Just thinking out loud ...
How about some kind of mentoring? I mean we have people here that know the Wordpress and Symbiostock theme pretty well - and we have NEW Symbiostockers that would appreciate any help they can get because they might be overwhelmed.
Sometimes a single mentor (possibly even with access to the Wordpress site in question) can explain and adjust things much quicker than posting/reading a lot of different opinions in the forum.

Wouldn't it be helpful if newbies could sign up at "looking for a mentor" while at the same time experienced users would like to be "available for help"?

We all have taken other people's work for granted ... why not give something back?

My suggestion would be that "mentors" simply drop a note here to be available while "newbies" can publish a need for mentoring.

I really love this idea and the intentions behind it.

Symbiostock is a very new animal in this business. The give and take has to have purpose behind it though.

I'm still not certain how to approach the idea of "working together" because not everyone's spirit of helping will be rewarded with any sort of gain.

I always fall back on nature - there should always be a mutual gain.


Above picture (Egyptian Plover) - clean's crocodile's teeth, gets free meal, doesn't become a meal. Crocodile smile is prettier.

Yes, the idea of helping others will build a stronger and more respected network. That is for sure. But still, the individuals who put themselves out should recieve a benefit. Honestly it won't be directly translatable to money since most people are trying to recover from the more "parasitic" relationship that has crippled their microstock income. So in many cases maybe the joy of a fun hobby would be enough. But realistically Symbiostock was made so experienced professionals don't have to be reduced to hobbyists, and we hope that hobbyists can become experienced professionals.

Throw some ideas around! I think people also need help learning how to make Sellable material.

I think going back to the ant colony concept is best. Lots of diligent creatures working hard for a colony effort, and reaping a combined reward? For instance ants live underground with a nice food supply. Likewise, Symbiostock can end up with its own market that does not even converge with Microstock. It just has to be played right, with the correct mindset, with relationships always being Symbiotic.

Leo, you're going too deep IMO.
I'm not questioning nor discussing Symbiostock itself.
I'm just suggesting that most people who have gone through setting up a SYS site are capable of mentoring someone who struggles to do so. Just a little more "personal" help than a forum can give - that's what's on my mind. The forum is already full of "this doesn't work and I can't do that" threads while most of the time the solution is simple but not easy to find for someone who has never worked with WP/SYS (just like me about 8 weeks ago).
I'm very grateful for a fantastic tool , FREE OF CHARGE, to promote and to sell my work directly.

I'll be happy to promote the whole idea by helping somebody else to join the party.

Thats great! In that case the help is certainly appreciated. I've been running on empty for a long time. Thanks very much! Yes +50 on this!

I like the idea although I'm not sure how much knowledge I could contribute.  My strongest area is in general WP functions, widgets, posting, pages, etc. since I've had a few blogs over the past years.  I really don't have any programming skills to share.  My hours of availability are a bit limited too which may be frustrating to someone I'd be mentoring.

Perhaps having a child board in the Symbiostock forum dedicated to "Help - new to Symbiostock" would serve the purpose of mentoring those new to the process.  A few sticky posts at the top could serve as starting points such as a pointer to the Symbioguides, a FAQ list, etc. and searching for answers to new set up stuff may be easier if a majority of it could be kept in one place.  Of course those with experience could always reach out to do some one-on-one mentoring if they see a newcomer struggling in a area they can offer expertise.