I'm sure I will catch a few flames for this one, but what the heck. I'm feeling a little Miz-ish today.

I'd like to appeal to Shutterstock contributors to stop thanking SS every time you get a payout.

I've been baffled by this since day 1. We perform a task for SS. We supply a product. They create the marketplace for this product and handle all parts of the sales, and in exchange they get a large cut of the sales revenues. We all know the deal, and we all agree to it or we just wouldn't sell there. Some people even complain about SS, complain about when the raise will finally come, etc. And yet every month, there is a flood of posts in the payout thread thanking SS for payment. Why?

I doubt anyone here walks into their boss's office every other week and says, "Hey boss, thanks for the paycheck!"

Sure people can do whatever they want, it's an open forum and people can thank SS if they feel inclined to do so. But I wonder if this is almost harmful to the business. One the one hand, we are all anxious for this raise, while on the other there are tons of people basically down on bended knee thanking the powers-that-be at SS headquarters for handing out payments that they earned. Doesn't this send the wrong message? That we're just oh so thankful for our $0.30 per image, so what's the motivation for SS to ever give out a raise?

People offer up their thanks every month as if we should be glad to even get any money at all. I'd like to suggest that we stop act like we owe something to SS. No doubt they are a great company, and I know that I personally make a nice sum of money working with them each month. But it's still work, not a hand-out, and I like to think of them more as an employer and less like a parent giving me my monthly allowance. Maybe if we acted in such a way, we would have some real ground to stand on when it comes to debating what sort of raise we deserve. As long as this behavior keeps up, I don't see why anyone should be surprised if we only see a $0.05 increase next week. If we act like the current $0.30 is so wonderful, what would SS ever want to give us more?

Blatant portfolio exposing with nothing to say, I don't agree with that....but I would like to thank chode and helix7 for bring it up

Has anyone seen my site www.nicemonkey.co.uk! 

I thank my boss every week when he gives me check Why not considering what an excellent job I have and how many people would die to have it, it's the least I could do. Your boss should not have to thank you just because you do what is requiered of you as his employee. That just smells like "I am special and I deserve things" Hog wash when someone gives you something even if you are paying for it the proper thing to do is say "thank you". Now as far as SS yes it's a dumb thread everytime the payout is anounced that people rush in to state their thanks, why not just call Jon on the phone and say thank you. Come to think about it they {SS} should start the thread like this:

"We would like to thank all of the contributors for their hard work that keeps us employed, without your images we would have to be doing something more fustrating like flipping burgers or similar things "

Then they could tell us what they write every month the paypal will go out on the 5 the ........
Allright enough I will sit down now 

Hey what happen to all my site links on the bottom I only see featurepics?

...I hope it's only a post that people make once when they get their first cheque.  What's the point of kissing a virtual ass; it ain't gonna get ya sales.

Actually, there are usually a few familiar names in those threads. Some that have been around almost since SS started. It's bizarre.

Like with most of the stock company's forums, I think there are a quite a few sycophants on Shutterstock's. Whatever the company does seems to be great by them.

Worse than the SS forum  is the iStock one, in my experience.

iStock says, "We're cutting the commission we pay you by 50% and restricting your uploads to one every second Tuesday when there's an 'r' in the month." And the forums fill up with, "Hey! That's sooooooo cool! Thank you, thank you!" posts.

I don't even bother to look at the companies' forums now.

This is the place to be.

I don't post in those type of threads on SS generally either, although I did sometimes when I was new.  I was one of those housewives very happy to be making a paycheck on SS and elsewhere. 

Some of the people posting in the Thank You threads may be genuine suck ups, but others may be just trying to maintain good relations with the sites they submit too.  I know that is why I keep posting in the forums of my favorite sites.  Sometimes a "way to go" is merited, especially when they come up with some new innovation that will make life better for contributors or bring in more sales. 

But yeah, I do get your point.  Simply getting a scheduled payout doesn't seem to warrant all the thanks and hooplah.  Now if they implement a significant raise sometime soon I will be there doing the happy dance along with the others!

How posting to internal / contributors forum would increase sales?

Those thanking is stupid to me too. I just do it to expose my portfolio to buyers. lol. If I am not on first page at forum, I wont make a post.... lol.

Actually that's why I don't read most of the microstock agencies forums anymore - too many redundant posts from posters who only want to expose their portfolio to buyers ...

Provided one is not * up," I see nothing wrong with being polite.  The world could use a little more of it frankly.

I agree , I also think its stupid.

I cant stand one more thing , when a topic is opened , any subject doesnt matter but not like show me etc , and suddenly every other post  has a photo attached that is somehow connected with the matter or the poster thinks its connected.

Sometimes is funny , I mean there are many conceptual stuff out there that fits in , but mostly is all about pushing photos just to be seen at any price. I feel like when watching TV when those stupid commercials start.  What is it all about , even if it gives you attention and maybe you get  few more sales ,but  is it seems like falling real low at least to me.
   

I qoute from The law of gratitude,

"Being grateful for everything that happens, good or bad, is one of the biggest shifts in the way you think. Gratitude for the good will give you more of it". 

I think it is a throwback to Pyramid Sales, where the top earners get up and "Woopee I love this Company, look at me!", and others look on in amazement and dream of that day they can add the woopee.

Read between the lines, they are not really thanking SS but advertising the fact they made the cut, "immediate gratification syndrome"

How about the many contibutors that have made sales but not hit the magic value that gets them a payment, and may never hit it, maybe they should have another thread each month.

"Sorry SS I never made the grade this month, thank you for staying with me through these tough times", woopee I love this Company!"

Funny when you register a bank account with PayPal they can pay in a few small payments to verify your account, any bank anywhere, but the stock agencies cannot pay direct to your account, and cannot pay unless you have hit a set amount of sales, and they love you so much they pay it to another Company PayPal that charges you again to use your hard earned money.

You are not part of a community, if you fall off the face of the earth tomorrow they will not care, as they are a merchant they take the goods from the vendor, make a transaction with the customer, all the time protecting thier fixed profit margin, what a fantastic business model, suppliers come to you give thier goods sale or return, no logistic, warehousing, only costs are the servers a few staff and advertising.

David

I dont see why anyone would bother either. Does anyone actually believe that anyone from shutterstock goes through and says "well, such and such said thank you, such and such also said thank you... This guy said thank you..." No one does that, no one remembers, and its all a complete waste of time. The only people who do are a bunch of pussies desperate to suck up at the slightest opportunity.