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Author Topic: FiveDollarPhotos.com  (Read 26289 times)

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« Reply #25 on: March 08, 2018, 13:20 »
+1
Here's my two cents, take it or leave it.  I'm not trying to discourage you, but it's my dead honest opinion after being in this industry for over 10 years on all ends of the spectrum.

The website looks really rough at first glance.  It's going to need a lot of development.  What good is a 75% payout to a contributor, if you have zero traffic; no content... dude you really can't put the cart before the horse.  Many of us here have even had our own agency websites, and shut them down because the costs outweighed the income. 

You will have to also compete with places like StockPhotoSecrets that offer over 5 million images for a $99 yearly subscription, and 200 total downloads.  No, they don't sell single images... because dealing with customer service issues from numbskulls who don't know their mouse from their elbow isn't worth it, when you're making $1.25 gross per image.     

Sell used DVD's on ebay.  That's even a better business model, than this. 


« Reply #26 on: March 08, 2018, 14:03 »
0
He can't market or go anywhere without the content. And he can't get any traffic without the content.

So as the 1st step this is what he does - he tries to get as much content as possible. It would be easier for him to get the content if he would say something relevant and promising regarding the next step (marketing - getting actual buyers), but that's the other issue. And of course, the site must be already better developed and fully functional, so maybe he came for the content too early.

Offering the cheapest plan is not the way to success, it's marketing and to some degree quality. Plain and simple.

« Reply #27 on: March 08, 2018, 16:12 »
+2
White font on black background is killing my eyes.  :o
I will upload a few pictures as support. As soon as the full size preview watermark issue is solved.

« Reply #28 on: March 09, 2018, 05:03 »
0
This is what I get when searching for 'girl':

Code: [Select]
Failed to connect to MySQL: Access denied for user 'fivedollar_admin'@'ps591164.dreamhost.com' (using password: YES)
Warning: mysqli_real_escape_string() expects parameter 1 to be mysqli, boolean given in /home/photos_dev/fivedollarphotos.com/find_a_photo.php on line 88
Failed to connect to MySQL: Access denied for user 'fivedollar_admin'@'ps591164.dreamhost.com' (using password: YES)
Warning: mysqli_query() expects parameter 1 to be mysqli, boolean given in /home/photos_dev/fivedollarphotos.com/includes/sql_fns.php on line 231
Failed to connect to MySQL: Access denied for user 'fivedollar_admin'@'ps591164.dreamhost.com' (using password: YES)
Warning: mysqli_query() expects parameter 1 to be mysqli, boolean given in /home/photos_dev/fivedollarphotos.com/includes/sql_fns.php on line 231
Failed to connect to MySQL: Access denied for user 'fivedollar_admin'@'ps591164.dreamhost.com' (using password: YES)
Warning: mysqli_query() expects parameter 1 to be mysqli, boolean given in /home/photos_dev/fivedollarphotos.com/includes/sql_fns.php on line 231
Failed to connect to MySQL: Access denied for user 'fivedollar_admin'@'ps591164.dreamhost.com' (using password: YES)
Warning: mysqli_query() expects parameter 1 to be mysqli, boolean given in /home/photos_dev/fivedollarphotos.com/includes/sql_fns.php on line 231
Failed to connect to MySQL: Access denied for user 'fivedollar_admin'@'ps591164.dreamhost.com' (using password: YES)
Warning: mysqli_query() expects parameter 1 to be mysqli, boolean given in /home/photos_dev/fivedollarphotos.com/includes/sql_fns.php on line 231
Failed to connect to MySQL: Access denied for user 'fivedollar_admin'@'ps591164.dreamhost.com' (using password: YES)
Warning: mysqli_query() expects parameter 1 to be mysqli, boolean given in /home/photos_dev/fivedollarphotos.com/includes/sql_fns.php on line 231
No Results Found

SpaceStockFootage

  • Space, Sci-Fi and Astronomy Related Stock Footage

« Reply #29 on: March 09, 2018, 06:30 »
+10
Story of my life. I've been searching for girls for years, and something always goes wrong.

« Reply #30 on: March 09, 2018, 07:07 »
0
This is only for Photos (bitmap) ? Is there any place for eps Vector?

niktol

« Reply #31 on: March 09, 2018, 08:47 »
0
Not a photographer, but still. Owners or representatives of new agencies pop up on this site every now and then, but it seems like noone gets it, it is amateur hour. Portfolios of best contributors are expensive assets. Some (and not very rarely) may very well be worth a million bucks or more on the market. Asking to manage them without some sort of a legally enforcible promise or a collateral or a buy-in is ridiculous. Noone presents any guarantees that they will be secure on their new unknown to anyone sites either. Try to walk into a car dealership, tell them that you are going to start a car rental company and ask to borrow 10-20 cars until you reap the profits and see where they are going to send you.

« Reply #32 on: March 09, 2018, 09:55 »
+1
Your watermarks have to be better than this: https://www.fivedollarphotos.com/product.php?id=131

especially when you offer a full size preview...

