Bill Gates' privately funded website offers netizens a platform to sell their photos.

Unlike the fixed pricing offered by its rivals, the "microstock" site launched by Corbis on the 25th allows image providers to set their own prices. The newly established SnapVillage website enables photographers to freely choose different unit price ranges such as 1, 5, 10, 25, or 50 dollars. The company hopes that more pricing options, along with flexible and user-friendly search tools, will encourage more photographers and clients such as advertisers to conduct transactions online.