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Author Topic: FT rank  (Read 126276 times)

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« Reply #325 on: May 11, 2012, 18:19 »
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Ugh...mine dropped again today and now I'm officially #800.   :-[  Doesn't seem that long ago when I was just about to cross into the Top 300.  Earnings are down about 55-60% and decreasing every month.    It's so bad at Fotolia that BigStock has surpassed and replaced them as my steady #4 earner.  I haven't uploaded to them in over a year and started pulling non-sellers last week. 


« Reply #326 on: May 11, 2012, 19:14 »
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FT has killed me personally.  From $200 a month to $75ish. 

wut

« Reply #327 on: May 11, 2012, 19:33 »
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Are there any exclusives around here? I can't think of anyone saying he is (for instance a few mentioned they are/were excl at DT)

lagereek

« Reply #328 on: May 12, 2012, 00:00 »
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I still regard FT as a good agency and earner but I have to admit, something weird,  the higher up the ladder I get there, the less revenue, it doesnt make sense, somehow.
Whats worrying me more then income, is the search, its an awful lot of irrelevant and mediocre material being flaunted on the opening pages of the search. Just hope theyre not going the same way as IS, on the search mechanism.

« Reply #329 on: May 12, 2012, 12:28 »
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There's less revenue because they've slashed commissions and most sales are now cheap subs.  If they don't do something to reverse this, I can't see me being with them in a few years, it just doesn't seem worth it.  It will be a lot easier to leave now, if they cut commissions again or change the rankings.

« Reply #330 on: May 12, 2012, 18:12 »
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I still regard FT as a good agency and earner

They are shi_t, period.

OM

« Reply #331 on: May 12, 2012, 20:33 »
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Are there any exclusives around here? I can't think of anyone saying he is (for instance a few mentioned they are/were excl at DT)

I was until recently but with a small portfolio. For FT there are only disadvantages to exclusive members. They  have to pay you a higher commission percentage, you can price your images at a higher rate from bronze up (makes the shots too expensive for buyers so they don't sell well) and you can opt out of subs which is where they make most money IMHO. If you opt out of subs, you'll get virtually no sales anyway because of the way their system is tilted. Ft was good until a couple of years ago for me but then they started to fiddle with commissions and the search. Since then only downhill with 50% loss from 2010-2011 and now it seems they've tinkered with the search again.........down by another 50% less than a couple of months ago. Not to be recommended.

Bit of a funny club! They seem to have their favourites in the 'newly added files' section. You notice the same names cropping up with amazing regularity..........same names that tend to adorn their 'meets/events'. If you can get into the 'new additions' section, it can be seriously good news.........hundreds of views and multiple downloads with the first few days; setting those files up for prime position in the search in future.
« Last Edit: May 12, 2012, 20:42 by OM »

« Reply #332 on: May 16, 2012, 11:07 »
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Ugh...mine dropped again today and now I'm officially #800.   :-[  Doesn't seem that long ago when I was just about to cross into the Top 300.  Earnings are down about 55-60% and decreasing every month.    It's so bad at Fotolia that BigStock has surpassed and replaced them as my steady #4 earner.  I haven't uploaded to them in over a year and started pulling non-sellers last week. 

Skipped 801 and moved right on down to 802.

« Reply #333 on: May 16, 2012, 19:25 »
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Huh?!
I dont have or dont know where it is
Overall rank and 7 days:???

I have only
Absolute 1260 and
Relative 930
which is under my User ID in left column
I don't know why but I think maybe people with european accounts (or something) don't have the 7 day, and overall rank.  Theirs says absolute and relative instead.

I do have out of germany. Overall 357 and 7 days 458.

« Reply #334 on: May 17, 2012, 18:34 »
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I'm new on FT and don't have much there, but it definitely sells a lot less than IS, SS, and even DP for me. But I think every site has a different type of buyers. FT is mostly European and German, so lots of white everywhere will work well I suppose.