This!
You really have to solve this issue.
Also, be more selective with accepting images, this one looks so out of focus..

« Reply #33 on: March 09, 2018, 09:57 »
+1
I've searched for car. Lots of unrelated images came up. I've checked one to see why it was in the results... in the keywords i've only seen "postCARd"... this is not good.

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #34 on: March 09, 2018, 11:48 »
+1
Also, be more selective with accepting images, this one looks so out of focus..
This!
... and the keywords are so minimal as to be useless. Not wildlife, nature, Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis plus whichever Turnstone it is and its scientific name, USA, birds etc.
A LOT of work to do on quality control, of both images and keywords.

« Reply #35 on: March 09, 2018, 12:44 »
0
One thing I guess I will ask though...

Who are you, I just noticed this is a brand new account, and you only have two posts. Do you have a different account here, and/or your own personal website/portfolio, etc?

Thanks!

dpimborough

« Reply #36 on: March 09, 2018, 15:28 »
+2
Sorry but this site is a none starter its just not thought thru properly

$5 is just not enough what about extended licenses?

« Reply #37 on: March 09, 2018, 19:29 »
0
Thanks, All.

Sorry for the delay in responding. Lots of stuff going on. Also, SuperPhoto, sorry for not responding you your PM right away. I will try and address what I can here and now.

I think stockman11's assumption is astute - perhaps we came looking for content too soon. As I mentioned, the site is a work in progress. The cart, search, and payment features are not completed. We had no idea if it would take days or months to build a catalog of sufficient size prior to launch, so recruiting photographers willing to be a part of this process was one of the reasons for reaching out here on this forum. If a "work in progress" or a new, unproven business makes you nervous, then by all means take a step back and check us out later.

As for some of the specific and relevant concerns,
Maui's comment showing the database errors was mostly bad timing. In moving the server to a more robust and secure setup, the database migration barfed and started giving those errors. It's fixed now,

however...

I'll say it again, the search function is still a little wonky and the database is mostly empty of images - that's why I came here. We're looking for photos and relationships with contributors and have most of those functions up and running. If you're approaching the site as a customer, then you'll have trouble "finding a girl" :-).

The watermark is a genuine concern. Unfortunately, the image you referenced is just a small placeholder image used for testing. Subsequent uploads display the watermark appropriately.

Keywords are as good as the uploader. We won't be modifying anyone's keywords.

As for the "who are you" question, no, I don't have another profile here and don't make my living as a photographer. Personally, I'm an entrepreneur who has started several profitable online businesses and this is my latest project. While I have sold a (very) few stock images from design work done years ago, my inspiration for this site comes from the position of the individual consumer. Since I have an infrequent need for quality images, a subscription or credit pack is not a value to me.The idea for a quick and simple process for single purchases was the seed idea for this site.

The need for clearer licensing is well noted. We'll make sure that's taken care of. The Terms of Service have been available from the start.

We will give some thought as to what would be useful information to share regarding marketing. I won't bombard you with useless marketing-speak.

I appreciate all of the comments regarding pricing. Obviously the site title alone sets some of the parameters. Our focus remains on a simple, single transaction model for one-time and and repeat customers. We are happy to collaborate with anyone willing to join us in this. However, if your photography portfolio is worth a million dollars, then maybe FiveDollarPhotos is not the right fit. You should certainly get the value you want for your creative work.

Thanks again for all of the constructive comments AND a special thanks to those of you who have already signed up.

« Reply #38 on: March 10, 2018, 04:28 »
0
You could have teamed up with the infamous 'Dollar Photo Club', in only they weren't defunct.

« Reply #39 on: March 10, 2018, 04:56 »
+7
I looked at the site's WHOIS entry and see that all registrant information is hidden through a proxy service.

Code: [Select]
REGISTRANT CONTACT
Name:PROXY PROTECTION LLC
Organization:PROXY PROTECTION LLC
Street:417 ASSOCIATED RD #324
C/O FIVEDOLLARPHOTOS.COM
City:BREA
State:CA
Postal Code:92821
Country:US
Phone:+1.7147064182
Email:[email protected]

Also, there is no imprint on the site as far as I can see.

This is a BIG red flag.

Sending your valuable content to an anonymous party would be a completely silly thing to do.

Good luck.

SpaceStockFootage

  • Space, Sci-Fi and Astronomy Related Stock Footage

« Reply #40 on: March 10, 2018, 05:19 »
0
I looked at the site's WHOIS entry and see that all registrant information is hidden through a proxy service.

Code: [Select]
REGISTRANT CONTACT
Name:PROXY PROTECTION LLC
Organization:PROXY PROTECTION LLC
Street:417 ASSOCIATED RD #324
C/O FIVEDOLLARPHOTOS.COM
City:BREA
State:CA
Postal Code:92821
Country:US
Phone:+1.7147064182
Email:[email protected]

Also, there is no imprint on the site as far as I can see.

This is a BIG red flag.

