Author Topic: Another Massive Best Match Shift (Read 248770 times)

Juanmonino · « **Reply #250 on:** December 26, 2011, 16:14 »

Quote from: wut on December 26, 2011, 16:04

Quote from: Buzbuzzer on December 26, 2011, 15:58
Holiday in Canada too.. 1 sale today... but it's pretty normal.

We' ll see the real thing in January.

Pretty normal for a 120k diamond ?!?!?! I'd guess pretty normal would be at least 20, while on a normal workday would be way over 50...

I am 155k diamond, never sold only 3 pics in any given day since I became exclusive in 2006. Even in new years day I never sold less than 20 images. Like I said, something big is cooking in IS, and it is not good neither for exclusives nor for non exclusives

fotoVoyager · « **Reply #251 on:** December 26, 2011, 16:28 »

Quote from: Juanmonino on December 26, 2011, 13:45

I am Istock exclusive, always been
I got almost 15000 files in IS
Yesterday December 25th I sold 3 images for a total of 7 dollars
last year same day I sold over $150.00 same day

Today is Monday 26, I have sold so far $23.00 (2:00 pm ET), last year I sold December 26 more than $300.00, and last year December 26 was a Sunday.

Something very serious is going on in IS, something that happened Friday and is affecting not only non exclusives but exclusives as well. Please if anyone else is having similar results let me know, this is like 90% decrease in sales and will put me out of business in a heart beat if not fixed.

My figures match yours pretty closely.

Xmas is on a weekend this year so I'm not panicking just yet. If January doesn't pick up, that's the time to *really* worry.

loop · « **Reply #252 on:** December 26, 2011, 16:35 »

I'm almost at half what I got on 26 D last year, but maybe it's not fair comparing with last year, because these were the dates when the big credit card fraud took place.

KB · « **Reply #253 on:** December 26, 2011, 17:00 »

Quote from: imageegami on December 26, 2011, 15:49

Can you remember how JJRD declared that Thinkstock is a different customer base and that making images available there would have no impact on iStock sales?

Remember how we were promised to be grandfathered into existing commission levels?

Remember how we were told by KK that commissions wouldn`t be changed except for the better?

Can you recall that money isn`t what makes us happy?

Maybe we should start a thread that lists all of iStock's broken promises? It might rival this thread in length ....

Here's another couple that I recall (one from Lobo, I believe, the other I'm not sure who said it):

The EdStock (et al) files won't dominate the search results.

Don't worry, there will be consideration for anyone who's close to an RC cut-off line but doesn't quite make it.

ShadySue · « **Reply #254 on:** December 26, 2011, 17:06 »

Quote from: KB on December 26, 2011, 17:00

Here's another couple that I recall (one from Lobo, I believe, the other I'm not sure who said it):

The EdStock (et al) files won't dominate the search results.

I'm pretty sure this one was Joyze.
Yup, top post here:
http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_messages.php?threadid=330294&page=1

Quote

Don't worry, there will be consideration for anyone who's close to an RC cut-off line but doesn't quite make it.

I agree, I'm pretty sure that was Lobo.
[/quote]

cathyslife · « **Reply #255 on:** December 26, 2011, 17:28 »

Sales have been consistently dropping for most at istock over the past few months, and yet it's being explained away now as various holidays?

I guess many are hoping that magically, on Jan. 2, after the holidays, sales will inexplicably resume to levels from a couple of years ago. That is some faith and hope...

BaldricksTrousers · « **Reply #256 on:** December 26, 2011, 18:32 »

Quote from: Juanmonino on December 26, 2011, 16:14

Quote from: wut on December 26, 2011, 16:04
Quote from: Buzbuzzer on December 26, 2011, 15:58
Holiday in Canada too.. 1 sale today... but it's pretty normal.

We' ll see the real thing in January.

Pretty normal for a 120k diamond ?!?!?! I'd guess pretty normal would be at least 20, while on a normal workday would be way over 50...

I am 155k diamond, never sold only 3 pics in any given day since I became exclusive in 2006. Even in new years day I never sold less than 20 images. Like I said, something big is cooking in IS, and it is not good neither for exclusives nor for non exclusives

You're probably right, but it would make sense to give it a few more days before you draw conclusions ... remember Ebenezer and Florence? Or maybe you are too young.

