Tips: Bulk Photo Uploads

[Rik Brown]

Bulk Uploading Tips

Here are some tips on bulk uploading digital photos based on using MS-Windows:

1) I create a photos upload directory on my hard drive such as c:\bulk.
2) I then right click on the "Start" button in the lower left corner of my screen to access Windows Explorer.
3) From Windows Explorer I can find where my photos are located and then COPY them to my upload directory for processing (leaving the original photos unchanged).
4) I make the file sizes 600x400 pixels using the free program named FastStone Photo Resizer (find it at http://www.download.com/). This dramatically reduces the file size but large enough for online viewing.
5) Then I navigate to the proper upload directory in the Photos area of TRAVEL.com and select the Upload Photos option to upload the photos.

Its actually quite easy once you've done it once or twice.

Just note that all photos must be approved for content by someone at Travel.com. We normally check those photos several times in each 24-hour period.

File Names and Titles Tip from a User

Shashin has uploaded a lot of files with names such as "new-york-city-001.jpg" and sequentially. The numbers are not important except for the fact that each file name is unique. What is important is that indexing search engines like Google sees the words "New York City" and that helps to properly get those pictures indexed in addition to the "title" (even more important is the title) of each picture that you upload (you don't need to follow this tip as the system accepts virtually any filename. You will note that when you view an individual picture, the "title" you gave it is shown in the top line of your browser.

FIVE PHOTOS AT A TIME

We find that the system can abort if one uploads more than 5 photos at a time. So bypass the urge to upload that sixth photo and you'll get the best results (I've uploaded hundreds of photos this way without any problems).