MicrostockGroup

Agree with you 100% here Holgs.
Free images can only kill the industry. As the quality of microstock rises so does the rejection rates of good pics and illustrations. I just saw some really good but basic illustrations on Dreamstime for free!! So the more good pics are added to the free galleries. You can download now for free good images you would have needed to pay for 3 years ago!

I've asked elsewhere but need to ask it here...

Does giving an image away ... or placing it in a Free Database  ... make it Public Domain?  Are you giving away the copyright?

No signs of traffic increase at 123rf after testing "donate" feature for a couple of periods of a few days only on about 30 images. Several images were downloaded 4-8 times. Now that I've taken them off the program only time will tell if there is any additional exposure to them or my portfolio.

Traffic has been quite slow there so it was worth a shot.  I make more at MostPhotos at midstock prices even with their slow sales than I do at 123rf so it was worth a try to try and stimulate sales there.

123rf has a very easy upload process and they have a pretty good approval to upload ratio so I will continue to upload to their site. 


-Mark

To answer the question regarding donating through our website ... I have donated prints and images to charities for silent auctions and such in the past for the advertising value.  Trying 123rf's donate feature is merely an experiement to attempt to confirm some of the claims on their website:

"What are the benefits of donating? Expect a huge increase in your portfolio exposure! Increase your sales, (oh yea), as much as 40% to 2800%!! Sell higher resolution images!"

Jury is still out ... Only time will tell.

I'm starting to think that this move has nothing to do with "cleaning the database" and everything to do with building DTs offerings of free images to compete with Fotolia, seeing as they've also been putting pressure on people to donate images.

I had some free images on Fotolia right at the beginning too - about 10 images - somehow those images managed to get over 900 downloads, which was far more than the rest of my portfolio over the same time. Removing the free images seemed to be a real problem - they seemed to keep popping up even after I deleted them a few times.

Very good point Holgs. I've got to say I'm disappointed with DT for trying to pull a fast one like this __ to say the least.

Can we once and for all say that there is no proof for agencies claims that it is beneficial for contributors. Stick it somewhere on the top of this forum so there will be no questions asked again? Maybe there are lawyers here who come up with class action suit against agencies that are laying to contributors about it?

Most of us have images at multiple sites.  It seems suicidal to donate an image at one site while you are trying to sell it at another.  The way images sell - some sell at some sites and not at others - means that if you do this at alot of sites you could eventually end up with a significant part of your portfolio being free somewhere on the net .  Users could just find an image they like and then use tineye to see if it is in some free archive on another site before buying it. 

Donating is a lose lose situation.  Do not do it.

fred