it obviously gets my attention seeing pond5 that high on poll results..

Could some illustrators please confirm that it is indeed a top 5 earner for vectors?

I am soon gonna celebrate my anniversary of leaving yay after having 121 sales in like 2,5 years..

phew, that was tough..

(+ their yay streaming crap they pulled on us made it an easy decision even though they paid a high percentage)

it's their Apple Mac moment all over again, 30 years after 1984. On this one, I'll be happy to buy from Apple again. Anyone else?

I think that was when they first released iphone..

since then, they were a bit late for pretty much everything..

Quote from: Photominer on August 18, 2014, 10:00

I think that's unfair. The software works exactly as specified with only a few exceptions. It's self-hosting. I think the bigger issue (and where all the contention started) was the networking side of things. The actual platform is incredible compared to others I've tried (and I have tried quite a few).

I don't think it should be about whether it is incredible compared with other software. It should be about whether it is the right solution for photographers. It isn't.

Firstly - it doesn't look good. That's one of the reason why none of the sites look good. Which means that people are never going to be able to use it to build the great looking sites which potential customers expect. For that you need sites which are built using the latest technologies. Look at how good other websites look today. Customers expect great looking sites.

And then there is the question of whether photographers being their own systems administrators is the right solution for photographers. In most cases no it isn't. So it's the wrong solution - it does not offer a good alternative to agencies.

Quote from: Photominer on August 18, 2014, 10:00

As far as poor content, etc, well that would be up to the site owners wouldn't it? Trying to control what people choose to sell would entirely defeat the point of self hosting.

^ This goes to the question of whether there is even any point in running single photographer sites. I do not believe that there is - for most people. Customers typically want the variety and quality that only a library can offer. In which case what is the point of building a site which is rarely if ever going to get a sale. It would be much better to get a hosted portfolio on a better platform if it is simply about building a vanity site. Or use flickr. If you are building a network then there needs to be quality control.

You start with an idea. You put a team together to sketch out what the thing might look like. You argue out the detail and think about the possible legal and conceptual aspects. You make sketches of how you want it to look and begin to talk about what might be the best technologies and platforms. You put together a business plan including projections of how much it is going to cost. You get people with experience to advise you about the business plan - whether it is viable etc. Then if you decide to go ahead you raise some money to take the project forward and employ people to build the software, design the site and draw up the legal contracts etc.

^ if not something like this then it is not serious.

you are delusional..

I don't even understand why you have written such a long and far from useful post in the first place..

if you have got something better to offer, please come back again.. if not, what is all that fuss about?

You hate it?

COOL.. DO NOT USE IT

they should double it..

it's still too low..

Ron, you too are an essential member for MSG and symbiostock..

I must admit that my first impression wasn't so great

and YES, a big cheers for Jo Ann...

the same thing happened to me a few times..

on one occasion, I responded very rudely and probably that was the only time being rude made me extremely happy.. now that I remembered it, made me happy again after all these years..

being rude is great when the right person comes along

(it was a face to face conversation.. I don't think being rude on the internet is a good idea.. it's unnecessary)

of all the sites I am submitting Alamy is by far the worst..

I understand that everybody will have different results, but really? that much different?

and I am not on pond5 but is it really better than CanStockPhoto, bs and envato? because if it is, then it's really worth it..

I too sent them an email requesting the removal of my images from the dollar photo club..

we will see what happens.. I am in for the D-Day if they don't honor my request..

my feelings about fotolia is just a notch better than my feelings for istock and that is not a compliment

so a last straw will be more than enough for me..

I have got one extended reduced to 0.28 too?
Where to send the email?
To their "support ticket" as always? Or there is another way?
(I am still waiting answers to questions asked 2 months ago using a ticket���)

I replied to their email which they sent me the details of recoupment..

My personal opinion: graphpaperpress is far worse than symbiostock.. it's not even comparable for me.. symbiostock is the most practical solution that is truly "ready" out of the box.. if you are not going to change the appearance radically,  then it's only minor tweaks with symbiostock..

Graphpaperpress was a pain in the a** when I tried it..

Quote from: cidepix on March 10, 2014, 17:25

Quote from: fritz on March 10, 2014, 11:27

Quote from: cthoman on March 10, 2014, 10:14

A whole bunch of nothing.

Good to know that Symbiostock is not as successful story as it looks on the first sight.

sorry to disappoint you but symbiostock IS a success..

I won't be giving away numbers but in the first 10 days of march I made more on symbiostock than the following agencies combined:

- depositphotos
- dreamstime
- envato
- fotolia
- bigstock
- canstock
- zazzle
- veer
- graphicleftovers
- stockfresh
- alamy
- yaymicro

yes! I pity you for your comment, and you deserve every bit of it..

So, you had one big sale, or multiple sales?

I'm happy for you, but I think people are wondering are your results a rule or an exception. How was you Feb? And Jan? How are your averages?

It is multiple sales, but not a rule.. ı would say "one exceptionally good month" so far..

Jan and feb were still better than veer, stockfresh, gl, yaymicro, alamy combined and I will take that any month of the year..

It is also good that the opportunity is there and I can have great months 2-3 times a year.. better than having no site at all

PITA = Pain In The A$$. You know the kind. They send you an email and after reading it you immediately think "if I accept them as a client I'm going to lose money". What do you do with them?

all the time..

I turn them away even if they pay well.. If I sense that a customer is going to cause me headaches, I make sure he/she gets no chance for it..