I don't get the cult thing either. I think we're a bunch of people who are just tired of being a bit unappreciated by some of the microstock houses and are looking for an alternative way to earn income with our work. We're hoping that linking to each other gives us more visibility and gives buyers an alternate way to search more images than just those on our individual sites, which might help keep them coming back. We're helping each other navigate and boost SEO and Twitter and Facebook visibility.

It's a way to build a store with the added bonus of supportive people and more visibility.

Quote from: cthoman on February 27, 2014, 11:56

Quote from: JPSDK on February 27, 2014, 11:32

Isnt there a bit of witchhunting going on here and doesnt it smell of cult?

Sym had problems right from the start, one of them was the lack of self critique, very obvious now.
Not to mention a few others, that I wont mention now, but did in the past.

Now prove the cult thing true and give me some minuses, since I speak against the true belief.

I don't get the cult thing. I'm just trying to make some money and trying something new. Maybe, I didn't get my robe, sneakers and Kool-Aid when I opened my site.

Good luck with the making money thing, tho illustrators seem to have a leg up, so you will probably do well.

Actually, a couple of photographers are doing well too.

Quote from: Shelma1 on February 27, 2014, 12:29

Actually, a couple of photographers are doing well too.

It aint me, promise.    Doubled my portfolio but not one sale since Dec 18, 2013. My site dropped 400,000 places on Alexa. Something happened and killed my sales. And I cant stop the free fall.

I think it has already been established that a few people are doing "well". That is a relative term. It would only take 5 sales in the past year to be doing well, as compared with the majority of those networked.


It would have been so useful to get some sort of stats from those who are/were doing well, anonymously of course, such as x amount of images, social media plan, how many sites interlinked, etc etc.


Nobody wanted to share that kind pf data with everyone in the network tho.


I think i just made some constructive criticisms about SY. But watch how many minuses i get. Yeah, that cult. 

A cult in my belief is a gathering of people who do not accept challenges to the belief.

Basically the symbiostock idea was very healthy, and is a huge challenge to the operative market. It could have developed and won.

IF it had focused focused on the target, and not on the sand in the playground.

1.. The network must be a network and not some doomesdays preppers displaying their version. There must be a common vision, and a common display and gateway. There must be a goal for the entreprise, and it becomes meaningless when people wants freedom to upload pictures of their aunt on brown colours on the wall paper.
2.. There must be some kind of audit to maintain quality.
3...The network must be customer friendly.

SYM has failed in all three.
Mostly because of two factors:
You cannot base such a huge task on one mans shoulders, and pay him with only saying, thank you!
You could however, place it on the shoulders of many, if the vision is clear. But we cannot have an an irreplacable guru.
The software should not be a free one, but one fenced in, deep in Fort Knox.

So... next time.. Grab the software, fence it in, and describe a vision. And let the people who agree, form the arena, kick the others out.
It can be done, it is many times seen that gatherings of pheasants formed a coop, that outcompeted the middlemen.
The idea is sound, and could revolutionize commercial image licensing. But it does take a lot of discipline and hard work.

I find it remarkable that the ones without sites know best what happened and what should be done.

De beste stuurlui staan aan wal. Google it.

crap Ron, I have followed SYM right from the start, and  I didnt get in, because I could see the weaknesses already back then.
I hoped it would have worked, hoped it would get rid of the child deceases and mature.
But it didnt, it had to die first.

Quote from: JPSDK on February 27, 2014, 13:15

A cult in my belief is a gathering of people who do not accept challenges to the belief.

Basically the symbiostock idea was very healthy, and is a huge challenge to the operative market. It could have developed and won.

IF it had focused focused on the target, and not on the sand in the playground.

1.. The network must be a network and not some doomesdays preppers displaying their version. There must be a common vision, and a common display and gateway. There must be a goal for the entreprise, and it becomes meaningless when people wants freedom to upload pictures of their aunt on brown colours on the wall paper.
2.. There must be some kind of audit to maintain quality.
3...The network must be customer friendly.

SYM has failed in all three.
Mostly because of two factors:
You cannot base such a huge task on one mans shoulders, and pay him with only saying, thank you!
You could however, place it on the shoulders of many, if the vision is clear. But we cannot have an an irreplacable guru.
The software should not be a free one, but one fenced in, deep in Fort Knox.

So... next time.. Grab the software, fence it in, and describe a vision. And let the people who agree, form the arena, kick the others out.
It can be done, it is many times seen that gatherings of pheasants formed a coop, that outcompeted the middlemen.
The idea is sound, and could revolutionize commercial image licensing. But it does take a lot of discipline and hard work.

I actually agree with a good chunk of this, who knew?

The thing I disagree with is that you are treating Leo's Sym network forum and pages as the only network. Others have search pages and "networks". So SYm (the software platform) hasn't failed at all. It works exactly as promised. When a musician or writer or other developer downloads the Sym theme, they will create yet another network, and another, etc, etc...

I agree though, and when I create a closed network it will be with similar subjects, prices and quality and, as it happens, Sym already has that functionality built in. And I won't join any other networks that impose restrictions on me unless I choose to. It really is the good side of this concept, there can be (and is) many networks. Leo just has an "official" one that got all the feedback.

"The software should not be a free one, but one fenced in, deep in Fort Knox." This one I don't agree with, having worked for a multimillion dollar reseller who used nothing but Opencart, Paypal and a decent accounting package. Worked (and still works) fine.

Either way, the integrity of your data must be controlled. If you loose your data your are out of business.  I dont care which platform, free or not, but data must be guaranteed. The entegrity can be guaranteed both by an open source platform or a closed one, the point is that it should be in the coop or syms control when you are dependant on it. In this case one mand has the control, and has threathened to undermine paying users. Or did I misunderstand something?

In this case one mand has the control, and has threathened to undermine paying users. Or did I misunderstand something?

What?!?!? See that is the damage that has been done. Gossip and lies and now its accepted as truth. Job done. Un-f^$ing-believable.