I'm a stats junky, so I'd love more statistic. It would be nice to get anonymous site stats from users. Maybe an average site earnings or something like that. I don't know if it would work, but it's just an idea.

Interview of microstock VIP (sites owners, best photographers...) with some rules:
- we prepare questions list (every MSG member can participate)
- questions should be precise and professional
- if VIP accept to participate he should honestly and clearly respond. If something is not clear we can ask for more details.
- then members can vote for VIP (relevance, usefulness...)

An additional list for non-recommended sites, meaning sites that have gotten a lot of comments for non-payment and non-response from the site. 

A directory of common questions might be useful... "how do I upsize for Alamy?" etc.  Would that be a tutorial, a wiki? 

I seclected "other"

I would love to have input from proven buyers/designers on this forum. Only from Verified buyers!

Now we could have some useable information from their point of view.

-Larry

Hi Larry,
I would also like some views and statistics from the buyers that purchase from the microstock websites, as I think the designers and AD's only make up a tiny percentage of the microstock buyers, and most microstock images are purchased by other individuals and small businesses for thier direct use, the website blogs and articles where they talk to a couple of hundred designers to find out 'what they want' may not refect what the real market wants.

David    

One more "Other"
I wish every member was required to have at least one link to a site they have a port on, so we could tell who is full of crap and just ruining their mouth off and which ones know what they are talking about.
-Larry

Absolutely!  That would be great (why didn't I think of that?).
I often wonder about people's portfolios.  Or I ask myself "is he a vector or a photo guy?"  or : "a landscape type or succesful stock-on-white-background type?"

To me, the whole point of a forum like this is to be able to speak your mind and be free to say things you wouldn't - or couldn't - say on the microstocks' own forums, some of which are heavily censored.  And some of the microstocks aren't above hitting back at posters that say things they didn't like - I think we all remember that infamous rant by the CEO of SS.

Forcing posters to expose their contributor identies is completely contrary to the idea of open expression and if that were a requirement, many people (including myself) would no longer participate here.  I enjoy reading all sorts of outrageous opinions.   Let the game continue, and maybe Old Hippy will come back and serve as a much-needed counterweight to a lot of the boosterism that goes on here.  

If there's one thing I'd like to see more of, it would be posts from buyers telling me how they select images and how they use them.

Interview of microstock VIP (sites owners, best photographers...) with some rules:
- we prepare questions list (every MSG member can participate)
- questions should be precise and professional
- if VIP accept to participate he should honestly and clearly respond. If something is not clear we can ask for more details.
- then members can vote for VIP (relevance, usefulness...)

This ^^^

To me, the whole point of a forum like this is to be able to speak your mind and be free to say things you wouldn't - or couldn't - say on the microstocks' own forums, some of which are heavily censored.  

(snip)

Forcing posters to expose their contributor identies is completely contrary to the idea of open expression and if that were a requirement, many people (including myself) would no longer participate here.

I think the above is very important.  Of course it is perfectly fine if people WANT to link to their submitter identities/portfolios, but if it was a requirement I think it would cast a chill over the conversation, and there would be a lot of people who would leave.

Lisa: You can brag about your port anytime! I have looked them over and you do fantastic work. If you was to make a comment on mine (pro or con) I would listen. If you did not have any links I would ignore anything you have to say.

Thanks Larry!  You just made my day

But honestly, for most of the time I have been posting on this site I haven't had links to my portfolio.  Only reason they are there now is to pimp my referral links.  Greed winning out over self-preservation 

At one time I also entertained the idea of posting under an alias.   Tried it out for a bit but just really felt weird not being myself.  But I totally understand why other people do it. 

After awhile just from reading people's posts you can start to get an idea of who knows what they are talking about and who doesn't.  The wing nuts start to sound like wing nuts sooner or later - usually sooner, LOL.   

Quote from: a.k.a.-tom on September 16, 2009, 13:51

Sure...   if all could maitain a level of civility and courteousness.   Sadly, we dont always see that here when VIP's comment.  If we are to invite people to our table for a meal, we need to care not to insult them.  If we ask a question and dont like the answer,  we need  to have the tact and diplomacy to temper our replies.
  IF   that could happen,good idea,  I'd like to see more of this myself.  =tom
     

The list can be prepared in advance, moderated so that only precise and relevant questions are asked. Perhaps we can suggest the questions in a thread and then vote or debate on which ones to be asked.

Sounds Good, Bro!!    =tom

An additional list for non-recommended sites, meaning sites that have gotten a lot of comments for non-payment and non-response from the site. 

