QOTD - What To Use For Image Storage?
The pics/images I use for all my websites are stored on my computer.
I'm searching for an online storage solution which is reliable and preferably free.
I'm curious to know what WA members are using for image storage and the pro's/con's of storing images online?
Thanks
Denise
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Lots of good ideas here... will check out Google drive... I use FreeFileSync to backup my documents & desktop files to an external drive thus having two copies of everything on location.
I then backup with dropbox also for a third copy in the cloud so to speak.
I also have a MyPCbackup account I am experimenting with 250gig of space for $7. This could be used to do a complete laptop backup but I only backup the above files because my DSL upload time is so slow. The minute school starts I will play with this with a much faster connection.
All my sites are backed up with time machine to a dropbox account. This is a full site backup not just database. Time machine also works with Amazon S3.
You can try Dropbox or Mediafire. Free Dropbox account you can store up to 2.5 Gb for free and Mediafire you can store an undetermined amount of files limited to a 200 MB file size. You can also consider having your images stored on a free account at places such as Photobucket and Flickr. A great advantage to this is the the seo value of having optimized content with links pointing back to your site and additional traffic from your posted images. If you maintain your account and images well another bonus is reduceing page load times with your site giving you another small seo boost.
Hope it doesn't sound like I've been living under a rock but I've never heard of Mediafire.
I do have a ProFlickr account. (which is $25/yr -for anyone interested) I wasn't sure how using Flickr to store my website images would affect load times, plus I always think of Flickr as a "social" photo sharing site although I have used it to create slide shows for some local businesses.
I think Jennifer(PPG) in her OneWeekMarketing suggests using PhotoBucket to host her images for Squidoo sites but I'm thinking there's probably a limit how much you can store there as well.
Thanks for all your suggestions and help Jonnyx =)
QOTD, Do you have a security program for your computer? Most of these security programs allow for backups of files. You could store your images on your C:/ drive and then back it up using the security backup program. Check with your service center for Norton or other program you may have on your computer. I have Norton and they have a program for backing up my files in case of a virus or any other type of security breach as no extra charge it is part of my annual fee. I do not know of a free backup online site. Even if there was, I would not trust it, because they can stop it at anytime without notification to you. So be careful of using such places unless you can trust them completely.
I'm another Google Drive fan, but I'm also using dropbox. Both are very easy to use and both use the same kind of technology. Another option is Amazon S3 (Simple storage service). It's very fast and robust too. We use Amazon S3 for a lot for our network of sites. Amazon is not as easy to use as Dropbox or Drive because you have to login, but it's robust and fast!
...the Amazon S3 I mean...is that a paid service?
That brings up another issue. If you create an authority site which is loaded with images (like photographer for eg) loading time is a big concern along with reliability.
It's a little annoying when I'm browsing a site and see that stupid little box (no image available) where an image should be displayed!
Amazon S3 is paid yes, but it's very cheap. Here are the prices. It's only $0.12 (12cents) per GB per month. http://aws.amazon.com/s3/pricing/
Dropbox and Google Drive are both free.
Thanks guys....great info!
Hope this isn't a silly question but when you use DropBox or Google Drive, do you still make a back up of all your images on your hard drive?
I concur with Dropbox, 2gb for free. One other alternative is Google Drive, 5gb and you can upload files as well as write docs etc (its the new Google Docs)
I am using google drive and think it is awesome! No extra passwords or login I need to remember as it ties in seamlessly with my google account.
Ha. The seal of approval from Dean. I must get my nails buffed! I have a downer on GoogleDrive. I don't trust them to keep the service running. I was an avid PhotoVine user, with a LOT of followers. Google terminated it. I purchased and am a fan of SparrowMail. Google acquired it last week and promptly announced they're ceasing development of it. I.... could go on.... but..... I'm sure you get the idea. I've used dropbox for years, nary a problem. However, as always, YMMV.
Hey Dee. I'm a noob at WA but have some tech. experience outside. I've tried a lot of online and cloud storage systems, and would unreservedly recommend dropbox, www.dropbox.com, best of all, it's free!
Yes, when I did a quick search online, dropbox sounds like a winner. Is dropbox strictly for storage or is it for sharing also...like Flickr?
You can share files, folders, etc. There are also a lot of third party apps that can utilise it. For example, BackupBuddy can make automatic copies of your WP sites to it.
I would also agree about Dropbox. I have used it to share photos and send zip folders. You can upload your zip folder (containing whatever) and Dropbox will generate a download link for you that you can email to someone. Nice.
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Personally, I think I would store them on CD if I needed the space on my PC. Probably more secure than storing online.
All the best,
Brandon