Image Hosting - Ruined by the copiers?

[JHosts]

Hello. What are your thoughts on all the new image hosts that have suddenly popped up mainly because of WHT? I know there were a few in the beginning which basically started it all. My image hosting site which i'm sure most of you are aware of, imageshack.us, jamesc's, jheslop1's, 2and2.net, and imageark.net. It used to be peaceful competition amongst all of us but now there are nothing but copies. Some web sites i found had complete replicas of mine. Literally, their entire layout was mine, their text, where ads were placed etc.. Now there is a bit of uniqueness amongst the image hosts at least. What do you think of people new to the game/just joining. Do you think image hosting will eventually be taken over by the large corporations such as google, yahoo, etc..? Just looking for some thoughts on this.

[Brandon]

In my opinion I see nothing wrong with competition. It's quite simple, in all aspects of services offered in the business world there will be competition.

[JHosts]

In my opinion I see nothing wrong with competition. It's quite simple, in all aspects of services offered in the business world there will be competition.

It's not the competition that angers me. It's the people ruining it for others. Image hosting is like how web site hosting was before all the $.99 unlimited hosts came. Then all these new image sites = the $.99 unlimited image hosts in a way.

[JTY]

Unfortunately, in every industry there will always be someone trying to undercut everyone else. Just provide the best you can, and do the best you can.

[LP-Trel]

I don't see more competition being a problem. In this side of the industry there is more than enough business to go around. :)

[Jan]

Image hosting has been available for years, so who is copying who?

[LP-Trel]

Image hosting has been available for years, so who is copying who?

Mousey!! :blush: I'm you're biggest fan!

You are so smart, beautiful and talented. You tell them they are the pot calling the kettle black. :D

[Plead]

At least we know that there won't be a shortage of them.

[LP-Trel]

At least we know that there won't be a shortage of them.

I think I've seen about 20 different image hosts pop up on Webhostingtalk.com in the past few months. Seems like a big business now but, I still can't see why.

[Plead]

I think I've seen about 20 different image hosts pop up on Webhostingtalk.com in the past few months. Seems like a big business now but, I still can't see why.
I tried doing image hosting one time, it was definately not worth my time, they chew through TONS of bandwidth.

[Xoopiter-Jeff]

My Image host is nothing but a waste of time and bandwidth. I wanted to start something different from the multple image hosts poping up so I made on porn allowed. NOTHING but a waste of a few ours a day deleting porn using GB's of bandwidth per image. If any one is interested in an image host pm me :D

Jeff

[LP-Trel]

I tried doing image hosting one time, it was definately not worth my time, they chew through TONS of bandwidth.

I ran a small one myself and it chewed through 4GB of bandwidth in just a few days. Definately not worth the investment in my opinion.

[Plead]

I ran a small one myself and it chewed through 4GB of bandwidth in just a few days. Definately not worth the investment in my opinion.
Haha, thats nothing! I was chewing through 15GB a day!

Kiko's PiXFiles.net (http://www.pixfiles.net) chews through about 350GB a month IIRC.

[Jamesc]

Surely you shouldn't be complaining about healthy competition, it should just help the image hosting market to improve. Also you should check out on who owns an imagehost theese days as your list is incorrect ;)

[JHosts]

Haha, thats nothing! I was chewing through 15GB a day!

Kiko's PiXFiles.net (http://www.pixfiles.net) chews through about 350GB a month IIRC.

Mine chews through about 6 TB a month and could easily do more if limits were raised...

[Azn_Chic]

My Image host is nothing but a waste of time and bandwidth. I wanted to start something different from the multple image hosts poping up so I made on porn allowed. NOTHING but a waste of a few ours a day deleting porn using GB's of bandwidth per image. If any one is interested in an image host pm me :D

Jeff

Well what did you expect for free image hosting for porn? It is a novel idea but that's a bit overboard for those kind of images. Why not just turn it into a regular image host? :)

[LP-Trel]

Well what did you expect for free image hosting for porn? It is a novel idea but that's a bit overboard for those kind of images. Why not just turn it into a regular image host? :)

Now that sounds like a good idea. It would certainly turn the abusers away. :)

[Daniel]

Image hosting is not that easy to do. I think regular hosting is easier to maintain and sustain. I see nothing wrong in competition. Everyone deserves a chance ... In the end it's the users choice on which service they use.

It would be nice to see google open free image hosting. I think the other will just loose most of their users.

[freerackspace.org]

your just going to have to put up with it. There will always be copy cats who ruin things, just offer a good service, and you will rake in the traffic.

[freerackspace.org]

My Image host is nothing but a waste of time and bandwidth. I wanted to start something different from the multple image hosts poping up so I made on porn allowed. NOTHING but a waste of a few ours a day deleting porn using GB's of bandwidth per image. If any one is interested in an image host pm me :D

Jeff

well duh! Running a porn image host is about the worst idea I have ever heard. The only way it would possibley work is if you limited the traffic each image could burn up with automated software. Even then its risky business with child porn, copyright issues etc.

[Peopls]

Well I just sold www.imgspot.com for $7200 and a load of contract work afterwards, so it's certainly a profitable business if approached from the right angle :)

[freerackspace.org]

Well I just sold www.imgspot.com for $7200 and a load of contract work afterwards, so it's certainly a profitable business if approached from the right angle :)

mind me asking how much money it made?

[Peopls]

mind me asking how much money it made?
Turned over about $1700 or more.

[freerackspace.org]

Turned over about $1700 or more.

thats pretty dam good, congrats on the sale :)

[Peopls]

thats pretty dam good, congrats on the sale :)
Cheers :)
Erk, suppose I should have said that was $1700 a month...

[adilbhai]

I am running a newly launched image hosting but I must say that moderated image hosting doesnt have any prob. Just using below 100 GB a month now

Porn hosting for free. You must hve an idea how many hits porn sites get ;)

[snapya]

I am running a newly launched image hosting but I must say that moderated image hosting doesnt have any prob. Just using below 100 GB a month now

Porn hosting for free. You must hve an idea how many hits porn sites get ;)

Dude do you realise that this thread is from 2004?

[adilbhai]

;) I didnt

Just searched the threads, found this one and replied

Sorry abt that

[jcink]

Oh well old thread but anyway

I think image hosting isn't 'ruined' by copiers.

It definitely takes the fun out of making one though. I made a simple one a year ago out of boredom. It's not like they're in high demand at all anymore. Image hosting is image hosting, when it gets down to it, it's hard to improve that.

If you're looking to make money I would say block hotlinking with htaccess, and make a "page" that the image shows up on. Give it a popup maybe. This way you're ensuring you make money every time someone hits the page to view the image, really, I have no idea how imageshack stays in business with people hotlinking their stuff all over the place.

[snapya]

I have no idea how imageshack stays in business with people hotlinking their stuff all over the place.

Easy they have there ads on the homepage were people go to upload there files.