So Long, Farewell and Goodbye, Photobucket


I didnโ€™t use the service very much, but I did when I needed to, and had quite a few photos stored over there when I needed an address to link to. Yesterday, I spotted this down the right-hand side of my screen, where a totally different image should have appeared:

I checked the address out, as they instructed, and found that the only way images from Photobucket can now be shared on blogs or other sites is by paying $400.00 per year on the above price plan only. In their gumpf (slang for random content or text), they said they were notifying users to let them know they needed to upgrade. This is how they notified everyone โ€“ by changing the image. The reasons for the change are financial. The site was supported by (what seemed like) a million adverts which now isnโ€™t enough to support the site. They say they own hold a gazillion images nowโ€ฆ but need to make this change to continue to do so. I wish them well,

But.

Iโ€™m not paying to hold my images there. I havenโ€™t got two haโ€™pennies to rub together. I can do the same with my images uploaded to WordPress, as I could with the above site, so that is the way forward.

Iโ€™ve upgraded by deleting my account.

This is my rather grumpy-sounding post for Six Word Saturday. Visit Debbieโ€™s site for more (possibly less grumpy) six word posts.

And now a happy image to end with, โ€˜The Dance of the Light Masterโ€™โ€ฆ movement and stillness still spreading light.

39 responses to “So Long, Farewell and Goodbye, Photobucket”

  1. Soul Gifts avatar
    Soul Gifts

    Cheeky buggers! Nice solution, Tom ๐Ÿ™‚

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Tom Merriman avatar

      I thought so, Raili! ๐Ÿ˜€

      Liked by 1 person

  2. Ron. avatar

    Wow! Big bucks! Who’s got THAT?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Tom Merriman avatar

      Not me, Ron., that’s for sure! ๐Ÿ˜€

      Like

  3. restlessjo avatar

    Since I had no idea what/who Photobucket were there’s not much probability of them recruiting a paying member here, Tom. Happy ungrumpy Saturday! ๐Ÿ™‚ ๐Ÿ™‚

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Tom Merriman avatar

      Happy ungrumpy Saturday, Sunday and now Monday, Jo! ๐Ÿ˜€
      I’m getting better! ๐Ÿ˜€

      Like

      1. restlessjo avatar

        And less grumpy, Tom ๐Ÿ™‚ ๐Ÿ™‚

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Tom Merriman avatar

          Most definitely! ๐Ÿ˜€

          Liked by 1 person

  4. bcparkison avatar

    Just when we get comfortable …wham!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Tom Merriman avatar

      I know, Beverly. They like to keep us on our toes.

      Like

    1. Tom Merriman avatar

      Hehehe! ๐Ÿ˜€

      Like

  5. colonialist avatar

    It went ‘gloop’ at me and simply posted! Grrrrrrrrr!
    As I was trying to say, I shall follow suit.
    Photobucket has effectively kicked the bucket, methinks.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Tom Merriman avatar

      Pesky Gremlins!
      Quite a few of us have deleted our accounts, Col.
      Perhaps this may turn into one of those major corporate disasters we hear about every now and again.

      Like

      1. colonialist avatar

        I wood sin sear lee hoe up knot.

        Liked by 1 person

  6. Sue Dreamwalker avatar

    Yes this happened to me too Tom.. I was with Photobucket since 2007.. I deleted my account last week when I spotted some images on my home page holding this message.. .. I had noticed more and more adds when I visited the site and then this.. I have to backtrack through many of my posts now to the images I will have to delete.. Sad.. way to treat your customers. but its all about profit not freebies any more.
    I bet more of us did the same.. xxx

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Tom Merriman avatar

      I think we did, Sue.
      Even if they reverted back to being free again, I won’t return now. Not that I used them that much in the forst place.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Sue Dreamwalker avatar

        Exactly Tom.. Likewise.. I used it alot in the past and had built up a good library but I let it go, as I am not being subject to blackmail, which it was.. and despite me having to at some point backtrack my old posts with the images on, and edit them.. No one really looks that far back in my archives on WP anyway, so its not so important a loss.. just more of an annoyance.. but even that disappeared when I thought about letting go of the attachment to it ..

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Tom Merriman avatar

          The letting go makes it so much easier!

