EDIT : 2026-03-09
Low-cost Storage Solution Acquired! Raised the upload limit and updated the wording of this post to reflect this!

Uploads are now re-enabled for The Broken Chatbox Forums! In this announcement post I'd like to quickly go over some quick warnings, guidelines, and information regarding uploads, as well as outline some simple how-to topics!

Firstly, it's very important to make clear, The Broken Chatbox is NOT a file hosting/sharing service! As with any online space, assume files uploaded are volatile and could vanish at any moment! The Broken Chatbox Forums allow uploads and downloads to assist and help community members share creative experiences, but doing so does not always require a direct upload. You should try and utilize proper file storage and sharing services when applicable, especially for larger files, and always keep a local copy/backup to prevent data loss! Users are also encouraged to keep backups of downloads, just in-case!

The Broken Chatbox has a limited allotment for storage and operates on very limited funds. Do-to current world events and shortages caused by both needless wars and AI company greed, acquiring additional storage is not guaranteed and potentially very costly. With this in mind, please be respectful of the space we do have available! When uploading either large files or a large number of files, please use external hosts for content and link them instead of using a direct upload, and please avoid uploading a very large number of files unnecessarily or abusing the system! (Sorry for any inconvenience this causes >.<)

How uploads work (Important!) :

File uploads here are a bit different than most forums or communities. Instead of files being associated with a thread, all uploads are associated with a user upon upload and then is linked inside posts/threads. This has a lot of advantages, such as allowing files to be posted in multiple threads without the need for re-upload. When you go to post a file, click the "My Media" button next to the Post Discussion/Reply button to enter the media panel, then when a file is selected or uploaded a custom "upl-file" link will paste where your cursor currently is. Keep the format of the link unchanged, this is what displays the download! (If you accidentally mess up the link, just re-enter the media panel and select the media again. Try not to re-upload the same content twice!) Click and drag is also enabled on some browsers; remember that once you drop in a file the upload will start right away and will show up in your media panel when complete, so if the link messes up or doesn't show, please check your media panel for the upload to prevent uploading duplicates!

Upload File Information :

Max file upload size
Currently the max upload size for any file is _200mb. This is a memory limitation currently set on the server to prevent issues and could change in the future. If we start running out of storage, upload size may be further restricted until storage is cleaned or expanded. (Check announcements or this thread's replies for updates regarding uploads!)

What kind of content can be uploaded?
You may upload, within reason, images, video, or compressed files that fall within our Rules and Guidelines. Some specific file types include .png/jpeg/webp/gif for images, mp4/webm for video, and 7z/rar/zip for compressed files. Some uploaded file types may be automatically or periodically optimized into a different format if space is a concern.

File optimizations and alterations
The Broken Chatbox may try and optimize different files, sometimes even changing the file type entirely, in order to save space or protect users. In space saving cases, files may be either re-processed to the same type or processed into a different type to reduce space usage. In safety cases, some metadata may be culled or formats may be changed to ensure users are safe.

Metadata
The Broken Chatbox does not current purge metadata automatically. This is to preserve obscure metadata for things like "Character Cards" or "Config As Image" style formats common in game modding. If you are concerned about metadata being exposed by uploads, please purge metadata before upload. If you have files uploaded that you'd like metadata for to be purged post-upload, please contact an admin/moderator and we can do this manually when time allows. You are responsible for your own metadata and privacy!

How data is stored
Uploaded files are currently stored on an external data solution provided by our server provider and is retrieved for display/download on the forum/website from this data solution. Backups are downloaded to a trusted machine controlled by The Broken Chatbox admin(s); Some file-types may periodically go through an optimization process where files are temporarily copied to this trusted machine for processing before an upload and replace. (In the future, additional storage locations may be utilized to expand our available space)

File deletion handling
As with virtually all online platforms, content is often flagged for deletion without being immediately deleted, and this applies to files uploaded to The Broken Chatbox. Currently processes for fully deleting content requires manual processing and action, please keep this in mind when uploading files for temporary purposes! (Illegal content is immediately deleted after proper reporting procedures are followed.)

Inactive file handling
Sometimes we (as in users) will accidentally upload something or do so temporarily, only to remove it from the given thread later. In these cases, please "delete" the file in your "My Media" panel so we can safely remove them. If a file is instead hidden without being in a live thread (thread that is not deleted). or the host thread is deleted and the file remains unused in other threads, these files may become flagged for deletion and eventually be fully deleted.

How To Upload and Manage My Uploads :

How to upload as file when creating a thread or making a post
When creating a post or thread, down next to the "Post Discussion" button there will be a small video/image looking button called "My Media". This button brings up your My Media Panel that shows all your active uploads. From this panel you can either select a file that's already been uploaded to place at your cursor position, or you can select "Upload" in the top-right to select a new file from your computer to upload. If your browser supports it, you can also click-and-drag from your system's file explorer onto the create post/thread panel to upload the file and place the link at your cursor quickly.

Access "My Media" without creating a thread/post
You can access your uploaded files and manage them from your Profile Page. In the top right of the forum, select your user profile icon and name, then select "Profile". From your Profile Page on the left side, select "My Media". From this media panel you can see and download your uploads, flag the upload for deletion (prevents it from being downloaded by users), or "Hide" the file from your panel. WARNING: Hiding and flagging for deletion can not be undone by a normal user, be careful!

How to remove files from a thread and delete it
To remove a file from a thread, simply edit the post and remove the "upl-file" link that was placed when uploading/selecting a file. After removing the links from any thread it was posted in, you can go into your My Media panel and flag the file for deletion. If there is a safety concern related to a file

Report Abuse
If you see a post with an in-appropriate upload that breaks our Rule and Guidelines, you can flag the post as breaking our rules by selecting the triple dots in the bottom-right of a post, selecting "Other" if you'd like to provide more details. If you suspect a user may be abusing uploads outside of threads and have proof, please contact an admin/moderator directly.

The Broken Chatbox community is currently funded by supporters on my SubscribeStar with additional/uncovered costs being out-of-pocket. If you'd like to help with costs, please consider donating through SubscribeStar and letting me know you'd like the funds to go toward helping the forums! If we can get enough consistent funds, then we can expand options for the community!

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