Sending your valuable content to an anonymous party would be a completely silly thing to do.

Good luck.

Not a big deal for me, it's not exactly uncommon to hide your domain info.

Shelma1

  • stockcoalition.org
« Reply #41 on: March 10, 2018, 06:54 »
+2
As others have pointed out, marketing is a huge deal. Every couple of months someone comes along with a new site and asks us to upload our images, and every time they have no idea how to attract customers. You've offered to fix all the "easy" stuff...watermarks, search, etc.... which are just the base requirements for running a stock site. But running a SUCCESSFUL stock site requires a brilliant marketing strategy.

"I'm not gonna bombard you with marketing speak" just means you don't have a clue.

« Reply #42 on: March 10, 2018, 07:49 »
+3
Yes. bombard me with marketing speak. I LIKE marketing speak. What are the other successful sites you've run?

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #43 on: March 10, 2018, 10:11 »
+2
Keywords are as good as the uploader. We won't be modifying anyone's keywords.
Yeah, we really need another agency whose search results are embarrassing to show potential buyers.

Uncle Pete

  • Great Place by a Great Lake - My Home Port
« Reply #44 on: March 10, 2018, 12:42 »
+2
Last time I mentioned Foap to people in this business, they all said "Who?" https://www.foap.com/ a successful crowd-source, phone photos, designed for apps, not desktops or laptops, photo agency. One price, 50/50 and they added missions now. So I'm just going to say, it's another FOAP. They charge $10 and contributors get $5. Good luck fivedollarphotos

I think it's a fair question to ask, who's running the show and the agency? Doesn't matter if you are a photographer or primarily a business person, I think most everyone would like to have some attribution along with, "we want your photos".  :)

I'm also a little confused by the 50% minimum royalty and the intro here saying 75%? You need clear license terms for the artist and the buyers.


SpaceStockFootage

  • Space, Sci-Fi and Astronomy Related Stock Footage

« Reply #45 on: March 11, 2018, 07:02 »
0
I'm also a little confused by the 50% minimum royalty and the intro here saying 75%? You need clear license terms for the artist and the buyers.

75% if you sign up now... 50% if you sign up after launch. So 'minimum of 50%' is just a slightly streamlined and quicker way of saying that. I guess saying 'a minimum of 50%' also gives them room to manoeuvre if things go well and they want to up the rate at some point in the future.

« Reply #46 on: March 11, 2018, 08:54 »
+8
An anonymous owner, no experience in the field, no clear marketing plan, no clear license rules, a work-in-progress website, no content, no unique selling points, no security and 10 years too late to the game. What could possibly go wrong?

« Reply #47 on: March 11, 2018, 10:49 »
+1
I'd fix your HTTPS before anything else, come May your chances of appearing organically will be minimal: https://moz.com/blog/half-page-one-google-results-https

On the plus side - checked your backlinks and you've now two from this site - so you've doubled the amount you have in total..


« Reply #48 on: March 12, 2018, 13:01 »
+1
Just noticed this thread.  I won't repeat what's already here, but have one thought to add.

It's no use trying to do just what numerous other sites already do, only pay the contributors more and market it harder.   Some sort of fresh approach is needed. 

Contributor returns are so low that even if you don't feel like a fool, it isn't even worth the time and effort to upload hundreds or thousands of photos.  Obviously that has to change - we need to get a few bucks on a sale.  And all this redundant uploading is waste of time. Couldn't we keep all our work on single a cloud server and give multiple agencies access to it?

And maybe the whole idea of 'marketing' belongs in the past. 

I absolutely agree that the big micros like SS have made everything 10x too complicated for both buyers and producers. 

I have no ideas to offer - but I never saw the web coming, either.  Somehow the whole path of "I need an image - how would I find one - how would I pay for it" needs new alternatives.   Maybe - text some keywords to an AI that responds with a link to some pages of images... and its an iterative process, you text back "no, too many people, I just want one face" or "more of a closeup of that one building on the right" and the AI tries again...



« Reply #49 on: March 12, 2018, 13:35 »
0
I looked at the site's WHOIS entry and see that all registrant information is hidden through a proxy service.

Code: [Select]
REGISTRANT CONTACT
Name:PROXY PROTECTION LLC
Organization:PROXY PROTECTION LLC
Street:417 ASSOCIATED RD #324
C/O FIVEDOLLARPHOTOS.COM
City:BREA
State:CA
Postal Code:92821
Country:US
Phone:+1.7147064182
Email:[email protected]

Also, there is no imprint on the site as far as I can see.

This is a BIG red flag.

Sending your valuable content to an anonymous party would be a completely silly thing to do.

Good luck.

Lots of reasons to leave this one at the end of a 20-foot-pole, big time. Maui's point is one of the best ones.

Another good reason is "We had no idea if it would take days or months to build a catalog of sufficient size prior to launch...."  Oy vay!!

(Not trying to be nasty here, but business is business. Joining istuck would be preferable to this.)


 

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