If you post an image and the web address (URL) for that picture belongs to someone else, you are hotlinking. Hotlinking uses someone else’s bandwidth without their permission and may cost that person more money. It’s not good netiquette. We do not allow hotlinking. So how can you avoid it?

You can simply link to that image. Right-click the image you want to link to. Select View Image. Copy the URL for that image from your browser’s address field. Don’t use the Insert Image feature (that would be hotlinking). Just paste the URL into your post. Done.

You can save the image to your computer and upload it to your own hosting service, then post it. To do this:

1. Right-click the image you want to save.
2. Select Save Image.
3. Proceed with the steps for posting a picture.

You’ll want to be careful not to violate the owner’s copyright. It is polite to secure permission before using any images that belong to others.

Mods edit hotlinked images so they appear only as links. If you routinely hotlink, you may receive a warning.