Smugmug or Zenfolio?

[pads69]

I am looking for a hosting site have read and searched as much as I think
I can. Am thinking Zenfolio for price reasons. I would not mind a little extra push in ether way if anyone new has anything to say?

[kenh]

Don't know anything about the other, but I am very happy with SmugMug. They also had a very helpfull forum at www.dgrin.com (http://www.dgrin.com) if you have any questions or need help. you can use this coupon for a $5 discount, sAILNpyh3VJlo.

[DozerLYP]

Go Zenfolio...

[jamesss]

i personally decided to go with smugmug and i don't regret that decision at all
it is very easy to customize and the support at dgrin is second to none
i went with the power user option because i didn't feel the pro option offered anything extra that would be of great use to me

both sites have free trial periods so why not give them both a go and see which you prefer? :)


also if you are switching from yahoo, flickr or photosite there is a code which will give you 50% off
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=363401

[KenG]

I choose Zenfolio myself, to me it has a far better appearance out of the box, and functionally they are very similar, but zenfolio is a better price. Smugmug does have a few more features and is more customizable, though.

That being said, zenfolio service is excellent and is improving regularly as well. If you find zenfolio does all you need, it is the best value in my opinion.
But from what I have seen and read smugmug service sounds to be on par...

Good luck, it's a tough choice.

[bobbyz]

I had posted in detail the difference between the 2. Sorry, couldn't find the thread. I had SmugMug pro but now use Zenfolio. Both are good. Smugmug offers more customization than Zenfolio. SmugMug print prices are higher than Zenfolio. Things like access control are much better in Zenfolio. SmugMug doesn't offer coupons, self fulfillment, only EZPrints but might do these when they do next upgrade. Difference is $100 vs $150 per yr.

[pads69]

Thanks everyone guess I will have to try both started to try smugmug last night it took forever to download a phot like 3 min for 2.5 meg. but will try more.
thanks again.

[RAPhotography]

IMO, zenfolio looks better at baseline. However, just about everything seems to be customizable in smugmug. As an example, you are able to embed a paypal link into your smugmug page. I asked, and you can't do this with zenfolio.

This customization requires either some HTML knowhow or some patience to research the changes you want to make, though. Pretty good tutorials in their forum as mentioned previously.

good luck,

ryan

[Bob_A]

I have been using Smugmug for a couple of years now and have been very happy with them. They just seem to keep on getting better and better with time.

As others mentioned, Zenfolio may have a nicer layout "out of the box", but Smugmug is a good design for anyone that wants to spend some time to customize their site a bit. Their service is outstanding as is their Dgrin support forum ... which reminds me of POTN :)

[timnosenzo]

No experience with Zenfolio, but I've been very happy with my SmugMug account!

[ibdb]

I used Zenfolio and have had a very good time of it so far.

I have never used smugmug. I can say that I've never run into problems with downtime affecting my ability to get to my Zenfolio site. I have run into, on more occasions than I'd prefer to remember, problems accessing shots hosted on Smugmug. I may just have bad timing.

[Woolburr]

Tried both...Smugmug is slower than death...Zenfolio is much faster for loading and has a much cleaner looking interface.

[F/M Bill]

I too, researched this topic about a month ago. My choice was Zenfolio because of the ease of use and dollar value. When I did my research, I found a lot of Smugmug users that were looking and suggesting Zenfolio. Both seem to be in the same league. After choosing Zenfolio, I have no regrets.

[bobbyz]

OK, I dug up some old info about Zenfolio/SmugMug/EM.

Here are the things that I wish SmugMug had:

1. For someone selling prints, they should tell me the client information which they won't.
2. For my client prints, they should appear like they came from me not from smugMug. Atleast let me put a single page brochure in there with my studio name.
3. Self Fulfillment
4. Easier to change things like persmissions, settings etc.
5. Give me options of more labs than just EZPrints.
6. Coupon Codes - When will they add this
7. Packages - No idea when will they do this
8. Cheaper print prices. between EM, Zenfolio, SmugMug, SmugMug using same vendor is the most expensive.

I think these are important things for someone selling their prints through sites like SmugMug, EM and Zenfolio.

EM does most of these but their interface looks quite old to me. So for that reason I just moved from SmugMug Pro to Zenfolio. I just hope SmugMug adds these features so folks don't jump ship from them to other compaines.

[bobbyz]

Here is more info from old thread of mine (when I was deciding moving from SmugMug to Zenfolio).

And in process of moving from smugmug to zenfolio.

Here is my take.

1. Space/bandwidth wise, don't worry you can store umlimited stuff.

2. Smugmug pro is $150 per yr while Zenfolio till end of the month is only $80

3. Smugmug pro offers lot more customization. On Zendolio you only have themes etc. not much more.

4. You can sell prints with both but Zenfolio prints are cheaper than Smugmug. Of course you can increase your markup on SmugMug but using EZPrints (which I think both do) cost should be same for the consumer.

