Thread: Making Waves by Making Life Simpler

Hey there

This is the first site i intend to use for making money, not mega bucks
but enough to cover my expenses and time.

Curently only South African currency ZAR is accepted witch limits my site
somewat. (Looking into paypal and Credit Card payments for International clients 'FRIENDS')

I say 'friends' because im not a corporate company trying to make money!
I DELIVER a SERVICE NOT a PRODUCT.

The basic bottom line is: No Copyrights, No Royalty Fees, No Constraints.
Photos mainly for designers, but im more than sure designers wont be my only clients.

I will basicly rely on Word of Mouth advertising, so im not to bothered about the meta tags. (Dont know much about them but will find out when the need arises.)

This is my site ManicPhotoSolutions.com

Thanks Again to Everyone here at VodaTalk & VodaHost for making it possible.

Regards
Tazz Manic

Tazz (or is it Jacques or Andrew?)

Did you use Dreamweaver, or did you simply remove all the labels?

Novel idea, but I am not quite sure how literally appealing it will prove to be. It may take off like a windstorm, or it may find it's quiet place on the outskirts with all the other "rebel renditions" -- as it is now, since there is so much "declaring" and "stipulating" going on, it seems to dwarf the beginnings of your available "resources" to allow for any fair evaluation. (Since it seems the 'purpose' is to do away with the encumberances of legalities and 'posessiveness' associated with creativity, I am surprised at how much of the anthithesis is present which serves as an obvious distraction)
IMO.

Since this is BETA for a site or layout due this September, wouldn't it be prudent to "Showcase" it when you have more elements in place and are more formally committed to a website with its purpose more defined and functionalized? It's rather difficult (for me) to comment on anything so obviously minimally/partially completed, unless I am missing something altogether....

Technically? I like the use of Flash.....but is seems unbalanced somehow, with the disjointed elemental layout (the styles, proportions, positions, and development of buttons, links, "features," etc.). And maybe even the black motif is a bit too uncomplimentary for the anticipated reliance on photos and art -- too contrasting, in a "dark" sort of way. Again, IMO.

Marginally stimulated by the concept, I was disappointed when I arrived at the site. What does that tell you? Does it matter??


PS: You may wish to modify your signature yourself after reviewing the Rules rather than have it done for you ....

Thanks

My real name is Jacques du Plessis. (Thought that Tazz Manic was clear enough, but if still not sure stick with my VTalk name MadManicMayhem)

and yes i am using DreamWeaver, everything i know about web design i tought myself, so please understand if i ask stupid questions.
Like this one:

Whats the issue with the labels?

Further you will only be able to access the public version of my site. (This i built by using the css and menu graphics of the members only area, a Coppermine Photo Gallery installation using the eyball theme.)

Thanks for the input.

Regards
Tazz

PS. As for my signiture, removed it for now.

Tazz
First, "lagality's" should be "legalities".

Second
I think you are on the right track with your concept, I have searched high and low for a free unrestricted source of images and frankly I failed.

However, your images aren't free as you state, people have to pay to be a member. If I had come across your site during my research I would have moved on swiftly.

If I was setting up a service like yours, I would want it to be genuinely free and unrestricted. As far as I am aware no other site offers this, it would be unique. (I'm sure others will put me right here if I am inaccurate in my assessment.)

You could generate income form such a site through advertising, possibly Google Adsense, in which case you definitely would need to know about meta tags and everything else that goes with SEO. This would take a lot of hard work but I think it would be worth it.

I think that you should also reconsider your ToS. For a service that is supposed to be free of restrictions there's a whole lot of restrictions.

Hey thanks for the input.

Fixed "lagality's" to "legalities", i only found 2.

I have added this line in About Us page

"Thus allowing our members to: Sell, Use and/or Modify our stock photos with No Constraints."

Because the stock photos are the only things not limited by legalities.

As for "However, your images aren't free as you state"

I have 40 Full Size Absolutely Free Stock Photos completely downloadable.
If i stated anything about free images or photos it must be these, however i can not recall stating it.

I stated:
"This is the first site i intend to use for making money, not mega bucks but enough to cover my expenses and time."
&
"I will basicly rely on Word of Mouth advertising"

My main goal with this site is to Make Life Simpler for people i personaly or indirectly know on a personal level. Examples: Friends and colegues with Web, Software, Graphic Design Intrests, Professional and Amatuer Photographers.
helping Friends make money while they help me make it possible for them to have this service. Which i quite frankly dont think can be found elsewhere.

