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Author Topic: Istock Announcement  (Read 35698 times)

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« on: September 18, 2006, 02:02 »
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Could this be 'The Annoucement'?

http://www.creativepro.com/story/news/24699.html


« Reply #1 on: September 18, 2006, 02:11 »
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thanks for the link, looks like it just might be.  Looks like istock might be getting even better sales.

grp_photo

« Reply #2 on: September 18, 2006, 06:03 »
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Looks like we can hope for at least a little increase in our istock sales in the future.  Good to see they are working on sales.

- more language options and native sites should attract new buyers and contributors on the same level
- Photokina definately more contributors
- Multimedia Kongress more buyers but in comparision to Photokina its a really tiny event
So i have my doubts

« Reply #3 on: September 18, 2006, 09:35 »
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Very good news, yes, thanks for the link ptlee.  I hope that the automated translation engine IS chose is a good and accurate one.

Greg Boiarsky

« Reply #4 on: September 18, 2006, 09:44 »
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Big deal.  They translated the site.  It's about time someone recognized that the world doesn't necessarily run on English.  But, they still aren't taking uploads and I just had another file rejected for a spurious reason.

Unless I see a significant increase in downloads and a return to reasonable upload limits, I will NOT be impressed.
« Last Edit: September 18, 2006, 10:05 by Professorgb »

amanda1863

« Reply #5 on: September 18, 2006, 10:14 »
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Actually it is a big deal, people have been asking for this forever and the programming and logistics involved are not simple.

I think (based on some comments from admin in various threads) that the inspectors were all involved in going through the library to help with the implimentation of this new multilingual system and search stuff so that's probably why the que got so big inthe first place.  Someone mentioned that now inspections will get back to normal so I wouldn't be suprised if they raise the limits.

Also I have to say, inspecting 15,000 files in 4 days is a HUGE feat.  Did you know that all of the inspectors and admins gave up their weekends to do this?  I think that's pretty admirable.  I am also excited as a buyer to see how this affects sales!  there is nothing bad about a bigger slice of the market. :)

« Reply #6 on: September 18, 2006, 10:20 »
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It should increase sales from these markets but some of these desigenrs may have been using it anyway (English is quite well known).  As much as an expansion, it is probably a defensive move too agains all the new players that are foreign language (ie fotolia).  Now if they translated into all the asian languages as well, now that would be inpressive.

On another note, has anyone else noticed the site has been down for a while.  Considering everyone is probably trying to go in to do their uploads and find out the new announcement, this isn't the best move on their part.

amanda1863

« Reply #7 on: September 18, 2006, 10:51 »
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Yeah it's been a little spotty this morning unfortunaltey it is usually shakey for a day or two after big programming changes while all the bugs get worked out. :P   SO glad I'm not a programmer!  I also noticed they took the forums down (going through withdrawl!)  Which is annoying since I want to see the discussion and have lots of questions!  I hope they will be back up soon.

« Reply #8 on: September 18, 2006, 10:57 »
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Well they have announced the change and everyone who doens't like the current upload process as IS, well, it just got harder.

If you type in orange, you now have to specify whether you meant the colour or the fruit.

Oh well.

Greg Boiarsky

« Reply #9 on: September 18, 2006, 11:00 »
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Hi, Amanda.  Pardon my grumpiness this morning; I have a cold, and it tends to sour my disposition.

I agree that the programming and logistics weren't simple.  I guess what I'm saying is that it shouldn't be a big deal that the largest company in microstock has recognized the importance of the non-English speaking customer.  This should have happened a long time ago.  I realize that Istock's growth has not followed any set plan, but once they saw how much of a market was out there, the product should have been marketed in the world's top languages.  Istock is the perfect example of the globalization of business.

I also know that the inspectors have worked their butts off.  And, inspecting is a thankless job, right up there with dentist and teacher and garbage collector and other high-stress, undervalued jobs.  But, forcing those people to work 12-hour or longer days is no way to guarantee a quality product.  In fact, it encourages errors which will have to be sorted out later.

Really, I think the whole upgrade should have gone differently.  First, they could have planned to separate it from the 1,000,000 image hoopla so they could have had less of an impact on the day-to-day operations of the business.  And, reducing the upload limits for non-exclusives to such low levels isn't very friendly, even if the goal is to reduce the queue to manageable levels (which apparently did not happen).  Should Istock give preference to exclusive artists?  You bet--there should be some major advantages to foregoing other revenue streams.  But, giving advantages to exclusive artists is not the same thing as giving disadvantages to others.

In the end, I hope you're right about sales and the size of the market.  I'm not convinced yet; we'll have to watch sales growth over the next month or so to see any changes.

Actually it is a big deal, people have been asking for this forever and the programming and logistics involved are not simple.

I think (based on some comments from admin in various threads) that the inspectors were all involved in going through the library to help with the implimentation of this new multilingual system and search stuff so that's probably why the que got so big inthe first place.  Someone mentioned that now inspections will get back to normal so I wouldn't be suprised if they raise the limits.

Also I have to say, inspecting 15,000 files in 4 days is a HUGE feat.  Did you know that all of the inspectors and admins gave up their weekends to do this?  I think that's pretty admirable.  I am also excited as a buyer to see how this affects sales!  there is nothing bad about a bigger slice of the market. :)
« Last Edit: September 18, 2006, 11:15 by Professorgb »

amanda1863

« Reply #10 on: September 18, 2006, 11:12 »
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I do think it would have been fair to cut exclusive levels as well as non exclusive to help get things down quicker.  I do hope things will get back to relativley normal now though! :)  And you're right the other language support was needed way before this, I just hope Asian language support is not too far off, now there is a big market!!

Greg Boiarsky

« Reply #11 on: September 18, 2006, 11:13 »
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That would be quite a chore.  It's likely necessary, but whooboy not easy.

I just hope Asian language support is not too far off, now there is a big market!!

« Reply #12 on: September 18, 2006, 11:35 »
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Have re read the annoucement and they do Japanese including japanese characters.  it is based on Gettys system so I assume they will now develop new languages and implement on both.

« Reply #13 on: September 18, 2006, 11:57 »
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It's not going as planned, by changing the language of the keywords they have somehow cocked up the english keywords. One of my images of my children is now keyworded as group of wild animals(maybe they've met them.LOL). amusement park ride, spanish currency, and nerds. and a piggy back picture just has them called pigs.
I think that is probably why the forums are down so that they can sort it out before everyone starts complaining. I've had quite an amusing half hour reading them.

« Reply #14 on: September 18, 2006, 12:00 »
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I only checked one but ahd a nerd as well.  Wonder what word, and in what language, translates to this.