          Liked by 1 person

  7. thecobweboriumemporium avatar

    I could see where Photobucket was heading a few months ago, so I went in there and showed them my displeasure by deleting all my photographs so that they couldn’t hold me to ransom. I’m so glad that I did. Horrible, nasty people. I hate it when things are done by stealth and the trust of the people who use the ‘system’ is violated. Grrrr.
    [picks up step stool, tucks it under her arm and moves to the padded room]
    ~ C. x

    Liked by 2 people

    1. thecobweboriumemporium avatar

      Just a stray thought . . .
      What’s wrong with using the blog media folder here? You can load any photo’s you want to use straight to your media folder here, then pick them up and sit there where ever you want them to be.
      Why do you not just use that?
      (am I being dense here? Is there something blaringly obvious that I’m failing to see? ….. it’s normal. lol)

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Tom Merriman avatar

        Not dense at all Cobs!
        When I used PB, I didn’t know how to use the media folder properly here on WordPress when I needed the image URL. Now I understand things a bit better, I can do what I need here in WordPress. Some things take me a while.
        I did say in me post, just after the two ha’pennies bit, but thanks for your suggestion all the same. Any help is always gratefully received here! ๐Ÿ˜€

        Liked by 1 person

        1. thecobweboriumemporium avatar

          I did notice that you’d said you could load into the media folder on W.Press. But I wondered if there was a reason that you didn’t – perhaps a security or safety reason – which I didn’t know about. So I thought I’d ask in the hope that either you or one of your millions of readers could help me. ๐Ÿ™‚ (me being a duffer and all that. lol)

          Liked by 1 person

          1. Tom Merriman avatar

            Absolutely NOT a duffer in ANY variation of the word, Cobs!
            And no reason, just me being merely clueless. Not really a change there… hehehe! ๐Ÿ˜€
            I almost called you Cobbles just now… years ago, one of my usernames on some site or other was Tom Cobbles. I quite liked that one. I mentioned to you in response to your Jedward comment ๐Ÿ˜’๐Ÿ˜† in another post I’m a master of disguise… along my journey I’ve been Tom, Tom Cobbles, Tom Millennium, and now Tom Merriman. Why I’ve had the urge to tell you this is beyond me, but there you go! I’ve let the mask slip there a little… ๐Ÿ˜‰

            Liked by 1 person

            1. thecobweboriumemporium avatar

              Tom … your secret is safe with me, for I’m bomb proof.
              ah… although … comments here aren’t. LOL!

              Liked by 1 person

              1. Tom Merriman avatar

                Shhh… they may not be noticed… ๐Ÿ˜Ž

                Liked by 1 person

    2. Tom Merriman avatar

      As Col said above it would seem they’ve kicked their own bucket, Cobs.
      Good luck to them, I say.

      Liked by 1 person

  8. prenin avatar

    I never used photobucket because I have only a dodgy camera and a dangerous environment where robbery is common!

    There are other picture storage sites dude, if you still want to keep using pictures! ๐Ÿ™‚

    Greed is a terrible thing… ๐Ÿ˜ฆ

    God Bless!

    Prenin.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Tom Merriman avatar

      Indeed it is, Prenin – greed, that is.
      WordPress is fine for the pictures, so for now, that’s all I need! ๐Ÿ˜€

      Liked by 1 person

  9. -Eugenia avatar

    I never used Photobucket. There are so many better options.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Tom Merriman avatar

      And WordPress itself isn’t half bad, Eugenia! ๐Ÿ˜€

      Liked by 1 person

      1. -Eugenia avatar

        I agree. There is a lot storage room for images for the average blogger. Those that are into photography may run out of space or pay for extra storage.

        Like

  10. niasunset avatar

    I said Goodbte too, to Photobucket! I have been using such a long time… They lost me too ๐Ÿ™‚

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Tom Merriman avatar

      They’ve treated customers terribly, Nia. Their loss.

      Liked by 1 person

  11. Debbie Smyth avatar

    Not being able to offer for free is one thing, but 400$! Crazy!

    But on a cheery note, I love your bright and dynamic image Tom ๐Ÿ™‚

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Tom Merriman avatar

      Thanks, Debbie.
      Yes, they have gone from one extreme to the other!

      Like

  12. europasicewolf avatar

    Really?!! Well I shall be following your example then! I mostly forget it’s there now, with all the other hosting sites but I do have a lot of old spaces live pics stored there…but no way would I consider paying to use them! What a cheek. Thanks for the info โ˜บ

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Tom Merriman avatar

      My pleasure, Icewolf. I think a lot of folk have closed their accounts because of this.

      Liked by 1 person

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