Symbiostock 2.0 has been released and improves on a variety of aspects of Symbiostock 1.0. It also includes the first (of many) networking feature, the Symzio Network Widget. This permits all independent sites to share results. The Widget is customizable, and here are some live examples of users already implementing them:

Here and here

As you can see, they provide highly relevant, instant results from across the tens of thousands of images already indexed. As Symbiostock is now quite large, all the features cannot be listed here. However, to sum it all up, it provides all the mechanisms necessary for microstock contributors to upload, keyword, and sell their images independently. Symbiostock PLUS takes this even further, providing full agency submissions, along with video hosting and agency submissions.

For those of you that have not heard of Symbiostock before, it is a 100% free WordPress plugin that you can use to launch your own microstock store within a few minutes. If you are a new artist, or a legacy user, now is a great time to move to Symbiostock 2.0.

For legacy Symbiostock users, we have a dedicated forum for the Importer/Exporter:

http://www.symbiostock.org/forums/forum/plugins/symbiostock-importerexporter/

And documentation that tells you exactly how to use it:

http://www.symbiostock.org/docs/symbiostock-importerexporter/

In addition, we have lots of community members who have now successfully imported portfolios thousands of images in size. One member wrote a blog that may be helpful for transitions:

http://www.backyardsilver.com/2015/07/learning-points-from-creating-a-new-symbiostock-website/

If you are a new user, all you need is a WordPress install. You upload everything directly through Symbiostock.

As well as all of this, I am always lurking about the forums, trying to squash any bugs that may show up. I can't guarantee that I can provide personalized service on every install/migration, but I do my best.

Also, our community is really positive - everyone tries to help everyone out, and any criticisms take the form of positive reinforcement with the mutual success of everyone as the goal. We aim to keep it that way. Any members that are unreasonably destructive are not going to receive assistance from me, and are less likely to get help from others in the community.

That being said, we are well over 200+ strong. New members are joining the Symzio network on a daily basis. And more cool features are on their way. Here are some live samples:

Videos on PLUS
Customized Symbiostock Express theme with custom watermark
Large site with many categories hosted on PLUS
Completely localized to German

As you can see, they load fast, look beautiful, and provide an easy way for customers to buy stuff. 2.0 also introduces a 'simple checkout' optional feature which permits you to reduce the number of fields customers need to fill in to complete a purchase.

If you have any questions or want to know more about Symbiostock and selling independently, just let me know. All members are welcome, new and old.

Robin,
Please help me understand. Symbio is strictly a platform for independent sellers of stock, is that correct?
For general portfolio hosting and print sales one should use a different platform?

Lawrence Sawyer