This is going to annoy people with big portfolios if they have to go through every one to correct.  I "only" have a hundred and that is gonig to be a chore!

« Reply #15 on: September 18, 2006, 12:13 »
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It's not going as planned, by changing the language of the keywords they have somehow cocked up the english keywords.  One of my images of my children is now keyworded as group of wild animals(maybe they've met them.LOL). amusement park ride, spanish currency, and nerds.  and a piggy back picture just has them called pigs.

Oh, this is too funny!

« Reply #16 on: September 18, 2006, 12:21 »
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Oh boy!  I just cheched a few...  I have "Natural Disaster" for a homeless shelter, "Purebred Dog" for horses,  "Naked" for a bridge, and "Getting Dressed" for oil and vinegar!!!!  Wow, what a mess!  I hope that they can fix it from their side...!

Greg Boiarsky

« Reply #17 on: September 18, 2006, 12:26 »
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Yep.  Completely screwed up all my keywording.  My images of Mills Lake, for example, now suddenly are keworded "Indiana."  Last I knew, Mills Lake was in Colorado.  The Spanish kewords are incorrect, also, so this isn't just the English being screwed up.  They've scrambled the keywords.

Every image I checked contained errors.  I don't think this is funny--it's going to cost us sales.  They had better have a decent backup.  In the meantime, they had better take the site down before things get worse.
« Last Edit: September 18, 2006, 12:34 by Professorgb »

dbvirago

« Reply #18 on: September 18, 2006, 12:30 »
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Agree. As I just stated on another forum, everyone seems willing to give them a lot of slack since they are big earners. For me, they have always been in a 3 way tie for 3rd. So there are at least 4 other agencies doing as well or better. StockXpert is closing in fast. It's not worth a lot of trouble for me to keep getting the .20 per stuff that dribbles in from there.

Also, not real happy that all the info I get about this is coming from third parties. Where is their responsibility to the providers.
« Last Edit: September 18, 2006, 12:32 by dbvirago »

amanda1863

« Reply #19 on: September 18, 2006, 13:44 »
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I've got some very funky keyword things going on all over too, but some of them make sense and aren't things I had thought of. I'm sure they are working on some fixes right now.  As far as losing sales I'm having a slightly above average Monday sales day.

« Reply #20 on: September 18, 2006, 14:41 »
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I've just looked at my portfolio on IS for the first time today. It's absolutely great that they've gone into other languages.    :)

But the keywording has gone totally haywire.   >:(   I've only looked at a couple of my images but they've somehow acquired completely nonsensical keywords from somewhere. And the French translations (I speak reasonably good French) are a bit off the wall, too. Heaven knows what my other 500 or so images are like. Am I going to have to correct all that? Hardly worth the work, given their low royalites.

Zut alors!

dbvirago

« Reply #21 on: September 18, 2006, 14:55 »
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FUBAR.

They now state in a post on the home page that they don't have the manpower to go back and fix 1,000,000 images, so the work will be left up to us. They also are very vague about precisely what we are expected to do. Based on posts there and elsewhere, most of us are as confused as I am.

I did a search to try and find my post popular picture there, and most combinations of keywords didn't bring it up. It is a cockpit. One of the words is flight and it comes back with 'as in airline ticket' and another is deck, and it comes back with 'as in patio deck'.

I can't imagine going back in and fixing my hundreds of shots instead of spending the same time uploading to more profitable sites. I can't believe they expect you folks with over 1000 images to do so.

To reply to an earlier post, I am a programmer, and you don't roll out a new version to the masses like this without serious testing. And that means beta testing with live users.

Greg Boiarsky

« Reply #22 on: September 18, 2006, 14:58 »
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That's it.  I will upload no more images to Istock.  They can sell what they have, and that's it.  This is bullsh@t.  They screw up, and then tell us they don't have the resources to fix it--it's up to us.  Here's their asinine answer to their keywording errors:

"All of your old keywords are still there. What we're displaying in the right hand side of the file is the definition which the system assumes. We are displaying that information, and not the original keyword, because each tag needs to have a meaning assigned in order to be translated. If the engine has the chosen the wrong meaning, you simply have to go to the edit file information page and choose the right one.

Phrases need to be entered as single tags. If someone searches for "nursing home" as a single tag, and you have "nursing" and "home" entered as two separate tags, it will not appear in the search. You need to add the phrase as a tag.

The more that people make choices, the more it will refine the way that the system automatically decides.

What we do not have the resources to do is double check the keywords on 1,000,000 files. What we are able to do is identify common or recurring problems, and reprocess the files affected by that issue.

For example, right now we're reprocessing the word "skate", to add a meaning specific to skateboarding. This is just one of many examples. We are building a tool to help you suggest better choices and definitions for tags. In the meantime, we've started a thread where you can report cases where the disambiguation option you want doesn't exist."


Try doing a search on "Indiana," a word that now mysteriously shows up in a great number of my images.  It returns over 64,000 hits.

Bullsh@t.
« Last Edit: September 18, 2006, 15:04 by Professorgb »

« Reply #23 on: September 18, 2006, 15:01 »
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My favorite so far is an image I did with a Euro note and a passport which is now tagged "wallaroo."  I pity all those people who are searching for a moderately large macropod  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallaroo).

Here's the original image: 
http://www.istockphoto.com/file_closeup/style_and_design/point_of_view/macro/686567_passport_to_euros.php?id=686567

...Or maybe there's some slang expression I'm missing here??
« Last Edit: September 18, 2006, 15:04 by marcviln »

« Reply #24 on: September 18, 2006, 15:03 »
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FUBAR.

To reply to an earlier post, I am a programmer, and you don't roll out a new version to the masses like this without serious testing. And that means beta testing with live users.

You also don't roll it out on the live system before seeing the effects on the test system. It would seem that they didn't bother to set up a few test servers populated with real data to see the effects.

« Reply #25 on: September 18, 2006, 15:07 »
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"Phrases need to be entered as single tags. If someone searches for "nursing home" as a single tag, and you have "nursing" and "home" entered as two separate tags, it will not appear in the search. You need to add the phrase as a tag."
Bullsh@t.

Bull is right. I had phrases in many images and they've split them up into individual words.

Greg Boiarsky

« Reply #26 on: September 18, 2006, 15:10 »
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I posted a complaint about the system in their announcement thread, and they deleted it.  It was not profane or obnoxious.  It was a complaint.  And, I know it was posted at one time because someone replied to it.

One more thing.  I haven't had a sale yet today, a fairly unusual occurence.

