Frequently Asked Questions
Select a category to view it in full.
Buying and Downloading
1. how do I buy content?
2. how do I download my media after I've bought it?
3. what is 'watch now' for video?
4. where can I find my file after I've watched a video using Watch Now?
5. can I watch my files on any device?
6. can I burn my files on cds / dvds?
7. what happens when I can't download / play content?
8. how many times can I watch / play download?
9. my downloads are taking a long time or are very slow. What could be causing this?
On the content page of the media you wish to buy click 'Add to Cart'. This will add the file to you shopping cart. You can continue to shop and add items to your cart. When you wish to buy the items in your cart, click the 'checkout' button in your cart (you will need to have enough credit to purchase the content you are interested in). You will then be directed to your downloads page and will see all your purchased files. Files that are highlighted 'ready' can be downloaded.
After you have purchased content all your downloads will be displayed in your profile downloads page. From here, you can right click on the content and select a location to download and save the file
to your PC or portable device.
After purchase, content is available to download for 30 days after purchase. You can revisit your downloads page under your profile at any time during this period to download your media.
As per Si-Mi's Terms and Conditions, you are authorised to download any digital content but only for personal, non-commercial use. You are entitled to burn a single copy of the Downloaded Content onto a CD or DVD or any other electronic storage device but solely for personal, non-commercial use.
You do not have the right to copy multiples, distribute, transfer, sublicense, publicly perform, create derivative works of, sell or offer to sell any Downloaded Content or any part thereof.
If you have selected Watch Now to purchase a film, the content will begin playing instantly in its own window. For most films you will not need any special players to watch the film. If you can see the preview playing then you will be able to see the watch now film. For older films, if you do not have the correct player, you will be prompted to install a player before you can Watch Now.
If you are having problems viewing the content please contact Si-Mi technical support by either sending us an alert or email us at tech@si-mi.com.
If you purchase a film through Watch Now, the download version of the file will also be available in your downloads folder in your profile.
If you purchase a film through Watch Now, the download version of the file will also be available in your downloads folder in your profile. Browse to your profile / downloads and download the file if you wish to keep a copy of the original file.
You can watch most downloads on any device from PSP, PC, iPod to TV, so long
as the file format is supported by the device. Please check the format of the file before purchasing and downloading if you are unsure. If you can convert the format, you can transfer it onto a portable or other device for personal viewing, as per our Terms and Conditions. Please refer to your devices manual to determine whether you will be able to play a certain file format.
As per Si-Mi's Terms and Conditions, you are authorised to download any digital content but only for personal, non-commercial use. You are entitled to burn a single copy of the Downloaded Content onto a CD-ROM or DVD or any other electronic storage devise but solely for personal, non-commercial use.
You do not have the right to copy multiples, distribute, transfer, sublicense,
publicly perform, create derivative works of, sell or offer to sell any Downloaded
Content or any part thereof.
If you are having problems downloading the content you have purchased, please retry the download by going to your profile / downloads. Right click the on the 'ready' text on the appropriate file and save it to your system. If you are still having problems, please contact us at tech@si-mi.com
. Within the active period of the purchased content (30 days) you can download the file as many times as you like.
Once you have purchased content from Si-Mi and downloaded it to your system you can enjoy/play the content as many times as you like. If you have purchased a film through Watch Now you may view this streamed film once. Thereafter you must download the file from your profile / downloads to watch the film again. If you have problems with your downloads, please contact us at tech@si-mi.com
There are a number of factors that could contribute to your downloads
being slow, such as:
a) The size of the file. The larger the file size,
the longer it will take to download the content.
b) If you are using other
applications simultaneously, or downloading from other sites at the same
time as using Si-Mi.
c) Your individual ISP service determines the speed
of your downloads and this will also dictate the speed and time of the
download of the content you have purchased.
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Purchasing credit
1. why do I need to purchase credit?
2. how do I purchase credit for downloads?
We believe artists should directly benefit financially from their creative works. Artists get 70% of the profits of selling their creations on Si-Mi. We hope that Si-Mi will enable more art, music, film, games and writing to flourish, and promote greater happiness for those who can do what they love for a living. We're moving closer to an efficient marketplace for all things digital.
