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Author Topic: IS kills logo and png initiatives  (Read 10536 times)

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« Reply #1 on: April 23, 2012, 12:10 »
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More here:
http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_messages.php?threadid=343053&page=1


Yeah, I just got an email about that. Not surprising about the logos.

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #2 on: April 23, 2012, 12:30 »
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I found this paragraph totally bizarre:
"Both of the Plus collections continue to be big parts of our growth at iStock. Plus and Exclusive+ perform very well and our research shows a real demand for the kinds of great files that contributors are choosing to put into this price tier so much so that we're finding ourselves short of material to meet it. When we look at the numbers we find that many contributors still have lots of available slots, so we encourage you to take full advantage of your full Plus allowance. "

Note that they're not saying - "Go out and shoot more of the 'kinds of great files' - they're just saying to take advantage of your ful Plus allowance"
Are they really saying that the kind of buyers who 'demand' the Plus files won't buy them unless set at Plus prices?

« Reply #3 on: April 23, 2012, 12:41 »
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I don't know why they don't increase the Photo+ allowance for people who (a) have close to their full current allowance used and (b) have a reasonable sales record. I have kept a few slots open so that if a file suddenly takes off (as they do sometimes) I have the ability to put it into Photos+

Sean's right that the interface for this is pathetic, but it's manageable for a portfolio my size and I'd definitely up the images in Photo+ if they gave me more slots.

Total BS about better serving contributors without phone support - they're just cutting costs. Logos - no surprise. PNG - why say on hold indefinitely vs. cancelled?

I see people asking in the IS forums about the broken partner program connection - I guess the brief blip of hope that they might have fixed it when a big chunk of images made it over a month ago was just that, a brief blip. Just over 1,000 files have made it over but it's been stuck there for weeks now.

I'm guessing this newsletter was the one they were going to send out at the end of March? So only 3 weeks after they said...

« Reply #4 on: April 23, 2012, 12:41 »
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Graphicriver (Envato) and now DT support PNGs.

Obviously much smaller companies get whip out the technical requirements to sell PNGs except IS. Sad. Again.

I don't care too much for the logo section but I'm sure they pi$$ed off a bunch more people again.

Same old, same old.

« Reply #5 on: April 23, 2012, 12:43 »
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Don't like that they're pulling phone support.  :(    I've never been able to actually get through, it goes right to voicemail, but given that so many threads with questions get locked (or deleted), and tickets have a way of getting lost or at least not updated, this eliminates one of the last methods of communication for contributors.  I wonder if eliminating CR phone support will mean eliminating more people.  

« Reply #6 on: April 23, 2012, 12:57 »
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I missed something like "We're sorry about logos. It's all our fault". Ok, logo program is a IS zombie section almost since was started, but lots of users believed in the program and used their time to create content.

lisafx

« Reply #7 on: April 23, 2012, 13:09 »
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Pulling phone support is really bad.  Says volumes about the value placed on contributors there.  :(

Anyone read the section about Zazzle and Cafe Press?  Are they only images on Getty itself that are available to these print-on-demand customers, or is Istock content available too? 

Seeing how integrated Getty and Istock have become, I don't always know what they mean when they say "Getty content". 

lisafx

« Reply #8 on: April 23, 2012, 13:12 »
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Are they really saying that the kind of buyers who 'demand' the Plus files won't buy them unless set at Plus prices?

;)

I still have slots left, but prefer to put files that are selling at least 1/month in P+.  Maybe if they give a greater boost to P+, and I start to see a benefit of higher sales volume for those files, I will put more in there. 

« Reply #9 on: April 23, 2012, 13:21 »
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I was confused by this paragraph in the "What's happening with Best Match" section;

"All of these factors also affect the searches that contributors are doing as well, making it difficult for you to asses what you're seeing or to understand how it might look from the perspective of a specific customer. So bear in mind when you look at a set of results that it won't be the same across different segments."

