I Miss (free) Fotki. Is There Anything Similar Out There We Can Use?

[halee_J]

@Alma Petra Awesome awesome awesome! :spin:

We can have our fotki right here

Lol it was here is our backyard all along.

Lets get to sharing ladies! It would be really nice to have all our progress pics in a centralized place.

Thank you Alma and @YvetteWithJoy for your tinkering

 

[I Am So Blessed]

Am I the only one who misses the Fotki days? Where you could nicely organize your hair progress folders and share? Granted I was more of a viewer then, but now I want to be share not just hair pics but keep track of my reggie. I miss it, it used to give me so much insipration!

Is there anything similar we can use now (keyword free lol)? I dunno blogs, fb, ig and pin.terest aren't the same...

With all the money we pay to be on here, we should be able to have an album just as good if not better right here.

 

[YvetteWithJoy]

The only issue with recreating fokti-like info here is that all of your photo and notes and so forth will be stored in a place that you must pay to access.

If your membership stops, then you no longer have access to your albums, etc.

A solution to this could be to first draft/create your album, regimen notes, etc. ELSEWHERE (that's not public else that would be defeating the purpose or double doing) and then put them into the LHCF media area.

I think OneNote or GoogleDocs or EverNote and the like would be PERFECT for this, if you don't want to use a private blog to do so.

 

[Alma Petra]

The only issue with recreating fokti-like info here is that all of your photo and notes and so forth will be stored in a place that you must pay to access.

If your membership stops, then you no longer have access to your albums, etc.

A solution to this could be to first draft/create your album, regimen notes, etc. ELSEWHERE (that's not public else that would be defeating the purpose or double doing) and then put them into the LHCF media area.

I think OneNote or GoogleDocs or EverNote and the like would be PERFECT for this, if you don't want to use a private blog to do so.

You are right. We need to keep back up copies of all our photos just in case we decide to leave one day. But this is not the main issue in my opinion. The main issue is that media shared on this website can only be viewed by fellow members. Now I already had my albums set up to be seen by members only. But even the public albums cannot be seen by the public. This website can function as a Fotki but for members only. To some this may not be a disadvantage. But to others it will be a real issue.

What do you guys think?

 

[Chicoro]

I keep my old prehistoric Fotki site. I've noticed that more and more people are trickling back to it. Uploading on LHCF makes it easier. But it seems that one is going to have to pay one way or another, somewhere to have photos hosted.

 

[YvetteWithJoy]

I keep my old prehistoric Fotki site. I've noticed that more and more people are trickling back to it. Uploading on LHCF makes it easier. But it seems that one is going to have to pay one way or another, somewhere to have photos hosted.

Yes . . . so the question is: Do you upload where you are already paying (i.e., LHCF) -- where only LHCF folks can see . . . or do you ADDITIONALLY pay for another place (fotki, what-have-you) so that both people who are on LHCF and are NOT on LHCF can see your photos, regimen, thoughts, journey, etc.?

 

[YvetteWithJoy]

There is one other option: Submit an application to a wiki hoster to see if we could get a free community membership. I can't type more now, but I'll try to remember to come back later.

 

[Chicoro]

Yes . . . so the question is: Do you upload where you are already paying (i.e., LHCF) -- where only LHCF folks can see . . . or do you ADDITIONALLY pay for another place (fotki, what-have-you) so that both people who are on LHCF and are NOT on LHCF can see your photos, regimen, thoughts, journey, etc.?

Both LHCF and Fotki started off as non-paying sites. Thus, for me, I continued with both when both changed to paying sites because it was worth it for me.

 

[Alma Petra]

I am wondering if Fotki is as or even more expensive than LHCF. If I were very serious about sharing my photos, I'd probably consider paying for a Fotki but I recognize that I mainly share photos with people on this website and I'm already paying for it anyway. In fact it might even be an advantage for many people that only LHCF members can see their photos.

