posted on March 2, 2001 01:30:36 PM
I have space, but the ISP rules specifically state the web space is not to be used for any commercial or business purposes, for private use only, and anyway, the 10megs is less than I often need to use for all my pics. I can see how smaller part-timers could benefit from using their ISP space, though, and most likely their usage & bandwidth of hits per month would be under any "recognition" threshhold that would alert the ISP what it was being used for.
posted on March 2, 2001 02:04:26 PM
I used to store my pics in my AOL web space... I think they allow 10 MB per screen name. Or is it 2 MB? Anyway, I stopped doing that after problems were being reported about AOL-hosted photos only loading halfway. AOL does evil things like that.
So I got my own web site for $7.95/month with 50 MB of storage space. I'll develop it one day, too, if I ever actually have time, but for now I just have a bunch of photos there.
posted on March 2, 2001 02:32:53 PM
When I first started as a seller I used geocities. It was free and the turnover was low.
Now I use a local isp where I can host my own page and another less private name for pix.
here's a tip: If you put pictures in a file on your domain name, put an index.html page, even if it's blank in the folder.
This way a person can't go to the folder and browse through your other pix. It's easier than you think.
Here is an example...
www.YOURNAME.com/image/widgetone.jpg
if this is the link you picture comes from, then all a person has to do is "view picture" then remove the "widgetone.jpg" from the addy and BAM they are looking at a directory page that may have old auctions, private photos, etc.
An index.html page will stop that.
posted on March 2, 2001 02:36:57 PM
My ISP is MSN. Does anyone know if it provides hosting space? I've been looking for the answer but they have such a poor centralization of info/FAQs that I haven't been able to determine it yet. And I would rather have a root canal than call their useless support number (last time was 45 minutes on hold.)
Irene, I downloaded NoteTab and it looks like it's gonna be SUPER helpful. Thank you so mucxh for listing it!
Kim
posted on March 2, 2001 03:18:53 PM
Capriole - you're right, good point! I actually do have an index.html page for my domain, but it's got to be one of the lamest pages on the web. At first I only had four words there, yet Dogpile still decided to index it. So I added a picture and a few more words, plus a link to another site which has information of the type people who might visit such a page are looking for.
My husband tells me all the time "Your web site is so lame!" and I know, but I just don't have the time to improve it! I used to spend my free time doing eBay, and now I spend it developing web sites for other people, so my own site is left to languish with a single wimpy index page and some stray eBay images....
posted on March 2, 2001 03:51:32 PM
I am so lost I am on the brink of tears. I don't even know where to start. I too have Roadrunner, but I am so confused. Urls, Html, templates, clip library, FTP, DSL, LAN, DSL, LAN, FTP-LE, WS-FTP....I do want to and can learn these things, but I am so lost on this. Thanks for letting me vent.
posted on March 2, 2001 04:43:17 PM
There is one more consideration about ISP web space: Transfer limits. Earthlink, for example, only allows for up to 750MB per month which if you have lots of graphics can be eaten up quickly. Earthlink doesn't charge you for going over, they simple shut down your web space.
Consider that if you have a single popular auction with an average amount of graphics, you could easily run into a big snag.
I know lots of ISP have this written into their user agreements, so I would check yours closely. It's the way they distinquish commercial from personal.
posted on March 2, 2001 04:47:39 PM
Nanastuff; I know how you feel, I was there yesterday even snapping at my kids (well sometimes I do that without an excuse). But today I decided that this time I would take my time and explore my options. If that means that I have to sign up for a couple of weeks so be it, I'm not a big seller, lately smaller than I used to be, but the cost for a couple of weeks if it allows me to set something up that I can then use long term without having my records in a million places from jumping around, it'll be worth it. So far the AuctionAmigo for 39.95 looks the best for me I've downloaded 3 so far and did some playing around. The only thing left if is my image hosting. Once I figure out where to put them the rest will be pretty easy. One step at a time, you can't learn it all at once... give yourself a break!!YOU CAN DO THIS!!
posted on March 2, 2001 04:50:44 PM
Kerrigirl brought up a VERY good point.