Good going, Istock.
« Last Edit: September 18, 2006, 15:17 by Professorgb »

dbvirago

« Reply #27 on: September 18, 2006, 15:20 »
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What amazes me is all the people on their talking about how 'great this is going to be once we get the bugs out.'

Why are 'we' getting the bugs out? It worked before. They broke it. Fix it.

dbvirago

« Reply #28 on: September 18, 2006, 15:24 »
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The forums are back up. Here is a quote from the admin

"Here is the place to report disambiguation problems. We are specifically looking for cases where the meaning you need assigned to a tag doesn't exist - not cases where the system assigned the wrong meaning to a tag. If the system assigned the wrong meaning, you can pick the right one with the checkbox. This is the place to report meanings that don't exist at all. "

In other words, we don't care how many of your images we screwed up, you will have to fix them yourself.

« Reply #29 on: September 18, 2006, 15:26 »
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If you think that nonsensical keywords is a new Istockphoto problem you should upload something there. New keywords categories is real HORROR! Even if they give us old uploading limits we won't be able to use them cause of it.

« Reply #30 on: September 18, 2006, 15:26 »
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I've had a couple sales today. Both were images of pumpkins. Unless of course the keywords are to be believed, then they were either "Large Group of Animals", "Large Group of People", "Atlantic Ocean", "Showing", "Remote", "Figurine", or "Traditional Culture".
« Last Edit: September 18, 2006, 16:19 by IRCrockett »

« Reply #31 on: September 18, 2006, 15:27 »
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What amazes me is all the people on their talking about how 'great this is going to be once we get the bugs out.'

There is no option except to say 'everything is absolutely wonderful'.

« Reply #32 on: September 18, 2006, 15:29 »
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In other words, we don't care how many of your images we screwed up, you will have to fix them yourself.

In that thread a person asked what I was thinking... how exactly do you fix it? Seems like you click edit then have to write a reason why the keyword is not correct then somebody will review it? Sounds like it will take forever to fix all the errors. If somebody knows an easier way please let me know.

Greg Boiarsky

« Reply #33 on: September 18, 2006, 15:32 »
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I'm going through to fix the errors in my best-sellers.  This is very time-consuming.  Oh, and guess what?  Not all of the keywords can be edited.  The infamous "Indiana" doesn't show up on the list to be removed.

Oh, yeah--they've kept the 20 upload-per-week limit.
« Last Edit: September 18, 2006, 15:45 by Professorgb »

« Reply #34 on: September 18, 2006, 15:44 »
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I tried to 'repair' a few of my pictures, but decided to let it go 'as is' for a while.  It is impossible to repair a category error when there is no other alternative correct category to checkmark, and taking off wrong categories without having a new one would greatly limit the exposure. 

So, for the time being, the breed of Pinto horses will be found in the bean food and the dog section...  It would take days to report each error and expect a follow-up  ::)

I'm wondering what the designers will think about this 'improvement' when they do their search...

dbvirago

« Reply #35 on: September 18, 2006, 15:50 »
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That was the point of one of my posts on IS. Tell us exactly what to do! Their main thread is prefaced with 'here are the answers to your questions on the new system.'

This is followed by 50 posts with questions. And they are being very selective about which of those they choose to answer.

Greg Boiarsky

« Reply #36 on: September 18, 2006, 16:43 »
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One last comment, and then I think I'll leave this issue behind.  If you think that correcting the keywords on your images will fix the problem, think again.  You are making changes in the English keywords.  As I and others have noted, there are also pretty big errors in the non-English translations.  What this means is that you cannot hope to have the keywording errors corrected unless you speak all the languages used by the Istock translation engine.

In the end, the keyword translations will open new markets.  But, we photographers will not reap the benefit we should.  We will see a minor increase in sales, but not nearly the increase we should because the file descriptors will be in error, making it hard for designers to find our images.  Instead, what will happen is that Istock will open up a huge market by and for customers who speak these other languages natively.  Chinese photographers, for example, will be best suited to take and keyword photos for Chinese buyers because they use language in similar ways.  Which will work better, I ask:  a Japanese photographer using Japanese keywords, or an English-speaking photographer relying on a translation engine to sell to a Japanese buyer?

I find this particular move by Istock to be the ultimate in arrogance.  To think that they could create a translation engine that would correctly translate the meanings of our keywords across different languages, each with its own set of idiomatic expressions and culturally-bound meanings, is ridiculous.  When Miriam Webster tried to define the English language, his initial attempts were abject failures for precisely the same reasons.  The only reason dictionaries work today is that the dictionary itself has introduced commonly accepted meanings and spellings into the culture (that, and the fact that mass media disseminate common language and symbols very efficiently).  It took over a hundred years to achieve this consistency and even today the enterprise of creating a dictionary is somewhat of a fool's errand, as words take on new meanings, new words are added to the lexicon, and others are removed.  Language is not a static entity.

Good luck to all of you in whatever future dealings you may have with Istock.

« Reply #37 on: September 18, 2006, 16:50 »
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Talk about screwed up ...   :o

35 of my images have mysteriously acquired the keyword 'Indiana' including a picture of a pair of feet in the bath, a snowman in Switzerland, a fireman at the top of a ladder, climbing in through a window, and a close-up of the first page of a Victorian bible.

And I've never been within 5'000 miles of Indiana.

Jeeeeeez!


dbvirago

« Reply #38 on: September 18, 2006, 17:04 »
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Yes, and several people have specifially asked about the Indiana problem on IS and those are some of the quesitons that are being pointedly ignored.

« Reply #39 on: September 18, 2006, 17:16 »
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Well, as someone who can't upload to iStock because I do abstracts and fractals that they don't want, I've been watching this thread with some amusement.

I genuinely feel for you guys who have bookoo images on iStock and have to go through all this bull****, but it really just speaks to their arrogance.  :(

I can personally attest to the fact that the Euro and Asian markets can find the images they want without going through a translator--especially one that gets it wrong. My downloads come throughout the 24 hour period, and many times I get more at night (Euro and Asian times) than I do through the day. Obviously, many of the downloaders are not western hemisphere residents.

So, who needs this thing anyway?

Pat

« Reply #40 on: September 18, 2006, 17:19 »
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I've just discovered that 'bleachers' is another one. Five of my images have mysteriously acquired that keyword.

But, being a Brit, I'm not entirely sure what bleachers are (Are they a type of clothing?)

What kills me is how many people on the IS forums are saying how wonderful this new change is.

Yeah ... well ... if you enjoy going through all your keywords for every image again it is truly wonderful  :(

Nice work iStock.

