MicrostockGroup

It doesnt just mean fulltime Microstock, its in everything, neckbraking competition, no matter how "friendly and fair"  in the end of day its the balance sheeth that counts and all love flies out the window.

Averil makes another point though about community, etc. possibly the entire Micro concept is more suitable and geared towards the Amateur and part-timer and with a safe, cushy job on the side. Im sure the Agencies themselves just wants peace and quiet, not a bunch of screaming Pros, as soon as anything goes wrong.
I also think that the days are gone where you have to be a professional photographer, I mean you can see little Neewbie and Bronze cannisters within IS, producing work which is clearly good enough for customers to buy and they do.
I keep seeing more and more signs and especially within the Micro, that the small guys are getting looked after more and far better then the minority of people depending on it and ofcourse! there in the tens of thousands and tomorrows artists.

Most of us fulltime photographers I presume are involved in commisioned work and stock, RM, RF, Micro, etc, but I will say this much though, couple of years back it was OK but today?  I would be dead-scared having to rely on Micro as a sole income, it could change to disaster just over a night, regardless of agencies.

Well I dont mean they are treated better as such, what I mean is that enforced changes, structuring within an agency, for better or worse?  obviously has much less effect on a part-timer then say somebody who is dependant entirely as a sole income.
You cant compare exclusive vs non-excl, etc, thats beside the point, If an agecy, any agency was forced out of business tomorrow for example, the casualties would ofcourse be the Exclusive and especially the ones depending on the income.

It strikes me however that the entire Micro concept is very well suited for part-time photographers who is not dependant on ebb and flow, who can take it in their stride, relaxing, not being forced to produce top-notch all the time and often in order to stay ahead or at leat on par.

best.

well here in Sweden, many doctors provide on-line help and advice, ofcourse for a fee but its there.

Its not a Pro vs Amateur issue, thats been argued since the 70s,  its the entire concept of Micro which is almost hand-tailored to the amateur and part-timer and yes, as you say, because of the Internet, ofcourse. Selling shot for peanuts is not exactly the dream of the Pro.
Right now I know of two highly prolific Micro shooters with really great incomes from Micros who after summer will terminate all their Micros and stick it all into RM instead, not because of the monies but because of the preassure of always having  to produce, add to that the constant changes within agencies in whatever direction.
With the RM being pretty dead at the moment, they dont care, at least they can wake up in the morning and the place is still there.
With Micro, at least at present, everything is too fragile, places come and go, shut-down or owned at geared by others, etc.
Its to put it mildly:  very, very unstable.

best.

As Sean says,  sure the community is important, but its a business and a fierce one as well. Thats the bottom line.

A flood of useless images just requires higher wading boots to find the right image for your project.  That's why having a good search engine is one of the most important features of any stock site.

Now before people scream, I said useless, not worthless.  I'm not talking about the quality of the photography simple the availability of correct subject matter, locations and accessories for those photographers.
Clothing styles, architecture, furniture, etc. all vary from country to country and designers do care about those details.

True.  And you prove my point.  There may be openings for more microstock photographers around the world but a single low cost source "flooding the market" isn't going to happen.