MicrostockGroup Sponsors


Author Topic: Is Dreamstime dying?  (Read 80956 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

red

« Reply #125 on: April 29, 2010, 10:11 »
0
It's still there -
http://www.dreamstime.com/thread_19813
You must have had a bad experience with someone there, you seem angry. Let it go, and move on.


lagereek

« Reply #126 on: April 29, 2010, 10:13 »
0
I have the solution to make everyone happy.  If you're not selling well at Dreamstime, and filled with so much anger about it that you have to keep badmouthing DT here, stop uploading.  You'll save yourself a lot of hassle and frustration.  And you'll be providing less clutter for those of us who are doing extremely well at DT these days.  Plus, buyers won't have to sift through so many images they don't want, and the DT reviewers will have less work to do.  It's win-win-win-win!

Is that the best you can come up with?  if it is, leave it unsaid. you make more friends that way.

« Reply #127 on: April 29, 2010, 11:51 »
0
DT isn't dying for me, BME with $1.18 RPD this month.  :)
A lot of my best sales were from high level seasonal graphics I created 2 years ago.

« Reply #128 on: April 29, 2010, 12:22 »
0
I agree with Warren, if you want nothing but positive vibes, the microstocks have their own forums for that purpose.  

One thing that continues to surprise me about microstock is how much the results vary for different photographers on different sites.  For me, DT and SS make more than IS (in part because IS rejects so much).  FT is a distant 4th and I will probably drop it soon.  123RF was a complete waste of time for me - it sold almost nothing.   For other photographers, results are entirely different. Obviously, different material is part of the story, but is it just that simple?
« Last Edit: April 29, 2010, 13:05 by stockastic »

« Reply #129 on: April 29, 2010, 13:02 »
0
I would not say dying but stagnant. I got lots of rejections for description recently so I stopped to upload there but sales are as usual.

« Reply #130 on: April 29, 2010, 14:34 »
0
I agree with Warren, if you want nothing but positive vibes, the microstocks have their own forums for that purpose.  

One thing that continues to surprise me about microstock is how much the results vary for different photographers on different sites.  For me, DT and SS make more than IS (in part because IS rejects so much).  FT is a distant 4th and I will probably drop it soon.  123RF was a complete waste of time for me - it sold almost nothing.   For other photographers, results are entirely different. Obviously, different material is part of the story, but is it just that simple?

Similar oberservation here on portfolio of circa 3,000 pics.

SS and DT make more than IS - considerably more...
IS - Doesn't like my work very much, it rejects much more than it passes. Those it passes sell well, but my style is not theirs.
FT - Was a distant fourth, but now on par with DT
123 - I've always been different here - it's consistently around  $70-$80 per month, which if fine for me.

It's funny really, if I sent the same 20 pics to all the above 4 sites, IS will take 1, SS - 20, FT - 10 , 123  - 20, DT - 5.

Hence I have to differentiate what goes where. My biggest earner is SS, and that's my marker who I produce images for.

Of the rest, if I sent in the same batch of 20:-

Can - 20, BS - 20, Veer - 5

Funny old game - oh, and back to the thread, measuring DT over quarters rather than by monthly sales, it's still in the ascendency.

Oldhand

« Reply #131 on: April 29, 2010, 15:42 »
0
I agree with Warren, if you want nothing but positive vibes, the microstocks have their own forums for that purpose.  

One thing that continues to surprise me about microstock is how much the results vary for different photographers on different sites.  For me, DT and SS make more than IS (in part because IS rejects so much).  FT is a distant 4th and I will probably drop it soon.  123RF was a complete waste of time for me - it sold almost nothing.   For other photographers, results are entirely different. Obviously, different material is part of the story, but is it just that simple?

Similar oberservation here on portfolio of circa 3,000 pics.

SS and DT make more than IS - considerably more...
IS - Doesn't like my work very much, it rejects much more than it passes. Those it passes sell well, but my style is not theirs.
FT - Was a distant fourth, but now on par with DT
123 - I've always been different here - it's consistently around  $70-$80 per month, which if fine for me.

It's funny really, if I sent the same 20 pics to all the above 4 sites, IS will take 1, SS - 20, FT - 10 , 123  - 20, DT - 5.

Hence I have to differentiate what goes where. My biggest earner is SS, and that's my marker who I produce images for.

Of the rest, if I sent in the same batch of 20:-

Can - 20, BS - 20, Veer - 5

Funny old game - oh, and back to the thread, measuring DT over quarters rather than by monthly sales, it's still in the ascendency.

