ImageShack
Encyclopedia
ImageShack is a free image hosting
website. ImageShack has a subscription service but the majority of its revenue is produced from advertising related to its free image hosting. The imageshack.us Alexa
ranking in September 25, 2007 was one of the top 40, but now as of September 25, 2011 it's dropped to 135. According to Nielsen//NetRatings
, ImageShack was the fourth fastest growing web brand in July 2006.
(JPG), PNG, GIF
, TIFF
(TIF), BMP
, and the file must be smaller than or equal to 5 megabytes. Uploaded BMP and TIFF (TIF) images are automatically converted to PNG format.
After the file is uploaded, the user is redirected to a page containing different versions of URL
s to the uploaded image. These URLs are preformatted in a variety of HTML
and Bulletin Board code
snippets, which can be used to hotlink them on websites and message boards. These URLs are not listed publicly, therefore only the user and the people to whom the user shares the URL can know the file location. In mid-2008, Imageshack began 'hiding' the direct link to images, in an attempt to reduce the number of directly-linked images, as they provide no advertising revenue. After receiving feedback from users Imageshack discontinued 'hiding' the direct links and placed them on the top of the page. However, it now claims you must register to see the direct link (viewing the image directly or reading the url from the source code also works).
Images are stored on ImageShack indefinitely unless the image or the user who uploaded it abuses the Terms of Service
. The image will be rendered inaccessible if the image uses over 200 megabytes of bandwidth in a one-hour period. If the image in question is not accessed a single time in one year, they will remove it.
There is also a free registration service that gives the user the ability to see and delete their previously uploaded images.
In May 2006 it was reported that ImageShack serves 100,000 concurrent user requests during peak operation.
ImageShack also provides a standalone open-source application for users to upload images and videos. The ImageShack uploader is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
. It was launched in February 2009, and allows uploads via email
or a website interface.
On July 10, 2009, at 7:34pm PST, ImageShack's services were compromised by the Antisec Movement
, a group with the goal of eradicating the publication of security exploits. The group had gained control of the way images were being displayed, and as a result some images hosted by ImageShack were temporarily redirected to an image detailing the manifesto of the movement. The message adds that “no images were harmed in the making of this … image”, implying that ImageShack images were not lost. Normal functionality was restored less than two hours later, and ImageShack asserted that no user data or content had been damaged or lost.
Image hosting service
An image hosting service allows individuals to upload images to an Internet website. The image host will then store the image onto its server, and show the individual different types of code to allow others to view that image....
website. ImageShack has a subscription service but the majority of its revenue is produced from advertising related to its free image hosting. The imageshack.us Alexa
Alexa Internet
Alexa Internet, Inc. is a California-based subsidiary company of Amazon.com that is known for its toolbar and Web site. Once installed, the toolbar collects data on browsing behavior which is transmitted to the Web site where it is stored and analyzed and is the basis for the company's Web traffic...
ranking in September 25, 2007 was one of the top 40, but now as of September 25, 2011 it's dropped to 135. According to Nielsen//NetRatings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
, ImageShack was the fourth fastest growing web brand in July 2006.
Image hosting
The site debuted in November 2003 and has since grown greatly in popularity. The main page has a file selection field, where the user may select the image file to upload. The image file format must be either JPEGJPEG
In computing, JPEG . The degree of compression can be adjusted, allowing a selectable tradeoff between storage size and image quality. JPEG typically achieves 10:1 compression with little perceptible loss in image quality....
(JPG), PNG, GIF
GIF
The Graphics Interchange Format is a bitmap image format that was introduced by CompuServe in 1987 and has since come into widespread usage on the World Wide Web due to its wide support and portability....
, TIFF
Tagged Image File Format
TIFF is a file format for storing images, popular among graphic artists, the publishing industry, and both amateur and professional photographers in general. As of 2009, it is under the control of Adobe Systems...
(TIF), BMP
Windows bitmap
The BMP File Format, also known as Bitmap Image File or Device Independent Bitmap file format or simply a Bitmap, is a Raster graphics image file format used to store bitmap digital images, independently of the display device , especially on Microsoft Windows and OS/2 operating systems.The BMP...
, and the file must be smaller than or equal to 5 megabytes. Uploaded BMP and TIFF (TIF) images are automatically converted to PNG format.
After the file is uploaded, the user is redirected to a page containing different versions of URL
Uniform Resource Locator
In computing, a uniform resource locator or universal resource locator is a specific character string that constitutes a reference to an Internet resource....
s to the uploaded image. These URLs are preformatted in a variety of HTML
HTML
HyperText Markup Language is the predominant markup language for web pages. HTML elements are the basic building-blocks of webpages....
and Bulletin Board code
BBCode
BBCode or Bulletin Board Code is a lightweight markup language used to format posts in many message boards. The available tags are usually indicated by square brackets surrounding a keyword, and they are parsed by the message board system before being translated into a markup language that web...
snippets, which can be used to hotlink them on websites and message boards. These URLs are not listed publicly, therefore only the user and the people to whom the user shares the URL can know the file location. In mid-2008, Imageshack began 'hiding' the direct link to images, in an attempt to reduce the number of directly-linked images, as they provide no advertising revenue. After receiving feedback from users Imageshack discontinued 'hiding' the direct links and placed them on the top of the page. However, it now claims you must register to see the direct link (viewing the image directly or reading the url from the source code also works).
Images are stored on ImageShack indefinitely unless the image or the user who uploaded it abuses the Terms of Service
Terms of Service
Terms of service are rules which one must agree to abide by in order to use a service. Unless in violation of consumer protection laws, such terms are usually legally binding...
. The image will be rendered inaccessible if the image uses over 200 megabytes of bandwidth in a one-hour period. If the image in question is not accessed a single time in one year, they will remove it.
There is also a free registration service that gives the user the ability to see and delete their previously uploaded images.
In May 2006 it was reported that ImageShack serves 100,000 concurrent user requests during peak operation.
ImageShack also provides a standalone open-source application for users to upload images and videos. The ImageShack uploader is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
yfrog
Yfrog is a service run by ImageShack that is designed specifically for uploading photographs and videos to TwitterTwitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
. It was launched in February 2009, and allows uploads via email
Email
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
or a website interface.
Hack by Anti-Sec
Antisec Movement
The Anti Security Movement is a movement opposed to the computer security industry. Antisec is against full disclosure of information relating to but not limited to: software vulnerabilities, exploits, exploitation techniques, hacking tools, attacking public outlets and distribution points of that...
, a group with the goal of eradicating the publication of security exploits. The group had gained control of the way images were being displayed, and as a result some images hosted by ImageShack were temporarily redirected to an image detailing the manifesto of the movement. The message adds that “no images were harmed in the making of this … image”, implying that ImageShack images were not lost. Normal functionality was restored less than two hours later, and ImageShack asserted that no user data or content had been damaged or lost.