Picasa :( (Page 2): I'm not St3v3M but I did try to share my album with people who did not have a gmail account. They couldn't open the photos unless they signed up with a gmail...

tita1948 Loc: North Idaho

picpiper wrote:

Something has changed re: Web Albums full integration into Google+ Photos. Like I mentioned above I have been putting albums I share on Flickr instead of Web Albums for about a year now. Before tita's post I was going to put an album onto Web Albums and clicked on the "Web Albums" button in the upper right corner of the Picasa screen. Instead of opening up into my Web Album pages it instead wanted me to log into Google+.

Necessary background: I've had a gmail account since beta which is the same account that is linked to Web Albums and Google Drive. I have a separate account linked to You Tube (although they know it is me.) During their multi-year push to make all things Google+ they kept trying to get me to merge everything into one glorious Google+ account under my real name - even though I knew that was actually what was happening behind the smoke and mirrors anyway I would always skip the requests for the grand merge.

Getting back to that Web Albums click from Picasa - it opened up IE (which is not my default browser) and wanted me to sign in to Google+. I put in my gmail/web albums/drive name and PW and it took me to a Google+ profile page. Even though the information was correct there was no way to navigate away from that page. Hmm... how was I going to get to Web Albums?

It's not easy - click on the little upper-right corner app grid in gmail; click More; click Even more from Google; scroll down and click on Picasa - nope that let's you download Picasa. OK... Let's pop over to Google Drive... good - right there is a Google Photos button, click... "Stay Tuned! Your photos are coming soon."

At this point I was wondering if I was ever going to see my Web Albums again. I Googled "web albums google" and the first hit is picasaweb.google.com. Click that and finally get to https://picasaweb.google.com/home which is my Web Albums. I'm sure a combiniation of cookies and a stored password got me directly in. (I also uploaded a new album, just to make sure it was still live.)

While spending way too much time just trying to get back into my Web Albums I came across the "Share from Picasa Web Albums" web page with instructions for sharing with non-Google+ persons. Frankly, given the trouble I had getting into my Web Albums, I'm really wondering if a shared album recipient that has no Google accounts at all would easily see the shared album.

The only people I have shared with in the past at least have gmail accounts so I can't do a meaningful test.

I know Google claims that they reversed their "everyone has to join Google+ to use certain services" stance and claim they are de-emphasizing Google+. But it sure hasn't felt like it too me.

St3v3M: Have you recently shared any Web Albums or photos with people who have no Google Accounts?

Something has changed re: Web Albums full integrat... (show quote)

I'm not St3v3M but I did try to share my album with people who did not have a gmail account. They couldn't open the photos unless they signed up with a gmail account.

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

tita1948 wrote:

I'm not St3v3M but I did try to share my album with people who did not have a gmail account. They couldn't open the photos unless they signed up with a gmail account.

Try the instructions above. S-

picpiper Loc: California

St3v3M wrote:

Technically Google's Picasa Web Albums have change... (show quote)

When I go to http://plus.google.com/u/0/photos it is trying to get me to upgrade to Google+ which I refuse to do - see below. As long as I can still get to Web Albums through picasaweb.google.com and all other Google services without "upgrading" to Google+ and creating a public profile I will do so. Also, I have no interest in researching "...the changes to Picasa Web Albums when I create a profile." I know it may be inevitable - and I'll spare you the anti-Google+ rant which is first cousin to my anti-Facebook rant, but there are principles involved here!

I can see your chalk art photos, but we still don't know (for sure) whether a complete Google-virgin would be able to see them. Perhaps if such a person exists and stumbles across this thread they could report back on the visibility of Steve's chalk art album???

Based on my experiences, I certainly cannot dispute tita's claim that recipients of her album invitations are being hornswaggled (haven't used that in a long time :lol: ) into Google+.

picpiper Loc: California

tita1948 wrote:

I used to send friends a link to see photos from my Picasa album. Now they can't view them unless they sign up with Google+.
Can I do something like I used to do in Picasa using Lightroom?
Thanks for any help.

tita1948 wrote:

I'm not St3v3M but I did try to share my album with people who did not have a gmail account. They couldn't open the photos unless they signed up with a gmail account.

OK - I remember way back (in internet time) when Web Albums was first rolled out as a cloud adjunct to Picasa I had to tell my adult children to sign up for a gmail account to be able to see the Web Albums I shared with them. Later on I could share albums with them through newer non-gmail email addresses. Didn't really think about it much.

