url, is there an objection to that? http://loker.smugmug.com/gallery/1359694#64250823
as an example.

Let's continue to talk about this!

lokerd

Andy wrote:

Is there something wrong with the email feature? Also I'm curious, what's wrong with a link from the url, is there an objection to that? http://loker.smugmug.com/gallery/1359694#64250823

No, no, no...no objection...I just didn't think it could be done.

I am talking about a client who wrote me via email, and she had manually copy and pasted the link. And it didn't come up right...and I thought you couldn't just copy the URL. I just went and found the email...and now it works. Strange. Hmmm.

I went back and looked at the thread on DPR that made me think you COULDN'T just copy the link: http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1036&message=21896533

Maybe it is that I tried to copy the link from a preview, like this: http://loker.smugmug.com/gallery/2355472/1/97517228#126451338-L-LB instead of this: http://loker.smugmug.com/gallery/2355472/1/97517228#126451338

But I know I had an email that as in part the start of all this confusion where I was the one who had copied the link, sent it to a person, and it didn't work.

Ok, so, direct linking IS possible? But you just can't put .jpg at the end of the file name to get it embedded on DPR???

PBolchover

lokerd wrote:

Ok, so, direct linking IS possible? But you just can't put .jpg at the end of the file name to get it embedded on DPR???

That is correct. The html page has a URL format similar to
http://loker.smugmug.com/gallery/1359694#64250823
while the jpeg has a URL format similar to
http://loker.smugmug.com/photos/64250823-M.jpg

Note that the html URL _does_ automatically switch to the correct image in the gallery.

Andy

lokerd wrote:

No, no, no...no objection...I just didn't think it could be done.

I am talking about a client who wrote me via email, and she had manually copy and pasted the link. And it didn't come up right...and I thought you couldn't just copy the URL. I just went and found the email...and now it works. Strange. Hmmm.

I went back and looked at the thread on DPR that made me think you COULDN'T just copy the link: http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1036&message=21896533

Maybe it is that I tried to copy the link from a preview, like this: http://loker.smugmug.com/gallery/2355472/1/97517228#126451338-L-LB instead of this: http://loker.smugmug.com/gallery/2355472/1/97517228#126451338

But I know I had an email that as in part the start of all this confusion where I was the one who had copied the link, sent it to a person, and it didn't work.

Ok, so, direct linking IS possible? But you just can't put .jpg at the end of the file name to get it embedded on DPR???

Drew, to post in a forum, you'd use a link like this:

http://loker.smugmug.com/photos/64250823-M.jpg

on DPR, you put it exactly that way. If you want to make a link, with NO image showing you put a semi-colon at the end:

http://loker.smugmug.com/photos/64250823-M.jpg;

To embed it here, you use the forum software to easily embed it:



which actually puts IMG tags around it, like this:

[IMG*]http://loker.smugmug.com/photos/64250823-M.jpg[*/IMG]

(ignore the asterisks, they are only there so you can see what's going on

pilotdave

I thought about the same problem, although it hasn't actually come up yet. My solution was to display the filenames below the pictures. Just add

#fileNameBoxWrapper { display: block; }

to the CSS.

That way I can tell someone to just give me the filename they're looking at.

Unfortunately SM doesn't allow me to search by filename, so I have to know where to look.

Dave
http://www.skydivingstills.com

lokerd

Link to FOLLOW...NOT embed?

Andy wrote:

Drew, to post in a forum, you'd use a link like this:

Ok. What if I want to just give them a LINK to the largest file possible. IOW, I want to provide a link for somebody to be able to download the largest file.

For example, I need some help masking a file...and I need this person to use the largest file possible...not a screen size. So, what link do I use?

If I put this: http://loker.smugmug.com/gallery/2511594/1/131877910/Original in dpr, like this thread (http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1006&message=22339977) will Sam be able to click on the link and get right to the correct image? I do NOT want the image embeded...just provide a link that will work.

Thanks!
Drew

Andy

lokerd wrote:

Ok. What if I want to just give them a LINK to the largest file possible. IOW, I want to provide a link for somebody to be able to download the largest file.

For example, I need some help masking a file...and I need this person to use the largest file possible...not a screen size. So, what link do I use?

If I put this: http://loker.smugmug.com/gallery/2511594/1/131877910/Original in dpr, like this thread (http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1006&message=22339977) will Sam be able to click on the link and get right to the correct image? I do NOT want the image embeded...just provide a link that will work.

Thanks!
Drew

Drew, on DPR you do this:

http://nickname.smugmug.com/photos/XXXXXX-O.jpg;

Just like I explained in my post above.

Any questions?

lokerd

Andy wrote:

Drew, on DPR you do this:

http://nickname.smugmug.com/photos/XXXXXX-O.jpg;

Just like I explained in my post above.

EXCEPT, I don't want it to be embedded...and if the .jpg gets placed there, then it is going to embed the image. I only want to put a link...the correct link...that gets a person to the largest file.

Nevertheless, I think I get it now. Placing the URL to the xxxxxx-O link with OUT the .jpg will work...just like it did on Pbase.

Thanks for the help.

Andy

lokerd wrote:

EXCEPT, I don't want it to be embedded...and if the .jpg gets placed there, then it is going to embed the image. I only want to put a link...the correct link...that gets a person to the largest file.

