When I launched the new version of stockvault.net, I had been thinking a lot about how I could continue to reward contributors for uploading their files. I decided to add a donation button to every download page, and offered contributors with 25 uploaded images or more, to insert their Paypal and Flattr info so they could accept donations from site users. After around 2 months of trying this out, I’ve seen that this is not working as well as I’d hoped. I have therefore added the option of Google Adsense revenue sharing once again.

Those who are already familiar with this program that we used to have, can now add their Adsense Pub-ID and start showing their own ads on all of their download pages, plus their profile page. Those of you that are not familiar with this program, can read more about it here.

Of course, the idea behind this is to encourage users to upload more photos, and feel good about sharing their freebies. Stockvault is one of the most popular free stock photo site on the internet, despite only having around 20.000 files in it’s gallery. I’m always trying to figure out new ways to share the site’s success with it’s users. Some will not work, but others will.

If you have any questions regarding the Appreciation Program, please send us a line by using the contact page.

Submitting photos is a lot of work, and we think that photographers that actively submit photos to stockvault should have the opportunity to enjoy it when guests want to show their appreciation. Therefor we have created the Stockvault Photographer Appreciation Program.

This program allows contributors to accept donations via the site, through our pre-made interface and support buttons integrated with Paypal.com and Flattr.com

How does it work?

When ever a guest sees a photograph that he wants to donate for (and the contributor has activated this program), a donation window will popup with your details filled in. The guest can then select if he wants to donate $4.99 (coffee) or $9.99 (beer) with Paypal, or support you with Flattr.

How do I activate it?

If you have more than 25 photos uploaded, and approved on the site, the program will activate itself and allow you to add your Paypal and/or Flattr details.

What happened to the old Revenue Sharing Program?

The old Adsense revenue sharing program did not perform well and the quality of the ads was not always up to pair.
We are confident that this will outperform our old Google Adsense revenue sharing program for contributors.

For the past year we have been working on a huge update for stockvault.net, both the design and the back-end system. Everything has been re-written for speed and usability, plus we have added a ton of new features to the site.

The Design

The talented designer Ian Mckay of wefunction.com was asked to create a fresh interface for the site. After a few mock-ups Ian came up with a great design that was both eye pleasing, user friendly,  and fitted the site content perfectly. We thank Ian for his excellent work, he was great to work with.

Back-end system

Initially we had decided to go with a ready-made gallery software, but as the work progressed, we realized that it was not fast enough and could never handle our needs. So we decided to start from scratch and custom code a new gallery system specified to our needs. By doing that we got got rid of all the unnecessary functions most gallery software includes,  and  focus on the things we wanted to offer to our users.

What has changed?

A lot of things have changed, but we tried to make the transition as smooth as possible for our current users.
The basic functions of the site are still the sale. Everyone can download a photo, even without registering…

The site layout

The site has gone through a complete overhaul. Every detail of the site has been redesigned.

User system

The users system is now more simple. Instead of having to sign up specially as a Contributor, all members can now upload files and use the site member features via our brand new user-panel.
We can also upgrade users to Editors, that have access to some of the sites Admin features.

Upload system

We now accept both photos and graphic files! Uploading images has never been easier. You can upload as many images as you want at a time, and then process them all at once. The upload speed has also been dramatically increased.

Member features

Users can now have an active profile page by posting mini-news and update their profile information with ease.  Members can also add images to favorites, comment on photos and contact other members.

Downloaders

Regular visitors can still download images without being registered. We have made it ‘super’ easy and fast for visitors to get the image they need without any problems.

Advanced Search

You can now search through our gallery using the new advanced search functions. Search by specific photographer, category, shape, date and COLOR!

Credits

Andri Óskarsson for developing the new back-end system, server setup and consultation.
Ian Mckay for the layout design work.
xhtml4u.com for HTML/CSS coding.

And countless of other great people that gave us input and helped solve problems. THANKS!

We hope that you all like the new site design, and if you have anything to suggest or say, please post below.

We are well on our way working on the upcoming release of stockvault.net

The design and coding is almost finished, and the next step will be to integrate the design into our new gallery management system.

We had no other than Liam McKay of wefunction.com create the new design, and I must say that it looks stunning. (see image sample above)

Check back soon for more updates.

I think now is the time to start preparation of taking the website up to the next level. I have high expectations and big plans for Stockvault in the free stock photo area. Yeah, there are new sites popping up all over the place, but we have a large and devoted user-base which I hope to see grow in the years to come.

Below is a list of things to come within the next 2-3 months. I’m already working hard on these features, hoping to be able to launch them before New Year.

New dedicated server
I’m currently setting up a brand new server dedicated to Stockvault.net – That means you will see massive speed increments, and a smoother all-around experience.

Completely new back-end / gallery system
Our current (old) gallery system has it’s limits, and is missing features that I think are vital for the site to grow. Therefor I have decided to migrate over to a new system which has a lot of exiting features for our members.

Among some of the new features are:

• We can finally accept vector and graphic files such as .ai, .eps, .psd and many more!
• One member system. You will have access to all the site features through one account.
• Upload your photos as collections, better batch uploads etc.
• Private messaging system, favorites, support forums, user news/blogs, just to name a few.

New layout design
All these system changes require a brand new look, right?
Stockvault.net will receive a nice makeover, where I will focus on simplicity and usability. And good looks of course!

The 10.000 photo was uploaded by Corey Hughes

Thanks for all the uploads guys, let’s keep it up and continue creating this valuable resource for designers and photographers!

• RSS Feeds for all galleries, featured-, newest-, popular- and photographer images
• Image Ratings
• Faster Search and a faster loading gallery in general
• Batch Upload system for photographers
• E-mail notice when an uploaded photograph is accepted or not
• Video section where you can learn about photography and design

I’m still ironing out some layout and code details, and if you find and bugs or encounter any errors, please let me know so I can fix it.

I hope you like the new layout!

Thanks,
Bjorgvin

Here are some of those features which I find worth mentioning:

• Batch upload function for photographers
• RSS feeds for every gallery, popular and newest photos
• Ajax Rating system to rate the photos in the gallery
• E-mail notice when a uploaded photo gets approved or not
• Faster loading gallery and search results

There will also be some big changes in the general look and feel of the site and we are cutting down on the amount of advertising which has been very dominant the past year. By doing that I hope to make the site better and easier to navigate but also to attract more members and photographers to Stockvault.net. I still have some big bills to pay, but I’m sure I can cover those costs without an excessive amount of ads.

I don’t have a set release date yet, but hopefully I can launch the new site next weekend, or next week.

Due to the extremely low amount of submission to the contest I have decided to extend the deadline until February 2nd 2008. I realize that many are busy during the holidays, and since we started the contest pretty late this year, I want the contestants to have more time to submit their best photos.