Oldhand

I would say IS is most consistent in rejecting most of my stuff. The stuff they accept mostly start selling after a while. Soon I might start getting more money from their partner programs than from main site.

SS is my major source of sales. I am very close to having 3000 images there. Recently their reviews are very inconsistent. I am sending 10 images in batch and I have all accepted or rejected. I do not think ones they accepted are any different from the ones they rejected. I must be just a different reviewer.

FT was always rejecting most of my stuff. Now they accepted more than SS and sales are taking off recently.

DT they change their standards recently. It used to be almost as SS but now lots of rejections for description and keywords. I haven't change my workflow for at least a year.

123RF huge change from accepting almost everything, I got twice more images there than on SS, to rejecting everything. Reviews takes ages now, maybe these guys have some troubles with their reviewers. Still returns are higher than from DT or FT which is a puzzle for me since for most people this site is not even in top 5.

« Reply #132 on: April 29, 2010, 17:17 »
0
I just searched "engineer"  up comes 995 PAGES!!  first 2 and 3 pages are full of shots with ZERO downloads, almostn ZERO views and with all respect lousy material.
This issue has been covered before. There is the choice between several search algorithms on DT. Clever buyers use "downloads" instead of the default "relevancy" (metadata-based). By coincidence, I did the same engineer search a few days ago. Many images were about engineering, with no engineer present. This was solved easily by checking "with people" in the advanced search. You have to assume a minimum of intelligence on the buyer's side.

« Reply #133 on: April 29, 2010, 17:27 »
0
I have the solution to make everyone happy.  If you're not selling well at Dreamstime, and filled with so much anger about it that you have to keep badmouthing DT here, stop uploading.  You'll save yourself a lot of hassle and frustration.  And you'll be providing less clutter for those of us who are doing extremely well at DT these days.  Plus, buyers won't have to sift through so many images they don't want, and the DT reviewers will have less work to do.  It's win-win-win-win!

You are missing something here

« Reply #134 on: April 29, 2010, 17:35 »
0
Funny old game - oh, and back to the thread, measuring DT over quarters rather than by monthly sales, it's still in the ascendency.
Isn't this just a mere reflection of increase in portfolio smoothed out? The benchmark should really be RPI.

WarrenPrice

« Reply #135 on: April 29, 2010, 19:45 »
0
It's still there -
http://www.dreamstime.com/thread_19813
You must have had a bad experience with someone there, you seem angry. Let it go, and move on.


It was this thread:
http://www.dreamstime.com/thread_21976
discussing the ambiguous amounts attached to certain credits.  It is encouraging to see that DT has let the thread continue.

I'm not really angry ... just frustrated that so many of us seem to place more trust in  DT than in other equally trustworthy (or not) agencies.  :P

« Reply #136 on: April 30, 2010, 02:47 »
0
Funny old game - oh, and back to the thread, measuring DT over quarters rather than by monthly sales, it's still in the ascendency.
Isn't this just a mere reflection of increase in portfolio smoothed out? The benchmark should really be RPI.

Hi there -RPI is most people's benchmark, but I count the bottom line, always have done. As long as it is increasing I am on the right path for the amount of time spent on micro. If I worked out the RPI for my own macro agency I'd have a nasty shock, again I judge it purely no results. Not a very analytical method, but each to their own.

Rgds

Oldhand

« Reply #137 on: April 30, 2010, 03:49 »
0
Finally squeaked out 1 download this month and probably the only one I'll get.  They accept most of the vectors/photos that I upload so that's not too much different than before.  It's just taking me forever to reach 100 images on that site because of the few rejects per batch.  Not sure if it all boils down to keywording and what people are actually after at any given time or possibly both.

I'll still continue to upload there just wish it were easier and review times weren't so long and pretty well much everything I said in my last post.

« Reply #138 on: April 30, 2010, 04:43 »
0
Finally squeaked out 1 download this month and probably the only one I'll get.  They accept most of the vectors/photos that I upload so that's not too much different than before.  It's just taking me forever to reach 100 images on that site because of the few rejects per batch.  Not sure if it all boils down to keywording and what people are actually after at any given time or possibly both.

I'll still continue to upload there just wish it were easier and review times weren't so long and pretty well much everything I said in my last post.

Keywording will probably not be the problem, if you're unsure anyway, just sumbit with a dozen keywords, and add any more relevant ones when the images are accepted.

The sell-ability factor rates highly, and a major cause for rejections apart from quality is smilar submissions of graphical elements sumbitted in parts rather than sets.

