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Author Topic: Stocksy - Are You Curious? Response?  (Read 98497 times)

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Poncke

« Reply #125 on: February 21, 2013, 19:00 »
0

 Those are the magic words, they took the gamble. And they lost. You cant blame ANYONE but yourself.

What makes you think that I've lost anything?  I've lost nothing at all.  None of my images were used in the Google deal and, so far, I haven't been chucked off the site. 

However, I do have sympathy for those that have had this happen to them and, from my point of view, it is now a gamble that is no longer worth taking.  The odds have changed, that's all.
  I have sympathy for everyone that got hurt one way or another as well. I am just giving you my thoughts on the matter.

Seriously, how can you sign a contract and then complain afterwards?

I signed a contract with my new employer, and there is a few things in there I dont like, but I signed it and will deal with it.


Poncke

« Reply #126 on: February 21, 2013, 19:03 »
+3
And when one of your agencies chooses to use some clause in their contract in a way you never foresaw, will you be so happy?

Bear in mind, Getty undeniably broke their side of the agreement by selling released photos from iStock contributors using iStock releases, on Google without any protection for the models. They broke the terms and conditions.
No I wouldnt be, but I wasnt talking about that. That whole getty deal was just about shafting people. Everyone is in their right to complain about a contract being broken.

« Reply #127 on: February 21, 2013, 19:19 »
+2
I have sympathy for everyone that got hurt one way or another as well. I am just giving you my thoughts on the matter.

Seriously, how can you sign a contract and then complain afterwards?

I signed a contract with my new employer, and there is a few things in there I dont like, but I signed it and will deal with it.

I haven't been complaining.  I have stated that I'm unhappy with what they done, both with the Google deal and by giving Sean and Rob the boot.  So, I'll look to move on soon. 

I don't want to spend my life reading legal documents, trying decipher them and then thinking of the worst case scenarios that could possibly develop.  If things look ok, then I'll trust that they are ok.  If something comes to light which shows that the agreement is being abused in any way, then I'll reassess.  That's the situation I'm in now. 

Getting this back on thread, I'd do exactly the same with Stocksy or any of the other sites - trust them until they show they're not to be trusted.  Why cut yourself out of things over something that may never happen?

Poncke

« Reply #128 on: February 21, 2013, 19:36 »
0
I Wasnt talking about you specific but in general.

But if you dont have time to read through a contract...

 and I doubt reading a contract will take up all your time in life. How long does it take to read a contract? 15 minutes.

Anyhoo, enough off topic rambling, I am off to bed. My sister and my nephew are visiting me in Dublin tomorrow for the weekend.

Cheers.

« Reply #129 on: February 21, 2013, 19:37 »
-1

Contributors are generally too trusting and loyal.  Even now with Stocksy... why are people wanting to get in the door without knowing what they're about, without seeing their legal terms?  So far they sound great but how do we know if they're worth joining?  Are people just trusting Livingstone because he's the founder of iStock?  Hasn't any learnt anything after iStock?  Don't trust anyone.   It's business... look after your side of it and read and understand the contracts before agreeing to anything.

I think that you're simplifying things a little.  It's all very well to tell people to stop dealing with a company if you don't like their terms and conditions, and in an ideal world we all would.  But this is reality, and the reality was that many contributors there had thousands of images exclusively with iStock, and relied on them as their sole source of income.  It would have been a huge financial burden for them to pull those images and start all over again with other agencies (who probably also have some dubious term and conditions of their own).  So many made the choice to stay and see what happened.  OK, they may have been caught out this time, but from my point of view, my iStock earnings are so much more than I'd get at the other agencies, that it was certainly a gamble worth taking.

I didnt say it was an easy decision to make but if you sign on company as your agent to handle your income producing asset and they then turn around and say hey, I will no longer be your agent, I will now be your distributor and the contract of your images will be between iStock and the buyer,  shouldnt that ring alarm bells to at least protest about it? 

I do, I get it... this is about contributors greed.  They decided to stay on and take the risk hoping theyll continue to get a higher return.  What Im saying is... dont complain when iStock make business decisions based on greed when you yourself base your business decisions on greed.  Dont complain if the investment flops and you luck out (I don't mean you personally, I'm talking about the ones complaining).  If you invest your entire [financial] stock portfolio into one single company that offered the highest return and then one day their stocks plummeted, from the investors point of view, whos fault would that be, the companys alone?

Im not saying that the decision to stay was necessarily a bad one because for the large exclusive contributors, they made a killing.  What Im saying is, you have to accept some responsibility for taking the risk with iStock.  Like you said (and what Im saying) it was a gamble and you all thought it was worth it.  Do you still think it was worth it, knowing they can now add your files in Google Drive (possibly legally) for up to a year after you leave them... that you could lose your entire portfolio?  Was it really worth making all that money just to possibly end up losing everything?   Ill say yes, it was worth it, right until they changed the ASA and stopped being your agent... the risk to stay on after that was far too great.  But you know how it goes... people ignore the disaster waiting in the distance when they have dollar signs flashing before their eyes. 

