Good Things To Know: Preventing Hotlinking

[permetaform]

copy-pasted wholesale from silverthoughts with permission

First, I've turned off direct linking a long time ago. You can do it via your own Cpanel which never really worked for me. So, I created an .htaccess file with the help of this wizard:

http://www.htmlbasix.com/disablehotlinking.shtml

Just follow the instructions but remember to include only the URLS that you want to be able to hotlink from.

I also created a direct linking image (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0803/silverhawk/layout/linker.jpg) in place of it and uploaded it at a free image host so it will always direct itself somewhere else and no longer on my domain. I create it big, I create it bright because believe it or not, a lot of them have pretty layouts.

I also write a note on my site that if anyone direct links, they only get that direct linking image and I let them see it.

If I do catch someone direct linking, I write them an email [...] to explain why direct linking is wrong, [...] and this link to tell them if they can't read English, it's all translated here:

http://www.obsess-much.com/directlinking

And then I shoot them a suggestion for free image hosting providers so they have no excuse to not save it to their own site:

http://silverthoughts.net/rightclicklick/faq1.html

and then tell them to remove or I will report them to their ISP as a violation to the terms of their host. Most tell me to fuck off. Someone called me a bitch and didn't care what I did so I reported her to DeadJournal abuse and I had her Deadjournal deleted.

Comments

[ciceqi.livejournal.com]

*grins* Someone I know, tho I forget who, apparently once changed the image being direct-linked-to with another image of the same filename that said "I STEAL BANDWIDTH." That cracked me up beyond belief.

[permetaform]

XD ahh, that's the *best*, pie on their face, no?