The AOL Pictures Blog

Monday, October 3, 2005
9:24:00 PM EDT
AOL pictures has a very easy to use sharing feature, that allows you to share your pictures with anyone, as long as they have an email address.  However, some users have asked if they have other ways to share pictures, without having to go and use the share form.  For example, you may have a Member Directory profile album, and want to add a link to this album to your email signature.  When people get your email, they can click on the link and it will show you the pictures.    This can be done for a Member Profile album,  but it is not that easy to do, and requires some steps to make it happen.

• Option 1: Use the Share Feature! The best way to share an album is to use the built in share feature of AOL pictures and You've Got Pictures.   We designed it this way, it's fast, and it goes to only the people that you want to share with.
• Option 2: Link to your member profile, or blog/journal. You can always setup a public profile album or a journal, that contains links to your pictures.
• Example 1: You can create a member directory profile for yourself then add pictures. In your email signature you can have a link to your member profile.   Here's a link to my cat's member profile "Check out my cool pictures"
  
• Example 2 : The same can be done for journals - create a journal that contains "my pictures" , add some YGP albums to it, then add the link to that journal in your mail signature.      In your email signature add a link to your journal "Check out and comment on my pictures!" The nice thing about putting them in a journal is your friends and family can add comments on the pictures, using the journal itself!  You can also restrict who can view your journal.
  
• Option 3: Work really hard and figure out another way.   It can be done... What I am going to write here is not really supported by AOL pictures.. So this is a "use it, but don't call us upif you can't get it working".  Seriously,  give this a try,   and if you have trouble leave a comment below,  or email me and I'll try and help.
• Using AOL Pictures,   select your Member Profile Album and share it to yourself (yes, sounds nuts, but you have to do this part)
  
• Goto your inbox and open the email.  It has a button "View Album". If you click on that button, it will open up your album. Don't Click on it.
• At the bottom of the email it lists (in small text) - "If you are having trouble seeing the View Album button above, copy and paste the link below into your browser".  You need to copy the link that is next to the text.. You need to copy the entire link.   Don't miss out a letter or chop it off, since it won't work!
  
• Now you can use that link, and embed it into your email signatures.    For example,  I can add a signature "Who am I?".  Click on "Who Am I" and you will see my member profile album.

So that's the 3 options.  Option 3 has a bit of pain to it, and you may run into trouble.  But I did warn you !

You can get even more fancy with this by creating a nice graphic that links to your album.  Here are two examples, one that links to my profile album that asks you to sign in, and one that links directly to the guest view mode.





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This entry has 2 comments: (Add your own)

• #2 Comment from shareyourphotos 
  10/4/05 9:12 PM | Permalink

  Betty - those images are ones I cut from my sharing email, to demonstrate linking to a profile. I got them from the email that is sent when an album is shared.
• #1 Comment from rap4143 
  10/4/05 7:20 AM | Permalink

  How did you create the fancy graphic?
  Betty