Good luck

Oldhand

« Reply #139 on: April 30, 2010, 15:57 »
0
Income is stagnant or very-very slowly increasing year to year while I doubled my portfolio every year. I'll see what happens this year without  new uploads - I stopped uploading there.
By the way, in same parts of his comment I agree with PowerDroid: I dropped DT from my upload list and it instantly made me more happy and less frustrated.

« Reply #140 on: April 30, 2010, 17:14 »
0
II dropped DT from my upload list and it instantly made me more happy and less frustrated.

I'm probably going to drop FT for reasons that have been well discussed: their apparently shady business practices.  I'd like to drop IS because of their absurdly long review times and weird rejections.  And I'd like to drop SS because it's nothing but 25 cent sub sales.  Actually, DT currently frustrates me the least of the "big 4". 

I'm looking ahead to new sites in the future.

« Reply #141 on: April 30, 2010, 17:22 »
0
If everyone drops out I can vacation at Captiva Island Florida every year  8)

« Reply #142 on: April 30, 2010, 17:37 »
0
Is DT dying?

No, in fact they seem to be growing (according to Alexa.com):


Are you receiving a smaller share?

Probably!

« Reply #143 on: April 30, 2010, 19:18 »
0
Income is stagnant or very-very slowly increasing year to year while I doubled my portfolio every year. I'll see what happens this year without  new uploads - I stopped uploading there.
By the way, in same parts of his comment I agree with PowerDroid: I dropped DT from my upload list and it instantly made me more happy and less frustrated.

I'm also pretty disappointed with DT.   My earnings in April 2010 are 30% lower than in April 2009, even thought my portfolio is 40% larger (now up to about 800).   Even before the latest dip, it has been pretty stagnant for the whole year, while other sites have been doing better.   Not only are there a larger proportion of sub sales at low prices, but the total number of pics sold is getting weaker.

« Reply #144 on: April 30, 2010, 21:43 »
0
My earnings in April 2010 are 30% lower than in April 2009, even thought my portfolio is 40% larger (now up to about 800).  ... Not only are there a larger proportion of sub sales at low prices, but the total number of pics sold is getting weaker.
+1

Income down 63% April 2010 vs April 2009. Removed EL sale (adds statistical noise by infrequency) down 54%.
RPD down from 1.67$ to 0.94$.
DT has been many years my nr.2, well in front of IS. This month DT will be at the same income level as IS (with 2x the RPI), also due to growth on IS and a higher RPD (1.14$).

« Reply #145 on: April 30, 2010, 22:40 »
0
Is DT dying?

No, in fact they seem to be growing (according to Alexa.com):


Are you receiving a smaller share?

Probably!

Free images hunters traffic. That's the reason why DT says that giving free images is "good" for contributors. BS.

« Reply #146 on: May 01, 2010, 03:51 »
0
No dying, it is just stable for me... which is great.

« Reply #147 on: May 01, 2010, 04:19 »
0
I saw the increase in the last 10 days in april.

« Reply #148 on: May 01, 2010, 05:50 »
0
Never have made my sales fly in DT, maybe wrong kind of portfolio or just too little uploads. Will continue trying.

« Reply #149 on: May 01, 2010, 06:33 »
0
I'm definitely missing something.

I can't fathom any valid reason to stop uploading to Dreamstime.
In my experience Dreamstime is a good, solid, reliable site, with many unique features.  
Plain and simple.

There is nothing Dreamstime does that other sites don't (in most cases even worse).
Frustration levels - bare minimum.  


@Rene,
any traffic is good traffic.
Free photos are offered by all the other sites. Nothing special here.

You'll be wearing a golden crown soon. It's time to let Dreamstime go.
Even as an IStock Exclusive it is in your best interest to have them on the market.
Don't wish for their demise. It's short-sighted.
« Last Edit: May 01, 2010, 06:50 by Eireann »


 

Related Topics

  Subject / Started by Replies Last post
77 Replies
28407 Views
Last post November 12, 2013, 17:50
by robynmac
252 Replies
67090 Views
Last post February 16, 2016, 10:44
by jonbull
Veer dying ?

Started by Julied83 « 1 2  All » Veer

37 Replies
18102 Views
Last post February 04, 2016, 08:30
by ssviluppo
13 Replies
4617 Views
Last post May 03, 2019, 02:01
by SpaceStockFootage
19 Replies
2680 Views
Last post June 09, 2023, 11:54
by cobalt

Sponsors

Mega Bundle of 5,900+ Professional Lightroom Presets

Microstock Poll Results

Sponsors