I still feel for all iStock contributors but if they dont realise that they F'ed up, theyll likely make the same mistake with the next agent. 

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #130 on: February 21, 2013, 19:42 »
+2
So which companies have the contracts that can't be interpreted to suit their evil ends, should they wish to do so?
The ones which are in plain, unambiguous language?

Poncke

« Reply #131 on: February 21, 2013, 19:44 »
-3
Forget it Sunny Mars, you are only allowed here to follow the masses. If you are not sheep you get banned and minussed, even tho whatever you are saying makes sense.

Poncke

« Reply #132 on: February 21, 2013, 19:45 »
+1
So which companies have the contracts that can't be interpreted to suit their evil ends, should they wish to do so?
The ones which are in plain, unambiguous language?
Not one, and I signed them all. ;-)

« Reply #133 on: February 21, 2013, 19:46 »
+1

I do, I get it... this is about contributors greed.

No, for some it was about being able to continue feeding their family and putting a roof over their heads. 


« Reply #134 on: February 21, 2013, 19:46 »
0

 Those are the magic words, they took the gamble. And they lost. You cant blame ANYONE but yourself.

What makes you think that I've lost anything?  I've lost nothing at all.  None of my images were used in the Google deal and, so far, I haven't been chucked off the site. 

However, I do have sympathy for those that have had this happen to them and, from my point of view, it is now a gamble that is no longer worth taking.  The odds have changed, that's all.

How do you know that you haven't lost anything?  This is the thing, meldayus, no one knows what's in there and what's terrible is that they can continue to add files for 12 months after you leave.  You're not even in a legal position to demand to know what's in there because the legal agreement of the files on GD is between Google and iStock.  How do you know that some other deal like Google Drive doesn't exist?  As your distributor, they don't legally even have to tell you... basically, from a legal standpoint, it's none of your business anymore.  You all agreed to this. 

Honestly, I feel sick to my stomach knowing the power that you've given them.  It makes me feel sick knowing how badly this will effect people's livelihoods.  I just wish I could go back in time and slap some sense into some of you for agreeing to the new ASA. 

Really, I'm on your side.  I just want people to acknowledge that they were responsible for signing the new ASA so that they don't make the same mistake with Stocksy or any other 'agent'.  I'm  just begging people to read any contract carefully before agreeing to anything.  That's all. 

« Reply #135 on: February 21, 2013, 19:48 »
-2

I do, I get it... this is about contributors greed.

No, for some it was about being able to continue feeding their family and putting a roof over their heads.

Yeah, sorry, I don't buy that.  There are lots of ways to feed families and put a roof over their heads.

Anyway, just read and make sure you understand the friggen contracts before signing anything... cause if you don't, your families might end up starving one day... that's all :)

Poncke

« Reply #136 on: February 21, 2013, 19:50 »
-6
Dont you dare have a mind of your own here. Where is this place hosted, North Korea?

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #137 on: February 21, 2013, 19:50 »
+1
Anyway, just read and make sure you understand the friggen contracts before signing anything... cause if you don't, your families might end up starving one day... that's all :)

I repeat:
Which companies have the contracts that can't be interpreted to suit their evil ends, should they wish to do so?
The ones which are in plain, unambiguous language?

« Reply #138 on: February 21, 2013, 19:56 »
+2
.
« Last Edit: May 12, 2014, 13:58 by Audi 5000 »

Poncke

« Reply #139 on: February 21, 2013, 20:02 »
-1
I just wish I could go back in time and slap some sense into some of you for agreeing to the new ASA. 
Really?  Some people rely on the money they make from stock, they have children in college, they have mortgages, they need insurance, they have medical problems and cutting out tens of thousands of dollars a year could jeopardize any number of very important things.  You think the possibility of a few images on Google Drive years in the future is worth giving up your house?  Maybe you can make your stand against a bad ASA that may one day may come back to bite you or maybe not by taking your child out of college?   Someone needs some sense...
There are a zillion other ways to make money with a camera. Are you all suffering from Stockholm Syndrome or what?

Calimero, ever heard of him? I is small and them are big, and thats not fair.

I am really sorry but you sound like there is no other way on this planet to make money other then with Istock.

Honestly, its the same as changing jobs, everyone does it. So why cant you?

Someone needs some balls.

« Reply #140 on: February 21, 2013, 20:03 »
0
Anyway, just read and make sure you understand the friggen contracts before signing anything... cause if you don't, your families might end up starving one day... that's all :)

I repeat:
Which companies have the contracts that can't be interpreted to suit their evil ends, should they wish to do so?
The ones which are in plain, unambiguous language?

