I learn from the best

Peter, do you know what was wrong with this  server error ?

While some of the comments might seem hurtful, the damage is only emotional.
What matters is the future success of your business.
A lot of valid comments have been brought up.  There is a tendency for owners of startups to block any point of view that does not match their own.  You can choose to constructively act on criticism or not.  The iceberg that you do not see will crash your ship, not the iceberg that insults you on forums.

Honestly, I really wish you and other new stock sites the best of success.
From my personal point of view, it is better for image suppliers (the people on this forum) to deal with the least monopolistic/oligopolistic set of middlemen as possible.

Actually we are more then happy for all the comments posted here, because we understand that if someone do comment is only to progress the things, I personally more happy if someone criticize me then see the "things going wrong" and be silent !
so please feel free to comment in the way you want !

(of course they won't be the same you'll have more rubbish because you'll be desperate to build up a stock of images),

Be sure that we are not desperate to build up a stock of images ! and we do not accept any picture, please browse the pictures what are already accepted and you will feel it yourself, whether we are dying to get pictures, or we are selective! before we start we did study a lot what we have to avoid, Yes, we fall in some points and we are trying to fix them, but for sure we are going to stick to the quality, we do care to win you as photographer, but we will not take any pictures because we need to fill up our site, because we have long term commitment with fotomina
(Thanks for the supporting mails we got from real professional photographers !)

No they got funding from a Finnish near-government agency for innovative startups. 

HOW DO YOU KNOW Smile
I hope you were not that big ugly man, ( working security in the first floor ) who is always keeping me waiting all the time to get some paper

What's DOF? Oh righty, Department Of Funding. 

I am sure you are not that big ugly man because he wouldn't be able to give such answer

(I did just post an answer, and was going to eat with my family I saw your answer, I couldn't wait to answer)

Because there are already a number of successful sites where we can make sales and money, you haven't discovered an untapped supply of buyers because there isn't one, all serious image buyers already know of the existing sites and most will probably have accounts with them. So my question to you is what have you got to offer that both we (contributors) and the buyers haven't already got.

those few successful sites what you see today, they are the lucky one whom rule the market, what about the small agency who fade away after putting effort and time and money ? you do not see them, they are like unknown soldiers... I am sure many of you did start with small agency, they were not sure in the beginning about if this online stock photo idea will work or not (I speak for people who were in the very begin of this business, if there is one here please share your experience) and due to a small agency - who offer more profits just to get place beside famous stock agency - they start to smell money, and to realize that virtual can also work, and maybe more then real world, so I am sure after that, they got the energy to look more and try more agency etc... the result unknown photographer makes more money and become known and small agency become famous or die, in both cases always the contributors are the winners. About the buyers, they never got enough otherwise why they would look for new agency ?

Other than that uploading to a new site would just be a waste of valuable time, and any sales would have just been diluted from another site.

Still contributors winners in the end

The one and only way to start a new successful microstock site would be to ONLY select images from the worlds top contributors on an exclusive basis,

   For sure this is right, but isn't in another way limiting the creativity and the art ONLY in the hand of who are already famous ? Do you know how many skilled people are unknown just because of such system ? at least, how many amateurs lost the faith to continue the way, because someone is keeping telling them what ever you do, you will never be successful!

and I'm sorry but that would only work if the person who's starting the site is a well established and known 'name' in the industry, otherwise nobody would bother.

who is known "today" it happen that people forget him tomorrow and who is unknown today could be famous tomorrow. To make things not so serious, if you are roland-garros fun ( as I am) check who was the supporter of the tournaments just 10 or 15 years ago,  some unknown name for teenagers nowadays!

So to answer your question "What is the problem with uploading to a new agency" my answer would be - The industry doesn't need another agency just like the one's that already exist and you're not offering anything new.

Then it is the end of history as we do not need anymore new shops because we already have millions of shops selling everything, why to bother even to be contributors if already there are already 1000's in the market? If you will agree that every photographer has its own touch, then for sure you can't deny that also agency has their own touch

i will try this agency nothing to lost... they have ftp... so i let my fille zilla work some nights... there is no work... and when they dont work... not my problem .. when they work... great

i never understand you... give a new agencie a chance.. ok you have work... but it is not work to start the fille zilla even you always keyworded in english... my pics are all keyworded in german.... Thats work to change it...

XeniaII, you got really very interesting stock !! Thanks for joining !

Hi,

I have few question which I like to know answers if possible.

What is your target market area (just Finland, scandinavia or world wide?) . I see you company has just started (registered date 18.03.2009), but how you are going to enter market and get buying customers? Does you company have venture capital or it is privately funded? 

Lot of new companies are entering in the market place and many will fail because lack of funding to even get things running 6-12 months. In Finland we have had few stock agency bankcrypts in last 6 months so the entering even the local market place is not easy task to do.

br, MjP

I will just add 2 points staforce did not mention them; We got a fund from TEKES ( I am sure you know about it ) we would like to walk slow to be sure things runs longer time, (Finnish philosophy, isn�t ? ) And you are so right ! local market is so demanding, is not any easy to get things working locally, that's why we are open for world wide!

You caught us, and we�re starting to kiss *sses. LOL    Maybe we�re human after all...

Magnum Are you nighbour ?  �r du n�sta?

Hi
I would like to present myself, this is Anis Ben, people simply call me Ben... I do work for Fotomina, and unfortunately I am the one who is going to be in charge of answering your posts (Even it made me sweat while reading them)
First of all, I would like to thank all starting with mantonino, I ask kindly, could you please fix my name as Ben Anis ?
..."Here we go again! More to ponder and more to tempt us!"
Yes, again and again will be new photo stock site, I was watching a lot of photo stock sites started small and they are doing well now (You can ask Zymmetrical), but takesstock why "to ponder and more to tempt us" ? I hope we are not spammers as we are legally registered and we are doing legal business, maybe you are too busy and famous to join, but be sure, there are "starter" who will, and it might help them as it will help us...
"...Me anyway, I won't be going there as I never had much success with Scandinavian sites"... did you ask why? Is it because they are bad people, or they are too strict about the quality of pictures? Remember Nokia is a Finnish company; Ericson is Swedish, SAAB etc... I just advice you, keep trying or give a chance for others.
Magnum, you made me laugh myself (at least one )
"...This one is going to be huge. They already got 21 photos and 13 illustrations Wink They�re all top rated, most popular and most downloaded.   This is the best of the best..." of course as I am the one who likes them (They are simply for test (as you understood it for sure)
FlemishDreams, just to let you know, we bought the same basic version what a few big photo stock site started with! Check archive.org it might help you;) Nepal, Bengladesh, India... they could be materially "poor" country but the new Silicon Valley already there !
Vonkara, "…That's on the front page…" do not laugh if I say to you that picture remind me about my ex-girlfriend that’s why I like it 
FlemishDreams, you are right, the domain is new, and I will extend it when time comes, fotomina means something in Finnish language (check Google translator) and about wiredtree.com you really need to use their service to see why I will never leave them, I will use this thread to thanks them you really need to read more reviews about them and you won’t believe how positive it is ! Moving to dedicated server useless if I will be hosting only those 13 pictures:)
So, you might help me to move to dedicated server if you upload your pictures.
Finally, I would like to share with you, that I was embarrassed  when I went through your posts and my face got red but I feel better as you gave me hint how to develop the site, and what we should pay attention to it. So, please more criticize for better future of Fotomina