The Sound and the Blurry (photos) . . .
. . . a tale told by Lori, translated into coherence by BCB.
Okay, I think I’ve managed to break the code and translate the majority of this so it will make sense to everyone. It wasn’t easy. My translations are in [brackets]. You will see soon enough that it was necessary. I removed the reference to herding cats and the “just because BCB couldn’t make it work” comment. It’s better that way. Hey, no need to thank me. Anything to convince you not to do this make it easier to share photos. Really.
~BCB
Private Photo Sharing Options:
From what I understand, the group in Portland decided they want to be able to share pictures with the rest of the CBs without putting them out there for the world to see (like using the blog would). [Translation: Had she been in Portland, she could have put a stop to this then and there.]
There are a couple photo sharing websites that have options that would enable us to do just that. [Tr: But she’s going to tell you about some others instead.]
Option 1: Create a private group on a photo sharing website.
(Like www.flickr.com or www.keepandshare.com)
I am leery having one account and giving everyone the sign in and password information, [Tr: You all are crazy and not to be trusted.] but if we want all the pictures in one location, we can use something called a “Group” on the Flickr website. Everyone would need to sign up for a Flickr account, which is a part of the Yahoo family (making it easier for people with Yahoo emails). [Tr: You would have to do something and then remember what you did so you could do it again later.] It would be considered a private group, so the only way to become a member of the group is to be invited by a person who is already a member. Groups can also set up administrators and moderators that have the power to enforce any rules that govern the group. [Tr: Yeah, right.] The administrators can also temporarily remove or ban members. [Tr: With any luck, all of them.] Flickr would never allow the group content to go public. [Tr: Though it has never dealt with this group before.]
Individuals who wanted to share pictures with the group would upload their pictures to their individual Flickr account using the “private” setting. They would then choose to “share” those pictures with the group. [Tr: All this is gibberish, just ignore it.] This is pretty simple and standard stuff, [Tr: This is extremely difficult and should only be attempted by a professional.] but if people have questions, there is help available (from both flickr and myself). [Tr: If this is not confusing enough, she can make it worse.] Once pictures are shared with the group, the individual could put a link to the pictures at the Bar & Grill. People who followed the link would be prompted to sign into their Flickr account in order to see the pictures. There is also a space for people to comment on pictures in Flickr. [Tr: As long as you don’t use the letter “e” which is banned from the site.]
Members of the group are allowed to view and comment on any photos that are “shared” with the group. They can also add tags (keywords) and other various things along those lines. [Tr: Various things like more code words that will need translation.] There is also a spot for “Group Discussion.” As of right now, I’m not sure it would necessary to use the discussion area, but it is there regardless. [Tr: This is MN humour, meaning: “Not sure why you all feel the need to talk all the damn time.”]
The only other photo sharing website I came across with a “Group” option is called Keep and Share. I have not explored this site much yet, [Tr: She is incredibly busy.] but I will if y’all decide you like it. [Tr: You bother her with this, she will hurt you.] If you know of another photo sharing site that supports groups, and you think it has potential for us, please let us know!
Option 2: Use your choice of photo sharing website and send a link to private photos or albums by email.
(Like www.picasa.com, www.snapfish.com, www.shutterfly.com, www.flickr.com, and more.) [Tr: More MN humour, meaning: “If you thought that was too complicated, try doing this at home.”]
On most photo sharing websites, it is possible to upload photos with a “private” setting and share a link to those photos by email. Only the people who get the email have access to those photos. [Tr: You all will be sending a lot of email invitations.] If the CBs choose this route, people could upload their pictures to whichever photo sharing website they prefer then send an email invitation to view those photos to all the CBs. [Tr: As well as Thank You notes.]
You would not need an account to view the photos because you would be able to view them just by following the link sent to you in the email. [Tr: This doesn’t really work, but it sounds good in theory and provides hours of entertainment for admin types.] Most of these sights also have areas for people to comment on pictures.
If we did this option, we would probably need to compile an email list of those people who want to receive links to pictures (and put the list in a safe place?). [Tr: Are you kidding me? There is no safe place.] Or we could put one person in charge of the list and have that person receive email with the link and forward it to the rest of the CBs. [Tr: She just volunteered to be in charge.]
Okay, almost done: [Tr: Obviously, more MN humour.]
I actually have some concerns with either option. [Tr: Mostly that you all think you need to share pictures in the first place.] However, I have not come across anything better, so now it’s your turn. What are you thinking? [Tr: She really doesn’t want to know.] What looks good, bad, and ugly? Are there other options? [Tr: No, there are not.] Did anything I just said make any sense?
[Editor’s note: It does now that I translated everything. So, you see? Lori’s educated and highly professional opinion is that this won’t work. No need to discuss. No need for decisions. Move on to the next post.]
124 comments July 1st, 2008