« Reply #335 on: May 18, 2012, 19:41 »
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FT is going to death ... and i help them. No more exklusive pictures, and any picture what is ressetet to 1 credit go to all other Agencys.
They wont it, they get it.
 

« Reply #336 on: May 18, 2012, 20:02 »
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Is there a brown, wrinkled, circular bung that I have to offer up a finger diddle at FT to move favorably up in the ranks?

« Reply #337 on: June 01, 2012, 20:56 »
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My rank is stable or going better, only downloads and earnings decline ... take your own conclusion.
Rank overall between 300-400 still going higher, downloads and earnings decline between 10-20% each month, since 1,5 years.
If this trend continue i will be first with no earnings :-)
That's FT logic

« Reply #338 on: July 18, 2012, 15:44 »
+1

Nov 2. 2007
Overall rank    81
7 days rank    509

July 2. 2008

Overall rank     94
7 days rank    191

July 9. 2008

Overall rank     94
7 days rank    92

August 1. 2008
Overall rank     95
7 days rank    97

Sept 11. 2008

Overall rank     91
7 days rank    110

3 Oct. 2008

Overall rank     91
7 days rank    108

27 Nov. 2008

Overall rank     88
7 days rank    177

02 Dec. 2008
Overall rank     90
7 days rank    156

02 Feb 2009
Overall rank     93
7 days rank    103

11 Nov 2009
Overall rank 97
7 days rank 123

13 Apr 2011
Absolute rank    100
Relative rank    107

Time for an update again... holding steady which I guess is good.
18 July 2012
Absolute rank    100
Relative rank    136

saniphoto

« Reply #339 on: September 02, 2012, 09:18 »
+1
absolute rank: 74    relative rank: 1240 

two years ago: absolute (overall) 43   relative (weekly) 85

I stopped to care about FT already since last year... May even close the account overall at the year end, as others here are considering too...   

lisafx

« Reply #340 on: September 02, 2012, 16:13 »
0
absolute rank: 74    relative rank: 1240 

two years ago: absolute (overall) 43   relative (weekly) 85

I stopped to care about FT already since last year... May even close the account overall at the year end, as others here are considering too...

Thank you so much for posting this.  I thought I was the only one.  I had posted in another thread that my overall rank (absolute) is 35 and my weekly rank (relative) has climbed to 635. 

It really has me discouraged to the point that if I don't see significant improvement over the next couple of months I may give up on Fotolia altogether.   

« Reply #341 on: September 02, 2012, 18:44 »
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Hey, I lost 2 places in FT overall rank... and 2/3 in income meanwhile. But at the rating, here at MSG, FT is still at 3thd position! How's this possible? I never was there exclusive but i gave them a lot pictures exclusive, now i have to shovel all of them to the other agencys ... urgs ...


« Reply #342 on: September 03, 2012, 01:02 »
0
absolute rank: 74    relative rank: 1240 

two years ago: absolute (overall) 43   relative (weekly) 85

I stopped to care about FT already since last year... May even close the account overall at the year end, as others here are considering too...

Thank you so much for posting this.  I thought I was the only one.  I had posted in another thread that my overall rank (absolute) is 35 and my weekly rank (relative) has climbed to 635. 

It really has me discouraged to the point that if I don't see significant improvement over the next couple of months I may give up on Fotolia altogether.   

My experience is similar to yours, Lisa - my overall rank has slumped to 65, my weekly rank is also over 600.  My earnings last month were down 60% on August, 2011, and 70% on August, 2010.  I was led to believe that people who upload regularly would be better placed in the search.  I've been uploading like crazy, but it doesn't seem to have any effect at all.  The trend is still sharply down.  I think that emerald+ contributors got the best of the search in 2010, but that FT has swung the pendulum far too much the other way since then.  Of course they don't care so long as they're still making money.

