FAA - The Largest Art Site in the World?

[luissantos84]

So, some good and some bad.  I'll give it a few months but if FAA isn't producing any buyers I'll probably drop it and maybe go to SmugMug, where I can at least (I think) create a site that doesn't embarrass me.

sorry to tell you (if I may) but that is your worst flaw, you haven't started and you are already with a foot outside, relax a bit

[Poncke]

I dont get all the complaining, its a great site for only 30 dollar per year. I made it back 18 fold. Just make a template with all your prices and setting and load your images. Dont pull out in two montht. This site needs time. I waited for 4 months and then the sales started coming in. There is loads of stuff to be found on the site that can help you promote your art. Take your time to get to know the site and have fun.

[stockastic]

Like I said, some good and some bad.  If I make some sales, my opinion will no doubt go up.  Unfortunately the "artist web page" isn't useful to me because it doesn't project the image I want, and I can't change it.  Other aspects of the site are pretty good.

I really don't want "Fine Artist" displayed after my name      And getting rid of that was actually on the list of member suggestions, posted in their forum back in 2010.  So I'm not alone.

[Poncke]

Who cares what they call you, its all about the $$$ 

[stockastic]

Who cares what they call you, its all about the $$$ 

You're thinking like a microstocker and not a "fine artist". 

[Poncke]

Who cares what they call you, its all about the $$$ 

You're thinking like a microstocker and not a "fine artist". 

I am thinking like I am a business, LOL

[ShadySue]

Who cares what they call you, its all about the $$$ 

You're thinking like a microstocker and not a "fine artist". 

Hahahaha! 


Discovered another two things.

You can't (or at least I couldn't) fool the system by uploading two sets of five images in different tabs. I thought I was doing it OK, but it didn't work.

It doesn't 'hold' uploaded photos in store until you have time to keyword etc them. I accidentally went off the page after three uploads had completed and two were going through (because I wanted to check a scientific name) and all the files were lost when I pressed the forward button again. I read someone saying that you get timed out after ten minutes' inactivity. Haven't tested that, but if it's true, you'd better not get distracted while waiting for files to upload!

But oh, just look at 'butterfly' under recently added. Someone has clearly just put the same keyword set into a huge batch of files. 

[CD123]

Who cares what they call you, its all about the $$$ 

You're thinking like a microstocker and not a "fine artist". 

I am thinking like I am a business, LOL

Seems like a bunch of "rough artists" found their way to the "fine artist section" 

[stockastic]

Who cares what they call you, its all about the $$$ 

You're thinking like a microstocker and not a "fine artist". 

I am thinking like I am a business, LOL

Sure, but it's a different business.  People don't buy wall art because it "meets their needs".  They buy something because it says the right things to them, it fits into their self-image.   They need to look at it a while, bond with it, imagine it hanging on their wall and being admired by their friends.  It's an emotional, psychological thing which is why a big obtrusive watermark is a total buzz kill.  An artist's web site should play to the psyches of people who you think might like your art.

[stockastic]

But oh, just look at 'butterfly' under recently added. Someone has clearly just put the same keyword set into a huge batch of files. 

I think lots of microstock is flooding into FAA and unfortunately keyword spamming is coming with it.

[ShadySue]

I think the way to get over the greetings card size thing is to upload two versions of images which can't neatly be cropped into 5x7.

I thought I'd seen that you could restrict an image to poster only or greetings card only, but maybe I imagined that. Some of my square images can't be cropped without losing part of the actual subject, but I could probably - eventually - find find the originals and submit a different crop.

[stockastic]

I think the way to get over the greetings card size thing is to upload two versions of images which can't neatly be cropped into 5x7.

I thought I'd seen that you could restrict an image to poster only or greetings card only, but maybe I imagined that. Some of my square images can't be cropped without losing part of the actual subject, but I could probably - eventually - find find the originals and submit a different crop.

I wish I could just turn off greeting cards altogether.

[ShadySue]

Everything between free and paid is the same except for the upload limit. 25 vs unlimited. I paid from the start so I dont know if there is a difference in sales, but I dont think so.

What's that bit under the second line of images,

"Fine Art America Members
Sponsor this page, and your artwork will be shown in the next row, below."

Since none of my images are searchable yet, when I click on the link it just tells me I have no contenct for that keyword.
Is that a 'pay extra for enhanced visibility'? Presumably only a few (four on my monitor) can be 'in the next line below'? And the 'best sellers', random, newly added etc only applies to the top eight images?

Hmmm, I just did a search on 'horse', bestsellers, simultaneously, on FF logged in and on IE logged out. The top eight images are the same, those below the top two lines under the 'Sponsor this page' message are totally different (filtered under All, Best-sellers and newly added)

Added: I searched 'sponsor this page' in the discussion forum, and none of the threads looked relevant by title and the top thread had nothing relevant. Seems the forum search must be similar to the iS one. 

