I'm a Legacy Symbiostock Pro user. Greatly neglected my site for a long time (no sales, but I host so many sites, the cost to host my own is negligible to me). I installed a test version of the "new & improved" and unlike the old version, it's not compatible with my web host who uses magikwand instead of imagick.

Ironically, the OLD Symbiostock works just fine on the host. I feel like I lose a LOT of functionality with the new version. No more collections that I can see. No more setting my own pricing. No ability to upload zip files. I uploaded new content (eps, jpg) to my legacy site and it works. Is it perfect? No. But I do have a lot of options with it.

Problems I see with the new version: 

1. There is no way to address a user repeatedly using an image. I mean really, prove it?! By one use does that mean one campaign? One client? One product? One print run? Etc.

2. Symzio seems to do a lot of interference for a contributor run project. I'll decide what is editorial and what isn't for my business. It's my liability. I don't want another entity deciding for me.

3. Perceived value is reduced. If I have to pay $20 for an image at Agency X but I can get it for $2 at Symzio, it's only worth $2 for me. And don't kid yourself, designers (most anyhow) do a reverse image search to find the best prices. Many downloaded images are only used once by a downloader, at least in my experience as a designer.

4. I want to control my pricing. I don't want 'set' values or to have to put custom pricing on every image. That's a time waster.

I'll be doing some site tweaking (Currently have a *terrible* slideshow) and then I might do some test AdWords campaigns, some additional FB promotion, some cross promotion, etc.

I think you're right as to what happened Semmick. I'm really upset about how they handled the whole thing. They claim my email address was entered wrong (but the address they sent me to confirm was correct, was correct, so the error must have come from somewhere else in their system). So they failed to notify me that there was a problem at all. Then, they tried to make it "my fault", then I get hit with fees and they act like I should be cool with that.

I'm pretty bloody annoyed.

Re: Hosting costs and not having large portfolios.

I have had a web hosting account for years and always have at least ONE web site going. If you're hosting with Bluehost, the fees (if you pre-pay) are ridiculously low and I can host multiple sites on the one account. Essentially, setting up a SYS site cost me nothing but time and the add-on I *chose* to purchase. 5 sales of large files will more than cover my start up costs. I chose to use stock royalties to fund it.

Maybe I'll make nothing for a year and one day, one buyer will find me and start using my imagery and licensing directly...instead of through the agencies I currently license through (an ever shrinking number!).  I don't have a large portfolio, my site isn't perfect and there are things I need to adjust...but it is there...it is in less than 2 weeks starting to get traffic and individual images are showing up in searches (judging from my analytics).

I can offer discounts, market directly to buyers and actually *know* where some of my images end up. That is worth it to me. Even better, I can develop relationships with my buyers (assuming they come) and offer better service than I would be able to do through any of the agencies.

And...it was a lot cheaper than the SmugMug account I had for a year that was just a drain on my bank book.

Questions first: Is there a way to offer separate classes of licenses? I have some images that if someone wants to license for POD/whatever I have no issues. Other images, I prefer to keep the POD sales for myself. Is there a standard license file to start from?

I'm planning on converting one of my old photo domains to my stock site since I have it and have zero dollars to put forward on any projects right now. It includes my name and photo, so it should be workable. Selling stock from my own site has been on my list of things to figure out how to do, but I was afraid I was going to have to futz with a mass of programming and tweaking to figure it out. I'm excited to see there is an easier option.

As far as tips, if there is something you wish someone had told you when you started your symbiostock site, I'd love to hear it. :-)

Okay, I'm a very minor player but this does it for me. I was going to hold on until I could make payout but with the decrease in commission, that would probably keep me there another 2 years.  I'm done.  They are the worst seller for me (and that's saying something!), the lack of ability to adjust keywords (after approval) or use phrases means it takes me 3x as long to upload images there as even iStock. 

Is anyone else thinking of leaving, but pretty close to payout? I'd prefer to spend my credits with those who are not going to support Fotolia's continued screwing of it's contributors.

Does anyone know of a decent IPTC editor?  I have a batch of photos that I did for a model a few months ago, I did not keyword at the time I created the jpgs because I didn't have a commercial release from the session.  I do now and would like to quickly keyword the files for upload.  Would be awesome if it had a bulk edit feature which would allow me to add all the common keywords at once and then go back and get more image specific. 

I looked at ProStockMaster, but I don't feel like paying $50 for it. 

Rejections are almost always

The execution of isolation contains stray areas that are either too feathered or rough.

Which doesn't help much. 

Perhaps DOF is my issue, though most are also marked can resubmit.  I do most of the isolation in camera with lighting and such and most of the time have very minor spots in the background that need a touch up. 

I uploaded a watermarked version of one of my recent rejections.

Shot and uploaded and post processed at the same time but accepted.
.  I was actually certain this one was going to be kicked back because I left a shadow in or for uneven lighting.     The ones I'm sure will be accepted are rejected and vice versa.  Enough to make a person nuts! 

Thanks,

Diana

The key words are set as a phrase, so one line arctic lupine, now this works fine on other sites, and if that is not the case at Fotolia, * I'm going to have to re-keyword everything just for them. 

Thank you jsnover.  I appreciate your feedback you've always been helpful in the IS forums. :-) I wondered if the newer one was a database issue, but I figured the databases would update every 24 hours. I will contact support and see if they have

Chode - I never said I expected a bazillion sales. Yes, it's a small port, however other sites perform a lot more consistently for me and my images do turn up in searches. I did not criticize the sales at Fotolia other than to say I thought I was doing something wrong in the keywords because they weren't even getting views.  You say two words is an issue, I'll look into that possibility. MS is a side bit that I do when I'm bored or not shooting portraits, models or art. If I take myself out to dinner and a play every few months on MS earnings, it's all good. 

I ended up doing mine one at a time because there is no response from Bryan or anyone at support.  I wasn't going to make payout because they didn't market the site and they haven't even notified all site users via email of the coming closure. 

It took forever, but it seemed to be the only way to be sure I don't license more images for free.

Yep, it was an ISP issue.  Silly, stupid DNS servers.  :-)

Okay, can someone send me the IP?  My ISP sometimes does naive things that makes sites not work.  I still can't access it.