Before Xanga's new image system conversion (yesterday), I could upload this file at this size (500 px x 375px) with this quality uncompressed:

(note: the pic above showed as is on Xanga a couple of days ago, but I'm now serving it up from my own outside server because...)

When I now re-upload the very same pic (500 px x 375px) under the new image system regime, it is compressed to this mere Mini-Me (320px x 240px) - a whopping 2 1/2 times reduction, or 40% of the original size.

Yes, if you click on the Mini-Me above, it will open to the full-size (500px x 375px) pic it is. 

(hint: go ahead and click on it).

And yes, if you compare the new image system's full-sized image quality with the full-sized pic at the top served-up from the outside server, you'll see that xanga's new image system quality IS noticeably superior.

However, if I now try to enlarge the newly-uploaded xanga image (directly above) to the original size it used to be on xanga (500 px x 375px) to see if it still looks as good as it used to look on xanga (top photo), this is what I get:

You be the judge.

Is the tradeoff  (currently smaller, though better quality 'unclickeds'  for the previous larger, not-too-bad quality 'unclickeds' - considering also that clicking the new smaller ones provides better quality full-sized ones) a good tradeoff for you?

How often do/will you click on pic to see a larger representation of it?