« Reply #41 on: September 18, 2006, 17:23 »
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bleachers: a typically roofless section of low-priced, tiered-seating, usually made of boards, especially at an athletic field or stadium.

« Reply #42 on: September 18, 2006, 17:27 »
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I liked the concept in totallyphoto.com when you uploaded you had to 'define' the keywords and they built it up as they went along - so the data in the database was built by the photogs as they uploaded - and it seems to me to be a bit 'awkward' (to use my 11 year old's favorite word) to try to do that after the fact to 1,000,000 images - no offense istock, but this seems to be a mistake to me.

The worst part of it to me is that again, they didn't take the time to explain it and be prepared with the 'how to' guide with many of the answers in advance. If they'd just take the time to let people know what is going on and what to do to be ready and how to work it after it is implemented, they'd (and all of us) would be a lot better off.

« Reply #43 on: September 18, 2006, 17:37 »
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Murphy's law at work. I reckon the programmers and sysadmins at IS are peeing their pants and feeling the heat from everyone. This'll really take a while to sort out. But for the cases like 'indiana', it could be triggered by a combination of keywords and catergories, so if (I said 'if') they can trace the error, perhaps, it can be cleared up.

Anyway, I'm a bit confused about the uploading process now, since I reached my limit, and I use their software to do it. Think I'll just wait a week.

I don't have time to go through all my keywords, but looking at a few, the changes are 'generally' ok, with a few oddities coming up.

-ptlee-

« Reply #44 on: September 18, 2006, 17:39 »
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Better yet, send out an email. I find the site, well, awkward, to use and annoying to navigate so I don't typically spend much time there except to upload and check sales. After hearing about the snafu here I went over there to check their forums. After the shock of reading the people praise this move I noticed that one of them mentioned a keyword wiki. Thinking it was announced and I just missed I began looking. Never did find such an announcement but I did see an interesting quote....

"Some of our images have great keywords, and some don't. We've spent a long, long time developing different methods of addressing this issue (Seriously, a long time. Like, months), but in the end, we decided that no one knows better than all of you. So now you can get involved with the keywords here at iStock."

... just struck me as funny. I guess since 6/30/2006 when this was posted they must have changed their mind.

« Reply #45 on: September 18, 2006, 17:50 »
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I tested the new system with one upload, and found out that the keywords are not automatically entered anymore.  The list have to be pasted, and then some keywords defined.  Added to that, the categories still have to be filled on another page before sucessful submission...

Yes, Mitch, I liked the TP system, which was quite logical and allowed for flexibility.  Sometimes, by allowing photographers to add their own definition, entering, sometines erroneously  the new info into the system, that flexibility was innocently or purposefully abused.  But altogether I think that it could have worked.

Even though there may be some mistakes with the simple keyword search result, I think that it's the simplest and the most practical for everyone.  If designers want more specific results, they can add 2 or 3 more keywords to bring more specification to their search.  I don't see this iStock new search engine as an improvement, neither for the photographer nor the buyer.  It is burdensome, time-consuming, and creates too many limitations for everyone involved.

dbvirago

« Reply #46 on: September 18, 2006, 19:59 »
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Ok, finally took the time to go through the 200+ questions that have been posted in the 5 hours since they started with, "Here are the answers to the questions we're sure you have about the new system."

They have answered a select few questions. They have completely ignored those that ask why the system doesn't accept keywords from exif data or how do you expect me to go back and fix (500, 1200, 1500+, pick one) images thar are now broken.

It's going to get ugly

« Reply #47 on: September 18, 2006, 20:18 »
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Going to?

dbvirago

« Reply #48 on: September 18, 2006, 20:34 »
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I think there is still a little benefit of the doubt, goodwill, and patience out there. It's only been 6 hours.

Ok, going to get uglier.

« Reply #49 on: September 19, 2006, 00:01 »
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I've been busy all morning here and just checked iStock and the new keywording update. OMG I think I am going to cry. No really, there will be a grown man sobbing at his Mac here in a minute. I tried doing a search for Group Business and the most spurious random images come up. How are designers going to find my pictures?? Lise Gagne must be crying too. Maybe I can call her and we can sob together.

I have 2400 images at IS and I have to go back and edit all of them???!!! I reckon I can get this down to 2 min a file but that is still going to take me 80 hours+. I just don't have time to do that. I have a business to run and a wife who likes to see me occassionally. The categories were bad enough and now this.

I think desginers are going to try one search and go to another site...

***sob sob wail wail***

« Reply #50 on: September 19, 2006, 00:26 »
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Sorry to hear that Phil.

There there, don't worry, I'll buy you coffee.

2,400??? I can't imagine the number of edits you have to do. I have a little over 100, and don't know  where to start.

On a brighter side, if they go to another site, I reckon your images will also be there, and the commission is better... <grin>

cheers.
« Last Edit: September 19, 2006, 00:28 by ptlee »

« Reply #51 on: September 19, 2006, 00:35 »
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hmmm... now that I think about it. Perhaps Dreamstime infiltrated Istock and hatched this idea. Yep, it must be an evil plot by Dreamstime. No other rational explanation.

« Reply #52 on: September 19, 2006, 01:15 »
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I had one of my best days on Dreamstime yesterday and a miserable day at Istock so I am sure they lost some business. If designers can't find what they are looking for they will try other sites. Thankfully I am not exclusive or I would be crying in my crown.

I am seriously thinking about employing someone to fix all my files...get a student or someone to do the whole lot. It is just not worth my time.

Quevaal

  • Rust in Peace
« Reply #53 on: September 19, 2006, 01:42 »
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Oh crap, it will take a long time to adapt the old keywords to the new keywording system at iStock.

« Reply #54 on: September 19, 2006, 01:54 »
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I'm wondering what the designers will think about this 'improvement' when they do their search...

Most probably they'll look for your portfolio on other sites ..  ;D

« Reply #55 on: September 19, 2006, 01:57 »
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Phildate, I would advise you to wait until they put more choices in the definitions of keywords.  The photographer cannot add new definitions, only report them in the 'disambiguation' thread.  If you uncheck something which doesn't fit, the corresponding keywords will disappear.  There are hundreds of requests already, so it will take time and energy, since this step must be manually done by the admin.  The bottom line is, IS must have purchased a very bad translation search engine  :(  but even with a better one, finding a meaning for every word or word association will create an intermediary filter which will make  most of the specific pictures less reachable by the designers.  For example ask a farmer from the midwest what a tassel here, and it's definitely not associated with curtains nor graduation hats!  The requests for new definitions are endless, so I see it as a true nightmare for the site, for the photographers, and for the designers to get a straightforward search.  It's definitely not a win-win situation for anyone, not in the short-term nor in the long-term.  And it will probablu give a boost to other stock sites, which may be good...

