Author Topic: How to end the "Caps" debate: share your data. (Read 28662 times)

SpaceStockFootage · « **Reply #50 on:** February 20, 2018, 06:08 »

The thing with these percentage increases on sales though... they're going to be somewhat in-line with how many items you're uploading. Not exactly, but in the same kind of ballpark. So lets say for example that you had 100 images in 2013 and you uploaded 416 images between then and 2014. That would equate to your 516% increase.

Then if you're uploading regular as clockwork, it stands to reason that you'll upload another 416 images the next year. So that would be an 80% increase on the previous year. Do the same the next year and you've got a 44% increase. Then 30%, then 23% and so on and so forth. So unless you're doubling your portfolio every year then you're bound to see a drop in your percentage increases. But who can upload 400 new images in 2013, 800 in 2014, 1600 in 2015, 3200 in 2016, 6400 in 2017 and 12800 in 2018? Not your average one-man band. The longer you're at it, the harder it becomes.

That's going on the assumption that all your content is exactly the same with regards to commercial appeal/quality etc... which they rarely are. So why are your percentage increases less than my figures? Because they don't take into account the continual increase in authors and the amount of images/videos on the site. Even if your portfolio did increase by 100% every year, you wouldn't see a 100% growth in sales every year. And if you didn't upload anything since 2013, your 0% increase year on year would rapidly head into negative figures as your sales declined.

Unfortunately, that's just par for the course, and there's no way to avoid it to a certain extent. Work on improving quality and diversity like you say, and try to upload more this year than you did the last... but if everyone keeps doing what they're doing, then you're never going to keep getting steady growth in sales figures.

namussi · « **Reply #51 on:** February 20, 2018, 06:20 »

Quote from: MicroVet on February 20, 2018, 04:04

Anyway, it's hard to discuss this subject when some people discussing it may have 100 images and others have 10.000. When someone who submits for about 3 months gets absolutely ecstatic because he/she made $50 in a month and contradict people that have data going back 12 years or more and make many hundreds or thousands of dollars per month.

Perfectly fair points.
Which is why I suggested that cap-theorists publish more details of their findings.

MicroVet · « **Reply #52 on:** February 20, 2018, 07:47 »

Quote from: Pauws99 on February 20, 2018, 04:25

For those who are capped why not stop uploading and use the time more productively? If your content is really so good SS will see declining sales and customer dissatisfaction and do something about it.

Spoken like a true, clueless and ignorant hobbyist.

People who are professional and look at this as a business cannot simply abandon one of the major, if not the biggest earner of all their agencies.

Maybe you're in stock just to pay for a couple coffees, and despite that you are not shy about making ignorant comments towards professionals. But for a lot of people to abandon SS it means having to chose between paying the rent or buying food because half of their income would be lost.

Do you see why some people actually have reasons to take this issue seriously?

And this is the problems in these discussions. Some wannabees who need a year to make what professionals make in a month or even week think they have the same data and knowledge as them.

Shelma1 · « **Reply #53 on:** February 20, 2018, 08:08 »

Quote from: SpaceStockFootage on February 20, 2018, 06:08

The thing with these percentage increases on sales though... they're going to be somewhat in-line with how many items you're uploading. Not exactly, but in the same kind of ballpark. So lets say for example that you had 100 images in 2013 and you uploaded 416 images between then and 2014. That would equate to your 516% increase.

Then if you're uploading regular as clockwork, it stands to reason that you'll upload another 416 images the next year. So that would be an 80% increase on the previous year. Do the same the next year and you've got a 44% increase. Then 30%, then 23% and so on and so forth. So unless you're doubling your portfolio every year then you're bound to see a drop in your percentage increases. But who can upload 400 new images in 2013, 800 in 2014, 1600 in 2015, 3200 in 2016, 6400 in 2017 and 12800 in 2018? Not your average one-man band. The longer you're at it, the harder it becomes.

That's going on the assumption that all your content is exactly the same with regards to commercial appeal/quality etc... which they rarely are. So why are your percentage increases less than my figures? Because they don't take into account the continual increase in authors and the amount of images/videos on the site. Even if your portfolio did increase by 100% every year, you wouldn't see a 100% growth in sales every year. And if you didn't upload anything since 2013, your 0% increase year on year would rapidly head into negative figures as your sales declined.

Unfortunately, that's just par for the course, and there's no way to avoid it to a certain extent. Work on improving quality and diversity like you say, and try to upload more this year than you did the last... but if everyone keeps doing what they're doing, then you're never going to keep getting steady growth in sales figures.

The people who've experienced the "cap," or having their images pushed back in the search, are pointing out things that the rest of you choose to ignore.

