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Author Topic: Clustershot.com  (Read 31351 times)

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« on: August 25, 2009, 02:19 »
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Clustershot has been mentioned in a few threads but I thought I would start a discussion about it in it's own thread.

Who is using clustershot?  Does it work well?  Do you have a pro account and do you have it integrated into your website?  I would be interested in seeing some uses of it or feedback.


« Reply #1 on: August 25, 2009, 02:19 »
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JerryL5

  • Blessed by God's wonderful love.
« Reply #2 on: August 25, 2009, 05:47 »
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Uploaded a couple of test photos back in May, not a pro account.
Just haven't got back somehow. I like the site, but some sections seem slow.
I think they are in the process of upgrading the system.
« Last Edit: August 25, 2009, 05:49 by JerryL5 »

« Reply #3 on: August 25, 2009, 07:39 »
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I think that is "Storefront site" like many others for photography...


« Reply #4 on: August 25, 2009, 08:15 »
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Uploaded a couple of test photos back in May, not a pro account.
Just haven't got back somehow. I like the site, but some sections seem slow.
I think they are in the process of upgrading the system.


Yeah, we are a little slow. This is mainly due to more activity then we expected. We have over 250,000 published photos by over 1500 users. We have new hardware going live this week which should speed things up considerably.

JerryL5

  • Blessed by God's wonderful love.
« Reply #5 on: August 25, 2009, 19:19 »
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Uploaded a couple of test photos back in May, not a pro account.
Just haven't got back somehow. I like the site, but some sections seem slow.
I think they are in the process of upgrading the system.


Yeah, we are a little slow. This is mainly due to more activity then we expected. We have over 250,000 published photos by over 1500 users. We have new hardware going live this week which should speed things up considerably.

Thanks for replying Clustershot. Hope you do well.

« Reply #6 on: August 26, 2009, 03:00 »
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I have been playing with the site a bit more and will see if I can work it into my site.  I will post a link later if I get it working the say I want.

If you look on an image though
http://tylerolson.clustershot.com/photo470320
With the 'buy now' button, do you think it feels like people are buying rights to the image?  Or is it clear enough that they are just buying a license?  Should the button say 'License Now' or something else?

« Reply #7 on: August 26, 2009, 07:00 »
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Not bad, but I think the text the photgrapher gets $xx.xx is a bit naff and not needed, I should think I am on the photographers site so what does that mean?

To much real estate is taken up by text, thumbs are to small!

Add to cart and it is annoying when it shows what I have added each time, if I want 6 images I will go elsewhere.

Cart page has no Continue Shopping or back button.

Suggestions.
So a lightbox/cart system where you can add images to the lightbox or cart and stay on the gallery page, a view lightbox/cart with continue shopping option.

Remove the Photographer gets text, have an option to show only thumbnails to increase thumbnail real estate by removing the image and the horrible at % thumbs, all I would want to see is a search box and sets of readable 150px - 170px thumbnails and a watermarked larger view and details when I click a thumbnail.

On checkout a flag which says the buyer has read and understood the licence T&C's even if they have not.

Search is way too slow on an XP client, Intel core 2 CPU's, 1.8ghz, 2gb Ram 'yawn'!

David  8)
« Last Edit: August 26, 2009, 07:15 by Adeptris »

« Reply #8 on: September 02, 2009, 16:31 »
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Uploaded a couple of test photos back in May, not a pro account.
Just haven't got back somehow. I like the site, but some sections seem slow.
I think they are in the process of upgrading the system.


Yeah, we are a little slow. This is mainly due to more activity then we expected. We have over 250,000 published photos by over 1500 users. We have new hardware going live this week which should speed things up considerably.

It would be good if we can place our proper logo up there instead of a bad looking text. I would definitely want my original logo on the banner If I was to get a pro account.

I don't like the text at all. It should be possible to upload our logo in PNG or jpeg formats if we prefer.

« Reply #9 on: September 03, 2009, 07:15 »
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Uploaded a couple of test photos back in May, not a pro account.
Just haven't got back somehow. I like the site, but some sections seem slow.
I think they are in the process of upgrading the system.


Yeah, we are a little slow. This is mainly due to more activity then we expected. We have over 250,000 published photos by over 1500 users. We have new hardware going live this week which should speed things up considerably.

