Help with online photo galleries and cell phones.

February 28, 2004 2:04 PM

Question about online photo galleries and cell phones: my brother wants to go from computerphobe to blogger in one day. [I, M]

Yesterday, I mentioned how easy it would be for him to register a domain and get hosted. His eyes lit up, and about 20 minutes later he had a .com address and a friend of mine agreed to host him. This morning, he calls me up and says he wants to have a "blog sort of thing," where he can also post pictures from his cell phone on to the web. Naturally, he has no idea how. "Ok, I said, I'll look into it."

I don't anything about photo blogs, or camblogging, or moblogging, or whatever category this falls into. I believe that a traditional blog isn't what he wants -- I doubt he'd be interested in linking to sites or considering his navel like we do -- I think basically he wants mostly to know how to upload images directly from his phone to a web site that he could also, from time to time, add text to using a web interface. Does such a thing exist? I'm sure it does, but more to the point, does it exist for FREE, and what is it called?

Helpful tips?

posted by Hildago to Computers & Internet (9 answers total)

Response by poster: I screwed up my quotation marks up there, but the question still stands.
posted by Hildago at 2:05 PM on February 28, 2004

The usual method (that I've heard of) is to combine your cameraphone's "E-mail this photo" feature with a "publish to blog" e-mail script. If you want to set him up with Movable Type, there is a plugin.
posted by Aaorn at 2:38 PM on February 28, 2004

Text America -- I know nothing about it other than I've heard it makes what you want to do super simple.
posted by willnot at 3:33 PM on February 28, 2004

I currently use TextAmerica and have no real complaints with it. It's free and very easy to use. TypePad also has really good photoblogging capabilities, and I'm planning to move my photoblog over to it sometime soon, so I can have everything in one place.

Incidentally, TA used to have some very squirrelly terms-of-service (i.e., they owned all images you sent to them) but have changed them to sane ones due to massive outcry. The TOS are normal now, but they acted very defensively about it the whole time.
posted by Vidiot at 3:36 PM on February 28, 2004

I'd say use buzznet or textamerica, as they both offer javascript feeds of your last x photos, which you can run down the side of a MT or Blogger powered blog.
posted by mathowie at 5:44 PM on February 28, 2004

although you do have to show the text ads with text america (afaik) -- not terrible, but it might not fit in with your design.

i've been using ta for almost .. 9 months now? and have been pretty happy with them. Shawn, who appears to be the user liason for ta seems to be a really nice guy, and they've added a lot of pretty nifty features (like video support).

'course, i am going to try that popblog mobile plugin -- cut out the middle man.
posted by fishfucker at 6:32 PM on February 28, 2004

Response by poster: Coo. Is there any way to use textamerica or buzznet, but have it hosted remotely, not at x.textamericaorbuzznet.com? He's extremely excited about having his own domain name. Like a six year old, really. It's embarassing for all of us.

I suppose that having it hosted at their site is what makes it easy to do, though. Anyway, thanks folks.
posted by Hildago at 7:42 PM on February 28, 2004

TypePad supports domain-mapping.
posted by Vidiot at 8:31 PM on February 28, 2004

Yep, with TypePad he can use his own domain name, and we're adding a bunch of new moblogging features like being able to comment on pictures or post audio. Email me if he wants to give it a try.
posted by anildash at 9:17 PM on March 1, 2004