you aren't doing anything
wrong by testing methods other than the steps in the guide i posted. as long as it doesn't involve URLs, go for it. but don't drive yourselves crazy over it.
there are bigger problems for the techs to solve than the inconvenience of the paperclip.
i have attached the guide elsewhere, but here it is ... yet again,
there does seem to be a problem for anybody trying to upload an image file that takes up more than 2MB, which means the size chart in the upload dialog box is wrong. reason yet unknown. after everything important is fixed i will ask about that. in the meantime, compress your files before upload or set your camera to a lower resolution. google "compressing image files" for a variety of recommendations. (i have updated the image upload guide accordingly. now to hunt all the other copies and replace them.)
i just used the [appears to be free] service here:
https://compressjpeg.com/
fast and easy. faster than the method i usually use.
just remember where you downloaded the compressed copy so you can upload it here.
(i only say that because i have - many times - downloaded something and then can't find it. lol)