It would be good if we can place our proper logo up there instead of a bad looking text. I would definitely want my original logo on the banner If I was to get a pro account.

I don't like the text at all. It should be possible to upload our logo in PNG or jpeg formats if we prefer.

Thanks for your suggestions. We have thought of this and may be implementing it in the future.  Allowing anyone to upload a logo to a page is complicated endeavour as there are quite a few design related challenges associated with that.

As we further develop our pro-accounts you'll start to see more flexibility.

Thanks!

« Reply #10 on: September 03, 2009, 08:09 »
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Hello,

I am a logo designer myself and this issue is just extremely important for me.

I just can't think of joining clustershot before it is completely ready. I was seriously thinking to give clustershot a try as it is hassle-free compared to starting my own illustration store website. But as a logo and icon designer my site on clustershot just can't be without a nice logo. It wouldn't look nice.

Looking forward to something like this. My feedback about this issue is "the font you use for clustershot pro accounts looks awful" Don't take this as a bad comment. This is my sincere opinion.

A logo is a must, otherwise it won't look like my site. If I join I have my own domain I want to use. But if I join now, as it stands, it would be a downgrade for me lookswise. Looks, graphics and my prestige is equally important as sales.

Good luck! I hope you do well.


It would be good if we can place our proper logo up there instead of a bad looking text. I would definitely want my original logo on the banner If I was to get a pro account.

I don't like the text at all. It should be possible to upload our logo in PNG or jpeg formats if we prefer.

Thanks for your suggestions. We have thought of this and may be implementing it in the future.  Allowing anyone to upload a logo to a page is complicated endeavour as there are quite a few design related challenges associated with that.

As we further develop our pro-accounts you'll start to see more flexibility.

Thanks!

« Reply #11 on: September 03, 2009, 14:14 »
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I have a "pro" account and I really like it.

My only concern is the current Royalty Free License text.  It should state a limit in the number of reproductions allowed.  An Extended License should be available.

A Continue Shopping button would be great. 

« Reply #12 on: September 03, 2009, 14:30 »
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Hi All,
I have a Pro account and I'm using it as a FrontEnd Portfolio, like very much. You can drive your clients or people interested to see your work trough a neat portfolio site (with your domain, i.e. my pro site is http://portfolio.mystockphoto.org

I spoke with Dan James, co-founder of Clustershot, and you can read some interesting things he said here:

http://www.mystockphoto.org/clustershot-a-different-approach-to-sell-photos/

Cheers,
       roberto

« Reply #13 on: September 03, 2009, 14:33 »
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Search Engine needs sorting out, I looked at the link from 'Leaf', and wanted to test keyword relevence, typed in 'Girl+Outdoors', on checking relevence the keywords are displayed in alphabetical sequence.

I then checked if that was a search or display problem, but the first images had placement 11 + 12 and the lower ones 11 + 24.

I thought it may be a lightroom thing as this sometimes re-sorts keywords, so checking the images on the main website same problem alphabetical sequence.

Sorry but I earn my living designing accounting software, and have to look under the hood to see how things work.

David  ::)
« Last Edit: September 03, 2009, 14:37 by Adeptris »

« Reply #14 on: September 04, 2009, 08:54 »
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Search Engine needs sorting out, I looked at the link from 'Leaf', and wanted to test keyword relevence, typed in 'Girl+Outdoors', on checking relevence the keywords are displayed in alphabetical sequence.

I then checked if that was a search or display problem, but the first images had placement 11 + 12 and the lower ones 11 + 24.

I thought it may be a lightroom thing as this sometimes re-sorts keywords, so checking the images on the main website same problem alphabetical sequence.

Sorry but I earn my living designing accounting software, and have to look under the hood to see how things work.

David  ::)


David, you're right. our search is pretty bad and we are going to be working on improving it. It wasn't our intention to become a one-stop-shop for photo searching. We initially wanted to be the "Checkout" part of the process. People find a photo through other means (Google, blogs, self-promotion) and we simply take care of the selling procedures.  Now that we have that work mostly in place we're starting to address our weaknesses, like the search.

I think it's important to note that the reason the search hasn't been our #1 priority is because of the initial reason we started ClusterShot: Random internet users searched google, found our images and emailed us offering to buy them. Google does a pretty good job at searching the internet.

