Ettiquete for hot linking FHG images? - GoFuckYourself.com

brandonstills · 09-19-2008, 07:55 PM

What is considered allowed if you hot link images from an FHG (with the intention of promoting that site of course)?

Do most programs let you, or do they frown on it?

What are the general guidelines for how I can use the images if I am going to hotlink them?

I want to make a list of galleries and then allow the user to easily navigate through the images and display ads for that site, other galleries of that site, and other galleries from other sites of the same model.

dready · 09-19-2008, 09:17 PM

It would seem a lot safer on a number of levels to just host them yourself. With permission of course.

Dagwolf · 09-19-2008, 09:26 PM

General guideline: Don't do it.

Special cases: Discuss it with your sponsor. Most traffic sources won't list you if your images are hotlinked, though

Iron Fist · 09-19-2008, 10:17 PM

Hotlinking images is a no no in this industry... for instance, try hotlinking an image in this forum without permission and you'll be lynched on so many levels...

I understand your trying to figure out a way to grow without eating more bandwidth, but that is the way things are in this industry... the bigger you are the more bandwidth you consume, and the more your expenses go up.... just hope your revenue does the same

Forkbeard · 09-20-2008, 02:30 AM

I have a different view -- if the hotlink works, it's usually because the program owner consciously chooses to allow hotlinking, otherwise an .htaccess would be preventing it.

That said, anything I'm putting serious development effort into, I want to host myself, so my shit doesn't break when the program tweaks a directory name or something. Bandwidth is still cheap in the grand scheme of things.

So I feel free to hotlink from sponsors that physically allow it, but I rarely do so in practice. My philosophy is, if I'm typing HTML, it better be going somewhere that could potentially still be making me money five years from now. Hotlinking is fundamentally incompatible with that philosophy, because hotlinked shit invariably goes dead faster than shit I host myself.

brandonstills · 09-20-2008, 10:16 AM

Thanks for the input guys. I appreciate it. I've heard that some sponsors allow it, and others don't so I was wondering. It sounds like I would be better off for multiple reasons hosting the images myself, so that is what I think I will do.

IllTestYourGirls · 09-20-2008, 11:14 AM

Have you thought about working with a sponsor that has free hosting?

StarkReality · 09-20-2008, 03:06 PM

The only case hotlinking is always perfectly fine are sponsors offering hotlinkable thumbs, handy when mass importing galleries...although I wouldn't really rely on their servers, broken thumbs are a bad thing.

The easiest way to find out is to ask.

09-19-2008, 07:55 PM	#1
brandonstills Confirmed User Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Chatsworth, CA Posts: 1,964	Ettiquete for hot linking FHG images? What is considered allowed if you hot link images from an FHG (with the intention of promoting that site of course)? Do most programs let you, or do they frown on it? What are the general guidelines for how I can use the images if I am going to hotlink them? I want to make a list of galleries and then allow the user to easily navigate through the images and display ads for that site, other galleries of that site, and other galleries from other sites of the same model. __________________ Brandon Stills Industry and programming veteran [email protected] \| skype: brandonstills \| ICQ #495-171-318

09-19-2008, 09:17 PM	#2
dready Confirmed User Industry Role: Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 5,247	It would seem a lot safer on a number of levels to just host them yourself. With permission of course. __________________ ICQ: 91139591

09-19-2008, 09:26 PM	#3
Dagwolf President of Canada Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Leaving Hell, Entering Limbo Posts: 23,141	General guideline: Don't do it. Special cases: Discuss it with your sponsor. Most traffic sources won't list you if your images are hotlinked, though __________________ Sleep well, and dream of large women.

09-19-2008, 10:17 PM	#4
Iron Fist Too lazy to set a custom title Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 23,400	Hotlinking images is a no no in this industry... for instance, try hotlinking an image in this forum without permission and you'll be lynched on so many levels... I understand your trying to figure out a way to grow without eating more bandwidth, but that is the way things are in this industry... the bigger you are the more bandwidth you consume, and the more your expenses go up.... just hope your revenue does the same __________________ i like waffles

09-20-2008, 02:30 AM	#5
Forkbeard Confirmed User Industry Role: Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: I Roam Around Posts: 2,236	I have a different view -- if the hotlink works, it's usually because the program owner consciously chooses to allow hotlinking, otherwise an .htaccess would be preventing it. That said, anything I'm putting serious development effort into, I want to host myself, so my shit doesn't break when the program tweaks a directory name or something. Bandwidth is still cheap in the grand scheme of things. So I feel free to hotlink from sponsors that physically allow it, but I rarely do so in practice. My philosophy is, if I'm typing HTML, it better be going somewhere that could potentially still be making me money five years from now. Hotlinking is fundamentally incompatible with that philosophy, because hotlinked shit invariably goes dead faster than shit I host myself. __________________ Offering sponsored blog posts and custom writing services.

09-20-2008, 10:16 AM	#6
brandonstills Confirmed User Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Chatsworth, CA Posts: 1,964	Thanks for the input guys. I appreciate it. I've heard that some sponsors allow it, and others don't so I was wondering. It sounds like I would be better off for multiple reasons hosting the images myself, so that is what I think I will do. __________________ Brandon Stills Industry and programming veteran [email protected] \| skype: brandonstills \| ICQ #495-171-318

09-20-2008, 11:14 AM	#7
IllTestYourGirls Ah My Balls Industry Role: Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Under the gold leaf ICQ 388-454-421 Posts: 14,311	Have you thought about working with a sponsor that has free hosting? __________________

09-20-2008, 03:06 PM	#8
StarkReality Confirmed User Join Date: May 2004 Location: 4 8 15 16 23 42 Posts: 4,444	The only case hotlinking is always perfectly fine are sponsors offering hotlinkable thumbs, handy when mass importing galleries...although I wouldn't really rely on their servers, broken thumbs are a bad thing. The easiest way to find out is to ask.