5. SmugMug has digital download, Zenfolio doesn' t have it yet.

6. I am liking interface of Zenfolio

7. Things like access control, creating galleries, groups etc seems much easier on Zenfolio.

8. SmugMug pro does some slideshow thing on your front page, which is nice.

9. Zenflio offers self fulfillment which SumgMug doesn't.

10. SmugMug has proof delay but Zenfolio doesn't it but I think something like it is coming soon as I can see an option being grayed out right now.

Wish both of these guys took some features of Exposure Manager and made them better.

[constrict]

Zenfolio...

While smugmug has similar features, the name alone sounds unprofessional if you're using it to display client work.

[timnosenzo]

Smugmug is slower than death...

Yikes, death must be really quick then... :o

Honestly, I'm totally happy with the speed of my SmugMug site, and do not find Zenfolio to be any quicker.

While smugmug has similar features, the name alone sounds unprofessional if you're using it to display client work.

You don't really have to tell your clients anything about SmugMug.

[duvallian]

I tried both - SmugMug and Zenfolio. I prefer the Zenfolio method, so I passed on Smug and now have almost 4,000 full res jpegs on Zenfolio. Nice way to provide an extra layer of back-up protection.

[azneric3]

zenfolio for the win!

Has made me some $$$

[wuwujohn]

i HATE how both sites still have their names on their footer. i mean if you have a paid subscription, shouldn't that be gone? i'm going to go w/ zenfolio but i see that there's the "contented created by zenfolio" text on the footer of every zenfolio site i've seen so far. is there a way to get rid of it?

[bobbyz]

i HATE how both sites still have their names on their footer. i mean if you have a paid subscription, shouldn't that be gone? i'm going to go w/ zenfolio but i see that there's the "contented created by zenfolio" text on the footer of every zenfolio site i've seen so far. is there a way to get rid of it?

I don't think there is any way to remove it. But it is small size so I don't think people worry that much.

The bigger thing (IMHO) for someone selling pictures through Zenfolio and SmugMug is that prints say they came from Zenfolio/SmugMug not you.

[azneric3]

i HATE how both sites still have their names on their footer. i mean if you have a paid subscription, shouldn't that be gone? i'm going to go w/ zenfolio but i see that there's the "contented created by zenfolio" text on the footer of every zenfolio site i've seen so far. is there a way to get rid of it?


Its so tiny though nobody really cares to notice

zenfolio > smugmug

[pratman64]

Another vote for Zenfolio. The uploads are usually very quick. Clean UI and fairly reasonable prices - What's there not to like?

[constrict]

The bigger thing (IMHO) for someone selling pictures through Zenfolio and SmugMug is that prints say they came from Zenfolio/SmugMug not you.

I haven't started using my Zenfolio account to sell prints yet but that's kind of a turn off to me. Hopefully we have the option of having it show our names soon, at least.

Anyone have any more info about this?

[KenG]

I haven't started using my Zenfolio account to sell prints yet but that's kind of a turn off to me. Hopefully we have the option of having it show our names soon, at least.

Anyone have any more info about this?

I agree with this, I suppose they do it for promotion, but it should say the name chosen by the photographer, after all other then taking the order they have nothing to do with the final print.

I think we as users, provide them with plenty of positive promotion, especially when they keep us happy by implementing what we ask for..

[_aravena]

Question which I thought I saw but wasn't sure. With Zenfolio you only need the 2nd level package to have your own domain name but with Smugmug you need pro right?

[KenG]

Question which I thought I saw but wasn't sure. With Zenfolio you only need the 2nd level package to have your own domain name but with Smugmug you need pro right?

That's true for Zenfolio, can't speak for Smugmug...

[bobbyz]

Question which I thought I saw but wasn't sure. With Zenfolio you only need the 2nd level package to have your own domain name but with Smugmug you need pro right?

That is correct.

[bobbyz]

I agree with this, I suppose they do it for promotion, but it should say the name chosen by the photographer, after all other then taking the order they have nothing to do with the final print.

I think we as users, provide them with plenty of positive promotion, especially when they keep us happy by implementing what we ask for..

People should contact them and let them know about these kind of things. They are receptive to them.

Like earlier, clients had to register to order prints, not anywmore, after folks from this forum sent emails to Zenfolio.

[sobad]

I've never used either but when my Exposure Manager comes up for renwual I may have to check them out. Not that I'm unhappy with EM but always looking for a way to improve.