You can purchase credits to use on the Si-Mi website by clicking on the Buy Credit button on the top right of every page and select the amount of the credit you wish to purchase ($5, $10, $15, $25, $50 or $100 USD). This will then take you into a PayPal secure site to either purchase credit using a credit card or by using a PayPal account.
Once you have purchased credit, your account will be debited this amount and you can make purchases and download content from Si-Mi. Si-Mi credit is not refundable or transferable.
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Uploading
1. how do I upload films, music, blogs, podcasts or other content?
2. what is the maximum file size I can upload?
3. what formats can I upload / do you support?
4. my file upload is taking a while - what is happening?
5. notes on uploading video
6. notes on uploading tunes & albums
7. notes on uploading images
Uploading your media is easy. Once you have logged in or signed in as a member, simply click on the Upload text on the top right blue bar or the Upload Now button in the right column. This will take you to the Si-Mi upload wizard. Follow the 4 steps to Upload your Media. Please fill in all the required fields, they are marked with a star.
Step 1: Media Category.
In this step, you select the Category and Format of the media you would like to upload. If you have uploaded media before and would like to sell something similar, you can save time by using the ‘get previous content’ drop down to quickly recall recent media information. This will fill in many of the details in the wizard with your previous content. Don't forget to review and update the new fields though!
If you are uploading something completely new, start by selecting the category and sub-category for you media e.g. Films, Animation. Then, select the file format that you would like to upload.
Step 2: Media Details
The Media Details are the descriptive fields that users on Si-Mi will see associated with your media. Please be as descriptive as possible as this will help you promote you content.
The Title field is used through Si-Mi as the name of your media. You can name any number of items with the same title though for clarity we recommend naming each item uniquely. Also, Si-Mi renames your file to be a combination of your profile name and the media title. The Summary field is shown on your content page as the first bolded line. The Description field is where the essence of your media description should be placed. Please write as much as possible! Depending on the category of upload (Film, Tunes etc.) a number of other optional fields may be presented to you to help describe your media. If you are uploading either a video or audio file, you must enter the approximate play time of your file. Tags and Keywords are an optional field though we recommend you fill them in so Si-Mi users can more easily find your content with the search function. They are entered using a comma separated input. For example, if you would like your keywords to be 'funny' 'character animation' and 'hand-drawn', enter the keyword information as: funny, character animation, hand-drawn
Step 3: Upload Files
During this step, you will be asked to enter the location of the media file(s) you wish to upload to Si-Mi. After completing this step, your files will be transferred to Si-Mi.
Please note: maximum of 1000MB for the upload of any media.
Select your main media file, this is you 'for sale' file on Si-Mi. It's file format must match the format you selected in step 1. Next, select an image to represent your media. The main image is used both on the homepage as a thumbnail and as the main image others see on your media content page. Your image will be displayed in a 16:9 (width x height) ratio and we may need to crop and resize your image. You can always update your preview image anytime after your file is for sale by editing your content.
Please read and accept the terms and conditions and check this box before continuing. You files will start to upload after you click to continue from this step. This upload can take some time for larger files and will depend on your internet connection speed. You can return to price your media (step 4) at any time after uploading if this process is taking a long time. Your media will not be available online till you price it.
Uploading Film If you are uploading a Film, you can upload your own video teaser that will play when users see your content page. Please upload a flash video file (.flv) as the teaser. If you do not upload a video teaser, Si-Mi will automatically extract one from the start of your film.
Promotional Code This code is used to mark content for competitions, festivals or promotions on Si-Mi. If you have an upload code please enter it here.
Step 4: Media Price.
Once you have uploaded your media, the last step is to set the price at which you want to sell your digital content at on Si-Mi. Depending on the size of your upload, Si-Mi will calculate a minimum price to cover the costs of hosting and downloading your content. You can set the selling price at or above the minimum price to a maximum of $500 USD. Your share is 70% of the profit. Si-Mi will pay you your cut every 14 days, starting from 14 days after your first upload. Any content must be uploaded for a minimum of 14 days before payment is made. Enter a sale price and use the set price button to check your cut. Your sale price is only saved when you click the submit button. This price can be updated at any time by clicking on the price link for this content in your uploads table.