[stockastic]

What's that bit under the second line of images,

"Fine Art America Members
Sponsor this page, and your artwork will be shown in the next row, below."

Where are you finding this?

[Poncke]

If you look here, you will see 4 of my photos under that sponsor line

http://fineartamerica.com/art/all/chicago/all

Because I sponsored those keywords here at the bottom

http://semmickphoto.wordpress.com/2013/01/27/chicago-from-dawn-to-dusk/

[Poncke]

What's that bit under the second line of images,

"Fine Art America Members
Sponsor this page, and your artwork will be shown in the next row, below."

Where are you finding this?

http://fineartamerica.com/announcement-artwork-page-sponsorship.html?announcement=true

[stockastic]

These endless self-promotional games have now exceeded my capacity for understanding.   Not to mention my attention span. 
 
What I think I see in the FAA Discussion threads are people relentlessly trying to game the system, without coming out and saying so.

[Poncke]

Forget about the discussion thread, thats just to show off work, like in the SS forum, and I dont believe it wont generate any sales. Just promote however you promote your other work. FAA is just a great POD site.

[ShadySue]

If you look here, you will see 4 of my photos under that sponsor line

http://fineartamerica.com/art/all/chicago/all

Because I sponsored those keywords here at the bottom

http://semmickphoto.wordpress.com/2013/01/27/chicago-from-dawn-to-dusk/

So sponsoring just means you link to the page from your own website/blog. Do they really 'close' that keyword if four people 'sponsor' the page?

Thanks for the link: I couldn't find that info!

Oh, my pics are becoming live, so now I see the link for the code.
E.g. http://fineartamerica.com/art/all/Keyword/all?filter=recentlyadded" style="font: 10pt arial; text-decoration: underline;">Keyword art[/url]
(actual link removed and emphases mine)
So unless you wanted loads of links on your website/blog, you'd need to choose not only keyword, but which of the sort orders you'd target.

Also, doesn't it make a lie of 'recently added', 'bestsellers' or 'recently sold', for example?

[stockastic]

Also, doesn't it make a lie of 'recently added', 'bestsellers' or 'recently sold', for example?

You're implying there might be some degree of corruption and pay-for-placement in this "fine art" site? I'm shocked. Shocked.

[ShadySue]

If you look here, you will see 4 of my photos under that sponsor line

http://fineartamerica.com/art/all/chicago/all

Because I sponsored those keywords here at the bottom

http://semmickphoto.wordpress.com/2013/01/27/chicago-from-dawn-to-dusk/

I see that the 'sponsor this page' link is still there - not only that, but unless you're submitting there under two different names, Christopher Stauring (3) and Emily Stauring (1), your images are not in line 3 - and if you're posting under your usual name, your images aren't on the whole of the page you linked me to.
(I've got a screenshot, but my site seems to be down ATM, and as it's 2.25, I'm going to bed!)

[Poncke]

If you look here, you will see 4 of my photos under that sponsor line

http://fineartamerica.com/art/all/chicago/all

Because I sponsored those keywords here at the bottom

http://semmickphoto.wordpress.com/2013/01/27/chicago-from-dawn-to-dusk/

I see that the 'sponsor this page' link is still there - not only that, but unless you're submitting there under two different names, Christopher Stauring (3) and Emily Stauring (1), your images are not in line 3 - and if you're posting under your usual name, your images aren't on the whole of the page you linked me to.
(I've got a screenshot, but my site seems to be down ATM, and as it's 2.25, I'm going to bed!)

Thanks/


If I am correct, if more people sponsor the link, then they rotate the images on line 4. But everytime I check the page, I see my images on line 4. If they show the images because they know its me looking at the page then thats a freaken scam.

I will check that out using a proxy now

[Poncke]

Right when I use a proxy I dont see my images either, which is really not cool

[ShadySue]

The blurb doesn't even say the image will rotate. It says:
"Each time someone visits one of your sponsored pages, your images will appear in the third row (in addition to wherever they would have normally appeared without your sponsorship).   It's a great way to ensure that your images are prominently displayed whenever someone searches for keywords that pertain specifically to your artwork."
http://fineartamerica.com/controlpanel/index.html?tab=searchenginesponsorship
(probably a paid-members only page?)

@ponke - BTW, after 7 refreshes I found one of your Chicago pics on the third lilne, a very wide panoramic of the city. Nice 

[Poncke]

Thanks Sue.

I posted on FAA forum, and Beth the moderator confirmed when I am visiting the sponsored pages I see my images on 3rd line. So they are using IP or cookies to show me a different result then the buyer.