« Reply #56 on: September 19, 2006, 02:02 »
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I can wait but what happens in the meantime. All my group business people shots have been tagged as "group - group of animals" and are not showing up in any group of people searches. Needless to say, those shots provide a lot of my income at IS and for me not to come up in searches is an absolute disaster. I rely on this income to survive each month and I cannot risk waiting too long. Even Lise's images are not coming up in that search.

My oh my...what has Istock done...

« Reply #57 on: September 19, 2006, 02:31 »
0
IS seems rather nonchalant about the whole situation. Or are they putting up a front, while frantically working behind the scenes?

No doubt this will affect the searches in the short term. Hopefully a solution or more support from IS is given to quickly resolve the situation, so in the long run, things can still get better. The whole idea is a positive move, I guess, but the execution needs some rectification.

My sales elsewhere have been pretty much the same, except SS, which registered my best Monday yet. Don't really think they are related, over the next couple of weeks will tell. Those with big portfolios will see the effect more easily.

Phil, sorry if I sounded too casual in my last posts. I hope you get it sorted out soon.

-ptlee-

« Reply #58 on: September 19, 2006, 02:46 »
0
While this will be good in the long term, their execution has to be questioned.  As I only have a few photos, I plan to get mine correctted quickly with the hope fo picking up more sales.

This is a major for people with large porfolios.

After correct a few of mine, the main problem was phases such as union jack for the UK flag.  If these words are separate, they give nosensical tags.  If together (ie between commas) then they give the proper result.

For one, I dont envy those with large portfolios.

« Reply #59 on: September 19, 2006, 02:59 »
0
I don't doubt that it will be good in the long term. It's just the way they go about it. All that bullsh*t Eff Kvin stuff, building up the anticipation only to find that it means 100hrs + work for me. Some warning of what is about to happen and some time to sort out files before it goes live to designers would have been the sensible thing. Now I have to cancel any weekend plans just to work on this.

How were everyone else's sales yesterday? Mine were only about 75% of a normal weekday. Today is really slow to start.

« Reply #60 on: September 19, 2006, 03:01 »
0
don't they have some sort of plan to fix it themselves... with a backup or something.

They can't expect people to go in and MANUALLY edit 1,000,000 images???

« Reply #61 on: September 19, 2006, 03:07 »
0
don't they have some sort of plan to fix it themselves... with a backup or something.

They can't expect people to go in and MANUALLY edit 1,000,000 images???

Sorry, but I think they do expect everyone to fix their own images.

« Reply #62 on: September 19, 2006, 03:09 »
0
I love this statement from istock :)

Quote
All of your old keywords are still there. What we're displaying in the right hand side of the file is the definition which the system assumes. We are displaying that information, and not the original keyword, because each tag needs to have a meaning assigned in order to be translated. If the engine has the chosen the wrong meaning, you simply have to go to the edit file information page and choose the right one.

bold added by me.

« Reply #63 on: September 19, 2006, 03:55 »
0
It is simple, I did it for 5 images last night.  Just go to the bottom of the edit page and make sure they are assiging the correct meaning to each word.  Maybe add a few more while you are at it (like sexy, nude, female, woman, naked - haha).

 Problem is that it took say 2-5 minutes each so for me, it will take 3 hours and I only have a small portfolio.

Quevaal

  • Rust in Peace
« Reply #64 on: September 19, 2006, 03:57 »
0
Better fix those keywords fast.

I always keep an eye on my top seller, how it rank in "metal texture" sorted by most downloaded. Yesterday, it was at 35th place with 241 downloads. Today, (after I fixed the keywords - not sure if it affected anything) it's at 27th, still with 241 downloads. Additionally, there's lots of new pics below.

http://www.istockphoto.com/file_search.php?action=file&filetypeID=0&text=metal%20texture&filesize=16170000


« Reply #65 on: September 19, 2006, 03:59 »
0
Has anyone checked the iStock forum to see if the brainwashed supporters are saying

cool great yeah I get to keyword all over again

well done iStock what a great idea we do the majority of the work.

I have better and more productive things to do

« Last Edit: September 19, 2006, 04:07 by fintastique »

« Reply #66 on: September 19, 2006, 04:12 »
0
i would have to agree i am surprised at some of the comments on the istock thread...

to the sound of.

"Wow, great work istock, i can't wait to go and update my keywords.:"

i am guessing those folks don't have many more than 30 images.
The people who are taking stock seriuosly, like phildate has mentioned, are crying.


on the other side of things though.
i have done a few little checks and most of my images seem to be allright. A few errors, but not sure if it is anything i care to go and fix. 


« Reply #67 on: September 19, 2006, 04:39 »
0
bleachers: a typically roofless section of low-priced, tiered-seating, usually made of boards, especially at an athletic field or stadium.

Hey, thanks! You learn something every day.

Now I've got to learn a way of getting my keywords sorted on IS without spending the next couple of weeks at it!


« Reply #68 on: September 19, 2006, 05:27 »
0
Yeah, there are a few of those, and one or two who have large portfolios...    I can see why they've done it for the multi-lingual setup, but man what a lot of pain to go through for folks like Phil, and I supose you've got a large port. on there as well?

I've only looked at two images so far, and they're pretty shocking what's happened to the keywords.

I'm leaving it be for the moment, as things will I assume improve for a wee while as they get feedback.  In a week or so I'll look at my top selling images on there and then work backwards a few at a time..  But then I've only got 192 images on there, so not a lot of pain for me...

"Wow, great work istock, i can't wait to go and update my keywords.:"

i am guessing those folks don't have many more than 30 images.
The people who are taking stock seriuosly, like phildate has mentioned, are crying.

on the other side of things though.
i have done a few little checks and most of my images seem to be allright. A few errors, but not sure if it is anything i care to go and fix. 

« Reply #69 on: September 19, 2006, 05:51 »
0
Oh crap, it will take a long time to adapt the old keywords to the new keywording system at iStock.


Just looking at your top seller on istock...   One of the keywords is "Competition Judge" ! (It's a steel plate texture shot for those who havn't already looked) The rest of it isn't too bad..  ( http://www.istockphoto.com/file_closeup.php?id=689512 )

My top seller:  http://www.istockphoto.com/file_closeup.php?id=713262 has faired OK as well, although'Couch Potatoe' dosn't see quite right...

This one however: http://www.istockphoto.com/file_closeup.php?id=623957  " Flavored Ice" "Exploding" "Remote"  Urrr, Ummmm...  Ok.

