Topic: Is Dreamstime dying?

Simple question.

Simple answer. NO!
-Larry

Quote from: Eireann on May 01, 2010, 12:33

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.  


(Snip)

You'll be wearing a golden crown soon. It's time to let Dreamstime go.

I completely agree.  Unless contemplating exclusivity somewhere else I can't imagine a reason not to upload to DT. 

For most people they are solidly in the top 4, and they are definitely among the least aggravating sites I submit to.

Quote from: rene on May 01, 2010, 04:40

Quote from: GeoPappas on April 30, 2010, 23:37
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.

I gues you are right

Quote from: Whitechild on May 01, 2010, 10:19
I saw the increase in the last 10 days in april.

I am experiencing the same, I have increase of 10% from last month

Quote from: Danybot on May 01, 2010, 01:18
 My earnings in April 2010 are 30% lower than in April 2009, even thought my portfolio is 40% larger (now up to about 800).   

This is it in a nutshell, and for me is true of all the big 3. 

Check out the arrows to the right... at this moment, Dreamstime is the only green UP arrow in the bunch.  Dying?  Hardly.

is the site down today, I'm getting an error when I go to DT the URL?

Quote from: Microbius on May 03, 2010, 14:33
is the site down today, I'm getting an error when I go to DT the URL?

Not for me

My sales are what it used to be, but DT are rejecting everything I upload. April 0% accepted, May 0% accepted. With an acceptance ratio of more than 87% it doesn't make sense to be. In the last couple of months my acceptance ratio dropped from 93% to where it is now. Is it just me, or are others experiencing the same? I'm not going to waste time and upload photos if everything is rejected, and without new images a microstock site will die.

DT is not dying for me, although the subs percentage is quite high, with a strong effect in RPD and total $.  This week I sold a L4 as TIFF (crazy buyer! ), so I can not complain.

Quote from: CCK on May 05, 2010, 21:35
My sales are what it used to be, but DT are rejecting everything I upload. April 0% accepted, May 0% accepted. With an acceptance ratio of more than 87% it doesn't make sense to be. In the last couple of months my acceptance ratio dropped from 93% to where it is now. Is it just me, or are others experiencing the same? I'm not going to waste time and upload photos if everything is rejected, and without new images a microstock site will die.

What reasons are they giving for rejections?  They're accepting everything I send, aside from the occasional "too many similar images" rejections (a few a month out of about 60 uploads).

Quote from: PowerDroid on May 03, 2010, 14:26
Check out the arrows to the right... at this moment, Dreamstime is the only green UP arrow in the bunch.  Dying?  Hardly.

... which basically goes to prove how misleading and statistically meaningless those arrows are. I certainly don't bother to 'vote' (whatever that means in that context).

I've been on DT over 5 years. Last month both sales and revenue were about 40% down on April 09. In the same timescale they've slipped from 14.5% of my stock revenue down to 10.3%. So far this month they are floundering at 8.4%.

Two years ago DT were battling against FT for 3rd place in my earnings rankings. Today they are generating less than half of my earnings at FT and that looks well on its way to become just one third. Throughout that time my portfolio at DT has been significantly larger than that at FT.

I can no longer be arsed to upload because of the 6-month lock-in and some silly, churlish rejections for the 'too many of same subject' reason. In some cases the series was of just 2 images __ i.e. vertical and horizontal formats, or full subject isolated on white and then macro close-up. What's the point?

I don't think DT are in any immediate danger of dying, I'm sure they are an extremely profitable company. However I do think that they are becoming ever less relevant to those to do microstock for a living. I can see them ending up as a depository for hobbyists who can't get into IS (where the real money is) but being largely ignored by the pro stockers.