[_aravena]

Zenfolio has under features that soon to come is where we can design our own themes. I wonder if this is like what smugmug has. While I like smugmug and the ability to pretty much make my own site it's too expensive since to use my own domain name I have to go pro and zenfolio is with the 2nd tier. ANd from what I read on both sites, must don't see the extra cost in the pro on either site. So to compare the 2nd level of both, I think I'm going to go Zenfolio.

Having some toruble getting used to it, but it's my first night on the trial.

[JFK]

I tried both and I'm sticking with the Smugmug pro level. The main reason is the level of cusomization that they offer. I must admit that I spent a few long nights setting up the site but in the end I think it was worth it. The support is really excellent. I had a couple of problems but one post on the forum and I had the answer in a flash. They are offering 20% off for POTN peekers. Use POTN as the voucher code or you can use my code sjtXXl747QJS2 and get $5 off. My site is below and I will get my own domain name soon.
I just need to start loading more images.
John
www.johnkrepp.smugmug.com

[_aravena]

^Zenfolio is suppose to be doing that soon. Personalization of pages.

[Analog6]

Well, I tried them both and think Zenfolio offers a superior product for a better price. I'm very happy with it and find it easier to use and upload to.

[SYS]

Instead of creating a new topic, let me revive this thread with the following question:

I'm pretty much down to Zenfolio and Smugmug as the leading contenders to host my images. My question is, in order to have either of them sell the photos for you and do all the required transactions, you'd have to subscribe to their "pro" account, right? In other words, you can't subscribe to their second level package and have them sell your photos? I just want to make sure I'm subscribing to the appropriate account.

[_aravena]

2nd level zenfolio you can sell. Not sure I get what you're saying. You mean where you make your own prices? Then yeah, 3rd level or pro.

[SYS]

2nd level zenfolio you can sell. Not sure I get what you're saying. You mean where you make your own prices? Then yeah, 3rd level or pro.

Okay, thanks. It sounds like I'll need the pro package if I want to be able to set my own price on, let's say, one of my landscape images, as I wouldn't want my landscape or other artistic works to be determined by a set pricing structure of the 2nd level package.

In this case, I think I'll go with the SmugMug for at least the first year as they're offering 50% off if you move from Flickr to their site. That's $75 for the first year for subscribing to their pro account. After that, I'll make my decision as to either stay with them or move to another...

[_aravena]

Hm, did not know that. I'm not caring enough to sell like that. I'm busy with school and my biggest thing was that for the 2nd level of Zenfolio I can have my own url unlike SmugMug which I had to get the pro account.

My business is a work in progress but for someone there, then yeah, Pro all the way and then it's your choice. Zenfolio is doing a lot of changes so in a year the side by side will change.

[mdorroh]

I've been using zenfolio and really like it. When I start actually selling images then I'll think about upgrading to the pro account. I think that zefolio has a great setup and has the potential to become even better.

[bobbyz]

$75 per yr for SmugMug Pro is very good deal IMHO. I did have SM Pro but then moved to Zenfolio when there were giving $80 per yr for life deal.

Get the Pro level with SmugMug or Zenfolio whichever you decide to go. It is worth it.

[SYS]

$75 per yr for SmugMug Pro is very good deal IMHO. I did have SM Pro but then moved to Zenfolio when there were giving $80 per yr for life deal.

Get the Pro level with SmugMug or Zenfolio whichever you decide to go. It is worth it.

Yea, 50% off the first year was too good to ignore. I'm right now in the process of uploading some of my images, but I find that the uploading speed is really slow. I also couldn't download their "Flickr to SmugMug Migration Tool." A couple of my emails (to test their customer service speed) were replied really fast. That was impressive!

[equetefue]

Exposure manager here

Excellent support

[PhotoJourno]

Ok, Zen-mug crowd. Riddle me this.
I already have a host and a provider for my website, it's just that I cannot get a good Gallery solution that is easy to manage without programming, and blah blah blah.

So, if I open a Smug or Zen acct (So far I really like Zenfolio), Do you think there is a classy way to keep my site, and on the link that says 'Image Galleries' have it go straight to Zen ?...

I might also just scrap the site and use Zen alone. Usually I don't sell content, I am News, but I like to have Series so that I can use them as Portfolio. And I like the idea of sorting the Galleries by Event, instead of Category (Say instead of adding two pics to Sports, just add a mini gallery that says 49ers Vs. Rams, and put a dozen of pics about that).

Any thoughts? I just posted here, because I do not want to start another thread of Zen vs Mug, or the usual stuff.

[illm4k3uscr3am]

I am a Zenfolio addict, I love its ease of use and I love its speed. When I go to someones SmugMug I find myself leaving because of its slow loading times, its horrible lag like feature on computers thats are not "The best" and its complicated uploading process (That I messed with three times). I love Zenfolio because it is simple drag and drop, you can pause during the uploading process to a gallery and you can add more pictures to the upload list. You also can download software to do it without going to the website and crap. Also if I need my entire gallery/galleries I can download them all/one at once. Zenfolio support is good, they have good response times and know the system and know how to use it. No "Please refer to the support page" or stuff like that.