True Sue, a lot of them are ambiguous but they pointed out the difference between an agent and a distributor.  They pointed out to you guys that when an image is licenced the contract is between the buyer and iStock.  As an agent they had fiduciary duties to you and so legally had to look after your best interests.  As your agent, it didn't matter how ambiguous their contract was... they still had to abide by the law.  But now, geez, I don't even want to think about what they can do now. 

Like I said, I'm still on your side.  If they were your agent, I'd still be here everyday tweeting, raising awareness on Facebook like I was before.  I was under the impression they were your agent and broke the law... but now I'm not so sure.  All I can do now is hope that a small meteor slams into iStock's servers or wherever they store your files.

All I'm saying is just be careful what you sign up for... wait to see the contract terms from Stocksy before agreeing to anything or uploading files.  Like most people, I have a gut feeling they're going to be great, but I wouldn't act on a gut feeling... now when it comes to business.




« Reply #141 on: February 21, 2013, 20:07 »
0
I just wish I could go back in time and slap some sense into some of you for agreeing to the new ASA. 
Really?  Some people rely on the money they make from stock, they have children in college, they have mortgages, they need insurance, they have medical problems and cutting out tens of thousands of dollars a year could jeopardize any number of very important things.  You think the possibility of a few images on Google Drive years in the future is worth giving up your house?  Maybe you can make your stand against a bad ASA that may or may not come back to bite you one day by taking your child out of college?   Someone needs some sense...

lol you just don't get it do you?  I'm not talking about risking 'some' files in Google Drive.  You could potentially lose EVERY file to Google Drive. It's possible that you already have... you don't even know what's in there or what's about to go in there... or anywhere else for that matter. 

If you rely on the income from iStock THAT much, wouldn't it make sense to stop risking losing that amount of income, plus all future income by staying there? 

Seriously, if you stay there now, after all this and knowing what they can do to you... and your family, well... I'm not even going to say it...

Good luck to you Pal :)

fritz

  • I love Tom and Jerry music

« Reply #142 on: February 21, 2013, 20:31 »
-1
I think everyone who is accepted get to invite up to 5 other people, this people need to pass inspection/curation before they get accepted.
They are NOT looking for regular stock photos. they are looking for "Vetta" and "Agency" type only, more or less.
Artsy photos also work.

If that is the case then Stocksy will be ruling out 95%+ of contributors and/or their portfolios (and most probably same percentage of potential buyers too). It certainly has little or no chance of making a significant contribution to current microstock earnings with that plan. Most of the money spent on stock imagery is via simple images that illustrate their subject well rather than fancy 'photographic masterpieces'. There is a market for such stuff, especially at premium prices __ it's just a relatively small one.

Gostwyck, you are so wrong.
Gostwyck, you are so right. No kidding!

« Reply #143 on: February 22, 2013, 18:03 »
+4
had an email from Stocksy just now they are launching soon :)

« Reply #144 on: February 22, 2013, 18:06 »
0
Ooooh, exciting! 

« Reply #145 on: February 22, 2013, 18:09 »
0
had an email from Stocksy just now they are launching soon :)

:)

« Reply #146 on: February 22, 2013, 18:25 »
0
 
I am really sorry but you sound like there is no other way on this planet to make money other then with Istock.

You can change "Istock" by "microstock" and the meaning is exactly the same

The fact is that Istock is still financially rewarding for many. That's what some people, maybe because of having small, recent portfolios, don't fully realise. 8-9 dollars RPD is hard to beat adding small quantities from another sites.  Subjective, yes, but for me is the best option. If next thing is better for contributors, don't doubt, I will be there. It's not blind loyalty, no matter how much some like to believe in this fantasy by unknown reasons, maybe to feel smarter, who knows.

Some talks of eggs of baskets. I prefer to talk of hens. Of course I have other sources of income. Maybe if I should spent time uploading to many sites I wouldn't have the time to make these other sources --not related at all with microstock-- so productive.


« Last Edit: February 22, 2013, 18:51 by loop »

« Reply #147 on: February 22, 2013, 19:03 »
0
had an email from Stocksy just now they are launching soon :)
Same here :)

« Reply #148 on: February 22, 2013, 19:06 »
0
had an email from Stocksy just now they are launching soon :)

Me Too!

"Thank you for your interest in Stocksy. We're getting closer to our launch date on March 25th, 2013 and we can't wait to show you what we've got."
« Last Edit: February 22, 2013, 19:09 by rimglow »

Poncke

« Reply #149 on: February 22, 2013, 19:10 »
-1
had an email from Stocksy just now they are launching soon :)

Me Too!

"Thank you for your interest in Stocksy. We're getting closer to our launch date on March 25th, 2013 and we can't wait to show you what we've got."

No email here :(


 

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