Awww, crap... I'm not going to look at any more, I'm sure you're all doing the same thing.  I've just found some OK selling images that are totally stuffed up, and the site appears to to let you edit it propperly at the moment...  Hmmmm.

Off to bed, this is too much like watching a train crash..  'night.

« Reply #70 on: September 19, 2006, 06:15 »
0
I had one of my best days on Dreamstime yesterday and a miserable day at Istock so I am sure they lost some business. .

I also had one of my best days at Dreamstime yesterday, I'm sure from the confusion.  Surprisingly though, I had a decent day on iS too.

« Reply #71 on: September 19, 2006, 06:33 »
0
oh why did i bother trying to get at least 25 keywords on each photo? heehee

i am just completely dumbfounded by this change. I understand the purpose and i admire it - i just am continuously amazed at the way IS implements (or should i say doesn't implement) things. If I were a buyer, I'd be really really concerned.

« Reply #72 on: September 19, 2006, 06:56 »
0
I can't help but think maybe this is a cunning ploy to reduce the queue everyone is to busy trying to salvage their portfolio to upload anymore photos.

I wonder what the iStock exclusives are thinking.


dbvirago

« Reply #73 on: September 19, 2006, 07:33 »
0
Count is up to 500+ questions since they posted the thread 'to answer all your questions'. Of course the threads with more pointed questions are already being locked. They still haven't answered the one about not accepting exif data which is the deal breaker for me.

And if it's 'simple' why don't they do it. We already did it once.

I sold a few there yesterday too. Only problem is, lately, I have been getting more $1 sales than .20. Yesterday, they were all .20.

« Reply #74 on: September 19, 2006, 08:29 »
0
lisafx gave a very supporting post - maybe she is on the payroll??

« Reply #75 on: September 19, 2006, 09:21 »
0
lisafx gave a very supporting post - maybe she is on the payroll??

Maybe they fixed all her keywords for her? ;)

GWB

« Reply #76 on: September 19, 2006, 10:38 »
0
Yeah, for some time now I've been amazed at the rah-rah crowd and their "iStock can do no wrong" comments. The * up is an embarrassment. That you have to go through your images (for some folks in the hundreds) to fix a problem iStock created, and that somehow this is a fine thing...I don't get it.

It is cool that IS tries to inovate and upgrade things but this not the way to go about it. They do this a lot though. Come up with something new and then surprise it on you.

G~

amanda1863

« Reply #77 on: September 19, 2006, 10:46 »
0
Ask and you shall recieve. I am thinking I have no time to go through my images right now and I just won't. I am betting there are a lot of people who will do the same. I am also thinking this is a huge leap forward and that the search engine needed the overhaul, but it has created a lot of work for the contributors. I have stated on the iStock forums (along with several others,) that I am disapointed in the lack of organization and information with this release.

While I think it will be a fantastic leap in the long run, it's going to be a bit of a cluster for a while. But I don't see it as catastrophic by any means. I do think iStock should offer more help to contributors with large portfolios and that has been suggested. So all that being said....

I am also thinking this will be the last time you get this exclusives opinion on this forum because reading the negativity here makes me feel ill. It's just not true that all iStock exclusives are jumping up and down over there, sure there are a few who are ever sunny and has it ever occured to you that they really might be happy?

There are actually some people who are so happy with iStock that they feel the need to be supportive. There are many that see this change as a good thing on different levels. So why is so much of this thread wasted on nastiness towards the happy people?

There is a reason that you won't find the positive view of iStock on this board, and that's because it's not a nice place to be if you actually *like* iStock or support their desicions and policies. (If you think I'm exagerating just wait for the replies to this post. I won't be reading them. )

So you all have fun. I am done here, you won't have to worry about any troll-like positive vibes in the iStock forum anymore. And I won't bother to go through this thread and post helpful links to the different areas they have set up to help report different types of bugs. (Hint: Posting them here isn't gonna get you far ;) )

PS Lisa isn't on the payroll. Nor is she exclusive. Quit picking on people, your immaturity is showing.

I can't help but think maybe this is a cunning ploy to reduce the queue everyone is to busy trying to salvage their portfolio to upload anymore photos.

I wonder what the iStock exclusives are thinking.



« Reply #78 on: September 19, 2006, 11:17 »
0
Regarding Amanda's post ... (and I guess she won't read this now, but never mind). The reason people are upset is because of the high-handed way that iStock treat their contributors.

This change was introduced with virtually no warning to us contributors and, apparently, without testing it thoroughly. Have you tried to upload an image recently? It's a nightmare. I've just spent at least 15-20 minutes trying to upload my first image after the change. The system won't accept the EXIF information that most people use so, as far as I can see, you have to type in each keyword separately. I could find no way of cutting and pasting from my JPEG file.

Then you have to do the categories.

Then you have to go through a whole long rigmarole of saying exactly what you mean for a whole load of keywords that the system finds ambiguous.

And ... having done all that ... when I got to the end of it I was presented with a screen that said 'Uploads have been suspended'. So all that time was wasted. And that was just for one image.

On top of that, the keywords that I have carefully thought out for exisiting images have been mangled ... and I mean mangled. Have I got to go through the whole lot again and re-do them? Under the present byzantine system? It's going to take me ages.

Is this a good way of treating your suppliers? Remember, without photographers and graphics artists there would be no iStock. I'm beginning to wonder if we aren't selling ourselves too cheaply here, and being pathetically grateful for the chance.

Now, compare with Alamy. They are introducing a new way of uploading, online, without having to send in CDs (which, I must admit, is a pain). They have informed us photogs, they are testing it with selected users, they have run into problems and so have delayed the launch. Isn't that a better way of doing things?

iStock is a big and valuable agency. I can appreciate that they want to get the best keywording in many different languages. Admirable aims. But why can't they treat the photographers and artists who supply them - their lifeblood -  with a teeny bit more consideration?

P.S I'm actually sorry for exclusives with iS. I thought about it hard when my chance came up, but decided against it. I still value the opportunity that iStock gives to sell my images, but I don't want to get right into bed with them, with all the restrictions that entails.

« Last Edit: September 19, 2006, 11:43 by Bateleur »

« Reply #79 on: September 19, 2006, 11:21 »
0
Amanda - there is negativity in this forum (and everyother one I look at) as they have done something without consultation (and it looks like insufficent testing) which has a direct effect on us as we now have to review our "tags". Should they have consulted and given warning to the competition?? (would a day have given the competition time to react - no).

You yourself have been negative as you said you dont have time to go though you images and that you wont - that means you potentially have incorrect key words which effect everyone at istock not just you (bad keywords drive buyers way).

