Imgur
 | |
| File:Imgur screenshot.png | |
Type of site | image hosting service |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Owner | Imgur LLC |
| Created by | Alan Schaaf |
| URL | imgur.com |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | Optional |
Imgur (pronounced Image-Er[2]) is an online image hosting service founded by Alan Schaaf. It offers free image hosting to millions of users[3] a day, serving over ninety terabytes of images daily.[4] No registration or membership is required. The company is based in San Francisco.
The service was created as a response to the usability problems encountered in similar services,[5] which the creator describes as "bloated, confusing and annoying".[6]
The website became widely recognised following its rise to popularity on social news websites such as Reddit and Digg.[7] On January 9, 2010, Schaaf announced the creation of Imgur accounts, which allow users to create custom image galleries and manage their images.[8] Users can also sign in with Twitter, Google, Facebook, and Yahoo accounts.
Popularity
The site has a statistics page where users can monitor the site's popularity, how many images are uploaded, how many hits images get (karma), and how much bandwidth is being used. Imgur has largely overtaken other hosts, such as Tinypic, on social networking sites like reddit and Digg.[3]
| # | Per day | Per week | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Images uploaded | 773,244 | 4,965,114 | 23,343,059 |
| Image views | 978,466,914 | 6,469,541,225 | 36,221,749,871 |
| Average image size | 208.18 KB | 199.15 KB | 204.99 KB |
| Bandwidth used | 119.63 TB | 879.25 TB | 4.39 PB |
Features
Images on the site are not retained indefinitely. If an image is not accessed at least once during a six-month period, it will be deleted.[9] If an account has 225 images, and one more is uploaded, the oldest image is hidden from the account unless the user has pro. Some gallery pages have JavaScript code embedded within them to make it difficult to simply copy and paste the descriptive text[citation needed].
References
- ^ "Imgur.com Site Info". Alexa Internet. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
- ^ imgur FAQ
- ^ a b Interview with Alan Schaaf by DomainShane.com
- ^ Imgur Statistics
- ^ reddit.com: My Gift to Reddit: I created an image hosting service that doesn't suck. What do you think?
- ^ Examiner.com: Imgur interviewed by Technology News Examiner
- ^ Alan Schaaf interview by Mediaite
- ^ reddit.com - Announcing Imgur accounts
- ^ "Frequently Asked Questions - Imgur". Retrieved 3 January 2012.