I always thought Istock's best match algorithm was a half-assed effort. Or could it be another reference to JJRD's donkey?
« Last Edit: April 23, 2012, 13:24 by gostwyck »

« Reply #10 on: April 23, 2012, 13:37 »
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I was confused by this paragraph in the "What's happening with Best Match" section;

"All of these factors also affect the searches that contributors are doing as well, making it difficult for you to asses what you're seeing or to understand how it might look from the perspective of a specific customer. So bear in mind when you look at a set of results that it won't be the same across different segments."

I always thought Istock's best match algorithm was a half-assed effort. Or could it be another reference to JJRD's donkey?

Omg I am in traction...please dont make me laugh so * hard....good one.

rubyroo

« Reply #11 on: April 23, 2012, 14:11 »
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Are you sure it wasn't supposed to be:

"making it difficult for you asses to understand what you're seeing"

 ;D

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #12 on: April 23, 2012, 14:22 »
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Are you sure it wasn't supposed to be:

"making it difficult for you asses to understand what you're seeing"

 ;D
OUCH! LOL!

RacePhoto

« Reply #13 on: April 23, 2012, 14:48 »
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Are you sure it wasn't supposed to be:

"making it difficult for you asses to understand what you're seeing"

 ;D
OUCH! LOL!

Yes, isn't that exactly what I saw when I read it?

I moved my 12 best earning images to Photo + if it makes any difference, I'm all for it.

« Reply #14 on: April 23, 2012, 15:15 »
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Pulling phone support is really bad.  Says volumes about the value placed on contributors there.  :(

Anyone read the section about Zazzle and Cafe Press?  Are they only images on Getty itself that are available to these print-on-demand customers, or is Istock content available too?  

Seeing how integrated Getty and Istock have become, I don't always know what they mean when they say "Getty content".  

it sounds to me like it is just Getty Images stuff available in Zazzle and Cafepress.  But if it is IS, I'd sure like to know when that happened.   I think many contributors would prefer to have their stuff sold in their personal Zazzle or Cafepress store rather than filtered through iStock just so they (IS) can get a cut of the profit.  I know I have some stuff on CafePress and I'm not too keen on iStock selling my stuff through those channels.

« Reply #15 on: April 23, 2012, 15:21 »
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There was a store on Zazzle a few weeks ago called Vetta-Images that consisted of products created from many different istock contributor artists' vettas.  It might have been just anyone buying istock vetta images and selling products from them, which I think is legit.  But the mention in the HQ newsletter makes me wonder.  Whatever, the store is gone now. 

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #16 on: April 23, 2012, 15:56 »
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Pulling phone support is really bad.  Says volumes about the value placed on contributors there.  :(

Plus the money wasted when they send the wrong preset answer to a query and have to deal with a further query.

WarrenPrice

« Reply #17 on: April 23, 2012, 16:43 »
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Would someone please try (again) to make this feeble old brain understand this Plus thingy ... what is the benefit?  Do images sell for more?  Do we get a bigger cut?  How do we know when a Plus Image sells?  Do buyers search specifically for Plus Images?

« Reply #18 on: April 23, 2012, 16:48 »
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Would someone please try (again) to make this feeble old brain understand this Plus thingy ... what is the benefit?  Do images sell for more?  Do we get a bigger cut?  How do we know when a Plus Image sells?  Do buyers search specifically for Plus Images?

The prices are higher, in credits - until the most recent price hike, it put an independent Photo+ image at the same price as an exclusive image - 2 credits for XS, 5 for S and so on. Your royalty doesn't change. You have columns that show collection and you can't see for an old sale whether it was plus or not at the time - you just have to guess from the royalty (which can be hard given the huge variation in credit prices).

Buyer's can't search for Photo+ (or Exclusive+) specifically.

I think it's good because buyers are already OK with exclusive prices (if they're still at IS that is) and so when they pick an indie file they like, they probably won't pass it by because it isn't cheaper than a similar exclusive one. So I don't think you make any more sales, but I do think it increases the amount you make on the sales you get.

I don't think Exclusive+ is anywhere near as clear a win because the prices are so high. For some people it seems to have worked, for others not at all. I do hope they don't get stupid with Photo+ pricing and jack it up above the regular exclusive file price as I think that'd take away a lot of the appeal (for me anyway).