In any case, do you think you can change anything?

kelby · « **Reply #257 on:** December 26, 2011, 18:42 »

@juanmonino
last year on 25 and 26 there were fraudolent sales...so is normal that you made more of 300$.... btw also few sales for a diamond like you is worry

wut · « **Reply #258 on:** December 26, 2011, 18:49 »

Quote from: kelby on December 26, 2011, 18:42

@juanmonino
last year on 25 and 26 there were fraudolent sales...so is normal that you made more of 300$.... btw also few sales for a diamond like you is worry

In that case it would be a lot more realistic to compare your last 4 day sales to your average earnings juanmonino...

Juanmonino · « **Reply #259 on:** December 26, 2011, 19:31 »

I just want to find out if any other IS contributors experienced the same, I want to know if its just me or is happening to all/most diamonds

xst · « **Reply #260 on:** December 26, 2011, 20:04 »

search for "Sensual couple" gives first non-exclusive image on page 140!!!

That's obvious,
They've just decided to push independents out competely.

I really disrespect them as much as Fotolia now

mlwinphoto · « **Reply #261 on:** December 26, 2011, 20:32 »

I can't find any of my top sellers within the first 15 pages of any best match search. I've had one sale (for .22) in six weeks which, in spite of my small portfolio, is so far below what is expected that I'm having a hard time believing it is true.

Regardless, I'm done uploading to iStock and will close out my account at the end of the year. Good riddance (which I'm sure is how they feel about me as well).

travelstock · « **Reply #262 on:** December 26, 2011, 22:30 »

@Juan I'm not a diamond, but on my numbers the Christmas period and December as a whole are up strongly from last year. At the moment the difference is greater than my portfolio growth for the period.

The way I'm seeing the search is that its favouring new images, and particularly new exclusive images. Looking at my downloads, the consistent theme is that they're 2011 files - the older ones tend to be specific subjects that are low volume but don't have much competition in the search. My portfolio is much smaller, and a bit unique in that it doubled in 2011 (+1500 images with 1000 of those in the last 6 months) but its not so small as to be completely irrelevant.

Those who have large portfolios where the average age of images is 3-4 years, this current best match is going to hurt.

For me its a nice change from the time when new files disappeared into oblivion which was the case for most of the year. That said, I don't expect the current algorithm to stay as it is. What I'm noticing is that the search order is actually changing quite quickly in a way that really boosts new-ish files with downloads. Longer term is what really matters & none of us really know how any of this is going to play out. Its probably wise not to bank on maintaining or growing earnings ant more than you would bank on a high-risk tech-stock on the sharemarket.

Sean Locke Photography · « **Reply #263 on:** December 26, 2011, 22:39 »

Quote from: Juanmonino on December 26, 2011, 19:31

I just want to find out if any other IS contributors experienced the same, I want to know if its just me or is happening to all/most diamonds

---

I had to modify this post. Due to the great fraud debacle of 2010, I don't know what my real sales were like over the holiday last year.

lagereek · « **Reply #264 on:** December 27, 2011, 02:14 »

Fellas! Im saying this with the best of intentions ( been exclusive myself now for 20 years, in the RM), know what its like, BUT, this? no, I would look after my own backyard and run for my life. Whats scary here is not the poor revenues, its the total trend, no matter what contributor, its like waiting for the inevitable.

Gio · « **Reply #265 on:** December 27, 2011, 02:48 »

Quote from: Juanmonino on December 26, 2011, 15:36

I never seen nothing like this, today is monday and sales are completely dead, I have not sold a single image in hours, like I said last year and the year before at this day of the year I used to sell $250.00 - $300, today I am still at $28.30, this is like a 85% plummeting in sales, and I am exclusive.

I would like to know if other IS exclusives are experiencing something like this during last 4 days. They did something massive last friday, something never seen before. If this stay like this, I will be out of business by january. And I have the 8th collection in IS in size, 57th in sales.

And is nothing we can do, even questions about this matter are immediately censored in IS forums

Where have been last december? Have you ever heard about "fraudulent" sales? C'mon... it's Xmas time, it is obvious that our sales are similar to Zero.

Relax and wait for January.

ayzek · « **Reply #266 on:** December 27, 2011, 02:50 »

This best match will give a boost to exclusives but also will makes life harder who plans to throw their crown.

fujiko · « **Reply #267 on:** December 27, 2011, 02:54 »

Exclusives vs Independents
New content vs Old content
Diamonds vs Silver

Don't you see that this is all about distracting from the real issue, Contributors vs Greedy Middlemen?

They are nothing but greedy middlemen with too much power. They don't generate content, they don't create anything of value. They are only creative in finding ways to exploit contributors and buyers.