  I really think that is a good idea...we would learn from other peoples mistakes...but then again you might be liable for slander, especially if someone came on here bashing some site just because. So maybe it isn't such a good idea.

though the open concept forum is much appreciated and needed, I do wish you would moderate a bit more to keep discussions on topic and to prevent the type of ridiculous off-roading that happens regularly here. particularly when it gets ugly. it doesn't add anything to the site.

Good luck with that! There are lots of people here that hate the fact that their images aren't the only ones available!

Yeah - I know.  That's the mentality I'd like to destroy but I know my odds in this industry. I've gotta say there are definitely groups who do it better and succeed because of it.

more sales! 

I would really appreciate efforts for attracting designers to post on this forum. I think designer/photographer exchanges is the biggest lack in microstock. It make no sense that we don't work together

Yep.  I agree.  Also, maybe those who know could post links to sites/forums for buyer discussions.  I would love to hear their thoughts on all elements of using pictures.

And I wished we had a lawyer.

We have a former lawguy.  I don't enjoy looking at TOS's tho lol

Quote from: Vonkara on February 23, 2010, 13:16

I would really appreciate efforts for attracting designers to post on this forum. I think designer/photographer exchanges is the biggest lack in microstock. It make no sense that we don't work together

Yep.  I agree.  Also, maybe those who know could post links to sites/forums for buyer discussions.  I would love to hear their thoughts on all elements of using pictures.

There if you haven't see yet http://www.microstockgroup.com/general-stock-discussion/designer-thoughts-on-microstock/

... Sure, we're all in competition but the American Olympians train together to get better. They have a common goal of beating the Canadians at hockey (AND SUCCEEDING!)  I'd like to see this group have more of a common goal of being the best at what we do.
...

Not a very apt analogy - hockey is a team sport, so the athletes must practice together. It's not uncommon for elite athletes in individual sports to train in isolation - just look at Shaun White, Shani Davis, Lindsey Vonn, etc.

Thanks vonkara.  I do remember that thread.  Maybe I should be doing a search and silently observe the designer sites.  Knowledge is power.  

You will be disapointed to see that they actually never talk about stock photography. It look like I have been lucky that this designer was recovering from swine flu and wanted to talk about our standard happy smiling people pictures... and jumping gold fishes

I would really appreciate efforts for attracting designers to post on this forum. I think designer/photographer exchanges is the biggest lack in microstock. It make no sense that we don't work together

Although this sounds like a good idea in reality it would be pointless, most microstock buyers that are classed as 'designers' are in actual fact not designers per se but just someone who buys images and sticks them on websites and the like, and there are thousands of them and each one has a different perspective on how they buy images and what they look for, any input they would give you would be of no real value to you at all. Every once in a while you'll see a buyer ask for more shots of 'real people' and you'll see a flux of amateurs uploading shots of their neighbours that of course then don't sell or have the odd one or two sales, these wannabe designers think they want real people but they don't what they want is models with the 'girl (or guy) next door' look which doesn't actually mean the person next door but the person you'd like to live next door. Real people suck, they're fat, ugly, dress badly and don't take care of themselves.

As strange as it may seem it is us the photographers that dictate what sells and that is by providing the images that the 'designers' can then take the credit for, a lot of them don't know what they need until they see it.

If you want some valuable input then get hold of a good art director or marketing manager and speak to them, or just do some of your own market research.

Edit: After having typed this I read that thread you linked to earlier, that just goes to highlight what I mean about some 'designers' are clueless, getting folk like the ones who answered your questions on that site to come here would be counterproductive, I feel sorry for any real designers who might read the replies you got and then cringe at being tagged into the same group as them.

I was just thinking ... John at Cutcaster and Achilles at Dreamstime have access to all the buyers ... especially the ones who buy their products.  Wonder what they think of this idea.   

Wouldn't it be nice if a common subject - like "How do I upsize for Alamy?" appeared right at the top of the Alamy forum so it wouldn't be asked several times a year.

That's a good idea. It's like the sticky notes at the top of IS and SS's forums. I sometimes write articles on my blog about things I want to remember, so I have easy access to them later.    It works great for things like old royalty and price rates that disappear from sites. But sometimes you wonder what you used to get paid.

I'm a stats junky, so I'd love more statistic. It would be nice to get anonymous site stats from users. Maybe an average site earnings or something like that. I don't know if it would work, but it's just an idea.

Definitely agree with this, more stats. We as users could make them, if people will often participate. I feel like the group here can offer some nice information.
I suppose we could always just use posts with polls, or surveymonkey.com or something.

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