$95 (With coupon/referral codes) is well worth it compared to $150 or whatever the outrageous price was at SmugMug. But like many things, at some point my view/experience may change.

[Ray Garcia]

I've seen them all and took a long look at them. I like the customization on Smug and the fact that you can price your own prints. The Dgrin www.dgrin.com (http://www.dgrin.com) folks are VERY helpful when setting it all up. It seems daunting at first but it can look awesome when you're done and you actually learn something. Take a look at my site and compare it to the others. There's a big difference and to me it's worth every dime.

I'd be glad to help anyone that wants to set their site up. As long as you enter DH9OsA6DtwW32 in the 'Referred by' field on the signup form to save $5.00 :lol:

A small price to pay..........;)

[Ham1]

Okay, thanks. It sounds like I'll need the pro package if I want to be able to set my own price on, let's say, one of my landscape images, as I wouldn't want my landscape or other artistic works to be determined by a set pricing structure of the 2nd level package.

In this case, I think I'll go with the SmugMug for at least the first year as they're offering 50% off if you move from Flickr to their site. That's $75 for the first year for subscribing to their pro account. After that, I'll make my decision as to either stay with them or move to another...

We have coupons for anyone that is switching over from other photo sharing services.

Look forward to working with you!
Markham

[SYS]

We have coupons for anyone that is switching over from other photo sharing services.

Look forward to working with you!
Markham

Do you work for SmugMug.com?

[SYS]

I've seen them all and took a long look at them. I like the customization on Smug and the fact that you can price your own prints. The Dgrin www.dgrin.com (http://www.dgrin.com) folks are VERY helpful when setting it all up. It seems daunting at first but it can look awesome when you're done and you actually learn something. Take a look at my site and compare it to the others. There's a big difference and to me it's worth every dime.

I'd be glad to help anyone that wants to set their site up. As long as you enter DH9OsA6DtwW32 in the 'Referred by' field on the signup form to save $5.00 :lol:

A small price to pay..........;)

Hi Ray,

I noticed that you have your own domain name without the "smugmug..." Did you get your domain name with the pro account or did you have to purchase the domain name on top of the pro account?

[Ray Garcia]

Hi Ray,

I noticed that you have your own domain name without the "smugmug..." Did you get your domain name with the pro account or did you have to purchase the domain name on top of the pro account?

I bought the domain name from GoDaddy so I can take it with me if I choose to change providers. Really inexpensive at around $10 per year. I just point the domain name to my Smug account.....totally invisible to the user. Again.....small price to pay for the flexibility of keeping my options open.

[SYS]

I bought the domain name from GoDaddy so I can take it with me if I choose to change providers. Really inexpensive at around $10 per year. I just point the domain name to my Smug account.....totally invisible to the user. Again.....small price to pay for the flexibility of keeping my options open.

Thanks, Ray. It's $6.99 at GoDaddy, so I think I'll be doing the same.

[Derweissehai]

Thanks, Ray. It's $6.99 at GoDaddy, so I think I'll be doing the same.

I went thru winklets and still use smugmug as my page. I still own my domain....flexibility is the key.

[illm4k3uscr3am]

You should never buy or use a free domain through your web host/hosting provider. It can turn out to be a BAD thing. Always buy a domain separately through a large name provider like GoDaddy, Yahoo and Network Solutions. A big name that I am thinking of swtiching to is Enom. Both Enom and Network Solutions are used by big businesses and other corporations, so they must be doing something right.

[PhotoJourno]

You should never buy or use a free domain through your web host/hosting provider. It can turn out to be a BAD thing. Always buy a domain separately through a large name provider like GoDaddy, Yahoo and Network Solutions. A big name that I am thinking of swtiching to is Enom. Both Enom and Network Solutions are used by big businesses and other corporations, so they must be doing something right.

I second that. You need full control of your domain.

[Ray Garcia]

That's why I went that direction. I'm in IT and I've seen people have trouble switching providers because of provider-owned IP address blocks so it made a huge amount of sense to me. It's inexpensive and you can pick your own domain name if it's available.
With GoDaddy, they have a Domain Manager you navigate through and it allows you to forward youir GoDaddy Domain to anywhere you want. From that point on you can switch it anytime so if you want to change hosting providers, you just go in and change the forwarding domain. Pretty cool. :lol:

[Mr. Clean]

Zenfolio for me every time. The fact that they seem to be pushing forward AND they use MPIX is enough for me.

[PhotoJourno]

So far I got a really good deal from Smugmug, and so I am giving it a try. I will continue to customize, and upload galleries. I will definitely write up a review on it, so far 99% of what I have seen it's been great. 1% probably due to DNS updating speed, and the fact that I am new to the many features offered.