But they have one mind and contributors are many and divided.

RapidEye · « **Reply #268 on:** December 27, 2011, 03:04 »

Quote from: ayzek on December 27, 2011, 02:50

This best match will give a boost to exclusives but also will makes life harder who plans to throw their crown.

If there is a cunning plan behind this, this could be it.

Anyway, whatever it means, my sales seem normal for the time of year. Go figure.

lagereek · « **Reply #269 on:** December 27, 2011, 03:19 »

Quote from: ayzek on December 27, 2011, 02:50

This best match will give a boost to exclusives but also will makes life harder who plans to throw their crown.

What are you talking about? by the sound of it all, top-exclusives, as here in this forum are suffering like crazy! and with this, it should be a really easy decision to throw a crown, unless ofcourse you believe in fairy-tales, that is.

Why dont you visit the RC-thread in the IS forum, that should be depressive enough reading for you and see how many that are prepared to drop this so called crown.

ayzek · « **Reply #270 on:** December 27, 2011, 04:03 »

Quote from: lagereek on December 27, 2011, 03:19

Quote from: ayzek on December 27, 2011, 02:50
This best match will give a boost to exclusives but also will makes life harder who plans to throw their crown.

What are you talking about? by the sound of it all, top-exclusives, as here in this forum are suffering like crazy! and with this, it should be a really easy decision to throw a crown, unless ofcourse you believe in fairy-tales, that is.

Why dont you visit the RC-thread in the IS forum, that should be depressive enough reading for you and see how many that are prepared to drop this so called crown.

I am not visiting istock forums anymore so i dont know whats happening in there. More people may thinking to throw their crown but it will not change that its getting harder to decide with this best match.
i was really luck that i throw my exclusivity in last May cause if i throw it today i will get less till i create selling portfolio in other places.

ShadySue · « **Reply #271 on:** December 27, 2011, 07:05 »

Maybe I'll join the panic team early (@Juan: very low ~~Gold~~ iron pyrites). I just looked back to 2007. I had my first images accepted on the 17th or 18th Dec (uploaded 12th) and by Christmas day, I had an absolute maximum of 8 images online, more likely 5 - yet I had a Christmas day dl and 2 on Boxing Day - though both were weekdays so some countries would be at work. This year, nada since 23rd - at the end which, I only needed 13 dls for Dec to be my BMY (not because of a really stellar Dec, though it's much better than last year; more a dire Jan - May).
I'll blame the total preponderance of CSA's cartoons and drawings in several of my areas of activity. That's probably a Red Herring, but a girl's gotta have a scapegoat.

kelby · « **Reply #272 on:** December 27, 2011, 09:10 »

i'm seeing another crap day even if today is not holiday.....i had never ever seen before a business day slow like that.... SS and FT seems going only 10% under the average while IS is very very low....what !!

Jo Ann Snover · « **Reply #273 on:** December 27, 2011, 10:26 »

I'm going to have to think about this a bit more - what else would a visit to the dentist be good for?

- but in the current best match state, I'm tempted to remove all my iStock bestsellers while they're still not on ThinkStock/photos.com.

Right now I'm still at 14 files (of about 2,500) migrated to Thinkstock. I have no idea, given how broken the "connector" has been to date, how long it'd take to remove files from there once I remove them from iStock. Given how totally buried my bestsellers are, if they're not going to make sales at iStock, why give them to Thinkstock and make less than almost anywhere else on a subs sale or two? Seems like a window to take advantage of, unless this current best match makes a huge left turn after the new year - if it was just some sort of year end hail mary pass trying to get (some?) exclusives' RC totals up.

I am still seeing a thin dribble sales (one today so far), but atypically nothing for Christmas eve/Day, and not the buried best sellers...

stockastic · « **Reply #274 on:** December 27, 2011, 10:32 »

We might have expected them to first transfer the independent photos to TS, then bury them on IS. But it looks like they decided to do it the other way around. They'll all die on IS, and then slowly - someday - show up on TS.

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Author Topic: Another Massive Best Match Shift (Read 248770 times)

Juanmonino

fotoVoyager

loop

KB

ShadySue

cathyslife

BaldricksTrousers

kelby

wut

Juanmonino

xst

mlwinphoto

travelstock

Sean Locke Photography

lagereek

Gio

ayzek

fujiko

RapidEye

lagereek

ayzek

ShadySue

kelby

Jo Ann Snover

stockastic

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