FT earnings were only 7% of my total last month (down from a high of 28% a couple of years ago), so I'm also thinking of giving up on them if the downward trend continues.

saniphoto

« Reply #343 on: September 03, 2012, 02:04 »
0
absolute rank: 74    relative rank: 1240 

two years ago: absolute (overall) 43   relative (weekly) 85

I stopped to care about FT already since last year... May even close the account overall at the year end, as others here are considering too...

Thank you so much for posting this.  I thought I was the only one.  I had posted in another thread that my overall rank (absolute) is 35 and my weekly rank (relative) has climbed to 635. 

It really has me discouraged to the point that if I don't see significant improvement over the next couple of months I may give up on Fotolia altogether.   

Hi Lisa,  I suppose that we 'old timers' (if we can call ourselves in that way! :-)  saw the best of microstock era, the start of the golden rush. Now I admit my production is less creative than used to be, but also that is FT fault to have failed to keep my enthusiasm on the upside. Combined with the screwing around with contributors and the nasty policy of FT overall, it was probably destiny to finish in this way.

I see many photographers are moving to alternative solutions (macro, Alamy, own website) that is also a sign of the evolution of the stock photographer. Recognizing that is a very competitive environment and we must continue to adapt.
Microstock was/is in my opinion a training ground, a sort of 'school in stock photography'. Now that I have mastered some few things, I am moving forward one step. I suppose for many is the same. Once learned what needs in this business, you try to step up to another level. Especially if you want a more fair reward for your efforts and expenses.
Microstock now is very productive only if made at a very very low cost photography, as pointed out in that (now famous) interview by Christian Baigt.

Overall I consider stock photography the best choice I made and I wouldn't change that (stock photography is a lifestyle!) and I see a very positive future (and present) in it for me. So, after all, even if FT is a crap agency, stock will live long!   ;)

lisafx

« Reply #344 on: September 03, 2012, 09:35 »
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Great posts Robyn and Wiseguy. It is extremely helpful to know this is a trend and not a situation isolated to my portfolio. 

If I remember correctly, when Gostwyck made emerald recently he saw a sharp dropoff of sales at FT.  To the point where he actually made less overall than he had when he was gold. 

I would be interested to hear from other Emerald+ contributors to see how widespread the trend is.  Also interested in knowing what, if anything, those of us who are most affected by this will be doing about it. 

« Reply #345 on: September 03, 2012, 10:50 »
+1
I'm emerald. Heres my graph since the it peaked in 2010. Speaks for itself.  I am now making 1/5 of what I was then.  It is a loss of over a 1000$ a month on my best months.  My 7 day rank was at one time under 30 when I was lucky enough to not get affected by some changes that affected most people it is now over 800!!  In the beginning as FT went down Dt went up and mostly covered the loss along with new sites I was uploading to but DT is recently starting to go the same way.  Luckily I no longer rely on my stock photography earnings but have branched out.
ps graph removed.
« Last Edit: September 03, 2012, 11:39 by fotografer »

« Reply #346 on: September 03, 2012, 10:58 »
+1
Also Emerald, for the last 3 years, except of 3 months spiking up, my earnings have been the same. No massive drop here, although it could be a little bit better (realistically).

lisafx

« Reply #347 on: September 03, 2012, 11:02 »
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Thanks both of you for posting.  Seems very widespread then.  Fotographer, your graph says it all.   So does the fact that you are finding other avenues than stock to make your living. 

« Reply #348 on: September 03, 2012, 11:39 »
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Thanks both of you for posting.  Seems very widespread then.  Fotographer, your graph says it all.   So does the fact that you are finding other avenues than stock to make your living.
I've taken the graph down as I don't want to risk FT working out who I am and 'punish' me for complaining

« Reply #349 on: September 03, 2012, 13:25 »
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Until recently FT was performing well for me, given my still rather small portfolio. But then in April my status got updated to silver (thousand sales) and since then my sales dropped tremendously, they are now 50% of what the used to be before the "upgrade"!
If I remember correctly, someone stated that FT places photos of higher ranked contributors lower in searches - if that should really be the case, then I'd be happy to downgrade again...


 

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