My ISP allows me 10 MG of web space, but limits the amount of info going out to 300 MB per month. If you suck more bandwidth from them than that, you're in for some potential problems with the ISP.
posted on March 2, 2001 05:05:36 PM
Has anyone tried 50megs.com?
It looks promising, they actually say "Business sites are welcome and encouraged on 50megs."
posted on March 2, 2001 05:11:13 PM
Photopoint always been free...unlimited disk space...and they have made it somewhat easier to ref. your pics for auctions, but still more work that some other options. I quit using them for auction images a year ago, but unless you delete your pics, they stay there forever!
posted on March 2, 2001 05:40:10 PM
jayadiaz & femme..thanks for your encouragement. I think I will call the high school tomorrow; good idea. I wish you all well.
posted on March 2, 2001 05:49:47 PMdigitalmanHas anyone tried 50megs.com? It looks promising, they actually say "Business sites are welcome and encouraged on 50megs."
If you check I'm fairly certain you'll find that these 'free web sites' won't let you store files that aren't linked to your web page on their site. They make their money off the banner clicks and like anyone else they get a bit put off having people take advantage of them.
How many remember when Angelfire got tired of eBay users storing pictures on their site? I got a real kick out of their revenge and halt to the process.
I've got 40 megs with my ISP, I store all my pictures there, I even store the logos that most load from other sites, (PayPal,BidPay, etc.) because my ISP is very very reliable and load times are important to me.
I don't see a lot of services donating space for sellers. You might find some sites and get away with it for awhile. Eventually you'll find there are very few services that feel donating storage space to sellers is the same humanitarian deed as offering soup for the homeless.
posted on March 2, 2001 07:36:13 PM
Hello Meya and everyone. This is a great topic. I have 15 MB of storage space with my ISP and I've always used it for my photos. I've also always done my own auction templates.
The best place to start learning how to create your own auction templates is http://pongo.com. She has been on eBay from the beginning and I don't know what I would have done without her help site when I first started selling. We didn't have access to all of the automated auction management programs then so we had to learn basic HTML, FTP and photo editing, etc. on our own. I'm actually glad of this because I don't have to rely on anyone else and I think it's important to learn the basics FIRST. I still make my own templates and I don't use ANY auction management tools because I actually enjoy the process and I like to keep my business private as well as independent.
You can start with a basic template which is what I did and then you can enhance it as your knowledge of HTML improves. Another idea is to browse an auction site to find an auction format that you like and then click on the VIEW button on your browser's toolbar and then click on SOURCE to view the code. If you scroll about half way down the page you'll find the HTML code for the auction, usually just before the words <blockquote> where you'll see the word "DESC" or "Description". You can copy and paste this into a text document or notepad and save it. This is especially helpful if the auction page has something really neat that you want to add to your template. (I really don't advocate stealing someone else's entire code) The source code will show you how it was done so you can use the code in your own auction page. BUT, you really need to know the basics of HTML first in order to understand what you're viewing.
The following sites have free basic templates: The artwebworks URL is very informative and takes you step by step through the entire auction creation process. I'm not using links because I don't want to offend AW so just copy and paste the URL into your browser's window.
http://www.artwebworks.com/ebay.htm Great site with step by step directions for creating auction templates and also includes some free templates
http://www.bermangraphics.com/ebay.htm
http://www.partbay.com/help/htmlhelp.cfm
http://www.adtemplate.com/cgi-bin/index.pl
http://fanciful.hypermart.net/
http://www.baypal.com/host.html
These sites have excellent HTML help and also have practice boards/windows:
http://twaze.com/the_zoo/htmlhelp.html Lots of HTML help for both beginner and advanced and practice board
http://www.mountaindragon.com/html/ More HTML help and practice window
http://pongo.com Great site and has practice window and free basic auction templates
I think you'll find the practice windows to be useful.
posted on March 2, 2001 07:48:25 PM
As always, I see Blanche is a wealth of endless information, and one of the MAIN reasons I will never leave the AW boards.
Myself, I just learned FTP [without smashing my computer] and now have my OWN web site with 100 MG's of space, and 5 GIG's of monthly bandwidth. [thanks for the tip Barry!] It's a fat cow, and compared to AW, it's a steal of a deal. For $99 a year, you get all of the above, and your own domain name. After the first year, they charge $20 a year for the domain name. And wouldn't you know it, reddeer.com was already taken.