« Reply #19 on: April 23, 2012, 16:48 »
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Would someone please try (again) to make this feeble old brain understand this Plus thingy ... what is the benefit?  Do images sell for more?  Do we get a bigger cut?  How do we know when a Plus Image sells?  Do buyers search specifically for Plus Images?

Warren,

Photo plus does not get you more money for a dl.  But it gives you a placement boost, so if they sell more frequently, you net more money. IS charges more credits for photo+ but you don't enjoy more of the sales pie, they do.  It's all about sales frequency for the contributor, so choosing your better selling images for this program is advantageous.  Once you submit they are locked in for six months and you can't pull them out.
« Last Edit: April 23, 2012, 16:53 by Mantis »

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #20 on: April 23, 2012, 16:52 »
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Would someone please try (again) to make this feeble old brain understand this Plus thingy ... what is the benefit?  Do images sell for more?  Do we get a bigger cut?  How do we know when a Plus Image sells?  Do buyers search specifically for Plus Images?

Warren,

Photo plus does not get you more money for a dl.  

Yes, it does.

WarrenPrice

« Reply #21 on: April 23, 2012, 16:53 »
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Would someone please try (again) to make this feeble old brain understand this Plus thingy ... what is the benefit?  Do images sell for more?  Do we get a bigger cut?  How do we know when a Plus Image sells?  Do buyers search specifically for Plus Images?

Warren,

Photo plus does not get you more money for a dl.  But it gives you a placement boost, so if they sell more frequently, netting you more money...assuming that actually do sell more frequently.  I "think" IS charges more for photo+ but you don't enjoy more of the sales pie, they do.  It's all about sales frequency for the contributor, so choosing your better selling images for this program is advantageous.  Once you submit they are locked in for six months and you can't pull them out.

That reminds me of another question, Mantis; why would I want to pull them out?  The only reason I can think of is removing them from the IS site?

Seems like a very complex way to run a WalMart.   ;D

« Reply #22 on: April 23, 2012, 16:54 »
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Would someone please try (again) to make this feeble old brain understand this Plus thingy ... what is the benefit?  Do images sell for more?  Do we get a bigger cut?  How do we know when a Plus Image sells?  Do buyers search specifically for Plus Images?

Warren,

Photo plus does not get you more money for a dl.  

Yes, it does.

I did not know that, I stand corrected.

« Reply #23 on: April 23, 2012, 17:04 »
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You can remove files from the IS site, even from P+ at any time. What you're locked into is your choice of collection for 6 months (to stop you chopping and changing too much). People would like to pull photos back into the main collection if they stop selling in P+. At the beginning of Exclusive+ when it was clear that the promised search placement boost wasn't happening, a number of exclusives felt that had been grossly misleading and asked to be able to remove the files - weren't allowed to until their 6 months was up.

lisafx

« Reply #24 on: April 23, 2012, 17:44 »
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The prices are higher, in credits - until the most recent price hike, it put an independent Photo+ image at the same price as an exclusive image - 2 credits for XS, 5 for S and so on.

Did I miss something again?  Was there a price hike on exclusive images, P+ images, both, or neither? 

« Reply #25 on: April 23, 2012, 18:49 »
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The prices are higher, in credits - until the most recent price hike, it put an independent Photo+ image at the same price as an exclusive image - 2 credits for XS, 5 for S and so on.

Did I miss something again?  Was there a price hike on exclusive images, P+ images, both, or neither? 

They hiked regular exclusive images to 3 credits for XS a month or so ago. I think that was when P+/exclusive XXXL went down to 28 but I've lost track of some of the details. There was some change in E+ but I don't remember what that was as it doesn't apply to me :)

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #26 on: April 23, 2012, 18:56 »
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The prices are higher, in credits - until the most recent price hike, it put an independent Photo+ image at the same price as an exclusive image - 2 credits for XS, 5 for S and so on.

Did I miss something again?  Was there a price hike on exclusive images, P+ images, both, or neither? 