[Derweissehai]

I have no problem redirecting my domain to smugmug at all. I own it out right. I still need to figure out how to do all that darn flash for the front page.

[Ray Garcia]

I have no problem redirecting my domain to smugmug at all. I own it out right. I still need to figure out how to do all that darn flash for the front page.

Try www.dgrin.com....... (http://www.dgrin.com.......)

go to dgrin forums and at the bottom of the page, smugmug customization. They have some awesome moderators there that will walk you through it all if you have problems but otherwise, it's mostly cut and paste from other people's posted questions. In some cases, they'll go to your site and do the programming to accomplish what you want. It helps to do it yourself though.....that way you learn something.

[jcw122]

Sorry if this is a bit of a thread revival, but I didn't want to start a separate thread.

I've heard tons about SmugMug codes and coupons, but does anyone know or have any Zenfolio codes/coupons to use? Just trying to compare final prices.

[Ham1]

Do you work for SmugMug.com?

Yep, I work for SmugMug. We have been working closely with POTN over the years. I try and answer questions and support our members best possible.

Check out: www.potn.smugmug.com

[Ham1]

You should never buy or use a free domain through your web host/hosting provider. It can turn out to be a BAD thing. Always buy a domain separately through a large name provider like GoDaddy, Yahoo and Network Solutions. A big name that I am thinking of swtiching to is Enom. Both Enom and Network Solutions are used by big businesses and other corporations, so they must be doing something right.

SmugMug allows you to set up a CNAME from any domain provider.

We in fact, partnered closely with GoDaddy and now are a reseller of their domains because of their great customer service.

We essentially give the lowest price out on the internet AND we automatically configure your DNS Settings to be all set up instantly. Check out: www.smugmugdomains.com

Markham

[Ham1]

Zenfolio has under features that soon to come is where we can design our own themes. I wonder if this is like what smugmug has. While I like smugmug and the ability to pretty much make my own site it's too expensive since to use my own domain name I have to go pro and zenfolio is with the 2nd tier. ANd from what I read on both sites, must don't see the extra cost in the pro on either site. So to compare the 2nd level of both, I think I'm going to go Zenfolio.

Having some toruble getting used to it, but it's my first night on the trial.

SmugMug allows you to use your own domain name with the Power level account ($69.95/year)

[silverhalide]

Sorry if this is a bit of a thread revival, but I didn't want to start a separate thread.

I've heard tons about SmugMug codes and coupons, but does anyone know or have any Zenfolio codes/coupons to use? Just trying to compare final prices.

There is a thread where zenfolio codes are listed, but, you can save $5 with my code - VX6-2F3-Y1.

E.

[edmaine]

SmugMug allows you to use your own domain name with the Power level account ($69.95/year)

Hi. i have been looking at going either Zenfolio or Smugmug and have been researching a bit. I was wondering which account is the $69.95 that you were referring to?

From your main page (www.smugmug.com) I can see the Standard = $39.95, Power User = $59.95 and Pro Account = $149.95.

Thanks,
edmaine

[jamesss]

Hi. i have been looking at going either Zenfolio or Smugmug and have been researching a bit. I was wondering which account is the $69.95 that you were referring to?

From your main page (www.smugmug.com (http://www.smugmug.com)) I can see the Standard = $39.95, Power User = $59.95 and Pro Account = $149.95.

Thanks,
edmaine

You can use your own domain with a 'Power User' account, which is $59.95 per year - this is what i use
(the $69.95 stated earlier was prob just a typo)

you can also save an additional $5 by using the coupon code: qst1rrj2BAoac

smugmug is amazing- i had no hesitation in renewing for my second year

hope that helps
james

[edmaine]

(the $69.95 stated earlier was prob just a typo)
james


or maybe a hint of a price increase maybe???

[BellaLoren]

Well if you want the the fastest and easiest solution available I found http://www.oneclickwedding.com
They are a new service and they only charge per gallery you upload so there is no monthly fee. Also if you want a great looking site that really appeals to a female audience this site is really beautiful. I set up my account and was ready to sell photos online in about 10 minutes. They use my logo and I set up my own pricing. Upload times are very fast because you do not have to upload high-res images. You use your own lab to print your photos, unlike pictage. The first 10 photographers in each state get 10 free galleries, so ther really is no risk.:eek:

[The ChangoMan]

Very interesting topic here... I haven't tried smug mug yet.

[haleiwa-brando]

If you use the code: flickr
for a new smugmug Pro account, it's 1/2 off for the first year. That's what I used about a month ago. So my first year was $74.98 or something like that.

[LuckyStar08]

Another fan of Smugmug here. :) I have been very happy with it.

