Just wondering if there is any date set yet when the FTP uploading will be available. I have been waiting for FTP before I submit.

Im waiting too but losing the hope

I am still waiting for istock to have FTP

Could you imagine the chaos that would cause, I mean a few of the inspectors went on holiday last month and we still haven't got our upload limits back, implement FTP and I'd guess that non-exclusives would be limited to 1 upload every 6 months 

50 per day seems to be a good start for negotiations :-)

It will probably make sense to decrease the limit significantly for photographers consistently failing quality control. And perhaps raise the limit for photographers consistently having good acceptance ration. 50 sounds reasonable as a starting point.

Burn a dvd, prepare the envelope, send it at my expense? and do it every time I want to update my portfolio?
Promise me they sell as much as is or ss and Ill do it right now.
If not I prefer to invest my time shoting and editing new images for other sites.

Hi All -

No significant updates, I don't have a firm ETA yet. 
Work continues. As I've mentioned in other posts, when starting this project we soon realized that in order to accept FTP we would need to completely rebuild our upload workflow. As sometimes happens - what started as a simple upload remodeling job has turned into a major-down-to-the-foundation overhaul. 

While I've got your ear:  what are your opinions on upload limits or upload tiers, or other such systems designed to throttle uploading and prevent review delays.

Our current system is in most respects self-limiting. With the new upload system this will no longer be the case, and we've had some discussion about the need for upload limits. I'm curious - what do you think?  How would you tackle the need to balance allowing contributors to upload large batches, with the potential problems that could result for an unchecked system?

- Brian (SV)

Brian, when you guys do finally make FTP live make sure you e-mail that news to contributers. I do not use your current bulky system. I have over 1000 photos waiting to be uploaded to Snapvillage when the FTP is live. I also do not check in regularly so without an e-mail notice I would be unaware that the FTP was live.

On your request for suggestions on an upload limit. Fifty per day would be fair. As mentioned , keep track of the approval rating of each submitter. If it drops below 60% then lower the daily limit to 20. If it is higher then 90% then raise the upload limit to 100 or even unlimited.  Thats how some other sites handle that.

Thanks for the update and please do e-mail when you do activate that FTP.

What's the big deal on FTP? My images that are there might as well not be. It has been a complete waste of time so far when compared to any new site, including the late LuckyOliver. So why the big fuss over FTP when it seems to me like marketing would be first?

And, Brian, why wasn't the issue of FTP solved when the site was first planned? It's not like  it has been a big secret.

As a contributor and former image reviewer, I'm supportive of upload limits just as long as they are reasonable. 

IS's weekly limit of 20 for a silver cannister level (someone with between 2,500 - 9,999 sales) is far too restrictive and prevents contributors from uploading their full portfolios.  On the flip side, no limits encourages some contributors to upload the entire contents of their camera without self-editing, which wastes the reviewers' time, the company's money, and bogs down approval times for the other contributors.  I even ran into a company that buys the rights to stock photos and uploads them to the micros that didn't check for quality...and I ended up rejecting about 90% of the 1400 images they uploaded in one day.  I was not a happy reviewer or contributor that day!   

DT and StockXpert both have reasonable daily upload limits (100 and 50 respectively).  DT takes it a step further and drops the limit for those with low approval ratings.  Most contributors don't run into problems with upload limits in that range, and it definitely helps maintain a consistently flowing queue.

i agree 200% with you louoates.
Have a look at views...are so low that it sounds almost crazy to expect a good number of sales.
Another WOT* site..!


*WOT: waste of time

FTP? That's what we're worried about with SV?

Even if they had FTP, I wouldn't waste my time anymore. SV has already gotten more of my time than they deserve, considering the pennies I've made there since they opened up shop. FTP isn't even a factor when there's no money to be made. All signs point to this one going the way of Lucky Oliver within a year unless something changes drastically, and fast.

Talk about FTP all you want and keep on uploading if you've got nothing better to do. But I'd bet money that this time next year, you'll be crying about all the time you wasted uploading your entire portfolio while you read the Corbis press release announcing the closing of Snap Village.

I agree, FTP would be a total waste of time if sales stay as poor as they are.

No microstock site after 2005 will ever make it.

The FTP upload as such is very easy to implement technically. As you can read between the lines, they are afraid they'd set the floodgates open by FTP. One thing they might do to lower the workload for the reviewers is stop changing the keywords.

FTP won't make any difference. there are plenty of dead stock sites around that have nice FTP set ups, e.g. Albumo, Yaymicro, etc. It takes more than FTP to help a site make it.