Quote from: sharpshot on August 23, 2012, 19:03
As well as Stockfresh, I'm sure FeaturePics hasn't borrowed thousands/millions.  And there's Cutcaster, I remember them saying they weren't going to spend lots of money.  I don't think Mostphotos spent much.  There's probably at least another 10 sites with the same "different" approach.  What do they all have in common?  Very few buyers, low sales and they aren't popular with the majority of contributors.  There's enough already, I think you need to come up with a new and hopefully true difference.

Speak for yourself, some of my best earners are smaller sites, but I did put in some effort/images (I think) to help them grow. It really depends on how many contributors you are trying to pay each month. It's easier to pay one or two a decent amount rather than trying to pay 30,000+. I'd focus on my own images if I were ICP. If you can sell your own images, then it shouldn't be a problem attracting other contributors. Most contributors don't want to dedicate much time or resources to small sites to help them grow anyway, so there probably isn't too much point chasing them at random.

"Will it be successful? We think so. What we have is time. If it takes a year or five or ten it makes no difference to us."

Here's that 'hobby' thing coming into play.  This isn't your focus.  You're just another guy with the same software as everyone else and nothing to really make people go there instead of here.

I'll give it a try, let me know when the site takes contributors. I am a small fish, 400 photos, but lets see. I'll PM you here Mark or Wife of Mark.

Quote from: Poncke on August 26, 2012, 23:31
I'll give it a try, let me know when the site takes contributors. I am a small fish, 400 photos, but lets see. I'll PM you here Mark or Wife of Mark.

I'm sure he'll be thrilled to have you join.

Quote from: ICP on August 23, 2012, 16:50...What is being asked of potential contributors? (At least the initial group.)
1. Sign up (when it's ready). (2 minutes.)
2. We give you an FTP link to upload as many images (with IPTC data) as you wish. (10 to 30 minutes depending on your connection speed.)
3. We upload your images into your account.
4. You do nothing ever agin if you choose not to.
5. (Very probably) Collect a little money from us over time. Possibly more than a 'little'.

You've spent 32 minutes...

If I spent 32 minutes on every site run by someone coming into the forums or emailing me asking for images without a unique proposition, I'd have invested days I'd never get back. I invest my time in sites that I think have something interesting to offer and who I'd like to see succeed. You're not convincing me that this site is worth spending any amount of time on.

Quote from: ICP on August 23, 2012, 16:50...We continue to market the site (slow but sure) and we continue adding our content. If you have good photos and vector you'll make money. How much is unknown but, comparatively, it''ll be a lot more per sale than what you're getting now in the "big 4".

Slow isn't going to cut it. We've seen slow. I'm on SF despite the slow marketing plan because those guys have a history in this business and know what they're doing when it comes to building a good, simple site that works and I think buyers will like. You're not those guys, and you're not building that site. You've already got brand problems right out of the gate. You name doesn't work, your logo, your entire branding strategy is flawed. You're not offering anything interesting or unique.

I wish you well, I really do. But you're a long ways away from being a site that should be opened up to the public. Fix some of your problems, come to the table with a real idea and not what appears to be a glorified hobby effort, and you might find some interested people. Until then, to me you just look like one more big risk in a sea of similar longshots.

Quote from: ICP on August 22, 2012, 16:06
I'll address sherlock's (digital666) conspiracy revelation. My partner (wife) started this thread no one ever said "Hi, my name is Mark and I'll be answering all your questions". When she was asked "are you Mark?" she said no without feeling it was necessary to explain.

HAHAHA!   Yeah sure!

Cheers,

Digital66's secretary      

Quote from: sjlocke on August 27, 2012, 02:19

Quote from: Poncke on August 26, 2012, 23:31
I'll give it a try, let me know when the site takes contributors. I am a small fish, 400 photos, but lets see. I'll PM you here Mark or Wife of Mark.

I'm sure he'll be thrilled to have you join.

Thanks, I am sure he is. Forgive me for not knowing, but who are you?

Quote from: Poncke on August 27, 2012, 13:38

Quote from: sjlocke on August 27, 2012, 02:19

Quote from: Poncke on August 26, 2012, 23:31
I'll give it a try, let me know when the site takes contributors. I am a small fish, 400 photos, but lets see. I'll PM you here Mark or Wife of Mark.

I'm sure he'll be thrilled to have you join.

Thanks, I am sure he is. Forgive me for not knowing, but who are you?

Do your own research. It's not hard.

Quote from: Poncke on August 27, 2012, 13:38

Quote from: sjlocke on August 27, 2012, 02:19

Quote from: Poncke on August 26, 2012, 23:31
I'll give it a try, let me know when the site takes contributors. I am a small fish, 400 photos, but lets see. I'll PM you here Mark or Wife of Mark.