When you upload content to Si-Mi for the first time, you will be prompted to enter a PayPal email address which all your payments will be credited to. If you do not have a PayPal account, you can use your email address you signed up to Si-Mi and can either:
a) sign up to PayPal at any time and then edit your PayPal email address in you Si-Mi profile or
b) do nothing and we will use your email address that you signed up to Si-Mi to pay you. For your first payment from Si-Mi, PayPal will inform you via this email address that Si-Mi has payment pending for you. You can then follow the instructions in the email to sign up to PayPal using this email address to receive your funds.
If you do have a PayPal account, please ensure you have entered this email address correctly as this is the account to which all your payments will be made. Changes can be made to this email address through your Si-Mi Profile page.
If you are having problems receiving payments please email us at: billing@si-mi.com
Should you encounter any problems you can go to your upload page and check the status of your upload. If your upload is processing do not re-submit a duplicate. Depending on how many users are on the system and the size of your file, this process just might take some time.
Currently, the maximum file size you may upload on Si-Mi is 1000MB. If you have a larger file, you may wish to edit it down to a shorter length, reduce the resolution or upload it into two parts.
We support many different formats across the categories, including:
Video: .mp4, .mov, .wmv, .qt, .mpeg, .mpg, .avi and .flv
Audio: mp3, .wav, and .wma
Images: .jpeg, .gif, and .png
Games: .swf, .exe, .zip
Stuff: .pdf, .doc, .txt, .zip and .tar
Some larger files may take a while to upload. This depends on the speed of your connection and the size of the file. During and upload, do not close the browser because this will cancel your upload. You can continue to keep browsing other sites in another browser window while the uploading continues. When your browser is redirected to the set price page, your upload has completed successfully. Only if the status on your uploads says that the upload file has failed should you reattempt to upload your file. If you continue to have problems, please contact our technical support at tech@si-mi.com.
Try to aim for a good balance between quality and file size for video. We recommend about 1Mbps which is about 8MB per minute of video. For widescreen 16:9 film, a resolution of 640x360 looks good. For video formats, both mp4 and wmv files are probably best for users since most will be able to play them. It is a good idea to upload your own teaser. If you don't provide one we can extract one from the start of your content however a customised teaser is always best. To upload you own teaser, first convert it into flash video (.flv).
If you want to upload a Tune, during step 1 of the upload process you will also be given the option to upload an album. This allows you to upload multiple music files at once. They will also be listed together on the content pages. Users still have the option of buying any of these files individually.
Please ensure you upload the highest quality digital image you have. Many users who buy digital images want to print and make physical items out of your image hence need a highly detailed quality image. After uploading your high quality original image, Si-Mi will extract a low resolution, scaled down thumbnail and preview image copy of your original image. The original image is not available until purchased so browsers of Si-Mi cannot freely copy your original image. Si-Mi can handle very large sized images.
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Setting and changing the price of my content
1. how do I set the price for my content?
2. I uploaded some content but not set the price. Where can I find it?
3. how do I edit the price for my content?
During the final stage of the upload process you will be asked to set a price for your content. You can set a sale price at or above the Si-Mi calculated minimum price to a maximum of $500.00 USD. Any downloads of your content will give you a 70% cut of the profits. The minimum sale price is based on the file size of your content uploaded and includes the costs of hosting and delivering your content.
Your content will not be active until you set a price for your content. You can find your content by logging in and going to your uploads located in your profile. Click the price link for the content you want to set the price. Once you have set a price, your content will be active and for sale on Si-Mi site.
You can find your content by logging in and going to your uploads located in your profile. Click the price link for the content you want to edit the price.
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Editing my content details
1. what can I edit once my content has been uploaded?
2. how do I edit my content details?
3. how do I remove my media?
You can edit the majority of your content details but you cannot alter the main uploaded media file. To update your media file you must upload a new version.
As the user who has posted the media, only you have access to edit the content details. Find your content's main page (via your profile/uploads table or by browsing or searching) and click the edit button. Change the fields you wish to update and click save. If you upload a new thumbnail picture, this make a little while to be updated on your content page.