It appears that with the Web Albums merge into Google+ photos is back into a "you have to join to play" mode.

I really hope that's not the case.

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

picpiper wrote:

...
It appears that with the Web Albums merge into Google+ photos is back into a "you have to join to play" mode.
...

I share with people who do not have Gmail accounts.
- I'm not sure how else to say it.

imagesintime Loc: small town, mid-America

picpiper wrote:

When I go to http://plus.google.com/u/0/photos it ... (show quote)

I clicked on the link and the page immediately opened for me. I am not a Google+ person.

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

imagesintime wrote:

I clicked on the link and the page immediately opened for me. I am not a Google+ person.

Thank you! S-

jethro779 Loc: Tucson, AZ

St3v3M wrote:

Thank you! S-

I think it is kinda messed up. I have a google account on my laptop only. When I go to the link provided with my laptop It won't let me open unless I sign in to google. With my desktop it asks me to create a google account. It also might have something to do with the disconnect me app I have on my desktop.

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

jethro779 wrote:

I think it is kinda messed up. I have a google account on my laptop only. When I go to the link provided with my laptop It won't let me open unless I sign in to google. With my desktop it asks me to create a google account. It also might have something to do with the disconnect me app I have on my desktop.

I share albums to the parents of high school bands and most do not have Google accounts.

picpiper Loc: California

tita1948 wrote:

I used to send friends a link to see photos from my Picasa album. Now they can't view them unless they sign up with Google+.

Can I do something like I used to do in Picasa using Lightroom?

Thanks for any help.

Have you been using the Share button on the picasaweb.google.com Web Albums page that pops up that email-like window? If so, instead of using the Share button, click on the "Link to this album" button and copy and paste the link into a normal email compose window.

I'm pretty sure I understand what's going on. It's late though - I'll put together a post tomorrow.

bkyser Loc: Fly over country in Indiana

Just another thought, you can set up a free web page with any number of services. Then just password protect the page. At one time I used webs.com but there are TONS of free website carriers out there. The only thing is that your free domain will be like www.yourname.webs.com

I had like 10 set up with webs, I think they are still out there, but have now moved on to a "real" website for my business, and just don't mess with the freebies any more.

picpiper Loc: California

Based on what everyone is reporting I think with the final merge of Web Albums into Google+ Photos, Google has made small changes in Picasa and on some of their Google landing pages. The different behaviors we all describe are because some of us are Google+ members and others aren't.

- I'm not a member of Google+ so when I click on the Web Albums button in Picasa it takes me to the Google+ profile page to try to get me to merge all my Googley accounts into a Google+ profile. Steve: I suspect that since you have a Google+ profile when you click on the Picasa Web Albums button you slide right into your photos at http://plus.google.com/u/0/photos

- With the merge there are no "front doors" into Web Albums on any of the Google landing pages. However, non-Google+ers can still upload to Web Albums through Picasa or go directly there if they have the URL ( http://picasaweb.google.com/home takes me right in.)

- If you are a non-Google+er logged into your Web Albums page and share an album with the "Share" button Google+ looks at the recipients and if they are not Google+ members, requires that they join. A non-Google+er merely has to copy and paste the link that opens when you click the "Link to this album" button just below the Share button into an email. (Tita - have you tried that yet?).

Here's a link to a couple of items my grandson was excited about when we dug them out of his father's toybox -
http://picasaweb.google.com/105107429087668611298/1402161980sLegoSpacemen?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCPS23-G45-rkCg&feat=directlink
Anyone should be able to see the photos and not get a join Google+ challenge. Just like Steve has said several times. :lol: :lol:

I finally realized that Steve was talking about sending links, tita used both "sharing" and "sending a link". It took me several read-throughs of Steve's step-by-step to realize that they are exactly correct EXCEPT that non-Google+ers have to start at picasaweb.google.com NOT plus.google.com.

Not sure where Jethro's laptop/desktop issue fits in - it might have to do with the absence of Google+ cookies on the machines. Jethro - what happens when you go directly to the above picasaweb.google.com link on your laptop and desktop? I think your "old" links might be hitting the same "join Google+" front door I hit when I click on the Web Albums button from inside Picasa.

Basically if you are not in the Google+ club use the Web Album "Link to this album" button NOT the "Share" button.

Tita - please get back to us about whether this resolves your issue.