I'm sure he'll be thrilled to have you join.

Thanks, I am sure he is. Forgive me for not knowing, but who are you?

1st you don´t know about the RC's, 2nd you don´t know who is Sean, is this your playground?

Quote from: ShadySue on August 27, 2012, 13:40

Quote from: Poncke on August 27, 2012, 13:38

Quote from: sjlocke on August 27, 2012, 02:19

Quote from: Poncke on August 26, 2012, 23:31
I'll give it a try, let me know when the site takes contributors. I am a small fish, 400 photos, but lets see. I'll PM you here Mark or Wife of Mark.

I'm sure he'll be thrilled to have you join.

Thanks, I am sure he is. Forgive me for not knowing, but who are you?

Do your own research. It's not hard.

Why would I research some random poster in this forum?

Quote from: Poncke on August 27, 2012, 13:44

Quote from: ShadySue on August 27, 2012, 13:40

Quote from: Poncke on August 27, 2012, 13:38

Quote from: sjlocke on August 27, 2012, 02:19

Quote from: Poncke on August 26, 2012, 23:31
I'll give it a try, let me know when the site takes contributors. I am a small fish, 400 photos, but lets see. I'll PM you here Mark or Wife of Mark.

I'm sure he'll be thrilled to have you join.

Thanks, I am sure he is. Forgive me for not knowing, but who are you?

Do your own research. It's not hard.

Why would I research some random poster in this forum?

Sean is a random? where have you been?

Quote from: Poncke on August 27, 2012, 13:44

Quote from: ShadySue on August 27, 2012, 13:40

Quote from: Poncke on August 27, 2012, 13:38

Quote from: sjlocke on August 27, 2012, 02:19

Quote from: Poncke on August 26, 2012, 23:31
I'll give it a try, let me know when the site takes contributors. I am a small fish, 400 photos, but lets see. I'll PM you here Mark or Wife of Mark.

I'm sure he'll be thrilled to have you join.

Thanks, I am sure he is. Forgive me for not knowing, but who are you?

Do your own research. It's not hard.

Why would I research some random poster in this forum?

Because apparently, by your own admission, you want to know who he is.

So there seems to be a lot of talk about why we shouldn't join a new stock site.

How about some reasons why we should join a new site?

Maybe a sub topic here could be be: Everything is new at some point. How did the current smaller sites out there start up?

Quote from: Poncke on August 27, 2012, 13:38

Quote from: sjlocke on August 27, 2012, 02:19

Quote from: Poncke on August 26, 2012, 23:31
I'll give it a try, let me know when the site takes contributors. I am a small fish, 400 photos, but lets see. I'll PM you here Mark or Wife of Mark.

I'm sure he'll be thrilled to have you join.

Thanks, I am sure he is. Forgive me for not knowing, but who are you?

I forgive you.

Quote from: djpadavona on August 23, 2012, 03:21

That's absolutely weird. A search for "palm tree" on our site yields a reasonable result. We did some customization work last year...maybe that is the difference?

Must be.  I had my search customized, along with some other things, by the talented programmer who helped me set up my site.  My site yields only shots with palm trees for that search, no quotes necessary. 

Quote from: ICP on August 23, 2012, 16:00
You're right it doesn't take a million dollars to have a good search. Unfortunately I'm not a high level developer so I can't fix it, I need to wait for them to fix it.

Come on.  I am not a developer.  I have a piddly little site just to sell my own stuff.  I paid a programmer to customize everything for me.  The improved search functionality cost me (if I remember correctly) $100 - 4 hours at $25 each - to get installed.  The whole site, including the software, all the custom changes, including a batch editing software, cost me right under $1,000.  You don't have to be a developer, but if you aren't willing to put in a few hundred dollars to get your site up and running properly, how on earth can you be serious??

Quote from: lisafx on August 28, 2012, 00:05

Quote from: ICP on August 23, 2012, 16:00
You're right it doesn't take a million dollars to have a good search. Unfortunately I'm not a high level developer so I can't fix it, I need to wait for them to fix it.

Come on.  I am not a developer.  I have a piddly little site just to sell my own stuff.  I paid a programmer to customize everything for me.  The improved search functionality cost me (if I remember correctly) $100 - 4 hours at $25 each - to get installed.  The whole site, including the software, all the custom changes, including a batch editing software, cost me right under $1,000.  You don't have to be a developer, but if you aren't willing to put in a few hundred dollars to get your site up and running properly, how on earth can you be serious??