No more relying on my little pitiful ISP's web site, and no more relying on AW!
I'm free!
P.S. Thank You Smw, I will never forget your generosity & kindness over the past few days!
posted on March 2, 2001 07:55:37 PM
Hey reddeer, CONGRATULATIONS!! You're playing with the big kids now. You have to admit that it's kind of fun to do it yourself.
Did you get WS_FTP to work ok? I found another way to get rid of spyware which I think is even better than AdAware. Check it out and let me know what you think. http://members.nbci.com/pcclean/
I was all set to post to tell you that .CA registrations have just been relaxed and perhaps you should try for reddeer.ca. Duh.... I forgot the origin of your name. http://www.RegisterInCanada.com
posted on March 2, 2001 09:00:35 PM
I currently have 5mb of space on GTE and 35mb on Bizland. I have just signed up with AT&T for their 7/7 ($7 internet access / 7 cents per minute, long distance plan) and I plan to drop GTE. They provide up to 60 mb of web space. More than enough for my needs.
posted on March 2, 2001 09:43:37 PM
Good gawd Blanche! LOL, too funny!
Don't even ask about the FTP, my brain's 'bout ready to explode after the past 48 hours! Thanks again fo all your help!
Irene
I don't think .ca was an option at the Fat Cow, but thanks for the thought. I decided to give my wife her 15 minutes of fame, and used her name. I just checked the link you posted, seems they have a problem with my name?
posted on March 2, 2001 11:53:04 PM
I sat down today to download and learn WS_FTP. It took me about two hours to download, install, understand, and finally, to successfully move files. I have to confess I had always been afraid of those letters "FTP" basically because I never saw a good explanation of them before. I now understand....FTP is kind of like a delivery truck for moving all kinds of files, including picture files...you put your "stuff" meaning your pictures (or any other find of file) in the "truck" (FTP program) and the "truck" (FTP program) moves the file to its "new house" (a hosting site)and "drops it off". In effect, AW's "upload fields" where you "used" to upload pictures (not anymore---rueful laugh) is a kind of FTP program that's built in to the AW auction manager software. You can't use theirs anymore without paying so you have to get your own. (I'm trying to make it really basic here for those who are scared of trying new things, like I was).
When I saw how it worked, it all came together like *magic*!! Folks, you can do this. I was an art major. If I can do it, you can do it.
Now, to continue this *dumb* analogy, if you want to move your pictures in the truck, you have to have a new home for them. So you find a free hosting site to be that "home". Personally I'm going to go ahead and use a free site for now---if I experience a loss of pictures I'll buy space somewhere else, but I'm willing to risk it for the time being.
Sooooo----You make an account, which gets you a certain amount of space for your site. And within that site (you don't need to make a real site, just name the pages) you designate one of your pages as the "images" page, and then--you just FTP your pictures to sit inside that page. Then your picture's URL will be: www.freeservernamehere.youraccountnamehere.com/images/widget.jpg (for example).
for instance if my pictures were on bigstep.com (they're not, but just for example) my site name would be www.bigstep.brighid.com and my picture page within that site would be www.bigstep.brighid.com/images and one single picture within that site would be www.bigstep.brighid.com/images/widget.jpg.
Does this make sense? Just give it a try. Make an account somewhere and start. You have nothing to lose!
posted on March 3, 2001 05:55:26 AM
Way to go Brighid868! It's not the difficult if you take your time and don't let it overwhelm you!
One suggestion...you can use WS_FTP to create sub-folders or sub-directories on your space. I would recommend doing to, to help keep your pictures organized. I just make folders with the months name (like I do on my hard drive) but you may use another method.
While in the WS_FTP program, and logged on to your space, you can see buttons on the right side, one of them is MKDir. I believe you always start out in your main directory, so if you click that MKDir button, a little window will pop up where you can type the name you want for that folder. Name it, click OK, and you'll see it show up on the right side of the WS screen. Then, when you want to put pictures in that folder, double click it, and it will become the Target folder for that session. You'll see it's name show up above as /March or whatever you named it.