For a publicly accessible option, I found that Google Photos and Google+ can work together fairly well. I have been able to create a profile there and share a few small albums. Browsing through them is easy and comments can be added as well. Please have a look at it: https://plus.google.com/105411651600125741862

This might be a good alternative for people who intend to leave LHCF in the future or who cater to wider audience than LHCF member alone.

 

[halee_J]

I want to share my pics freely but honeslty I don't want to upload 2x, nor pay 2x.

Can't I just download the pics from here and put them somewhere else if I leave?

 

[Alma Petra]

I want to share my pics freely but honeslty I don't want to upload 2x, nor pay 2x.

Can't I just download the pics from here and put them somewhere else if I leave?

Oh yes you can download them just before you leave. But it may not even be necessary to download. My photos are normally stored in my phone or my laptop so they are safe. And my phone automatically backs them up to my Google Photos so they are safe x2.

I used the Google Photos Albums to create this profile here that is Fotki-like if I say so myself. And it's both free and public.

 

[YvetteWithJoy]

Oh yes you can download them just before you leave. But it may not even be necessary to download. My photos are normally stored in my phone or my laptop so they are safe. And my phone automatically backs them up to my Google Photos so they are safe x2.

I used the Google Photos Albums to create this profile here that is Fotki-like if I say so myself. And it's both free and public.

Oh . . . yes, that makes sense. I think I was more thinking of saving the organization/collecting of the photos and not the photos themselves.

For example, say you create a LHCF album entitled Length Checks and you write notes under each photo. Yes, you will have the photos on your phone or computer. But you will not likely have them collected together, nor your commentary.

Which is fine!

 

[Alma Petra]

Oh . . . yes, that makes sense. I think I was more thinking of saving the organization/collecting of the photos and not the photos themselves.

For example, say you create a LHCF album entitled Length Checks and you write notes under each photo. Yes, you will have the photos on your phone or computer. But you will not likely have them collected together, nor your commentary.

Which is fine!

But Yvette, I don't think that any of these platforms can be cross-connected and no content can migrate from one of them to the other. Like if you decide to leave LHCF, or Fotki one day, you can't take the comments with you. You will have to save everything manually to your desktop and you cannot upload it again. I remember many many years ago when facebook cancelled their discussions service from the groups we had to archive a group we were maintaining.. We archived it in a blog from blogger. All the old comments were copied and pasted with the names and avatars and everything inside the blog post just beneath the original content. And then new comments were allowed to be added using blogger itself. But only desperate times call for such desperate measures I guess. If you are more oriented towards a public audience and a free platform, you can start with Google Photos from the start. But what I have notices id that our audience now is mainly within LHCF itself and the interaction isn't all that huge. It mainly happens within the LHCF posts themselves.

But anyway, Google Photos allows you to add notes to your photos under "info" and allows people to leave comments on them so you can keep your photos there just like you'd keep a Fotki and direct LHCF people to them. I haven't been around during Fotki days so I don't know how the interaction between Fotki and LHCF used to happen. Maybe someone can give us a clearer idea.

 

[Napp]

But Yvette, I don't think that any of these platforms can be cross-connected and no content can migrate from one of them to the other. Like if you decide to leave LHCF, or Fotki one day, you can't take the comments with you. You will have to save everything manually to your desktop and you cannot upload it again. I remember many many years ago when facebook cancelled their discussions service from the groups we had to archive a group we were maintaining.. We archived it in a blog from blogger. All the old comments were copied and pasted with the names and avatars and everything inside the blog post just beneath the original content. And then new comments were allowed to be added using blogger itself. But only desperate times call for such desperate measures I guess. If you are more oriented towards a public audience and a free platform, you can start with Google Photos from the start. But what I have notices id that our audience now is mainly within LHCF itself and the interaction isn't all that huge. It mainly happens within the LHCF posts themselves.

But anyway, Google Photos allows you to add notes to your photos under "info" and allows people to leave comments on them so you can keep your photos there just like you'd keep a Fotki and direct LHCF people to them. I haven't been around during Fotki days so I don't know how the interaction between Fotki and LHCF used to happen. Maybe someone can give us a clearer idea.

