Microstock Photography Forum - General > Symbiostock

Introduction and an update on Symbiostock

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Symbiostock Official:
Hey guys,

I'm going to be your Symbiostock liaison from now on so don't hesitate to throw me questions if you have any. We'll be updating you as releases are made but I wanted to let you all know that me and Leo are extremely excited about some of the things we are doing with Symbiostock.

We're hoping that with your continued support and involvement, we will be able to not only enhance Symbiostock's current offering, but really expand its reach so that you can even use the system to generate sales and find customers at a level that competes with large microstock companies.

I have been a contributor for a long time, but am still somewhat new to the Symbiostock community so I'll be relying on you guys for a little guidance at times. I will keep you updated on release dates as we near launch, and again, throw me any questions you have and I'll do my best to answer them.

All the best,
Robin.

Jo Ann Snover:
Do you have a Symbiostock site?

I don't see any links to a portfolio, and I understand that people sometimes need to remain anonymous for various reasons, however, if you want to be a liaison for Symbiostock site owners, I think it'd be nice to know a bit more about you.

I wasn't involved with Symbiostock from the beginning, but did become pretty active until Leo blew his stack a few times and largely torpedoed the community and declared the project done. Right now, before I have any interest in release dates or features, I'd need to have some confidence that this next round of development was going to be different.

Leo gets huge kudos for getting Symbiostock off the ground, but if it's to go anywhere, there needs to be some confidence among those who invest massive amounts of time in getting their sites going that this will stick around for the long haul.

As for a specific question, how is it that a collection of indie self-hosted sites will find customers at a level that competes with large microstock companies? Sounds nice, but building a presence isn't easy and courting buyers when there are some really good (for the buyer) options out there will take some work. Care to elaborate a bit?

Leo:
Unlike the previous Symbiostock community effort, I'm rather hoping I can focus more on coding and less on everything else, which brings us to: Robin!

He is a coder like myself and quite experienced in the areas he has presented himself in.

There is more to be said, but this was simply an announcement to state that everything is still running (you can see the original site is up to date) and that there is more to come.

Symbiostock Official:
Hi Jo Ann,

Thanks for the questions and comments. I have actually visited your site a number of times and am really glad to see that you are not only using Symbiostock, but actively promoting the project through your slideshows. One of my priorities is to ensure current Symbiostock users like yourself don't feel left out of the loop.

Symbiostock is a fantastic idea. When I first found out about it I was blown away that someone had already actuated an idea that was bubbling in my own mind. Why was I interested in it? The same reason as all of you - I am a contributor, and I want to be able to market my images on my terms. This is the primary drive behind both my and Leo's passions towards it.

This never wavered with Leo - he has been working steadily on the current version, just not been very vocal about it. That's where I come in - I will try to answer contributor questions to try to bridge that gap so you too can be excited about the future of the project, as we both are.

Right now, unfortunately, I can't get into the specifics of certain aspects of our plans because they are still in the developmental stages. What is important, however, is for us to let you know that the project is alive and going strong, and that soon we will be releasing a new version of Symbiostock that should make things like installations, tweaking, and personalization a lot easier. And don't worry - you will be able to seamlessly port your current sites onto the new engine.

You'll get to know more about me as we communicate more, but I hope this has answered a few of your questions.

Thanks Jo Ann!

Robin.

r2d2:

--- Quote from: Jo Ann Snover on March 23, 2015, 00:37 ---

I wasn't involved with Symbiostock from the beginning, but did become pretty active until Leo blew his stack a few times and largely torpedoed the community and declared the project done. Right now, before I have any interest in release dates or features, I'd need to have some confidence that this next round of development was going to be different.



--- End quote ---

agree. One of the biggest problems in my view.
Such a shame in Symbiostock plugged the power to change the market in a win-win situation for profit of contributors and buyers.

I'm concerned symbiostock may cost a bit ($ 10 month) if it is stable and will be expanded.

But the buyer needs a nice looking global search.
Many buyers do not want a single vendor but an agency feeling.

summarized:

1. stability.
2. nice looking global landing page for buyers.
3. standardized clear licenses.
4. vat and tax improvements.

for that I would like to pay a monthly fee..

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