Hotlinking and Bandwidth Theft Simplified
Bandwidth refers to the amount of data transferred from a web site to a user's computer. When you view a web page, you are using that site's bandwidth to display the files. Since web hosts charge based on the amount of data transferred, bandwidth is an issue. If a site is over its monthly bandwidth, it's billed for the extra data or taken offline.
Laymans terms:
Copying and pasting ANY graphic from ANY site other than your own is hotlinking and bandwidth theft unless you have permission from the site owner and creator to do so.
When you copy and paste someone's images from another site to your page, you are using their bandwidth...this means you are costing someone money! If their bandwidth is exceeded, not only will they have to pay more for their images to show up in the future on their own site---but you will start seeing red x's or "image not found" messages wherever you have copied and pasted the image. And we have all seen that here at Multiply. Usually though because someone has hosted somewhere else, and then used the image here. (That's why I always recommend hosting your Multiply images at Multiply and then that doesn't happen)
What can happen to you if you hotlink?? Most websites do NOT allow hotlinking (again they are paying for that space) And they do have several options to take action against you. They can tell where their image is being displayed, and by whom and take action accordingly. If I was paying for a site and the bandwidth, and I found someone was intentionally hotlinking my images without permission, the first thing I would do is delete the image they hotlinked--put a new image with the exact same file name with a message..that way everywhere they copied and pasted the image--they would see that message and NOT the image they planned on. If you were expecting a particular image to show in your post or page, and it actually does at first... and then later on before you realize it, a different image appeared that included the words "image stolen - shame on me" ,you would think twice about doing it again, right?
I have seen this on someone's page here on Multiply! And a lot of other people saw it before the Multiply user did and got it off there. lol (Sorry, but it WAS funny and I knew what happened) Though the intent was not malicious, the results were the same. The person just didn't know! They just copy and pasted an entire page that included an image without realizing... you can't do that without permission!!
Hotlinking and bandwidth theft is NEVER the right thing to do...NEVER. If you see an image on a site that you want, first make sure the site is giving you permission to snag the images--and secondly, save it to your computer FIRST. Then YOU host it in an album, here or other image hosting site that you are a member of and use it from there.
How can you tell if an image has been hotlinked?? Yes, even you can tell!
You can right click on any image and hit Properties..and that gives you the HTTP address of where the image is hosted.
In the case of Multiply photos that are shared, its may be a little trickier to tell if its been copied and pasted, but the same thing applies. Right click, properties and if the image ends in the same letters/numbers as the original image--then its been hotlinked.So please don't hotlink to my images without permission - or instead of the image you think you are using, you just might see this later in it's place.... LOLSAVE the image to your computer first and host it yourself!There are exceptions to the rule of bandwidth theft though. If I hotlink (with permission of course) by copying and pasting something that includes an image from a Multiply page TO a Multiply page, then I'm not stealing your bandwidth nor costing Multiply extra money. I'm still hotlinking, (with permission) but I'm not stealing bandwidth. Because it's all within the same Service. However, if they pull their image, then my pasted image disappears also. I'd rather take the extra step to keep my content's appearance!
NOTE: Multiply currently allows photos to be hosted on Multiply and used on other sites. They do however, mark or watermark these photos with the Multiply logo.