Would you share your developer's name with me? I would love to have a reliable developer ... especially at $25 per hour. Rates I'm getting are triple that and more.

Quote from: lisafx on August 27, 2012, 23:53

Quote from: djpadavona on August 23, 2012, 03:21

That's absolutely weird. A search for "palm tree" on our site yields a reasonable result. We did some customization work last year...maybe that is the difference?

Must be.  I had my search customized, along with some other things, by the talented programmer who helped me set up my site.  My site yields only shots with palm trees for that search, no quotes necessary.

Nice site, I see you're on Photostore V3. Unfortunately the V4 version search, at least the up front search option, doesn't have the functionality V3 had. The new "advanced search" is good, but I sure wish we still had the options for matching terms up front.

Quote from: ICP on August 21, 2012, 20:39
....All I'm asking for is a little of your time to sign up and FTP some content (when it's ready of course). Then we market. Worst case: you have spent a little time and over the years you make a little residual income. You need to do nothing more if you choose. I'm going to keep this site running, at minimum with my and a few other's uploads, until I die.

I'm not shutting the site down. I have no employees to pay. No investors to repay. I we get more, external, contributors the popularity will grow that much faster.

Once again, time is the key here. You have to be willing to let it grow.

Hi,

I'm agree that today it could be really difficult to create something competitive but I also thing that ICS is right...
If a new agency comes to me (an agency did that I for me it was a pleasure to join) and said that I only have to register and then upload everything by FTP and after I don't have to do nothing...

Under this term I dont' see nothing wrong...

Of course before I would at least seen a professional looking website perfectly running... :-D

Quote from: sjlocke on August 27, 2012, 02:19

Quote from: Poncke on August 26, 2012, 23:31
I'll give it a try, let me know when the site takes contributors. I am a small fish, 400 photos, but lets see. I'll PM you here Mark or Wife of Mark.

I'm sure he'll be thrilled to have you join.

He was. I am very late to the business, only started 5 months ago. Its nice to be part of a start up for once, and if it doestnt work out, I didnt lose anything but gained another experience.

Quote from: Poncke on August 27, 2012, 13:44

Quote from: ShadySue on August 27, 2012, 13:40

Quote from: Poncke on August 27, 2012, 13:38

Quote from: sjlocke on August 27, 2012, 02:19

Quote from: Poncke on August 26, 2012, 23:31
I'll give it a try, let me know when the site takes contributors. I am a small fish, 400 photos, but lets see. I'll PM you here Mark or Wife of Mark.

I'm sure he'll be thrilled to have you join.

Thanks, I am sure he is. Forgive me for not knowing, but who are you?

Do your own research. It's not hard.

Why would I research some random poster in this forum?

I wish I could put this entire thread into my signature.

Quote from: djpadavona on September 06, 2012, 03:51

Quote from: Poncke on August 27, 2012, 13:44

Quote from: ShadySue on August 27, 2012, 13:40

Quote from: Poncke on August 27, 2012, 13:38

Quote from: sjlocke on August 27, 2012, 02:19

Quote from: Poncke on August 26, 2012, 23:31
I'll give it a try, let me know when the site takes contributors. I am a small fish, 400 photos, but lets see. I'll PM you here Mark or Wife of Mark.

I'm sure he'll be thrilled to have you join.

Thanks, I am sure he is. Forgive me for not knowing, but who are you?

Do your own research. It's not hard.

Why would I research some random poster in this forum?

I wish I could put this entire thread into my signature.

LOL it would look better in Sean's

I am glad to be of entertainment... I do know who Yuri is, does that count? 

I am sure there are more fish in the stock pond I do not know. I have never been a follower and wasnt planning  on starting now either.

There are a few people in stock I have the utmost respect for. Mainly because they are great because of their personallity, which comes back in their work.

Quote from: Poncke on September 06, 2012, 10:23
I am glad to be of entertainment... I do know who Yuri is, does that count? 

I am sure there are more fish in the stock pond I do not know. I have never been a follower and wasnt planning  on starting now either.

There are a few people in stock I have the utmost respect for. Mainly because they are great because of their personallity, which comes back in their work.

Here's some background info on sean
http://blog.microstockgroup.com/sean_locke_interview/

Quote from: Poncke on September 06, 2012, 10:23
I am glad to be of entertainment... I do know who Yuri is, does that count? 

I am sure there are more fish in the stock pond I do not know. I have never been a follower and wasnt planning  on starting now either.

There are a few people in stock I have the utmost respect for. Mainly because they are great because of their personallity, which comes back in their work.

Sorry for the teasing but asking who Sean is, is  like a computer expert asking who Bill Gates is