If you are the content owner and you wish to remove a file, simply log in and go to your profile/uploads. Check the box next to the content you want to remove then click the remove button.
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Receiving payments
1. how do I receive payment?
2. when do I get paid?
3. how do I track my sales?
4. how do I change the account where I get paid?
Si-Mi will pay you your cut of any download sales every 14 days, starting
from 14 days after your first upload. Any new content must be uploaded for a minimum
of 14 days before payment is made. Si-Mi will pay you via PayPal. If you do not have a PayPal account, you can use your email address you signed up to Si-Mi and can either:
a) sign up to PayPal at any time and then edit your PayPal email address in you Si-Mi profile or
b) do nothing and we will use your email address that you signed up to Si-Mi to pay you. For your first payment from Si-Mi, PayPal will inform you via this email address that Si-Mi has payment pending for you. You can then follow the instructions in the email to sign up to PayPal using this email address to receive your funds.
If you do have a PayPal account, please ensure you have entered this email address correctly as this is the account to which all your payments will be made. Changes can be made to this email address through your Si-Mi Profile page.
If you are having problems receiving payments please email us at: billing@si-mi.com
Once you upload your content, if you have any downloads during the period,
you will be paid every 14 days. Si-Mi will make payment into your account
every 14 days, though PayPal may take an additional 3-5 working days to process
the payments into your account. Your payments are based on the number of
downloads recorded on the Si-Mi and your cut of sales. Any content must be uploaded for a minimum of 14 days before payment is made. If you are having problems receiving payments please email us at:
billing@si-mi.com
You can track your sales by logging into the Si-Mi site then browsing to your profile/sales. For a quick report, click on one of the predefined reports present. You can also create customised reports from specific
dates or media files to show any sales activity.
You can change the email account associated with your PayPal details at any time by logging into the Si-Mi site and editing your profile. Here you can edit your PayPal email address and change the account to which you receive all Si-Mi payments. Please note that this new email address must match your PayPal email login associated with your account, otherwise Si-Mi will not be able to pay you. If you are having problems with your PayPal email account or other billing enquiries, please email us at: billing@si-mi.com
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Voting, commenting and tagging
1. how do I get my content on the most popular / home page?
2. how do I vote / comment on content on si-mi?
3. how do I attach tags to my content?
4. how do I search for tags?
Once your media is uploaded, it is automatically posted into its appropriate category and sub-category. Si-Mi
continuously calculates an algorithm that takes into account the number of votes and downloads your media has received and when. As a user-driven site, the more downloads and votes your media gets recently, the more it is promoted to the front of the site.
Once you have created a member account and are on the media page of the content you wish to vote for, simply click on the vote button (the tick) or the 'vote' text. You are allowed to vote once on any piece of content (including your own).
Similarly, to comment on any content, login and browse to the content you would like to comment on. Click on the comment button, 'comment' text or scroll to the bottom of the content page. Type you comment into the comment text box then click 'Submit'. To respond to another member's comment click the 'reply' link next to that comment.
When you are uploading content to the Si-Mi site, Step 2 prompts you to enter meta tags to identify your content. When users search on the site, these key words and tags help associate your content to these phrases.
You can search the Si-Mi site for tags either through the search feature in the top title bar or by clicking on the tag you are interested in on any content page. Searches can be refined by category.
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your profile and other member's profiles
1. what is my profile?
2. how do I edit my profile?
3. how do I change my email address?
4. can I delete my membership?
5. how to find other users and their activity?
6. how do I add friends to my profile?
Your profile is a combination of your public image on Si-Mi and your private Si-Mi information.
Your public profile is a single page where you can share information about yourself to other Si-Mi members and general browsers. You can fill in as little or as much as you like including a number of images, text profile, latest news, media for sale and friends. Likewise, you can see other Si-Mi members public profiles.
Your private profile where your personal information and transactions on Si-Mi are stored. This information is only available to you and never shared. To view your own profile click 'your profile' found on the top title bar once logged in. Under your profile you have a number of menu options:
Your Profile: this will show your public profile page as viewable by others. Naturally only you will be able to edit this profile.
History: shows all voting and commenting activity on Si-Mi.