They don't bother to tell anybody nowadays: they just adjust prices as they feel like it.

lisafx

« Reply #27 on: April 23, 2012, 22:14 »
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The prices are higher, in credits - until the most recent price hike, it put an independent Photo+ image at the same price as an exclusive image - 2 credits for XS, 5 for S and so on.

Did I miss something again?  Was there a price hike on exclusive images, P+ images, both, or neither? 

They don't bother to tell anybody nowadays: they just adjust prices as they feel like it.

Wow, yeah.  I was totally in the dark.  Thanks for posting about it here JoAnn.  I can't keep up with the Istock forums anymore.  Too much dreck to wade through. 

« Reply #28 on: April 24, 2012, 08:27 »
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There was a store on Zazzle a few weeks ago called Vetta-Images that consisted of products created from many different istock contributor artists' vettas.  It might have been just anyone buying istock vetta images and selling products from them, which I think is legit.  But the mention in the HQ newsletter makes me wonder.  Whatever, the store is gone now. 
Legit my a**. We were not paid for the use of these images. If anything, I imagine it was pulled because what they were doing was selling our work without compensating us. What there were doing was unethical and violated our contract. Plain and simple. 

« Reply #29 on: April 24, 2012, 08:32 »
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There was a store on Zazzle a few weeks ago called Vetta-Images that consisted of products created from many different istock contributor artists' vettas.  It might have been just anyone buying istock vetta images and selling products from them, which I think is legit.  But the mention in the HQ newsletter makes me wonder.  Whatever, the store is gone now. 
Legit my a**. We were not paid for the use of these images. If anything, I imagine it was pulled because what they were doing was selling our work without compensating us. What there were doing was unethical and violated our contract. Plain and simple. 

I wondered about that because there was one post in the forums asking about it, and it was never answered or mentioned again, until the HQ update came out yesterday and it said "We are pulling these Vetta images from Zazzle and Cafe Press. Contributors will be paid for any sales that have already occurred".   Of course, contributors who may not have known their images were there -- how are they to know (other than blind faith) what sales occurred, and what they should be owing? 

« Reply #30 on: April 24, 2012, 09:22 »
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There was a store on Zazzle a few weeks ago called Vetta-Images that consisted of products created from many different istock contributor artists' vettas.  It might have been just anyone buying istock vetta images and selling products from them, which I think is legit.  But the mention in the HQ newsletter makes me wonder.  Whatever, the store is gone now.  

Legit my a**. We were not paid for the use of these images. If anything, I imagine it was pulled because what they were doing was selling our work without compensating us. What there were doing was unethical and violated our contract. Plain and simple.  


They've been unethical since Getty bought the place and yet tons of people still contribute. They will continue to take advantage as long as the contributors let them take advantage. This isn't the first time they tried to do something underhanded to contributors. Anyone remember Vox?

edit: just in case you don't

http://www.microstockgroup.com/istockphoto-com/istock-stepping-over-the-line-with-vox/

and actually they've been taking advantage pre-Getty, as I think this vox scheme was pre.
« Last Edit: April 24, 2012, 09:25 by cclapper »

« Reply #31 on: April 24, 2012, 09:28 »
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the business model sucks.
Its kind of pointless to design a logo and sell it as stock.

If someone wants a logo, they want it unique ,and not from stock.

« Reply #32 on: April 24, 2012, 09:32 »
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Being a stock logo does not preclude it from being unique.

No idea why IS had so many issues when there are plenty of players already doing it.

« Reply #33 on: April 24, 2012, 09:55 »
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I gotta say that i feel sorry for the logo folk, i remember sjlocke reminding everyone in the logo forum to put their efforts out there on other sites and make it work for you instead of waiting for istock to get their act together, just hope most of them listened. Patience is a virtue they say, but maybe this doesn't apply to the microstock industry.

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #34 on: April 24, 2012, 10:00 »
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I gotta say that i feel sorry for the logo folk, i remember sjlocke reminding everyone in the logo forum to put their efforts out there on other sites and make it work for you instead of waiting for istock to get their act together, just hope most of them listened. Patience is a virtue they say, but maybe this doesn't apply to the microstock industry.