Most of the time it was a link in ones signature

 

[Alma Petra]

Most of the time it was a link in ones signature

Thanks dear! So why did people favor Fotki over the LHCF media albums at that time?

And why did the members take the trouble to browse these Fotkis when they could simply ignore them? Or just interact with the photos that the lady shares locally within LHCF?

I mean I could experiment on myself and add my Google Albums link to my signature to see if I'd get any comments there but I think that something is missing...

 

[OhTall1]

So why did people favor Fotki over the LHCF media albums at that time?

IIRC, the media albums were a part of the last forum upgrade.

 

[Alma Petra]

IIRC, the media albums were a part of the last forum upgrade.

Oh I see. This explains many things. So Media came in and Fotki went out. Interesting!
Thanks dear...

 

[sunnieb]

Welp, my Fotki expires tomorrow and I just can't justify paying to renew it.

I have all my pics somewhere and I know I've posted most of them here somewhere. Guess I'll update my siggy.

 

[LushLox]

I've been using Day One lately (yeah another thing that you have to pay for) I like that I can use it for multiple purposes; it's just not public.

 

[BeautifulRoots]

Yeah I really miss fotki as well. So many amazing hair albums on that site. I tried to log on to my old fotki a few weeks ago and noticed you have to pay. So sad.

 

[Jetblackhair]

The Fotki site is where I found LHCF on someone's profile. I never posted an album on that site, but I did start an album on this site back in 2010 or so. I recently rejoined the forum and my old pictures are still in my album here.

 

[shortycocoa]

You are not the only one...so much knowledge locked up in fotki databases

You are so right! Quoting for emphasis. I know I learned a lot from a lot of people's Fotki pages. A while back I was looking for @nurseN98 's sulfur oil growth mix but couldn't access it. I know sublimed sulfur, olive oil and coconut oil were a part of the ingredients, but I can't remember the amounts of each. Nor can I remember if there was anything else to the mix, like essential oils.

@Chicoro's album is also essential...and so many others I learned from. While I love YouTube and all, there was something so simplistic, quick and convenient about Fotki. All you had to do is click on an album or pic (s) and get the info you needed without having to sit through a dissertation, only to find the info you needed was buried in the video somewhere or not there at all (click bait).

I definitely prefer the YouTubers who give the timecodes for certain content or put the info in the info box underneath the video. Sometimes I just go through the comments to find what I need also (especially for recipes).

 

[Chicoro]

You are so right! Quoting for emphasis. I know I learned a lot from a lot of people's Fotki pages. A while back I was looking for @nurseN98 's sulfur oil growth mix but couldn't access it. I know sublimed sulfur, olive oil and coconut oil were a part of the ingredients, but I can't remember the amounts of each. Nor can I remember if there was anything else to the mix, like essential oils.

@Chicoro's album is also essential...and so many others I learned from. While I love YouTube and all, there was something so simplistic, quick and convenient about Fotki. All you had to do is click on an album or pic (s) and get the info you needed without having to sit through a dissertation, only to find the info you needed was buried in the video somewhere or not there at all (click bait).

I definitely prefer the YouTubers who give the timecodes for certain content or put the info in the info box underneath the video. Sometimes I just go through the comments to find what I need also (especially for recipes).

I think I have Nurse98's recipe....maybe. There seems to be a trickle back to Fotki. Every week someone new 'returns' to the Fotki fold. I liked the community we had with Fotki. It was about supporting one another and learning from one another. Every SINGLE thing on YouTube and Instagram about afro textured hair was first placed on LHCF or Fotki.

 

[YvetteWithJoy]

@halee_J and @Alma Petra, you two could start an LHCF Photo Album Challenge thread.

You could provide participants with a list of suggested but optional albums to include such as:

My Hair Tools
My Favorite Hair Products
My Reviews of Hair Products, Ingredients, Tools, and Vendors
My Hair Products Wish List
My Hair Care Regimen
My Hair Looks/Styles
My Favorite Hair Videos
Hair - Miscellaneous

You could recommend photo title formats such as "2017 Nov: Favorite Products" or something.