In the long run it will be positive which is why I plan to update all my tags. So to move forward in a postive way, a tip and a question:

tip: if you are not reviewing you tags in one session - make sure they are sorted by a column that doesnt change (ie id number). If sorted by sales, they will move and you may miss one or do one twice.

question: this has been asked before but do these tags make the categories invalid. iStock have said to keep using them but there is no guarantee they wont get rid of them in 6 months time - so is it worth finding all relevant ones or just select one whcih is the minimum requirement.

Ps: I know lisa isn't on the payroll - it was a joke - as she has a lot of images to review, it is hard to see why she is so happy.

[Bateleur was a faster typer than me but I posted anyway as I didn't want to delete what I had said.  i agree with all comments]
« Last Edit: September 19, 2006, 11:24 by CJPhoto »

« Reply #80 on: September 19, 2006, 11:36 »
0
well i can't say that i think the people on this forum are particularily agressive or negative towards istock.  I think people are just frustrated that their hard work that has been put into keywording is now all mixed up (some images more than others).  I think if any other site did a similar thing they would get the exact same reaction.  I remember quite a few complaints when lucky oliver didn't accept iptc info, or when the fotolio upload page was 3 pages long, or when people don't get any sales at canstock.

And well, i am not as smooth with my words as cjphoto or bateleur, so I think i will just have to conclude by saying ... 'what they said'

« Reply #81 on: September 19, 2006, 11:38 »
0
i just thought i would go and look at a few of my best sellers and see if i needed to change some of the keywords, and i got the message from istock

'
File Edit

File editing has been temporarily deactivated for all users. Please try again later.'

maybe they are trying to sort out a few of the problems. ... hope hope

« Reply #82 on: September 19, 2006, 11:59 »
0
The thing that really bothers me the most (and yes i'm being negative and yes, i'm trying to see the positive side of this) is that IS dumped a boat load of things on their providers without having proper information at the time - now, they're in scramble to recover mode... example: RogerMexico posting about how they've got projects going on to try to help with this issue and that... why didn't they have those things ready in the first place? Did they not see the impact of these changes????

They shouldn't release something like this without much more testing and documented solutions to most of the changes. They just cannot seem to grasp that - they think we're all just a bunch of complainers and they do not respect us it seems from this side. I've offered to be a beta tester before - but they don't seem to want to even take me up on that.

Oh, I forgot to add that now it seems like they're trying to tell us that the people doing the searches should use the right words in the first place... right - like they're gonna teach the buyers to do searches "right".
« Last Edit: September 19, 2006, 12:05 by maunger »

« Reply #83 on: September 19, 2006, 12:03 »
0
Amanda, I didn't mean to be negative, and apologize if it may have been seen that way to you.  I read the post that you wrote on the IS site, and I wish that you would have felt free to write this experience here from the very start without fearing to be judged as being negative towards IS.  There is a difference between being negative and sharing our experiences.  Expressing our point of views based on fact, knowledge and personal experience is very fruitful.  Being supportive means to discover, share, show the strengths and try to remedy the weaknesses, but not be hopeful that one day these weaknesses will magigally disappear by ignoring them.  Obviously it's in the interest of all photographers for every site to be succesful, isn't it ?

I find this site very useful, constructive and positive, with a group of very mature people, and I hope that is stays that way, along with your very rich contribution.

« Reply #84 on: September 19, 2006, 13:05 »
0
I know the horse has bolted and is halfway to Kansas by now but....

Beta-testing setting up istockphoto.fr, istockphoto.es etc copying a few big portfolios over and then seeing how the new search/translate code worked and then tweaking it accordly if it looked a bit dodgy.

Give the photographers a bit of warning "we are going to revamp to the search engine so you will be requested to check your keywords".

Personally I don't like 'em for me personally its a lot of work for not much return and they won't accept by illustrations which are selling elsewhere, I returned to the UK last week with oddles of photos and have uploaded about 250 to every site with the exception of iStock where i could upload 20, I should be able to upload another 20 today but no :'(. and now I am off again on Wednesday :'(

BigStock were in my bad books but now they are very fast reviewing and have a high acceptance rate ;D.

My comment regarding exclusives was referring to eggs in baskets you had them all neatly arranged in one basket then some (expletive deleted) tips the basket and expects you to put them all back in again if you want your sales to return to normal. How could anyone be happy with that? ???

my favourite keyword mutations

(tourist) attraction = love at first sight :-*

la Rochelle (france) = Los Angeles county :D
« Last Edit: September 19, 2006, 13:07 by fintastique »

« Reply #85 on: September 19, 2006, 16:05 »
0
I've just found a perfect example to support my earlier post about the way iStock treats its contributors (who make iStock what it it, let's not forget).

With no easily available FTP or multiple file submission facility, IS has always been one of the most awkward sites to upload to. I think even the most ardent fan would recognise that.

Now, because they no longer accept EXIF information on keywords embedded with a file, it appears that all keywords have to be entered manually. Then, all the ambiguous ones have to be sorted out by hand. This has made IS doubly troublesome and time-consuming as an upload site.

A thread was started in the forum, pointing out the lack of EXIF facility (which is used by the majority of professional photographers) and asking for a re-think. The original poster begged, "... please, please answer the question before locking this thread and referring me to support. thanks.

After 7 posts the thread was locked by an administrator, with a single curt and rather rude comment 'Report it.


« Reply #86 on: September 19, 2006, 20:24 »
0
well i can't say that i think the people on this forum are particularily agressive or negative towards istock. I think people are just frustrated that their hard work that has been put into keywording is now all mixed up (some images more than others). I think if any other site did a similar thing they would get the exact same reaction. I remember quite a few complaints when lucky oliver didn't accept iptc info, or when the fotolio upload page was 3 pages long, or when people don't get any sales at canstock.

And well, i am not as smooth with my words as cjphoto or bateleur, so I think i will just have to conclude by saying ... 'what they said'

I dont know if I should/could/am entitled to say this but nevertheless, I shall.

I think I read somewhere before that this forum is a site that was an unbiased and uncensored one. Basically, that's why I joined this forum. In my opinion, there are many negative/agressive comments on Istock here simply because these same comments cannot be posted within the IStock forum itself due to censorship. It is quite natural that everybody which has something to say/share to his fellow photographers to find a venue to say the exact words the wants to say it. It is a good thing Leaf provided us with that venue. (ra ra ra Microstock Group!!!)