[lsarmiento]

Ok, the more I read about the 2, the more confused I get! :)

Does anyone know, can you redirect your domain name to zenfolio as well?

[BluewookieJim]

Does anyone know, can you redirect your domain name to zenfolio as well?

Yes.

For example mine are http://kodanja.zenfolio.com or my redirected domain name, http://photos.kodanja.net

[lsarmiento]

Yes.

For example mine are http://kodanja.zenfolio.com or my redirected domain name, http://photos.kodanja.net
Great! Thanks! I just signed up for the Zenfolio trial...

[bew406]

I also am confused about something between the two of these. They both look good as far as storing and presenting content, but as I read through the Zenfolio part, I found where they use Mpix exclusively for printing. The problem with that is they can only ship to the US and Canada. For the life of me, I cannot find a definitive page on SM that says who they use. Do they use one company exclusive, is there more than one, and can people say from Europe (UK mainly) order prints without outrageous charges? If it wasn't for Zenfolio's limitation I would go with them in a minute.

Thanks - and Cheers
Barry

[azneric3]

+1 for zenfolio

www.ericomoriphotography.com

[BluewookieJim]

I also am confused about something between the two of these. They both look good as far as storing and presenting content, but as I read through the Zenfolio part, I found where they use Mpix exclusively for printing. The problem with that is they can only ship to the US and Canada. For the life of me, I cannot find a definitive page on SM that says who they use. Do they use one company exclusive, is there more than one, and can people say from Europe (UK mainly) order prints without outrageous charges? If it wasn't for Zenfolio's limitation I would go with them in a minute.

Thanks - and Cheers
Barry

According to the zenfolio user forums (link (http://forums.zenfolio.com/forums/default.aspx)) they are still working on landing an international vendor. That is one of the biggest "complaints" right now.

[bew406]

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Bluewookie...

That makes Zen look like a better choice for me. I found the printers info for SM finally, and who they use, but last night SM went down three times while I was on their site.

I can't help but think that the folks at Zen will work out a deal with someone on that side of the pond.

Cheers,
Barry

[silverhalide]

That makes Zen look like a better choice for me. ... I can't help but think that the folks at Zen will work out a deal with someone on that side of the pond.

I can't help but think that they will too, however, Zenfolio seems very slow to move forward on a number of issues. There have been repeated calls for an international printing partner, additional features, new or customizable templates, and other issues; the response to all is "we're working on it."

Personally, I think they're suffering from "perfect is the enemy of good" -- until they've got a perfect solution, they don't want to release something that will be good enough for most users. For example, rather than find someone to handle the print fulfillment in Europe, they are looking for one organization to handle, essentially, the whole world except North America.

They are also refuse to provide timelines or roadmaps other than "it's coming." This wouldn't be so frustrating if they had a record of regularly delivering updates, but the updates are so infrequent that there's no point in holding out that *my* feature is going to be in next month's update.

That all said, I like the interface, and organization, so I'm not ready to jump over to SmugMug just yet. However, we'll see where things are at the end of the year when it's time to renew.

[Derweissehai]

I'll stick with smugmug. The only concern I have is with me learning CSS and getting off my butt to do it and put it on my page. Other than that I have no problem with them what so ever.

[Bob_A]

I'll stick with smugmug. The only concern I have is with me learning CSS and getting off my butt to do it and put it on my page. Other than that I have no problem with them what so ever.

They provide tons of CSS examples to get your site up and running in no time. I had everything up and fully customized in a day, including a slideshow on the homepage, guestbook, etc. If you get stuck the Smugmug customization forum on Dgrin will give you all the help you need.

[Derweissehai]

They provide tons of CSS examples to get your site up and running in no time. I had everything up and fully customized in a day, including a slideshow on the homepage, guestbook, etc. If you get stuck the Smugmug customization forum on Dgrin will give you all the help you need.


Been there and it's all greek to me. I am a complete dummy when it comes to code period. I want to be able to have my header and make the front page a slide show.....

[bew406]

Well, after looking at both of these again and reading between the lines, I ended up going with SM today. Signed up and started working it tonight. I know I'm gonna be happy with it.

Cheers - and have a good weekend...

[Derweissehai]

Been there and it's all greek to me. I am a complete dummy when it comes to code period. I want to be able to have my header and make the front page a slide show.....

Didn't quite figure out the guestbook, but I got the slide show working. Still have some tweaks to do. But all in all I'm happy.

[bew406]

Didn't quite figure out the guestbook, but I got the slide show working. Still have some tweaks to do. But all in all I'm happy.

The support forum there is great. I read a post about the guestbook, and if I remember correctly, it's really easy. I would create a category called "GuestBook" and then create a gallery in that with a single photo. (Or just create a gallery called guestbook and do the same.) I can't remember the specifics, but you'll find it's not black magic. Turn on comments. On your home page put this at the top and invite people to leave comments there. It's not a real guestbook, but it would work.