See!  I reason like this:  most of us regular suppliers to this industry, supply to say between 3-5 sites or something like that, we spend a lot of time shooting and even more with computers, PP and what nots.
For me a site does not have to be a bad earner for me to consider leaving the site, just not cost-effective or time-effective in comparison to my other sites is enough.
I could spend double the time uploading, etc, to the sites really producing, amalgamate twice as many files and so on and in the long run earn twice as much.
Messing around with 7 or 8 sites renders in nothing you become jack of all but master of nothing.
After 20 years in the Stock business Ive learnt to read the signs theyre not bad but certainly not encouraging either. Remember, apart from bad shots and lack of contributors, there are only two major things that can cripple a major site: what happend to Stockxpert or inferior management. i.e. lousy search-engine where buyers have difficulties in finding relevant material, believe me it spreads like wildfire.
This year, 2010, Im sure will see a lot of changes and I predict many will bite the dust, sold or bought.

DT, should at the moment and in order to keep commercial contributors try to perfect their search-mechanism, split-up all their series of 20 or more shots almost identical,  make sure that on the premiere 4 or 5 pages are files according to the buyers keywords, i.e. keyword " jet-engine", then the first pages should show nothing but close-ups of jet-engine, not a distant aircraft with four jets, etc.

From a personal point of fact I can say that Im not going to continue working with agencies that cant get their search together, thats the only link to the buyers that we have and if that isnt working, nothing will. For me, monies is far from everything, there are other and far more important values which ultimately will render more revenue.

best.

I have had a steady increase in sales over the past year, and last month Dreamstime did better than iStock for me.  I do continually contribute images daily and grow my portfolio so I think that always helps.

I would put sites like Big Stock and 123 RF as poor earners who might not make it, but for me Dreamstime stays on my good list.

Quote from: brookefuller on May 08, 2010, 15:46
I have had a steady increase in sales over the past year, and last month Dreamstime did better than iStock for me.  I do continually contribute images daily and grow my portfolio so I think that always helps.

I would put sites like Big Stock and 123 RF as poor earners who might not make it, but for me Dreamstime stays on my good list.

Incredibly intelligent remark!  one does better then the other?  didnt know that.

Quote from: lagereek on May 08, 2010, 08:02


DT, should at the moment and in order to keep commercial contributors try to perfect their search-mechanism, split-up all their series of 20 or more shots almost identical,  make sure that on the premiere 4 or 5 pages are files according to the buyers keywords, i.e. keyword " jet-engine", then the first pages should show nothing but close-ups of jet-engine, not a distant aircraft with four jets, etc.

that would frustrate a buyer who needed a medium or full sized plane with a jet -- gotta remember searchers are not perfect.  so my search engine would show some of each type of picture, and allow the buyer to drill down;  instead we get neither of these 2 - just page after page after page to sort thru.

steve

Quote from: cascoly on May 08, 2010, 21:01

Quote from: lagereek on May 08, 2010, 08:02


DT, should at the moment and in order to keep commercial contributors try to perfect their search-mechanism, split-up all their series of 20 or more shots almost identical,  make sure that on the premiere 4 or 5 pages are files according to the buyers keywords, i.e. keyword " jet-engine", then the first pages should show nothing but close-ups of jet-engine, not a distant aircraft with four jets, etc.

that would frustrate a buyer who needed a medium or full sized plane with a jet -- gotta remember searchers are not perfect.  so my search engine would show some of each type of picture, and allow the buyer to drill down;  instead we get neither of these 2 - just page after page after page to sort thru.

steve

Steve!  is was an example of generic keywording, for all I care it could be an apple returning oranges. get it?

in your example, you want to ONLY show the most literal images found - but you're ASSUMING that the buyer wants just a closeup of the word -- showing a range of images that all contain the keyword gives a better chance of presenting what the buyer was actually looking for.

similarly for the keyword 'apple' - the result should show not not only a closeup of fruit, but an orchard, a box of them on a truck, or a store display.

the search engine should expand the buyers options, not limit them - give them more than what they were asking for, to present ideas they hadn't thought of

s

If a buyer types in "jet-engine"  ( which Ive actually have had buyers do)  they need the engine itself or the turbine, power or whatever NOT just another airplane shot. So this is what will happen, the average buyer will give 2-3 minutes of search, if he cant find it he will move on, simple as that. In todays stock-files he will then have to wade through tons of irrelevant material, so much so that he move on anyway.

