MicrostockGroup

Microstock Photography Forum - General => General Stock Discussion => Topic started by: ann on January 03, 2008, 18:40

Title: Geckostock, is it still with us?
Post by: ann on January 03, 2008, 18:40
Does anyone know if Geckostock is merely temporarily off-line or gone?  I can't even get to the site, and, based on reply on another Geckostock topic, I'm not the only one.
Title: Re: Geckostock, is it still with us?
Post by: Kngkyle on January 03, 2008, 19:04
The site has not loaded for me for months. Glad I didn't bother submitting there.
Title: Re: Geckostock, is it still with us?
Post by: madelaide on January 03, 2008, 19:40
I logged in a couple of days ago.  But now I get "Bad Request (Invalid Hostname)".  Hmmmm.....

Regards,
Adelaide
Title: Re: Geckostock, is it still with us?
Post by: ancientimages on January 03, 2008, 19:49
I logged in a couple of days ago.  But now I get "Bad Request (Invalid Hostname)".  Hmmmm.....

Regards,
Adelaide

I just got the same message when I tried to log in.  Seems like it worked a couple of days ago....
Title: Re: Geckostock, is it still with us?
Post by: jorgeinthewater on January 03, 2008, 20:56
Same problem for me since this morning.
Title: Re: Geckostock, is it still with us?
Post by: ann on January 03, 2008, 22:04
Sounds ominous.
Of course, many sites have temporary problems now and then, but there's usually some sort of page with a brief message stating they know there's a problem and are working on it....
Title: Re: Geckostock, is it still with us?
Post by: SStevenson on January 04, 2008, 04:47
Just checked them again...still offline.
Title: Re: Geckostock, is it still with us?
Post by: null on January 04, 2008, 05:41
Offline here. Geckostock was online 2 days ago when I checked my sales and view count. Zero sales, view counts around 10 except for 1 photo that has been on the main landing page and had a view count of 60.
Title: Re: Geckostock, is it still with us?
Post by: gbcimages on January 04, 2008, 10:57
offline for me
Title: Re: Geckostock, is it still with us?
Post by: scrappinstacy on January 04, 2008, 11:02
Offline for me.
Title: Re: Geckostock, is it still with us?
Post by: madelaide on January 04, 2008, 11:34
There goes my 2.50 pounds....

Regards,
Adelaide
Title: Re: Geckostock, is it still with us?
Post by: ann on January 04, 2008, 13:23
Wow, seems like this could be my first experience with an agency that simply disappears. 

Has anyone experienced something like this before?  Is there anything I should do/worry about?
Title: Re: Geckostock, is it still with us?
Post by: Tim Markley on January 04, 2008, 13:33
RIP
Title: Re: Geckostock, is it still with us?
Post by: null on January 04, 2008, 13:38
Is there anything I should do/worry about?

Apart from Richard selling your shots on a CD door to door or on Ebay, nothing at all ;-)
Hospitalera should know more about it. I think she is connected in some way to the site. It's probably a server hickup.
Title: Re: Geckostock, is it still with us?
Post by: ann on January 04, 2008, 14:03
Is there anything I should do/worry about?

Apart from Richard selling your shots on a CD door to door or on Ebay, nothing at all ;-)
Hospitalera should know more about it. I think she is connected in some way to the site. It's probably a server hickup.

thanks for the info, and love your sense of humor! - smiles - ann(overboard)
Title: Re: Geckostock, is it still with us?
Post by: madelaide on January 04, 2008, 15:27
Has anyone experienced something like this before?  Is there anything I should do/worry about?

I saw this twice, I think.  First was TotallyPhotos, allegedly sold to a new owner and then never reinstalled.  There was also Galastock, but I had only six images or so there.  My worry is more or less what FlemishDreams said: someone using/selling our images without our knowledge.  Didn't it happen in Galastock in fact?

I have OpenDNS in my IE settings and I get this message now:
Why isn't this site loading?
Quote
The computers that run www.geckostock.co.uk are having some trouble. Usually this is just a temporary problem, so you might want to try again in a few minutes.

I think I have Richard's email address.

Regards,
Adelaide
Title: Re: Geckostock, is it still with us?
Post by: ann on January 04, 2008, 19:13
Has anyone experienced something like this before?  Is there anything I should do/worry about?

... I have OpenDNS in my IE settings and I get this message now:
Why isn't this site loading?
Quote
The computers that run www.geckostock.co.uk are having some trouble. Usually this is just a temporary problem, so you might want to try again in a few minutes.

I think I have Richard's email address.

Regards,
Adelaide

Interesting, it would be great to hear any info you get, Adelaide.

Thanks - Ann
Title: Re: Geckostock, is it still with us?
Post by: hospitalera on January 05, 2008, 13:00
Is there anything I should do/worry about?

Apart from Richard selling your shots on a CD door to door or on Ebay, nothing at all ;-)
Hospitalera should know more about it. I think she is connected in some way to the site. It's probably a server hickup.

Ooops, no, I know nothing, gave up to help there because it became to time consuming, but my images I left on line. So no news from me, sorry. SY
Title: Re: Geckostock, is it still with us?
Post by: madelaide on January 05, 2008, 13:01
The email returned.  :(

And the site is still down.

