I got a message from an actual buyer this morning but the e-mail address of the message showed my SY admin e-mail address, not the buyer's address. I tried a submitting few test messages via the contact form  and had the same issue each time. Whatever contact address I'd enter would not come through.

I downloaded a couple of new contact form plug-ins and had the same issue with those as well.

I deactivated the "SYMBIOSTOCK - Emails and Notifications" plugin and the problem went away.

Test your contact forms!

I have come across several sites that are blocked by the firewall at my place of employment. They are blocked by WebSense.

Not all Symbio sites are blocked, which leads me to assume it has something to do with the host.

The following sites are not accessible to me:

www.aseanphotostock.com
www.stereoshutter.com
www.cathyslifestockphotos.com
www.imagoborealis.com
www.hookstockimages.com
www.Stockabily.com

If one of the above sites is yours, please post who is hosting your site. It would not be good if people in a corporate environment can't access your site. See the warning on the image below.

I just found what appears to be a nice sitemap generator plugin for Wordpress.

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/google-sitemap-generator/

Make sure you have the following box checked in the settings: Include custom post type Symbiostock Images


Anyone have different/better sitemap solutions?

Let's keep a thread with a list of plug-ins we have found that work well (or don't work) with the Symbiostock theme.

Example, I used a WP plug-in called "All-in-one webmaster" which allowed me to verify my site quickly with Google Webmaster Tools and Bing Webmaster Tools... HOWEVER, Leo found that this plug-in broke the image uploader.

I was able to add my verification codes to the plug-in, verify my site on the various webmaster sites, and then turn off the plug-in to regain use of the uploader.

I'm currently looking for widgets/plug-ins that customize the look of my site (slideshows, drop-down menus, etc.). If you have found any good ones, post 'em up!

First of all, I'm super impressed by SymbioStock so far. I've wanted something like this for a while and this fits my needs exactly. Thank you Leo!

My issue...

So far I have tried uploading a handful of images and vectors with mixed results.

I get this error occasionally when uploading vector.jpg and vector.jpg and then trying to "process to drafts":

Fatal error: Uncaught exception 'WideImage_InvalidImageSourceException' with message 'File '/home/stompsto/public_html/wp-content/themes/symbiostock/inc/classes/plupload/uploads/PatrioticDesigns.jpg' appears to be an invalid image source.' in /home/stompsto/public_html/wp-content/themes/symbiostock/inc/classes/image-processor/wideimage/lib/WideImage.php:225 Stack trace: #0 /home/stompsto/public_html/wp-content/themes/symbiostock/inc/classes/image-processor/wideimage/lib/WideImage.php(183): WideImage::loadFromFile('/home/stompsto/...') #1 /home/stompsto/public_html/wp-content/themes/symbiostock/inc/classes/image-processor/symbiostock_image_processor.php(172): WideImage::load(Array, '/home/stompsto/...') #2 /home/stompsto/public_html/wp-content/themes/symbiostock/inc/classes/image-processor/symbiostock_image_processor.php(997): symbiostock_image_processor->symbiostock_process_image('/home/stompsto/...') #3 /home/stompsto/public_html/wp-content/themes/symbiostock/inc/classes/image-processor/symbiostock_image_processor.php(13 in /home/stompsto/public_html/wp-content/themes/symbiostock/inc/classes/image-processor/wideimage/lib/WideImage.php on line 225

Just curious, I found that a small restaurant in Gothenburg Sweden is using one of my designs as their logo (with very slight modifications). Is this usage considered ok?

My image:



Their logo:



I do not think this image has ever been sold with any extended license.

Tried three times to accepted at Shutterstock and finally got in the beginning of July 2011.

Got my last pay raise today when I hit the $10K mark.

 

Unfortunately, not for sales.

I created and submitted a vector file, got it approved, and had it's first download all in under 3 hours.

I get more images rejected at DT than anywhere else.

I created a rubber stamp style graphic for each of the 50 states.


These have been selling fairly well at SS. I uploaded a couple of them to DT to test the waters and they were accepted.

When uploading the designs for the other states, I get the following rejection:

"- Too many photos/illustrations on the same subject or from the same series. Your submission should not duplicate content already in your portfolio or content which you plan to upload separately in the future (ie. collages based on your images). Please be more selective and choose only the best shots or illustrations. Avoid submitting simple variations on the same subject or duplicating content already in your portfolio (including from collages). You can create sets of similars (several shots included within the same image). That will help the file sell better and generate higher royalties via our level-based system. "

So something with a California theme, is the exact same as an Alaska or New York theme?

Another image that features the entire USA, was rejected and given the following reason:

"Image subject is too specific or niche-oriented. The primary goal of a stock image is to be generic and match as many usage types as possible. Your image is not generic enough and will not generate significant sales. Please try to recreate/rephotograph the scene differently and/or use this info for more generic images in the future. "

Apparently, the United States of America is to specific of a niche and I should be more generic. Why would anyone was a USA specific graphic? I should stick with just "Earth" instead. 

If they don't want my images, that's fine. They're selling elsewhere. I'm taking a break from DT.

Just had an On Demand download where I was credited $1.07

What is that all about?

I uploaded a new vector file last night, and nearly 24 hours later I'm still seeing the following message:

You have 1 EPS files waiting, there are 1424 files ahead of yours in the queue.

This may be something that already known, or maybe it is just a coincidence.

I have a very small number of files at Fotolia, and was only getting a single sale everyday or every other day. I stopped uploading to FT in May and my sales starting dropping off. In fact, I went two full weeks without a single sale during the first part of the July. I decided a few days ago to upload a handful of files and within two days I have had a half-dozen sales.

Is this just an odd coincidence, or does contributing more have an effect on my results in the search?

Hello all,

I'm pretty new to the Microstock world and have a small batch of files at DT and Fotolia.

The DT back-end is pretty poor. I did figure out how to upload my vector files with the JPG, but the vectors still aren't showing up as an available file format. It took a week for DT to approve the files, and now 2 weeks later the vectors are still listed as "Pending Review". Is this normal?

My vector uploads to Fotolia have been approved right away, sometime within just a few minutes.