[Derweissehai]

The support forum there is great. I read a post about the guestbook, and if I remember correctly, it's really easy. I would create a category called "GuestBook" and then create a gallery in that with a single photo. (Or just create a gallery called guestbook and do the same.) I can't remember the specifics, but you'll find it's not black magic. Turn on comments. On your home page put this at the top and invite people to leave comments there. It's not a real guestbook, but it would work.


I'll try that.

[snyper77]

All of those sites get a cut of your sales. Why not spend a one-time fee of $279 and buy Photo Cart software? You simply add the software to your website (or the company will add it to your site for only $30). Customers place an order, it comes straight to your inbox, you then post process that one particular photo (instead of post processing hundreds of shots in hopes that someone places an order), and upload to your lab. No one gets a cut of your money.
You can view the demos at the link below. The customer demo allows you to see what it's like "as a customer". The "admin" demo allows you to see the power you have as the site owner. It shows you how many galleries you have online, how many pictures you have online, total # of customers, monthly sales totals, annual sales totals, how many hits you got that day, that month, etc. You can view all past orders and retrieve customer addresses, phone numbers, etc. Total control!
http://www.picturespro.com/pages/photography_shopping_cart/

Also, for anyone out there who is paying shipping fees on prints - STOP! And please take the time to try WHCC.COM The absolute best customer service (and products) I've ever seen.....and free 2-day delivery. :)

[Bob_A]

The support forum there is great. I read a post about the guestbook, and if I remember correctly, it's really easy. I would create a category called "GuestBook" and then create a gallery in that with a single photo. (Or just create a gallery called guestbook and do the same.) I can't remember the specifics, but you'll find it's not black magic. Turn on comments. On your home page put this at the top and invite people to leave comments there. It's not a real guestbook, but it would work.

I had a small problem with the guestbook too until I asked a few questions on their forum. Everyone is very helpful.

[unlimited6986]

From the smugmug sites i see allot of them there no add to cart link.

http://bigwebguy.smugmug.com/

How can i get it to look similar to this? Do you have to pay more to have the add to cart feature?

[bew406]

From the smugmug sites i see allot of them there no add to cart link.

http://bigwebguy.smugmug.com/

How can i get it to look similar to this? Do you have to pay more to have the add to cart feature?

When you create a gallery (or later), click on Customize, scroll down to the Printing section, and click No on Printable. This disables the Shopping Cart for the Gallery. Is that what you are looking for?

Barry

[SYS]

From the smugmug sites i see allot of them there no add to cart link.

http://bigwebguy.smugmug.com/

How can i get it to look similar to this? Do you have to pay more to have the add to cart feature?

If you have a pro account, you have the "add to cart" function (or disable it). I enable this function for those galleries with the photos for sale, and I disable it for those galleries that are for non-sale use. You can enable or disable this feature by clicking on the "Customize" button for the gallery you're working on and scroll down to "Printing" section and simply click "Yes" or "No."

[Bob_A]

If you have a pro account, you have the "add to cart" function (or disable it). I enable this function for those galleries with the photos for sale, and I disable it for those galleries that are for non-sale use. You can enable or disable this feature by clicking on the "Customize" button for the gallery you're working on and scroll down to "Printing" section and simply click "Yes" or "No."


Even the standard and power user accounts can display cart buttons so visitors can order prints, but only the pro account has cart buttons with the ability to sell images for a profit.

I have a power user account and have it set up such that that the cart buttons only display for password protected galleries.

[SYS]

Even the standard and power user accounts can display cart buttons so visitors can order prints, but only the pro account has cart buttons with the ability to sell images for a profit.

I have a power user account and have it set up such that that the cart buttons only display for password protected galleries.

Thanks for the correction. It makes sense. I think the August heat is really getting to me with no air-conditioning!! :)

[Bob_A]

Send some heat this way!

[unlimited6986]

Is smugmug like zent. with there printing? Like they choose 5 pics and wanna print them does it take you to like mpix or something? Then they just put the info in and print it?

[Naturalist]

MAN!

I just did a search on web hosting. Got it narrowed down to smugmug or zenfolio I think.

BUT just about every time I tried clicking on someone's smugmug link the thing took so long to come up, well, I never did see their sites. I closed the links out after waiting ± 1 minute and not having it upload.

I did the same thing with Zenfolio links and those people's links popped right up as I had been expecting.

If this is typical of smugmug "speed" I'm going to have to cross them off my list.

TERRIBLE!

[LesleyAnn]

Doug
Here is my smugmug link http://hippyfromoz.smugmug.com/
I only have the standard (cheapest) account - there are two other account types available
I have tried some of the others and found Smug Mug the best for me.
Regards LesleyAnn:)

[Derweissehai]

MAN!