Take this example: http://www.flickr.com/groups/dmu2/discuss/72157622104997769/ (log in required). The sold photo mentioned here was found by the buyer by searching google for "Stock photography Noe Valley" . The vast majority of our traffic is from Google search refers just like this. (~55-60%).

As usual, thanks for your comments!

« Reply #15 on: September 04, 2009, 09:05 »
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I have a "pro" account and I really like it.

My only concern is the current Royalty Free License text.  It should state a limit in the number of reproductions allowed.  An Extended License should be available.

A Continue Shopping button would be great. 


I'm very glad to hear you like your Pro account.
Re: Continue shopping button" - We're going to be re-vamping our entire checkout process in the months to come. What's there now was our initial proof of concept work. The concept has been proven and we're now focussing on long-term solutions.

With regards to the licensing. We're only offering royalty free right now as we feel that's the lowest hanging fruit. It's simple and easy to deal with. We may get into other types of licensing (editorial is a strong contender) but for now we're sticking with Royalty Free.

We're not keen on limiting the number of reproductions. We feel that's an archaic artefact of the pre-internet pre-digital world.  How do other's feel about this?

Thanks again for your comments. We're listening to this forum as we're more internet geeks than photographers.

« Reply #16 on: September 11, 2009, 10:37 »
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Here is a chart reflecting our sales for 2009. August and September seem to be taking off.

http://www.clustershot.com/blog/archive/2009/september/clustershot

« Reply #17 on: September 14, 2009, 22:13 »
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You can add me to that Sept chart.  I had my first sale there today.  It was from my site, which I link to clustershot as my portfolio; so it's a "checkout" sale from my site.

I like it.  Its simple, yet mostly has what we need (I have sent in emails requesting features). Editorial is a must with all the images there not model or property released.  I also vote for a usage limit or allow us to set them.

I like how the3dstudio does it where it defaults to editorial until its set RF.

« Reply #18 on: September 15, 2009, 07:36 »
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You can add me to that Sept chart.  I had my first sale there today.  It was from my site, which I link to clustershot as my portfolio; so it's a "checkout" sale from my site.

I like it.  Its simple, yet mostly has what we need (I have sent in emails requesting features). Editorial is a must with all the images there not model or property released.  I also vote for a usage limit or allow us to set them.

I like how the3dstudio does it where it defaults to editorial until its set RF.

Hey Brandon,
Congrats on the sale. We really appreciate your feature request and we're starting to plan our next round of development. We have drastically needed improved UI coming out on Friday with a pile of feature bug fixes. Once we get that out of the way we're going to start adding features. Some new features will be rolled into our Pro-subscription while others will be available to all.

Editorial licensing is absolutely on our radar and my guess is you'll see it from us in the next few months.

Usage limits: We're really struggling with this one. Do you have any suggestions on how this could be done simply and in a way that makes sense for your average buyers? We tend to shy away from the arbitrary # of copies, etc.

Dan

« Reply #19 on: September 15, 2009, 08:54 »
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  I've  uploaded  some  pics  and  really  like  the  site.  I   think  some  of  the  above  suggestions  are  great.  I'm  waiting  to  see  what  will  happen.  Have  more  uploads  to  go.

« Reply #20 on: September 20, 2009, 20:19 »
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I like the site, I signed up for a pro account since i was looking at setting up a web site anyways. easy interface. I was concerned though when I started searching pictures. There are a lot of photos with copy righted materials and logos everywhere. You might need a copyrights information link somewhere during the sign up process.

I like the watermark tool but I wish it was a little bigger.

« Reply #21 on: September 21, 2009, 02:57 »
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I like the site, I signed up for a pro account since i was looking at setting up a web site anyways. easy interface. I was concerned though when I started searching pictures. There are a lot of photos with copy righted materials and logos everywhere. You might need a copyrights information link somewhere during the sign up process.

I like the watermark tool but I wish it was a little bigger.

I Agree about the need for a release flag and a Limited Use (Simple RM) or  Editorial Licence, because the licence states that the Photographer/Artist is giving the permissions, I think that there is not enough due diligence from Clustershot in protecting buyers and artists.

Quote from: Clustershot RF License: Your Agreement with the Photographer/Artist
You are welcome to use the image:
On websites, in multimedia presentations, in broadcast film and video, and emails, etc.
In printed materials, such as magazines, newspapers, posters, books, brochures, flyers, CD/DVD covers, etc.
To decorate your home, your office or any public place.


