ImageShack has replaced many old images, on Stack Exchange sites, with spam like:
Help us purge Stack Apps of this foul scourge! Here's how:
Pick a post that needs editing: You can use SEDE queries to find them, but there are only 14 left on Stack Apps and the list is below.
If the post still needs fixing, Use the "Wayback Machine" (Internet Archive, henceforth "WM") to recover the old the missing image(s) for that post.
If the WM says that the URL you tried is not stored, use a different URL. Every post in question is in the WM.
A good URL to use is the one you get redirected to after clicking one of the links below. For example:https://stackapps.com/questions/1047
Redirects to:
https://stackapps.com/questions/1028/why-does-the-api-lack-proper-http-cache-control-headers/1047#1047
The former is not in the WM, but the latter is.
Use the WM tools at the top to go back to the earliest capture (in 2009, 2010 or 2011).
Two-thirds of the time, the desired images will be present. If they are, edit the post (from step 2) and use the image tool (CtrlG) to upload the image to Stack exchange's imgur account and insert it in the post. Delete the ImageShack spam.
If you can't find an image, edit the post to delete the ImageShack spam and leave an HTML comment in its place as follows:
<!-- Unrecoverable image. Tried: http://web.archive.org/web/20110429203340/https://stackapps.com/questions/1203/how-to-order-sites-result-in-a-user-friendly-way-to-use-it-in-our-apps/1214 -->
I pledge to approve all such edits, even if I have to (slightly) abuse the Improve Edit functionality to do so.
I'd be surprised if the only other regular reviewer did not do likewise.
Why don't I do this myself?
I have done many and one of the moderators has done many. But:
- It gets tedious
- It's not cost effective for me to automate
- Here's a chance for some of you to earn some edit rep or just good vibes in a righteous cause. :D
- I wanted to see what kind of reception this kind of post gets. Keep in mind that Stack Apps is its own meta.
While you are at it, consider upvoting these two posts:
- Ban ImageShack images because they are reusing old URLs for advertising (on MSE)
- Ban ImageShack Images (on MSO)
Here's the current list of posts that need editing on Stack Apps:
- Done!
stackapps.com/questions/531 - Done!
stackapps.com/questions/651 - Done!
stackapps.com/questions/948 - Done!
stackapps.com/questions/954 - Done!
stackapps.com/questions/979 - stackapps.com/questions/1047
- stackapps.com/questions/1115
- stackapps.com/questions/1162
- stackapps.com/questions/1214
- stackapps.com/questions/1262
- stackapps.com/questions/1289
- stackapps.com/questions/1338
- stackapps.com/questions/1344
- stackapps.com/questions/1377
Good Hunting!
Thanks so far to Nathan Tuggy for his help.