They're going to find it incredibly difficult to get anyone to jump next time they hold up a new hoop.

"Please supply audio/video/flash/illustrations" Then we'll be able to split your RCs and pay you less commission.
"Please supply logos/get ready to supply PNGs" So's we can waste your time and p*ss you off

Yup, SuperSean called it right again.

« Reply #35 on: April 24, 2012, 11:27 »
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You forgot a couple of other trust-breaking initiatives, in particular,

"Please supply editorial images (other media will come later)" so we can then dump a bunch of rubbish from Getty and tighten the rules on you so you can't compete with it
"Please produce content for our new Agency collection" You have to follow all the iStock submission rules, but we'll dump lots of content from Getty that doesn't follow any of them. If you notice, we'll claim it was an inspection error and remove a few to pacify you

helix7

« Reply #36 on: April 24, 2012, 11:35 »
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...They're going to find it incredibly difficult to get anyone to jump next time they hold up a new hoop...

I doubt they'll even try. They can't pull it off, and they probably know it. They've already cut staff, they obviously couldn't make the logo and png initiatives work, despite other (smaller) companies managing to find ways to do it. istock is no longer a company capable of rolling out any new products outside of their current lineup.

« Reply #37 on: April 24, 2012, 11:53 »
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Being a stock logo does not preclude it from being unique.

No idea why IS had so many issues when there are plenty of players already doing it.
iS is no longer the nimble upstart it's a corporate behemoth. Other sites can deploy new stuff much faster. iS was the last of the micros to implement EPS10 files for vectors. That was six months ago, btw, and they haven't changed the upload page or the training manual.

« Reply #38 on: April 24, 2012, 12:01 »
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Being a stock logo does not preclude it from being unique.

No idea why IS had so many issues when there are plenty of players already doing it.

It does seem odd, although the whole thing was probably more of undercutting artists. I already have a logo program. It's called ask me, and I'll make a logo or something exclusive for you.

« Reply #39 on: April 24, 2012, 12:25 »
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I wonder if it would be advantageous to be able to opt in for clients to be able to contact us for Logos & PNGs?

« Reply #40 on: April 25, 2012, 02:40 »
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I wonder if it would be advantageous to be able to opt in for clients to be able to contact us for Logos & PNGs?

And have IS miss the chance to get their cut? Fat chance of that!

RacePhoto

« Reply #41 on: April 25, 2012, 15:14 »
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You forgot a couple of other trust-breaking initiatives, in particular,

"Please supply editorial images (other media will come later)" so we can then dump a bunch of rubbish from Getty and tighten the rules on you so you can't compete with it
"Please produce content for our new Agency collection" You have to follow all the iStock submission rules, but we'll dump lots of content from Getty that doesn't follow any of them. If you notice, we'll claim it was an inspection error and remove a few to pacify you

Almost missed who it was writing with the new Avatar.  :)

You are so right about the bait and switch tactics they have been pulling with new collections, new products and submission flooding with their own products.

Hey Warren I was as confused as you. I thought it was just some credit benefit thing, so I dropped my top 12 in there to see if it kills them or if I make more. But from the responses, even people who know, have some questions about what it really does and means? Being and Indy at base level, the RC doesn't matter.

Update: first sale of a P+ file today, XS, instead of 23c I got 58c, it works! I could like this?
« Last Edit: April 26, 2012, 13:32 by RacePhoto »

« Reply #42 on: May 01, 2012, 08:04 »
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It stinks that IS could not muster the logo program into operation. It really stinks that they strung people along for two plus years. Most contributors (including myself) stopped uploading after six months. Most folks have long since moved on and no longer give a rats patootie, as noted by the eleven posts in the "logo cancelled" thread on the forum. There is one contributor in that thread that uploaded over 200 logos, talk about a true believer! I feel especially bad for those people who think/thought IS is/was a community-centric, contributor-centric company. Those days are over, especially for the little guy.


 

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