How many people post here?

[Tinman]

I certainly wouldn't want to bore the pants off Mrs P with my extensive knowledge of British 40s 50s metal toys so I come on here and will gladly bore the pants of my fellow collectors and restorers.

You're never boring (not to me at least ) and I look forward to your posts.

[Tinman]

Why is it so hard to post pictures? Most conversations are not good without a photo and I can't post photos. I am not as computer savvy as I should be, but I can put a picture on Facebook without having to use photobucket and doing crazy resizing. This really makes posting difficult.

Well, don't get me started on Photobucket, that's a whole thread by itself.

Yes, putting up a pic is a bit of a hassle. I use two simple things to do my pics. Since the cameras have become so good on smart phones, my bloody expensive SLR Digital camera is gathering dust in a cabinet. I snap the pics I want on my phone and email them to myself. Now they are available to use from the phone, tablet or computer. I store all my photos in files on my computer and it's all backed up every night by "My Passport." No need for cloud storage or costs associated with cloud storage or worries about lost photos or data.

I send them directly from email into a folder in My Pictures. To reduce them in size I go into the folder and open the pic up in paint (right click on pic, "open with" paint). Usually the magic number is 50% reduction, hit "resize" change setting numbers from 100% to 50% (highlight and type in 50), click on resize and I save them with the same file name with VBD added on. (save as, roll over to JPG and add my extension. I do this with any pic I might want to use on VBD in the future and I do it at the same time as I'm saving the files to my chosen folder. The whole process take about a minute if I do it while I'm moving the pics from the email to my folders. When I want to use the pic in a post, I just select the pic with the VBD extension after the name. I always use the "Upload attachment" button on the tool bar below. Prompts are simple and automatic. Yes it a hassle not to just be able to load any pic without prep, but it's pretty simple especially if you pre-prep the pics when putting them in storage in your files.

There may be simpler methods and I'm all ears to that. The other options is to post the file in whatever size it comes in and an admin or moderator will resize them for you when they came along.

[GHOSTHUNTER]

This forum does allow the 'Drag and Drop' method.

Minimise the window you are viewing the forum through to allow it to be re-aligned across the top of the computer screen. Open a folder with a picture you want on the forum. Minimise this window so it can be aligned at the bottom of your screen.

Click on the 'Reply' tab as normal on the forum and add some text. Move the cursor down and click on the 'Upload attatchment' tab.

Now go down to your bottom window and simply DRAG the wanted picture up into the 'No file selected' area next to the 'Browse...' tab and click the 'Add the file' tab. Your picture is now posted on to the forum.

I used this very method to post my example image of the two open but minimised windows and where to drag your picture to.

Ghosthunter.

[Tinman]

This forum does allow the 'Drag and Drop' method.

Nice, I'll try that and see if it's a time saver.

[misterpop]

So will I..cheers Kevin.

[David Tilley]

I have been using ImgBB for hosting pictures.

It is very easy to follow. You just click to add a picture, and it asks if you want to auto delete with the option already on no. I just leave that and click to go to my photos. I add a pic and upload. It then comes up with the option lines. I choose the BBcode full linked option and this is what I have. My picture on the forum. This one is of a classic Lesney Greyhound Coach with a modern Mattel era GMC Scenic Cruiser which was inspired by it.

[GHOSTHUNTER]

Without turning this thread into a picture uploading thread! I will just add the method David above explains is the same as postimage, the host many of of us here are currently using in preference to the photobucket method.

Drag and Drop takes away the need to copy and paste the correct line of code presented to you in imgBB and postimage.

Ghosthunter.

[YYS4BOB]

How long does it take for new members to get their initial posts verified, and how many have to be verified before they can post without verification? A new member of my acquaintance had problems getting on the site and now can't see his submitted posts.

[Idris]

How long does it take for new members to get their initial posts verified...

What I see (and i assume the Mods also see) when a Member makes a post requiring verification,is that it appears in the New Unread Posts list with a special symbol next to the title. It is then a question of opening the post, reading it, making a value judgement, and then clicking on either 'Approve' or 'Disapprove'. How quickly this process occurs is solely down to when the post is spotted by either a Mod or myself.

...and how many have to be verified before they can post without verification?

As I understand it, a new Member's first three posts require Mod/Admin approval (as an anti-spammer measure).

A new member of my acquaintance had problems getting on the site and now can't see his submitted posts.

Please let me have the Forum name of the new Member concerned, I will will look in the Administration part of the site and see what I can find.(Certainly, at the moment, there are no posts awaiting approval.)

[dkenner]

We have to remember and accept the fact this forum is not the only outlet for collectors of vintage diecast toys and models but can still hold its head up high as a very informative internet based site and is used as a main reference source by many facebook posters.

At some point people will slowly learn that forums like this is where knowledge can be found, especially as reference. Most social media is ephemeral at best, and unless properly hashtagged or labelled, almost impossible to be found, unless by luck. As google and other search engines become more and more polluted by results that are advertising, for sale, ebay, et al, the more desirable sites like this become.

Rgds,

Dixon