Reversing the table, this forum DOES NOT BAN those who would patronize/praise IStock. I think the only reason for me to say that this site/forum is a biased to IStock is when this site starts censoring all POSITIVE POSTS for IStock and locking them, which I doubt will happen. It is only unfortunate that most of the members here have issues with Istock on some matters and that they happen to post it here because they cant post it there (lucky I have so few images at IStock otherwise I'll be ranting too. And yes, I know a little about software development and there could have been steps taken to avoid the IStock fiasco. I think IS is the very first microstock agency who actually gave photographers that have small portfolio a reason to be happy). As a matter of fact, I even think this forum encourages exclusives to post their comments here so that this forum will not anymore be seen as one sided or biased. So everybody can see the big picture even from the shoes of an exclusive. I think this forum got it's first attempt to have a full blown crew (exclusive and non) when amanda1863 joined. In my opinion, this site has welcomed her warmly since none (based on what I have read so far...there might be some stray bullets ;D ) of the posts was directed to attack her personally bur remained targetted to Istock issues. To me this showed that the members of this forum, be it negative to istock or not, treated amanda1863 with respect as a fellow phtographer and member.

I feel it's a waste to see her leave. Only in this forum can you see an uncensored exchange of ideas and conversation between an exclusive and a non exclusive.

« Reply #87 on: September 19, 2006, 21:06 »
0
With the changes in IS. Does anyone know how that would affect those who submit by using the IMage manager Software?

I'm still lost. Haven't tried it since the change, 'cause I reach my upload limit.

<Updated by ptlee>
skip it... I'll just check the iStock forums for Image Manager.

thanks.
« Last Edit: September 19, 2006, 21:13 by ptlee »

« Reply #88 on: September 19, 2006, 23:18 »
0
The official update thread from IS.

http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_messages.php?threadid=39923&page=1

Some reassurances, and updates on what's going on behind the scenes. It will take a while for things to sort out, but at least IS says we don't have to go to edit the tags for all our images.

Still waiting for the dust to settle.

cheers.

« Reply #89 on: September 20, 2006, 08:58 »
0
Just to show you how other sides deal with changes from the Alamy Sept/Oct newsletter

Quote
Online uploads
We'd like to update you on the progress we're making with the development of AlamyUpload, Alamy's new Online Uploads facility.

At present we're carrying out extensive internal testing. Following this we'll be carrying out some testing with a small group of Alamy Contributors at our offices as well as another small group of Contributors based at their homes or offices. This will allow us to test AlamyUpload in a real environment with a sample of our future users. Our final testing stage will be to trial the facility with a group of 150 contributors, chosen based on worldwide location in order to represent Alamy's contributor base.

Once we're happy that AlamyUpload meets with our Contributors' requirements, we will begin rolling it out gradually. We will not release the facility to all contributors at once, in order that we can be confident that the system continues to operate smoothly with a large number of users. We'll be letting you know the timescales for the roll-out as soon as we can.


Not sure why it's taking so long but glad they are not just throwing out some shoddy code and expecting people to deal with it

Quevaal

  • Rust in Peace
« Reply #90 on: September 20, 2006, 10:59 »
0
The official update thread from IS.

http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_messages.php?threadid=39923&page=1

Some reassurances, and updates on what's going on behind the scenes. It will take a while for things to sort out, but at least IS says we don't have to go to edit the tags for all our images.

Still waiting for the dust to settle.

cheers.


Well, if I don't have to edit all my 600 images, that's good. It's pain stakingly slow too.

« Reply #91 on: September 20, 2006, 11:19 »
0
The official update thread from IS.

http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_messages.php?threadid=39923&page=1

Some reassurances, and updates on what's going on behind the scenes. It will take a while for things to sort out, but at least IS says we don't have to go to edit the tags for all our images.

Still waiting for the dust to settle.

cheers.


Well, if I don't have to edit all my 600 images, that's good. It's pain stakingly slow too.



There is no way that they can guarantee that you won't have to edit your images, because there is no way that a computer can know what you meant by "orange" (fruit, color, or both), or "doc" (document or doctor), or "in" (Indiana, within) or a myriad of other words in the English language. So Bitter's words are just that, words (and not tags)...
« Last Edit: September 20, 2006, 12:03 by StockManiac »

« Reply #92 on: September 20, 2006, 11:53 »
0
Stockmaniac - I agree - I dont think it needs to be done now as a search will pick up keywords or tags but at some stage, it will need to be done as it will only pick up tags (this is what multi language works of) so it iwll need to be done.  I plan to do mine next week ni the hope that most of the common erros will have been corrected.

« Reply #93 on: September 20, 2006, 20:42 »
0

There is no way that they can guarantee that you won't have to edit your images, because there is no way that a computer can know what you meant by "orange" (fruit, color, or both), or "doc" (document or doctor), or "in" (Indiana, within) or a myriad of other words in the English language.  So Bitter's words are just that, words (and not tags)...

Well, I haven't been in this long enough to know if those are just empty promises, thought I'd just relay the message here. As a programmer myself, I can see the glaring mistakes be solved through coding, the rest, probably needs manual intervention to a certain extent.

In any case, I can understand the despair of those whose significant income comes from IS, and esp the exclusives.

Like most, I'm cannot comprehend the sudden system migration, without prior warning. Can't say if there wasn't some beta test being done, maybe there was, perhaps, not thorough enough, and not involving the contributors (speculating here) in the beta-test (if there was any) was probably also not a good idea.

Hope everything works out right for everyone, eventually.

-ptlee-

Quevaal

  • Rust in Peace
« Reply #94 on: September 21, 2006, 10:35 »
0
because there is no way that a computer can know what you meant by "orange" (fruit, color, or both), or "doc" (document or doctor),

Meanwhile, I take advantage of the extra keywords.  ;D

« Reply #95 on: September 21, 2006, 13:29 »
0
My sales went down from the moment the keyword issue started.
And stockexpert nearly doubled
has anyone experienced the same thing?

« Reply #96 on: September 21, 2006, 13:56 »
0
Nope. IS looks about the same to me. I wish my sales at StockXpert would double though ;-)

My sales went down from the moment the keyword issue started.
And stockexpert nearly doubled
has anyone experienced the same thing?

« Reply #97 on: September 21, 2006, 17:20 »
0
My sales went down from the moment the keyword issue started.
And stockexpert nearly doubled
has anyone experienced the same thing?

Same for me - I also had a couple of record breaking days at Dreamstime, too.

Quevaal

  • Rust in Peace
« Reply #98 on: September 23, 2006, 07:38 »
0
My sales went down from the moment the keyword issue started.
And stockexpert nearly doubled
has anyone experienced the same thing?
Sales went down at Istock yes, and I saw a rise at Shutterstock. No change at StockXpert.


 

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