Uploads: a list of content you have uploaded to Si-Mi. From here you can quickly monitor, edit and reprice all your uploads.
Uploads: a list of content you have uploaded to Si-Mi. From here you can quickly monitor, edit and reprice all your uploads.
Downloads: a list of all content you have purchased from Si-Mi. This is where you download your purchased content.
Shopping Cart: shows items currently in your shopping cart. To purchase these items click checkout. If you have enough credit these items will be placed in your downloads list ready for you to download.
Credit: shows how much credit you have on Si-Mi and a list of credit purchases from PayPal for Si-Mi credit.
Sales: the sales page lets you query sales of your uploaded content on Si-Mi. You can use the ready made sales reports or make your own.
To edit your profile, browse to your profile by logging in to Si-Mi and clicking 'your profile' in the title bar. Once on your own profile, click the red 'Edit' button to begin editing your profile. Changes to your profile will only be saved once you click 'Save and Update Profile' at the bottom of the edit page.
You can change your email address by logging into the Si-Mi site and editing your profile (see above). In the Account details section, you can change your email address and Pay Pal email address. Don't forget to save your changes.
Right now there is no way to cancel or delete your membership. If you're having trouble making something work, please email us at tech@si-mi.com
Other user's profile names are shown on content submitted or on comments. You can view any other users profile by clicking on the users name.
When browsing any other members profile, if you click 'Add to Friends' that member will show up as your friend in your profile. Likewise, you will be shown as a friend in your new friends profile. This is a great way to support and bookmark other members to keep in touch or up to date with their latest content.
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Browsers and flash plug-in for previews
1. what browsers is si-mi compatible with?
2. how do I install flash for previews?
On Windows, we support IE versions 6 & 7 and FireFox.
On Mac, Si-Mi is compatible with Safari 1.03+ and IE 6 & 7.
Our 30 second free previews on Si-Mi require the Macromedia Flash plugin available here. Sometimes you might need to restart your browser for the plugin to register if you are using Windows / IE. Windows also requires you to have Admin privileges to install Flash for IE. We recommend that you install and use Firefox if you are having problems with Flash on other browsers.
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Si-Mi forum
1. Si-Mi forum, tell me more?
Si-Mi's forum is available via the right column forum link. If you are a member of Si-Mi you can use the forum to interact with other members, artist and Si-Mi staff to make comments and ask questions.
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Digital rights management
1. how does si-mi manage digital rights?
We don't manage digital rights.
Si-Mi uses no digital rights management (DRM)
technology on content. Our
experience is that technological attempts to limit how digital content is used
or copied, fail, often quickly. We believe the only effective way of managing digital rights is through price, as most people would rather buy the real thing than a copy for the same price. Since Si-Mi members have considerable control over the price of their content, they have substantial influence over any possible digital rights infringement of their content.
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Link to Si-Mi
1. Si-Mi buttons and icons
The official Si-Mi buttons and icons to put on your site, blog or online shop. Feel free to customise them for your site ( download ZIP files for original PSD's).
To link to your media, simply use the appropriate code below and paste into your site.
 |
<a href="http://www.si-mi.com/yourmediaURL"> <img src="http://www.si-mi.com/badges/simi_button70x30.gif" width="70" height="30" alt="si-mi" /> </a> |
 |
<a href="http://www.si-mi.com/yourmediaURL"> <img src="http://www.si-mi.com/badges/simi_button100x20.gif" width="100" height="20" alt="si-mi" /> </a> |
 |
<a href="http://www.si-mi.com/yourmediaURL"> <img src="http://www.si-mi.com/badges/simi_button70x18.gif" width="70" height="18" alt="si-mi" /> </a> |
 |
<a href="http://www.si-mi.com/yourmediaURL"> <img src="http://www.si-mi.com/badges/simi_button116x86.gif" width="116" height="86" alt="si-mi" /> </a> |
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Contacts
Alerts Notify us of Piracy, Misuse and Abuse
alerts@si-mi.com
Billing Enquiries
billing@si-mi.com
Member Enquiries
members@si-mi.com
Alliance and Partner Enquiries
partners@si-mi.com
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Web Design by Light Creative
info@lightcreative.com.au
www.lightcreative.com.au
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