If you use a lot of pictures, it will be easier if you sort them somehow.
Someone asked about using RR space, Nana I think...go to their Help page and look for the link on Member Home Pages. It should get you started. You have to first sign up there to start your page. You can email me at [email protected] if you get totally stuck and I'll try to help.
Good Luck to everyone who has picked this week to "Learn Something New".
posted on March 3, 2001 07:55:08 AM
I just wanted to thank you all for the information you have posted. I too am going to be forced to find an alternative to AW and I was feeling pretty overwhelmed about making the transition. Thanks to your generous "Power to the People" posts I feel much less intimidated. I really wish Auction Watch hadn't backed us into this corner, but life goes on.
posted on March 3, 2001 09:09:15 AM
Pardon me while I get philosophical this morning over my first cup of coffee.
I just realized while re-reading this thread that what AW is, is a middleman. Sometimes we need middlemen, because we have an impossibly complicated job that we don't have time to learn the skills for (for instance, installing a car transmission would fall under that category for me!) while other times, middlemen have simply been there all along convincing us that we need them, when in fact that need is *manufactured*. To be fair, perhaps the need isn't totally invented--it's very nice to be able to load/run auctions without learning any HTML, or being able to schedule them ahead of time---but the drawback is that when one depends on that system, one is seriously inconvenienced---or even harmed---by the sudden disappearence of it.
I think about the fact that I raise my own vegetables for food and how in 1999 when everyone was worrying about Y2K food shortages, I knew I could survive for at least a couple of weeks on my gardens' bounty (I live in CA, even in winter I have nice veggies by canning and even some in the garden that survive the colder weather). For me, the risk of being caught without is enough to motivate me to do-it-myself.
Losing AW (or "losing" it through having to pay in the future) makes me realize that the idea of an auction launching program is somewhat a manufactured need. As I said above, it took me two hours to learn how to do it myself, and not using Ebay's krappy picture hosting system---instead using a space which gives me nice clear pictures. At this point, the only bell and whistle I will even miss is the ability to launch ahead of time. And that, I can live without. Sure, I'll save money, but what I'll really be grateful for is learning I'm not tied to all these "helper" programs. I have the capability to help myself. And it's actually fun!
I really love AW. The message boards have surely saved me a ton of money and headaches over the years. However, sometimes you have to reject help even when it's offered from a really good place in someone's heart, because it would keep you from growing and maturing. AW's decision to charge was like a wake up call in that regard. When it came down to grow up or pay up, I realized I would rather learn a new skill and do it myself than pay money and continue to be dependent on them.
It's nothing personal to AW. the way I look at it is, it's like parent and child. A good parent nurtures the child but when he/she turns eighteen they say "Now it's time to grow up and pay rent---or else find your own place." A child that endlessly lives with a parent never paying or learning how to live on their own is going to be a very despondent, frightened child when that parent passes on or when something interrupts the relationship. The child will never fully grow to adulthood without a little leap into the unknown.
posted on March 3, 2001 09:37:13 AM
Upriver....
Checked out e247....TOS is fairly liberal at this point as you noted...and 100mb is great space...
I've seen their building when my wife was in Santa Monica for Lasik...they're just down the street from the MGM complex...
Thanks for the tip....I'll try joining and uploading some pix to see how well they serve them and what other content comes along...they noted interest oriented content delivery in their TOS...
As I was cruising their site, I noticed no cookies trying to place themselves...unlike AW...*G*
posted on March 3, 2001 09:37:29 AM
WS_FTP LE downloaded no problem. Uploaded Pics no problem.
Can someone explain to me about an "INDEX.HTML" page that will secure my web space.
Do I make a directory with that name or what.
posted on March 3, 2001 09:40:38 AM
Once again I thank everyone for all the info.
I am arranging spring orders for our store, finishing my books for tax time, trying to run a few auctions and also renovate my house as well as figure out all the new toys on my newest computer and I have even had a couple of orders from our online store.
But I keep checking in here and I try to save as much of the info as I can so I can digest it later.
Lots of other sites have been suggested but my concern is how fast the pics will download. I stopped using Honesty because they got slower and slower.