I just did a search on web hosting. Got it narrowed down to smugmug or zenfolio I think.

BUT just about every time I tried clicking on someone's smugmug link the thing took so long to come up, well, I never did see their sites. I closed the links out after waiting ± 1 minute and not having it upload.

I did the same thing with Zenfolio links and those people's links popped right up as I had been expecting.

If this is typical of smugmug "speed" I'm going to have to cross them off my list.

TERRIBLE!
I have no problem with my smugmug opening or anyone elses when I click a link......might be your connection to just smugmug or they may have alot to load on the page?

[Naturalist]

UPDATE...

11pm yesterday I could log onto maybe 2 of 8 SM accounts. This morning, 6:26am, everything works great.

So, its not as bad as I had thought. Perhaps SM was using the off hours to service things, back-up, etc.

Thanks for the replies thus far.

[Campagnolo]

Smugmug or Zenfolio ?

For those still scratching ther heads, I did an exhaustive amount of searching on the net and can honestly say that it really comes down to what you personally feel comfortable with. Zenfoilo is slick and loads super fast, Smugmug won hands down for me for ease of customisation and swift response to queries,

Try both for a trial period...

For what it is worth I purchased a pro account with Smugmug and can honestly say I feel it is already the best value-for-money photography purchase I have ever made.

Feel free to use my referall code for a discount: 2u0htybh0HN4A

Smugmug Customer Service is truly wonderful and the support forum, www.dgrin.com a great source of information.

( You don't have to be a member, of course to use the forum )

Cheers

Steve

[SYS]

I don't know whether Zenfolio offers video uploading, but what made me lean towards SmugMug was not only unlimited photo uploading and the rest, but the video uploading, as well. Now that DSLRs are going HD video, this additional feature could make a difference for some. It sure is nice to be able to share my family videos with my relatives at HD level viewing!

[blackshadow]

I went with smugmug because they will ship prints internationally whereas zenfolio won't.

Unfortunately neither offer pricing in local currency or payment for prints by electronic funds transfer.

I have found the smugmug support and forums to be very helpful and put my site together pretty quickly. Feel free to take a look at www.photos.blackshadow.com.au

I still have a lot of archival photos to add but they are getting there.

[tabzero]

smugmug it is!!!

Thanks for all of the chatter about these sites guys/gals!

[Collin85]

I love smugmug for the customization and feature-base. It's definitely not as sleek or fast as some of the other places though.

Here's mine:
http://www.collinzphotography.com

Now the next time I need to add is a blog..

[funkin]

For a couple of years or so I've been running a website on my own domain, using PHP to talk to the Flickr.com API to browse and serve photos (in a fairly crude, but effective manner). A few months ago I wanted to move the functionality away from flickr and chose smugmug because of its API and the thriving forum over at dgrin.com.

I've been with smugmug about 4 or 5 months now and am very happy with my purchase.

[Bearmann]

I can't help but think that they will too, however, Zenfolio seems very slow to move forward on a number of issues. There have been repeated calls for an international printing partner, additional features, new or customizable templates, and other issues; the response to all is "we're working on it."

Personally, I think they're suffering from "perfect is the enemy of good" -- until they've got a perfect solution, they don't want to release something that will be good enough for most users. For example, rather than find someone to handle the print fulfillment in Europe, they are looking for one organization to handle, essentially, the whole world except North America.

They are also refuse to provide timelines or roadmaps other than "it's coming." This wouldn't be so frustrating if they had a record of regularly delivering updates, but the updates are so infrequent that there's no point in holding out that *my* feature is going to be in next month's update.

That all said, I like the interface, and organization, so I'm not ready to jump over to SmugMug just yet. However, we'll see where things are at the end of the year when it's time to renew.

I tend to agree. Zenfolio seems geared to those who wish to showcase their photos, and less to the photographer interested in sales. The improvements have been slow in coming, and typically improve the presentation, but not your ability to make sales. Packages have been requested for some time (e.g. selling three 4x6's plus a 5x7 for a package price), but no indication that this will ever come to fruition.
I came to Zen form Exposure Manager. Zen does have an elegant presentation and a fantastic slide show function as compared to EM, whose slide show was very poor at the time I switched one year ago. I also think the quality of the MPIX prints is better than the EZ prints offered at SM. EM was using EZ prints, but switched to a better lab about the time I swithched to Zen.
Both EM and Zen have excellent customer service. I've never used SM, but do agree that their site can be quite slow at times. Google seems to find my Zen galleries using key words to some extent, but was never able to find my EM galleries. I'll likely renew my membership in Zen in December.


Zenfolio referral code: GBG-73A-4TZ