Regards,
Adelaide
Title: Re: Geckostock, is it still with us?
Post by: null on January 05, 2008, 13:08
I just talked to hospitalera. It seems they run a server from home. Anything might have happened... a fire, the PC fell off the table, the dog ate it ;-) - no worries...

For a business things like that are deadly of course. My own site(s) run on a shared host in a datacenter with full backup, and I'm just a poor amateur. In my medic training (I used to be a dive instructor) we were told that the brain is gone after 3 mins without oxygen. Better start respirating the victim before 2 mins passed. I guess GS is right at 2.5 mins by now....

Another one bites the dust?
Title: Re: Geckostock, is it still with us?
Post by: ann on January 05, 2008, 16:23
I just talked to hospitalera. It seems they run a server from home. Anything might have happened... a fire, the PC fell off the table, the dog ate it ;-) - no worries...

For a business things like that are deadly of course. My own site(s) run on a shared host in a datacenter with full backup, and I'm just a poor amateur. In my medic training (I used to be a dive instructor) we were told that the brain is gone after 3 mins without oxygen. Better start respirating the victim before 2 mins passed. I guess GS is right at 2.5 mins by now....

Another one bites the dust?


So, Geckostock basically sounds down, though not quite out.

Thanks for the info, madelaide.

And, FlemishDreams, that's a very effective metaphor you have there...   
Title: Re: Geckostock, is it still with us?
Post by: SStevenson on January 05, 2008, 18:03
They seem to be back online now.
Title: Re: Geckostock, is it still with us?
Post by: null on January 05, 2008, 18:36
They seem to be back online now.
Yap.. there they are. Surprise!
Commisision To Date: £0.00
Paid: £0.00
Commission Owed: £0.00
Total Earnings: £0.00
Uploaded Images: 413
Approved Images: 413
 ::)

Update: I posted a question about the blackout on the (very comatose) GS forum.
Title: Re: Geckostock, is it still with us?
Post by: madelaide on January 06, 2008, 11:33
There was a message in their internal mail.  I would have never read it if it wasn't for the black-out...

Regards,
Adelaide
Title: Re: Geckostock, is it still with us?
Post by: null on January 06, 2008, 11:43
Reply from the GS forum:
Quote
Basically  i lost the  dns servers.
For those that don't understand when you enter an address in the browser the request is sent to name servers that resolve that address into an ip address of where the site is located.  Without your name servers you have no site or email server functioning. This meant i could not let you know why the site was down. I had to reinstall on new servers and register them on the global network which can take up to 48 Hours. Usually just a few hours though.
The name servers are not on the same server as the actual website, and you do have backup name servers unlucky for me i lost both.
As soon as i have time i will send a newsletter to all giving full details of what happened and why.

Everything is fine now except  the fact that images are not getting sold.

This paragraph I found rather amusing:
Quote
I hope to address this issue again the newsletter will tell you how.
I can't post it on the forum.Smile

What he probably means is that the dog actually ate it, or the server fell from the kitchen table, but he doesn't want Google to pick it up  ;D
Disclaimer: this is just a friendly joke.
Title: Re: Geckostock, is it still with us?
Post by: ann on January 06, 2008, 15:19
Yep, Geckostock's back. 

[I've deleted this part.]

Are Messages more private than Forum posts, google-wise?
Title: Re: Geckostock, is it still with us?
Post by: null on January 07, 2008, 03:52
Quote from: ann link=topic=3253.msg30021#msg30021
I read Richard's detailed explanation Message (which I appreciated, esp. since he included his plans for upcoming year), and wondered: Are Messages more private than Forum posts, google-wise?

Yes since you have to be logged in to read them. The bots can't log in, they can only crawl through stuff that's public on the Net. The forum is exposed to the Net, messages aren't.

I would also not quote from that private message as a matter of honor and decency. He was pretty open and honest about the inner workings of GS. Perhaps too open. I don't agree though with his strategy to lower prices. He wants to be the cheapest on the market. Wrong move. We can read it all here over the forum, by pros like Yuri Arcurs. Price doesn't really matter for a designer that costs 150$/hour, overhead included. Convenience and choice does.

ShutterStock can get away with 0.30$ per shot, by sheer volume. GS should find a niche.

The least we can say is that the site operator is bloody honest and we don't have to worry about our shots if the operation ever stops.
Title: Re: Geckostock, is it still broken?
Post by: RacePhoto on January 20, 2008, 19:58
Dare I revive this one?

Quote
Bad Request (Invalid Hostname)


I'd read the message myself but I can't sign up there.

Update, it helps if I type in the write address!  ::)

http://www.geckostock.co.uk/

not com

Title: Re: Geckostock, is it still with us?
Post by: madelaide on January 20, 2008, 20:08
It's loading and I can sign in.

Regards,
Adelaide
Title: Re: Geckostock, is it still with us?
Post by: Marburg on January 23, 2008, 11:18
Earlier today I got the site to load and was able to sign in, but couldn't get to any of the other pages.  Now, I can't even get the site to load.

Marburg
Title: Re: Geckostock, is it still with us?
Post by: madelaide on January 23, 2008, 13:48
It's working... no new sales though!   ::)

Regards,
Adelaide