TR: part 2 Wandering the Wonders of the West

Nope, I put iPhone photos on my blog; hi res jpgs in photo website. In PP I use Adobe Camera Raw to convert RAW files to tif then import into PS for adjustments, using a plug ins from Tpaz, On One and Nik Efex.

And, I am going to try Amazon Affiliates to possibly earn some income. i just won't be as obvious as some bloggers are. After all, I do enjoy relating where we have to help others when traveling.

I am going to upgrade to WP premium, go through posts to resize photos and return to wrapping text around images, less text, especially regarding roads. If I name the location of the photo then I will highlight that place with different color text. Also, fewer images with link back to photo website.

I've suggested to my family when interesting trip reports come out that they come to this forum. They don't have to be truck campers or even RV'rs to lurk. Posts like your's would definitely qualify.

Judy:

We pay just about $155 CAD a year for multiple domain names and full hosting (Netfirms plan). I could install a "blog" platform onto my server space (if I wished to go that route), and a choice of e-Commerce platforms, too.

My allowable raster image storage limit is so enormous, I would probably never achieve the limit.

Are you storing full-RAW images on your site? Have you got e-Commerce installed? I hesitate storing full uncompressed imagery on our site.

Also, you may want to consider implementing something like a loss-less dynamic compression application on a hosted server plan (something like LizardTech MrSID Generation 4 with Express Server 9). MrSID is used almost explusively for serving massive terrabyte sized raster imagery from satellite sensors at 95% loss-less compression (hard to believe I know; t'was developed a Sandia National Labs, NM, and is now a civilian product). It could easily be used as a professional photography hyper-compression/uncompression solution in your own hosted server....something to consider.

Cheers,
Silver-

I like to keep things cheap and simple. I use my Hotmail OneDrive cloud storage for picture uploads. I think I get 20 gigs space for free. No limit to the amount of bandwidth or requests for the picture files. Just need to set sharing to public for link posting. Then I place the picture link into Word Press and caption it. I like to caption the pictures as I go describing the images from start to finish. The pictures upload in the order taken so it has a logical progression. This way I don't worry about space issues. It definitely takes time to do a trip report. Choosing which pictures to post or link to then composing what your caption will say. Many times you start with good intentions of doing a good trip report but then the reality of how much time you have sets in and you start to short cut things to get it finished. At least using Word Press, you only have to write the report once, then you can share the link anywhere you want such as forums with different posting conventions or individual emails.

Silversand: Thank-you for your input and compliments. $100 seems like a lot of money but I am looking into Amazon Affiliates linkup with Wordpress.

Whazoo: Yeah, a vicious cycle and I wish there was software for posting at forums without copy/paste and linking to another site hosting your photos. I have Smugmug for my photos and also an account at Flickr which I haven't used much lately. I like things simple as I have a disorganized mind so the simpler it is the better.

jefe4x4: You are sure a man of many talents. Did you build the environment for that model train? Yes, Mark does beautiful work. I do have a Flickr account (since 2005) but just the free one. It would be probably cheaper to just post photos somewhere like Whazoo does but I don't have his way with words. I began a Wix account for my DH and so far it is free but I ran into some posting problems (I can't do sequential tasks unless I have a cheat sheet or have been doing it so long it is imprinted into my right brain).

You are so right about "having to do it" about blogging. I do like to share our experiences via words and images as people don't do slideshows at home any more as friends/family are so widely dispersed. I started out on Wordpress by putting in text flowing around the images. But, it is so much easier to put photos at the end. Even if I just used photos with some text, I would still use up storage. Before I used to resize DSLR images but now I use iPhone 5 as it is quicker and easier to quickly snap a jpg image already a nice size rather get out the big guys, set up tripod, fiddle with settings, edit in ACR from RAW to jpg then resize. RPITB.

I am thinking of spending the $100, linking with my Amazon Associates account, trying to get more followers (hint, hint) and work on better SEO and keywords to generate some income. Also, I could delete a few images and resize the DSLR from pre-iPhone days to free up space. My Smugmug account has a bazillion images on it which I need to pare down drastically but they don't have a bandwidth limit for uploaded images total, just individual images.

Actually, I would just be willing to pay for more storage as I am happy with my layout and templates and don't care about having a domain name without Wordprees in it. I already have that domain name for which I pay Go daddy for hosting. That would be confusing and I would have to find a new domain name for Wordpress.

I would like a site that offers unlimited image uploading that has both image and blog platforms. I would pay $100 a year for that option. A few themes and design option are all I need. Seamless linking of photos and blog, clicking on a small thumbnail of a DSLR image would bring you to Image page without linking. I have an educational background in web design, but being a print person for decades, had issues with getting all the variables to work right for everybody's browsers. And, it involved math!!!!! Creative people shouldn't have to deal with numbers.

Thanks for listening. Happy trails in your TCs

Judy, this is a dilemma that some of us trip report and post up pictures people face. The best Trip Report person of all time is The Whaz, just above. He has a focused readership right here and spends a lot of time editing the pix to larger than life proportions which have great audience appeal. Furthermore, his light, tongue in cheek manner speaks well to said readership.
I have a couple Sacred Music oriented websites that don't get much traffic and do cost quite a bit for what you get. Also, we post to FB with short vids and pictures with music. By far the most-for-the-least platform for us is posting pictures on Photobucket and posting links in trip reports we give here and stories and other user focused forums. One is narrow gauge model trains:

I have developed a pay relationship ($25/yr.) with PHOBUK that allows lots of text under each photo which has worked out well (at least i hope it is as good for you as it was for me). It's kind of a poor man's website. But, the pix are #1 and text is #2 so you wind up offering context and describing each photo, not assembling a narrative.
Another way of doing business can be seen in Mark' Larson's Crosses Flicker site, which has a very narrow focused readership, including me. (the Nave below is our 1854 era Episcopal Church interior) He has had photos published in Arizona Highways, he's that good.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/his_cross/15239547231/
But again, his pix, with biblical quotes speak for themselves.
You offer, as I have responded, a unique perspective on TC travel with the double barreled aspect of fine pix and in-depth text. Any of us spending the time to post trip reports in any venue do it because we have to do it. Your job is find a way to get to your focused audience and readership with the least cost and the easiest user interface.
regards, as always, jefe

Judy, I guess the issue is posting to several forums. I don't, so have no suggestions other than do it just the way you are which is great. Otherwise, I just send my folks the link to a trip report. It's always there just not on my own blog site that limits photos. Isn't there a way to copy and paste from one forum to the next? Copy from a text editor program and insert photos from photobucket? That would be a hassle too though. Too bad there isn't forum editing software to solve the issue, but then it would probably cost that hundred bucks. Oy, it's a vicious circle.

....I like your trip narrative exactly the way it is: lots of write-up, followed by plenty of illustrative photos (exceptionally well made photos, too!)...

Tremendous write-up!

Thanks,
S-