Wetting appetite??  your way is exactly whats been clogging up all files with spamming and what nots and as it happens since I belong to the Getty-RM, Im hearing rumors that they are working on their search-engine, trying to gear it more or less in the direction Ive just explained.

Quote from: lagereek on May 09, 2010, 08:43
If a buyer types in "jet-engine"  ( which Ive actually have had buyers do)  they need the engine itself or the turbine, power or whatever NOT just another airplane shot. So this is what will happen, the average buyer will give 2-3 minutes of search, if he cant find it he will move on, simple as that. In todays stock-files he will then have to wade through tons of irrelevant material, so much so that he move on anyway.

Wetting appetite??  your way is exactly whats been clogging up all files with spamming and what nots and as it happens since I belong to the Getty-RM, Im hearing rumors that they are working on their search-engine, trying to gear it more or less in the direction Ive just explained.

Agree 100%.

Only DT has green arrow for now...

Quote from: FD-amateur on May 01, 2010, 03:43

Quote from: Danybot on May 01, 2010, 01:18My 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$.
DT has been many years my nr.2, well in front of IS. This month DT will be at the same income level as IS (with 2x the RPI), also due to growth on IS and a higher RPD (1.14$).

My stats are almost identical...the last 2 months have been back-to-back WME's...

Quote from: lagereek on May 09, 2010, 08:43
If a buyer types in "jet-engine"  ( which Ive actually have had buyers do)  they need the engine itself or the turbine, power or whatever NOT just another airplane shot. So this is what will happen, the average buyer will give 2-3 minutes of search, if he cant find it he will move on, simple as that. In todays stock-files he will then have to wade through tons of irrelevant material, so much so that he move on anyway.

Wetting appetite??  your way is exactly whats been clogging up all files with spamming and what nots and as it happens since I belong to the Getty-RM, Im hearing rumors that they are working on their search-engine, trying to gear it more or less in the direction Ive just explained.

i think this is an important difference between us, so i'm trying not to be repetitive.  but just HOW do you know the buyer ONLY will want a "jet-engine"?  i n the anecdotal case you cite, perhaps, but i'm approaching this from the buyer's perspective.  i look at the keywords people use before they buy my images, and some of them are rather a stretch.  i think a good search system should assist, not prematurely eject many results.

i agree completely with you about spam and over producing search engine results, but that's a problem with the search engine and it isn't solved by cutting out significant results.

steve

What youre doing is allowing a lot of side-tracking, sort of hope-for-the-best search. A buyer who wants a SUV, surely wouldnt type tractor or car, would he? if he typed "car"  he would have to sit six months in front of the computer waiting for a SUV to emerge. No he type SUV ( providing his brain is intact)  and voila! up comes say 2-3 pages with SUVs.
Youre idea to "wet the appetite"  is for the buyer to type SUV and up comes 50 pages with all sorts of motors, veichels, etc, etc, when the poor guy just wanted a SUV.
Look!  this is a pretty pointless debate anyway because everyone, every agency is in fact striving for just this, problem is that after years of allowing spamming into the files it will equally take years to clean up the mess.
IS.  BM2 and the Getty search when they finally start working properly is well on the way.

best.

Quote from: lagereek on May 09, 2010, 20:36Look!  this is a pretty pointless debate anyway because everyone, every agency is in fact striving for just this, problem is that after years of allowing spamming into the files it will equally take years to clean up the mess.
IS.  BM2 and the Getty search when they finally start working properly is well on the way.

best.

i haven't seen any stock agency that's moving in the direction of more contextual searches for what the user wants / needs -- there's a really interesting article in a recent Wired that discusses googles evolving search routines which are getting amazingly sophisticated

steve