Hi, I just registered in your site.  A problem, where you read terms and conditions, and can�t go back, persist, as Clivia already pointed out.

But before starting to upload my images I would just like to know, if there is something to give a new contributors a push, or help in some way, or will my images just start with the smallest rate (and appear way down on search) until somebody sees and rates them ?
I also have a comment about rating images.
You might consider votes from contributors to be only informative, and votes from buyers could be the ones which counts for rating, and even those votes could be pondered with how many images buyers would bought. In my opinion it would decrease �revenge effect�. Anyway I�m not exactly a great fan of ratings anyway.

I hope you could understand what I mean, because English is not my first language (nor second  ) too.

Ziva_K:
There is absolutely no problem with your English it is perfect to med :-)
Secondly - the problem you and Clivia describe (i think) due to that maby you clicked the "go back" button on your webbclient when you finished reading the User Agreement?? I tried it myself by closing the User Agreement window by clicking x . If pressing the "go back" arrow/button at this stage the side will reload and therefore clearing any text inputs.
However, this will not be a problem in a very near future because we are introducing a new upgraded layout soon and the register process will be easier and faster.

Regarding your suggestion about buyer raters, i totally agree with madelaide. Buyers have zero interest in rating images, they just don't have the time. Further more we don't let them even see the ratings or comments because of the risk of missunderstandings. If a image for example got a comment like "Nice color but i would preffered the color even more saturated and the focus on the eye instead of the nosetip" the customer understood it like there was something wrong with the image and continued the search for another image. Even as there was nothing really wrong with the image.
Therefore we removed the possibility for customers to see comments and ratings. And that works fine.

If there was a "push"- every new contributer would also get a push and therefore this feature would be useless ;-)
Yes - theoretically they will start low, but if they are good they will be uprated a lot, lot faster and maybe sold before
your images even get reviewed and accepted/rejected by the other agencies!!!
And a sale would lift your score more than comments or ratings.

The main variables for the search is mainly; key words, name, description! If we don't have sales, comments , ratings (and some secret ones) all images would have the same "rating" and therefore it would be impossible to show hundreds of images at the same time!? The only thing that diverts us from reviewer agencies is that the average rating of your individual image is not determined by a reviewer but by 10, 50, 100 or thousends of people. Anyway - overtime the rating usually look pretty accurate (IMOHO)

Best regards

Ziva,

How often do you think a buyer would spend his time rating an image?  I only received two comments from buyers in DT, one of them was for a request image.

Well I don't, know, but if they would manage to motivate them some way, their votes would sure be more credible in my opinion. But if I think again, maybe this all rating thing wont be so bad, if I won't step on somebodies toe somehow... 


Suvakov,
I will certainly try your site and I'm uploading as we speak.
I wish you great success.

Regards
�iva

Well I don't, know, but if they would manage to motivate them some way, their votes would sure be more credible in my opinion.

Sure they would matter more, I only think they seldom take their time to give us a feedback.  Not by disdain, they just don't have the time. As I said, in DT I got a thank you (for a request) and a comment saying how the image would be used (though I wasn't able to find it).  In SP buyers have an optional field to say how they intend to use the image.  I never had that answered in the images I sold, but some people have.  The only other form of buyer's feedback I had was having images credited when used - a neat demonstration of appreciation, I think.

Regards,
Adelaide

One of the things that hasn't been mentioned about a rating system is that most users will rate your image for "artistic content" and not for "saleability".  In other words, images with beautiful landscapes and sunsets will get high ratings, even though those types of images really don't sell well as stock.  And plain isolated images will get low scores even thought they might sell fantastically as stock.

Something to think about...

Pattie:

Mail me your nick over MP email - i would like to see a couple of details regarding your images, please.

Thanks.

Suvakov

Ahh Boowww - i just caught a glimse of the new upcoming pagewiew and layout... I just cant wait to see it in action.
It will be released including smaller preview, more powerful watermarks, and a easy to understand rate bar.... (oh yes - the rating is still there) ED (editorial mark), easier and faster registration and some more things....

Flemish:
"Although there have been numerous attempts over the decades to show Viking presence in United States, such as fanciful translations of mysterious stone carvings, or supposed European traits in some Native-American tribes, there has been no evidence accepted by the professional archaeological community" from Wikipedia.
Amerigo luck was that he made sure to record the discovery and return home to tell about it ;-)
The indians where named "indians" by the explorers because they thought that they have found a new route to India, when later discovered they did not  - the name of the locals stayed "indians" like a sticky thread ;-)

Oh - I'm i off topic now? In that case forgive me.

Best regards

madelaide:

Did i ever tell you that you can "block" users that you find non serious from rating your images?
That is so you as a individual can neutralize offenders of the User Agreement if you encounter them before the admins do or before the system reacts.
Just because we are refereed as "the democratic site" it does not mean that we let terrorist run around and attack our "citizens". Like all democracies we have defensive weapons too  ;-)

Best regards

It is optional, ason - i have never blocked anyone in my life - not even people that have given me 1 when others rated the image a 9 or 10 (this was before we changed the rating system and a 1 really had a big, bad impact on the index).
Why is democracies in cyberspace so hard to belive in for you, Lena? Have you had any bad experienses with democracies?

Best regards

I do not believe you ;-) Tell me about your bad experience, please.

No - If ones images really are crap you will not get good ratings automatically by blocking bad ratings. One will simply not get any ratings , comments, clicks or sales on your images at all - therefore considered by the system as not intresting to viewers - in facto - bad images. After some time the blocked members get unblocked and it all starts over again - with one exception - your starting MP index just got lowered for all your other images that you upload - in other words - no gain only pain -  for trying to punish relevant ratings.

Best regards

We tried that in Beta mode - over eight months ago but it only resulted in that almost nobody voted at all - and the few that voted only commented "Nice", "Good" and "Wow" (Not very helpfull!) Todays system is much better in every way and will be even more effective as the site grows.

Hopfully members will pick up and comment more  - and it is important that photographers lead the way and not overreacting if voted low by a individual or two. If voted low by many - maby it is important to reevaluate the image and maby delete it too, if constantly accumulating low ratings over time?

MP TIP of TODAY!
By constantly monitoring your portfolio adding good and deleting bad images your
over all status will rise and resulting in a higher starting index in opposite to members
that refuse to accept low scores and the majority opinion.

Trying to "check out the system" by mixing good with bad images or withholding your best images and first submitting inferior images below your normal standard will regrettably lower your startindex and your overall MP index for your whole portfolio.

We are nice guys but we are not kidding - we are no less serious about our business then you pros are about your images. Don't waste time bobbing the system - we do not accept it.

And for the members that insist of uploading low quality material we just lower their start index to zero sinking them to the bottom of the bin. Once submerged they will have a hard time surfacing again.


Best regards

Been meaning to post on the site, but by tomorrow, I will forget. Around 9pm or so EDT, the site becomes unreachable for some period of time. I don't know how long it lasts, or what time zone the site is in. The server seems to be up, but I can't access the site.

Is this schedule maintenance, or is something else going on?

xeniaII:

"The mixing issue" was in no way intended to you personally!
I know you would never upload inferior images intentionally

Suvakov