Nevertheless, I think I get it now. Placing the URL to the xxxxxx-O link with OUT the .jpg will work...just like it did on Pbase.

Thanks for the help.

Drew, you are not listenting to ME

:bash :bash :bash

use the semi-colon! Use the Semi-Colon;

USE THE SEMI COLON
;
;
;
;
;
;
;
;

This'll make the third time I'm trying, so a picture now to help

OK?

lokerd

Andy wrote:

If you want to make a link, with NO image showing you put a semi-colon at the end:

Drew, you are not listenting to ME...use the semi-colon! Use the Semi-Colon;

This'll make the third time I'm trying...

OK?

Ooops. Missed the colon comment on the inital reply. Sorry. Got it now.



Thanks!

Drew

Andy

lokerd wrote:

Ooops. Missed the colon comment on the inital reply. Sorry. Got it now.



Thanks!

Drew

w00t

lokerd

Don't get it after all...

Andy wrote:

w00t

Bad news...I must not still get this.

I tried sending a link, to my wife, so I was right there when she opened her email. When she click on the link, instead of taking her to the link I sent her, it dropped her at the first page in the gallery. I just tried it myself, with the link I sent her, same thing.

What did I do wrong?

Here is the link: http://loker.smugmug.com/gallery/2511594/7/137897938#137897938 and here is what comes up after a the page is fully loaded: http://loker.smugmug.com/gallery/2511594/1/137897938

Now when I go back to the gallery and try to copy the url, this is what I get: http://loker.smugmug.com/gallery/2511594/1/137897938/Original

So what is going on? What did I copy before? How do I keep clients from sending me the same URL that I sent my wife earlier?

Sorry to be so dense about this?

Thanks!
Drew

Andy

lokerd wrote:

Here is the link: http://loker.smugmug.com/gallery/2511594/7/137897938#137897938

Here's the photo I get:

dmc

lokerd wrote:

Bad news...I must not still get this.

I tried sending a link, to my wife, so I was right there when she opened her email. When she click on the link, instead of taking her to the link I sent her, it dropped her at the first page in the gallery. I just tried it myself, with the link I sent her, same thing.

What did I do wrong?

Here is the link: http://loker.smugmug.com/gallery/2511594/7/137897938#137897938 and here is what comes up after a the page is fully loaded: http://loker.smugmug.com/gallery/2511594/1/137897938

Now when I go back to the gallery and try to copy the url, this is what I get: http://loker.smugmug.com/gallery/2511594/1/137897938/Original

So what is going on? What did I copy before? How do I keep clients from sending me the same URL that I sent my wife earlier?

Sorry to be so dense about this?

Thanks!
Drew

your link is not a "photo" link
(like http://nickname.smugmug.com/photos/XXXXXX-O.jpg;)
The link you sent points to a gallery (hence the word gallery in the link)

The correct url to the original of this photo (which you can copy off of your share page) is:
www.loker.smugmug.com/photos/137897938-O.jpg

This, with the semicolon, should provide a link that if you click on it will display the original (which you can save afterwards by right clicking on it), or you can right click on the link itself, and you can save it directly to your computer.

lokerd

Why the variation? How to get CLIENTS to know what to do?

Andy wrote:

Here's the photo I get:

Thanks Andy and dmc for the reply. I understand that there is a specific link we SHOULD use...but the whole point of this thread has been how to deal with CLIENTS who do NOT know to use the special SHARE button to get the correct URL. Most people know how to copy and paste a URL...it takes an explanation to figure out the Share Button.

As far as this specific issue, it works again now that I am back on the computer I sent it from here at work.

But two different computers, one with IE, one with Firefox, at home, did not work. One was logged in (my computer), my wife's was not...she had to use a password to access the gallery.

Just to eliminate my home computer network (firewall?), I just tried another computer here at work. Same network on a computer five ft away...did NOT work. Same link dropped me at the main gallery root level. Works on this computer...not on the other!?!?!

I just tried a THIRD computer here at work, a Mac, with Firefox (the other two were PCs).

Why the variation??? Why does the link some times working and not others?

The bigger question is "How should we deal with a client who sends us the wrong link?". I mean, how can I keep from having to explain to everybody how to NOT copy and paste the URL but instead, use the Share Button, and help them figure out what link to choose, etc.

I know how to do it, and I know how to communicate for other people to do...but it is not easy...and it goes back to how much info do I need/can I put in the header to help people with these oddities, like copy in the URL, or downloading the correct image? I know it would be nice to assume that the majority of the people are computer literate and will figure it out...but quite the contrary. We all have clients who are just barely computer literate. IO teach HS students and work with adults all the time...I KNOW how the average user operates a computer.

What can be done to make sure the URL of an image works in every situation with OUT having to go through a series of steps to "Share" an image?

Drew

Andy

lokerd wrote:

Why the variation??? Why does the link some times working and not others?

I can't explain why, but I can say that the link works for us and that we don't hear of this problem... so we have to find out what's going on with your computers or the way in which you're doing it.... we'll get there

lokerd

Andy wrote:

that we don't hear of this problem...

Well, you know how it is. Most people will not take the time to try to figure things out...if they even get that far.

Thanks for the help...glad you all are there...so close by.

Drew