I believe that if you deliver a reputable service your more than happy clients/members will like i say on my site "Spread the Word".

I hate advertising and over ocupied website, never know what to read first!

Thank you again for your Opinions & Suggestions.

Regards

Hi .. maybe I am not getting the drift of all you are offering ..

but .... there are many many sites or shall I say "a ton of sites" around that DO offer FREE PHOTOS, free clip art, free graphics, etc., so I just wanted to say that I disagree with being unique, etc., however, another one is always good in my books!!

All of the sites I have discovered have restrictions on the commercial use of the images in their ToS.

Doesn't make sense to me Tazz. I'm aware that you stated in the OP that you will be making money from your site, but the main push on your website is that the images are free, when in fact they are not.

The main tag in your header is "Sharing Professional Photographs Freely". but you are not, you are charging for them.

In addition I don't quite understand the ethos. You don't want to advertise, the site is only for friends and family, and yet you are charging them?

I have 40 Full Size Absolutely Free Stock Photos completely downloadable.

Yes, but you have to pay for access to the main database, ergo the main service is not free.

Maybe I've misunderstood how this all works?

Hey

I love criticism so much its unbelievable.

Its a shame but:
Cleary my main gallery is being missed, O thats right you cant get to it. Why?

Well because Hard Work should be Rewarded, not so.

I do offer free photographs, but only as a sample of my Main Gallery's content.

So now i have added the following lines to my index:

"We offer 40 Free Stock Photos as a sample of Manic Photo Solutions vast collection of Stock Photos found in the Main Gallery.
(Please Note: Main Gallery only Registered Members allowed.)"
&
"Why do I need to register? Registration gives a member additional features such as downloading, uploading, having a favorite list, rating pictures and posting comments etc."

Thank you all.


PS. Ultimatly something is only as good as its worst criticism. For without
criticism inprovements would not be possible.

Thanks Again

Originally Posted by AJ113

Doesn't make sense to me Tazz. I'm aware that you stated in the OP that you will be making money from your site, but the main push on your website is that the images are free, when in fact they are not.

The main tag in your header is "Sharing Professional Photographs Freely". but you are not, you are charging for them.

Well if you take into concideration: I have removed all legalities in respect of Stock Photos.

You could actually use my stock photos to start your own gallery and charge what ever you want for it, and all this for a lousy fee of 2.50 ZAR per day (Thats taken on a month to month basis, longer than one year membership works out to about 1.90 ZAR per day)

- Not per photo like most Stock Photo sites.
- Now compare my prices with that of other sites selling Stock Photos, without constraints remember.

Now tell me my Stock Photos arent basicly for free?

If you still feel its misleading, let me know it wont hurt me to change it.

Thanks

Well there are lots of sites out there that are free to MEMBERS, and they charge for the membership. Same difference, different way to sell the access, all legit and legal. Just a different angle on marketing and can work very well. When you work in the eCommerce side of the market you see this and become famiiar with many different aspects and marketing techniques that DO work, all these techniques arent learned in a couple of months nor understood. Royalty free, does NOT mean the pictures are free, it means the artist agree to their use without charging royalties for their use if they are resold or used commercially. He is NOT reselling the images, hes reselling ACCESS to the images.

With that said.. MAD..lol.. the bottom of your home page is cut off a wee bit. Id consider also adding a bit more content, and doing some research on the best keyword phrases for traffic.. like what do people actually type in to find you, as its going to be some tough competition.

Also.. are people going to be able to use these images however they wish once they join? Or is there going to be limited reproduction? And make sure your Terms of Service and Policy statements contain errors and omissions and where your responsibility ENDS if they misuse them.

Karen

Originally Posted by Vasili

Novel idea, but I am not quite sure how literally appealing it will prove to be.
It may take off like a windstorm, or it may find it's quiet place on the outskirts with all the other "rebel renditions" -- as it is now, since there is so much "declaring" and "stipulating" going on, it seems to dwarf the beginnings of your available "resources" to allow for any fair evaluation. (Since it seems the 'purpose' is to do away with the encumberances of legalities and 'posessiveness' associated with creativity, I am surprised at how much of the anthithesis is present which serves as an obvious distraction)IMO....

LOL!

Apparenly I was not the only one who spotted an incongruency with the site's premise?

Methinks it needs a complete "re-think" as even with small modifications it is not delivering a commonly understandable appeal......

Originally Posted by AJ113

I have searched high and low for a free unrestricted source of images and frankly I failed.

All of the sites I have discovered have restrictions on the commercial use of the images in their ToS.