David  ::)
« Last Edit: September 21, 2009, 02:59 by Adeptris »

« Reply #22 on: September 21, 2009, 14:25 »
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I like the site, I signed up for a pro account since i was looking at setting up a web site anyways. easy interface. I was concerned though when I started searching pictures. There are a lot of photos with copy righted materials and logos everywhere. You might need a copyrights information link somewhere during the sign up process.

I like the watermark tool but I wish it was a little bigger.


Thanks for the feedback! We are in the process of revisiting our UI and warnings/notices for contributors and buyers. Part of this is explicitly stating that a photographer must have the legal right to sell the photos they are uploading. We also have a very quick and diligent reporting review system. If you find a photo you believe should not be for sale let us know. We will review it and defend or remove it VERY promptly. We are starting to look into ways to automate some of this and perhaps begin a human review of content.

In all honesty the only place that this has been an issue is in this forum. That isn't to say the comments here are valid and being digested here on our end. Simply, we have had no complaints from actual buyers/sellers. What we've found is that buyers are as smart about these issues as photographers.  Most, if not all, photos being sold are those without any noticeable or obvious legal issues.

As for the watermarks... We've had a few people complain that they are to large. I'm sorry, we can't please everyone.

RacePhoto

« Reply #23 on: September 21, 2009, 20:26 »
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You would probably do well to have a human reviewing photos as well as keywords. For example...



background, Bottle, Can, canned, container, cooking, cylinder, distribution, eating, edible, expiry, extended, flavor, Flavour, Food, fruit, isolated, jar, jars, ketchup, life, Meat, Metal, nutrition, Old, opener, preservative, preserved, Reflection, safe, safety, sauce, saving, sealed, steel, Storage, stored, Survival, taste, tin, tomato, tomatoes, transport, travelling, Vegetables, White

I only hit a couple with bold that didn't fit.

Now imagine a buyer searching for "tomato isolated" and finding all kinds of things that have no tomatoes and are not isolated? I'd want to look elsewhere, where I could find what I was looking for, not pictures to wade through of something else.

« Reply #24 on: September 22, 2009, 08:00 »
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You would probably do well to have a human reviewing photos as well as keywords. For example...



background, Bottle, Can, canned, container, cooking, cylinder, distribution, eating, edible, expiry, extended, flavor, Flavour, Food, fruit, isolated, jar, jars, ketchup, life, Meat, Metal, nutrition, Old, opener, preservative, preserved, Reflection, safe, safety, sauce, saving, sealed, steel, Storage, stored, Survival, taste, tin, tomato, tomatoes, transport, travelling, Vegetables, White

I only hit a couple with bold that didn't fit.

Now imagine a buyer searching for "tomato isolated" and finding all kinds of things that have no tomatoes and are not isolated? I'd want to look elsewhere, where I could find what I was looking for, not pictures to wade through of something else.



Thank you for your feedback.  I appreciate the concern you have for the keywording. On the other end of the spectrum there are images without any keywords at all. Admittedly neither of these are ideal situations.

Part of the bigger issue going on here is that we are not really trying to become a micro-stock site like IstockPhoto. We got grouped in with them by TechCrunch this past winter and have been valiantly trying to NOT become that since. We are foremost building a platform for which photographers can sell their photos. A side effect of that is the open market that is clustershot.com.

The vast majority of our traffic, and sales, are from search engine refers. Someone searches google for 'Noe Valley Stock Photo", finds a photo and checks out. The other growing area of our traffic and sales is from our Pro Account users promoting their own stores. This, again, is how we're building out a photo selling platform.

All of this said: We are getting pushed into the global search issue fairly heavily and we will react and adjust to it.  Overtime we'll make the search better. We'll add new searching options, new ways to search, and new ways to sort photos. Please don't be disappointed if we decide to further the distance between how we do things and how Istock and the other micro sites do things. That market and method is saturated and we probably couldn't compete in any meaningful way with those big players. We'll be doing new things, some might fail, some might be very disruptive to the industry.

We truly appreciate all of the feedback. I'm sorry for the lengthy response but I feel it is better to explain our rational for doing or not doing something.


 

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