Request to repost Frank's mini-tutorials & drawings that disappeared

[wizard509]

OK A few observations. (Yes, I am still here. You cannot get rid of me that easy ).

The fracas that took place last week was unfortunate. The one thing I have learned from many years moderating this forum is members, with a few notable exceptions, do not like conflicts, and find them disturbing. And I don't blame them. It was not easy on the moderators either. As should be obvious.

John Horn (covoxer) is better than a moderator. He is also one of the main programmers responsible for the excellent web capabilities in found in Web Designer 6 and Designer Pro 6. His contributions are exceptional especially in terms of his support in these forums, his knowledge of the products from a programming point of view, and his Tweak Set which extends the power of Web Designer 6 and Designer Pro 6. But John is a no nonsense guy and I would not get in a flame war with him. He usually wins.

Finally, if you do not like the idea of your images remaining on TalkGraphics in perpetuity, you have the option of posting on your website and adding a link either to your website or providing a URL link to where you image can be found. This can be done in the Manage Attachments dialog (see attached). So if at any time you wish to remove your image(s) simply remove them from your website and they are gone. How easy is that?

Good point Gary!
I thought images could be removed at any time, just not the post.
But of course I don't do it so really don't know for sure. I must be wrong about that or Gary would have said so.
What say you Gary?

[JokeArtist]

Let's do a little test with Gary's theory ...

EDIT :

As expected it takes the image and puts it onto the TalkGraphics servers - so deleting on your space is not a option.

----

I can completely understand Xara's willingness to want to keep everything that has been posted on here because there's
a number of good contributors and contributions and it builds into a valuable resource for other people to search through.
And look at. If people want to take their bat and ball home that only hurts Talk Graphics because those people can just
delete all their tutorials if they're hot linked, and not host on TG, in one easy go. Which courses TG to be not as helpful as before.
The same with the hot linked hosting that goes down or is no longer paid for - the files disappear - and posts are not longer
helpful.

But what I think that Xara has failed to recognise is that it's within the rights of contributors to do so - taking away the
control from them is an insult to the ownership of their time and effort - and actually of pretty dubious legality.
Xara obviously know this because they say - "Well if you want something deleted then you can ask a moderator". But this
just doesn't cut it.

When it comes to the content of this board - especially, that of people that have put time and effort into to help others,
and give help to people in future - that rests with the people giving help, ideas or new techniques. If Xara is serious about
content contributors and want ownership of that content or even control of it then they should be putting their hands in
their pocket, like any other business - as someone said once, "there's not such thing as a free lunch".

But I can see contributors getting annoyed because Xara want to have it's cake and eat it.

Me, I just don't bake any more cakes, cos the new Job'esque levels of control-freakery on this board have left a sour
taste in my mouth.

I only come on here to grubble like an old man - "boards rubbish now" "no new vector tools" etc etc

[gwpriester]

James, you are correct. So that leaves the option to post a link in the thread to a page on your site with the image or tutorial or whatever.

[Daniel]

Gary, I think the point that JaffDave, Handrawn and others are trying to make is even where people have created an image/tutorial and have chosen to host it on their own webspace, and then link to or embed that content into their post, that their messages have then been edited by a moderator so as to copy the image to the Talkgraphics server.

Not all moderators do it, and I appreciate that you're one of the ones that don't, but one of the ones that does - presently absent - is rather forthright in his opinion of what is best, and curt/abrupt (to British ears, at least) in response to even private questioning.

As JokeArtist similarly concludes, the answer appears to be not to post - but that simply means the forum is poorer because of the policies imposed.

JokeArtist's other point about the new enforced automatic thumbnails is a good one: we were told that the thumbnails were A Good Thing because not everyone has a quick internet connection, but in the User CP there is an option for people with slow internet connections so that they can turn off images in posts. See this screenshot - apologies that you can't read it directly, but you'll understand that it has been thumbnailed automatically...

[StevenWWinters]

I think the point that ... others are trying to make is even where people have created an image/tutorial and have chosen to host it on their own webspace, and then link to or embed that content into their post, that their messages have then been edited by a moderator so as to copy the image to the Talkgraphics server.

I don't know for certain, but suspect that the forum software has been configured to do this automatically without moderator intervention. Furthermore, this may have been a decision by the moderators, not Xara, per se, as the company seems to have be have been rather hands off in the policy setting and general day-to-day running of the forum. Just my speculation.

At any rate, if this prevents talented contributors like James (JokeArtist) and Big Frank from participating, I'd prefer to see this "feature" turned off. Perhaps it could even be a user-by-user choice as to whether to allow the images they upload to be hosted at TG as many may not mind.

[handrawn]

just turrned off for 'artwork' Galleries even would be something

that way, although it would be missed if removed, it would not impinge a great deal on the 'usefulness' of the forum...

[Egg Bramhill]

Is this forum owned by Xara? No, Xara only pays a very small price to host the site. The forum is owned by the members, it is their input that creates the society that's TG. Xara's day to day input is zilch. TG is what Xara support ought to be but is a very pale imitation of.

As for linking to external sites/images then fine..... Apart from the fact that if you allow any member to access and delete their content then thread after thread can become meaningless. But far worse beyond that who monitors the content of an external link?

I can add an external link to

www.my_site.com/tranquil_river.jpg Not a real url link ;-)

which contains a drawing of a tranquil river scene. As that's my web space I can replace that image in a month or so's time but still named "tranquil_river.jpg" once it's dropped under the radar of moderation to one that contains pornography / bigotry / racialism / malware / viruses / etc, etc, etc, the list is endless.

That's why hot-linking is discouraged. Bad or good moderation?

Are you aware of how many members TG has that have zero posts? I can't inform you of the actual number now either as I'm no longer a moderator but it's HUGE! I'd say for every new, genuine member who registers daily there are 20 to 30 new members daily who register to bump up their google link count. Steve in particular has taken this issue aboard and implemented a simple question in the registration process. The questions can be answered by a 5 year old! Good moderation? Oh no, the flack comes thick and fast from members and Xara in particular saying this is difficult & heavy handed.

There are certain individuals with an axe to grind, usually because they have been on the end of a moderation decision they can't accept. Fine. However in my opinion the moderation of TG has been very light weight, bans have been few and far apart and a lot of disputable moderator decisions are down to the fact that members are unaware of the potential onslaught to forums nor the reasoning behind them.

I have been a moderator on TG (or it's predecessor I/US (?)) for 10 to 15 years now, I genuinely can't recall. I have been a lover and enthusiastic user of Xara products dating back to the Acorn Archimedes and Artworks.

Xara has bought this situation on itself by believing that moderators on TG are the same as employees. I am not an employee of Xara. I will not accept dictates / instructions / new rules laid down by Xara. My and other moderators input to TG are there for members to judge. We do get it wrong sometimes but we have to maintain our independence.

I would also take this opportunity to thank all those members who have offered support over the past two weeks. It is greatly appreciated.

[zaphodeist]

Good to hear from you Egg and to get your stance on things

[ankhor]

there is an option for people with slow internet connections so that they can turn off images in posts. See this screenshot - apologies that you can't read it directly, but you'll understand that it has been thumbnailed automatically...

Euh, so if I want a clue what is behind the message, I have to open, the big one.
Maybe an option for thumbnails or not would be best, but it might not be technically possible, I don`t know.

I like the thumbnails, I get a general idea of the image and when interested
I will open them. I use a lot less bandwith because of it.