I think you'll like these ones then AJ .. here you go ..
they all have terms that will not prevent you from
using these images in any way other than if you
were wanting to resell them, and Madmanic this is good for you
as well, so you might have a look to see
how these sites operate ..

http://office.microsoft.com/en-ca/cl....aspx?lc=en-us
http://www.morguefile.com/
http://www.morguefile.com/forum/faq.php
http://www.imageafter.com/
http://www.pixelperfectdigital.com/terms
http://www.sxc.hu/

Hey thanks for the links some of them are quite good, but not what im aiming at.
However it did give some amazing new ideas.

Originally Posted by LadyEye

they all have terms that will not prevent you from
using these images in any way other than if you
were wanting to resell them

See thats the hole point!
I don't care if you sell my stock photos. NO CONSTRAINTS


I will however do his:

Create a specific album in my gallery that only allows access to VIP Members.
I will use this album for my new updates to the Stock Photo DB, keeping them private for 3 days before release into the generall members gallery.
Thus allowing VIP Members the option to have photos REMOVED.

(Ie It will be removed from the gallery all together.)

My price 50ZAR for the removal of 1 photo.

I will update my TOS Regarding Graphic Data
(That removed photos will not be made public nor will it be sold by Manic Photo Solutions from the point of removall onward).
&
I will create a new section in the TOS Regarding VIP Clients
(VIP clients privilages will be revoked if they abuse the system.)

Ill work on it.


Thanks, you guys sure make it a lot simpler to test, plan, manipulate and improve my site, i know where im comming with all my new sites.


Regards

Tazz

PS. This is a basic and simple site im busy with.
I have it on the server for the client to aprove the design, so please feel free to have a quick peek.
The home and news pages are empty but the rest works.
I used the photos the client gave me (not very good quality though) but needed to fill the space.
(Waiting for more information from the client)

Brakpan Rotary Club

Originally Posted by MadManicMayhem

Hey thanks for the links some of them are quite good, but not what im aiming at.
However it did give some amazing new ideas.

See thats the whole point!
I don't care if you sell my stock photos. NO CONSTRAINTS

Okay, hurry and get it all done already so I can sell your photographs, I need to make some money!! LOL LOL LOL

Hey there guys

Made some changes.

No more beta testing, its up and runing.

Please let me know what you think.

Thanks

Just food for thought..................

Do a google search on public domain photos. These are free / unrestricted. Additionally, photos from government and nasa and such are also unrestricted photos (save for logo stuff). Whey? Because your tax dollars have paid for them already.

Just some FYI info

Andy

HI,
I took a look at your photo gallery and some of the photos are so out of focus it is hard to look at them while loading. It seems that what was to be the focal point in the photo was snapped while paying no atttention to the background, it either needs a closer focus on say the blades of grass and less background, which is blurry anyway. Nicely layed out site though.

Still looking in occasionally, and can see the concept still being refined .... look forward to that phase being completed to resume technical review....

Hey all

All done, care to have a look again? And maybe give some more pointers please.

Thanks

Originally Posted by MadManicMayhem

Hey all

All done, care to have a look again? And maybe give some more pointers please.

Thanks

Hi MMM,
Why is there a 'landing page' before all of the actual pages I had a look at? (ie. If I go to www.manicphotosolutions.com I first end up on a 'summary page' and if I go to 'gallery' there is another page first.)

As a photo site, I'd love to see some 'teaser pictures' on your pages even if they are thumbnail in size.

Cheers,

MMM,

Consider adding thumbnails of some of your top 'VIP pictures', with URL link's to the pictures or albums which are in the password protected or members area. This will or should automatically bring up your members login page. You could seperate the thumbnail pictures and links into FREE (to sample gallery) and MEMBERS (to Login)

Cheers,

Bit slow on the message edit, but on your 'contact us' page you have inquiries.

You need a link from your sample gallery to your site. Or else it is a dead end.

Hi Jacques,

There's a lot being said about your site and little I can add. I wish you all the best with your site. Just one small comment. I would not have my Gallery page open in a resizable popup as you have now. Why not opening it in same window so you can navigate easier to the rest of the site? Just my opinion...

Hey Guys

Thanks so much for all the feedback, you wont believe how much it helpes.

I made some serious changes to the layout and think it fixes a hole range of issues.

The Gallery link now actualy takes you to the main gallery and not a sample gallery.

Thanks again in advance for all the input.

Hey there guys, a lot of time has passed since i created this thread.
And now im back with a hole new agle new ideas and lots of new pics.


Please help me check links and rolover images,


Thanks

Regards Tazz