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I would like to know deeper how much shady are shady alternatives

StavrosK 7y ago
I'm talking about things like Imgur, which now won't even let you upload images on mobile web (I assume their mobile app does), and instead insists you "make a post" for their reddit-style social network thing. There are some other free alternatives, but they aren't very reliable, and it's generally been a bit frustrating because the elephant in the room is that image hosting doesn't make money unless the user pays. So, I figured I might as well address it head-on.
- t34543 7y ago
  Imgur really jumped the shark by doubling down on social features. Image hosting has seen a lot of players come and go. It’s a simple service complicated by business. The Craigslist model comes to mind. Looks the same, works the same, and cheap to run compared to their traffic volumes. https://www.developerfusion.com/media/76730/how-craigslist-works-with-jeremy-zawodny/ https://www.developerfusion.com/media/76730/how-craigslist-w...
  - StavrosK 7y ago
    > Imgur really jumped the shark by doubling down on social features. I don't know if you can blame them (then again, that hasn't stopped my IMGZ character from doing it), nobody's going to pay to upload memes and they have to make money somehow, and social was one alternative. There aren't many ways to monetize serving an image...
    - deleted 7y ago
      [deleted]
- RobertRoberts 7y ago
  If you want to talk about Imgur.com being shady, they make their mobile site slower on purpose than the desktop site... combined with multiple "download our app for a faster experience" ad plastered on it...
  - StavrosK 7y ago
    Yeah, I hate that :( Reddit does the same, plus their image service is just terrible.
- codetrotter 7y ago
  > Imgur, which now won't even let you upload images on mobile web They hide the upload from the mobile views but if you go directly to https://imgur.com/upload https://imgur.com/upload you can upload from there even on mobile. I agree that Imgur has become quite terrible though, and I think it’s a consequence of offering the service for free as they do. They have a lot of users and serve a lot of traffic, and they need to cover their bills and make a living somehow. I hope to see your paid service thrive and be able to offer a good service and user experience to those of us who are willing to pay. I think your service has a good chance of being able to succeed.
- brentonator 7y ago
  When you choose a "private" post it mirrors the old functionality of imgur.
- papreclip 7y ago
  Select "view desktop site" and you can still upload images on mobile. <side rant>Personally I can't stand mobile versions of pages, anyway. I use "view desktop version" for everything, and pan and zoom as needed</side rant>
nootropicat 7y ago
The second alternative non-shady financial model for image/video hosting is relying on donations, eg. https://catbox.moe/ https://catbox.moe/ . The site currently receives $322/month on patreon.

I'm talking about things like Imgur, which now won't even let you upload images on mobile web (I assume their mobile app does), and instead insists you "make a post" for their reddit-style social network thing. There are some other free alternatives, but they aren't very reliable, and it's generally been a bit frustrating because the elephant in the room is that image hosting doesn't make money unless the user pays. So, I figured I might as well address it head-on.

t34543 7y ago
Imgur really jumped the shark by doubling down on social features. Image hosting has seen a lot of players come and go. It’s a simple service complicated by business. The Craigslist model comes to mind. Looks the same, works the same, and cheap to run compared to their traffic volumes. https://www.developerfusion.com/media/76730/how-craigslist-works-with-jeremy-zawodny/ https://www.developerfusion.com/media/76730/how-craigslist-w...
- StavrosK 7y ago
  > Imgur really jumped the shark by doubling down on social features. I don't know if you can blame them (then again, that hasn't stopped my IMGZ character from doing it), nobody's going to pay to upload memes and they have to make money somehow, and social was one alternative. There aren't many ways to monetize serving an image...
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
RobertRoberts 7y ago
If you want to talk about Imgur.com being shady, they make their mobile site slower on purpose than the desktop site... combined with multiple "download our app for a faster experience" ad plastered on it...
- StavrosK 7y ago
  Yeah, I hate that :( Reddit does the same, plus their image service is just terrible.
codetrotter 7y ago
> Imgur, which now won't even let you upload images on mobile web They hide the upload from the mobile views but if you go directly to https://imgur.com/upload https://imgur.com/upload you can upload from there even on mobile. I agree that Imgur has become quite terrible though, and I think it’s a consequence of offering the service for free as they do. They have a lot of users and serve a lot of traffic, and they need to cover their bills and make a living somehow. I hope to see your paid service thrive and be able to offer a good service and user experience to those of us who are willing to pay. I think your service has a good chance of being able to succeed.
brentonator 7y ago
When you choose a "private" post it mirrors the old functionality of imgur.
papreclip 7y ago
Select "view desktop site" and you can still upload images on mobile. <side rant>Personally I can't stand mobile versions of pages, anyway. I use "view desktop version" for everything, and pan and zoom as needed</side rant>

nootropicat 7y ago

The second alternative non-shady financial model for image/video hosting is relying on donations, eg. https://catbox.moe/ https://catbox.moe/ . The site currently receives $322/month on patreon.