You all keep bringing up competition, image quality, how many images you upload, the size of the SS portfolio, etc. And we keep bringing up similar images from newbies placed high in the search, best-selling images being pushed back from page 1 to page 10 overnight, floodgates opening for a day or two when our sales suddenly jump back to "normal," images that don't appear on the site for days after approval, etc.

Yes, we all know there's competition. Yes, the SS portfolio is growing like crazy. Yes, you need to always improve your image quality. But those factors are in addition to the specific machinations we see that purposely suppress the sales of contributors who've reached the top royalty tier and have a good number of top-selling images.

I think people who haven't experienced it want to believe it will not happen to them, so it's easier to think the more experienced contributors are imagining things, or that newbies get higher placement simply because they "work harder" or "improve their images." That explains why you all keep ignoring the very specific things we're talking about.

GraniteCove · « **Reply #54 on:** February 20, 2018, 08:25 »

Could not have said that any better. Like you, I began to think I was immune to all of this. Now I know better and so will everyone eventually. Let the apologists continue to live in their naive fantasy world (like I used to) while they can. Sooner or later the harsh reality of this business will become apparent to them as well. Count on it.

MicroVet · « **Reply #55 on:** February 20, 2018, 08:25 »

Quote from: namussi on February 20, 2018, 06:20

Quote from: MicroVet on February 20, 2018, 04:04

Anyway, it's hard to discuss this subject when some people discussing it may have 100 images and others have 10.000. When someone who submits for about 3 months gets absolutely ecstatic because he/she made $50 in a month and contradict people that have data going back 12 years or more and make many hundreds or thousands of dollars per month.

Perfectly fair points.
Which is why I suggested that cap-theorists publish more details of their findings.

And you still haven't figured out why SS has in their terms the prohibition to make public info about our own earnings, right?

Here's a clue... it's because of discussions like these and to make impossible to present factual data, so people like you can keep repeating that we're a bunch of conspiracy theorists.

namussi · « **Reply #56 on:** February 20, 2018, 08:34 »

Quote from: Shelma1 on February 20, 2018, 08:08

I think people who haven't experienced it want to believe it will not happen to them, so it's easier to think the more experienced contributors are imagining things, or that newbies get higher placement simply because they "work harder" or "improve their images." That explains why you all keep ignoring the very specific things we're talking about.

Except you aren't specific at all. You are vague.

Shelma1 · « **Reply #57 on:** February 20, 2018, 08:39 »

Quote from: namussi on February 20, 2018, 08:34

Quote from: Shelma1 on February 20, 2018, 08:08

I think people who haven't experienced it want to believe it will not happen to them, so it's easier to think the more experienced contributors are imagining things, or that newbies get higher placement simply because they "work harder" or "improve their images." That explains why you all keep ignoring the very specific things we're talking about.

Except you aren't specific at all. You are vague.

OK, so it's not worth discussing anything with you. You seem hell bent on getting people to share their earnings, and it ain't gonna happen.

derek · « **Reply #58 on:** February 20, 2018, 08:45 »

Quote from: Pauws99 on February 20, 2018, 04:25

For those who are capped why not stop uploading and use the time more productively? If your content is really so good SS will see declining sales and customer dissatisfaction and do something about it.

Hahahoho! Paws that kind of crap you come up with can ONLY come from a part-timer who really havent got the slightest clue or idea what full-time photography is all about.
If life was that simple as it seems to be in your make believe world.

Your day-job really cant be much to take to a drycleaner since youre always hanging around here waffling all over the place with such "good" advice! Do me a favour pal!

You need not bother to respond because I am without doubt not tapping into this imbecile cretin thread again!

Pauws99 · « **Reply #59 on:** February 20, 2018, 09:03 »

Quote from: MicroVet on February 20, 2018, 07:47

Quote from: Pauws99 on February 20, 2018, 04:25
For those who are capped why not stop uploading and use the time more productively? If your content is really so good SS will see declining sales and customer dissatisfaction and do something about it.

Spoken like a true, clueless and ignorant hobbyist.

People who are professional and look at this as a business cannot simply abandon one of the major, if not the biggest earner of all their agencies.

Maybe you're in stock just to pay for a couple coffees, and despite that you are not shy about making ignorant comments towards professionals. But for a lot of people to abandon SS it means having to chose between paying the rent or buying food because half of their income would be lost.

Do you see why some people actually have reasons to take this issue seriously?

And this is the problems in these discussions. Some wannabees who need a year to make what professionals make in a month or even week think they have the same data and knowledge as them.

If you have reached your cap why would your sales go down if you stop uploading...Isn't that the whole point? As you are taking the issue seriously what are you actually doing about it? Did I say abandon? nope just stop uploading until a point when you feel resuming will actually bring an improved return. Seems perfectly sensible to me...perhaps you can tell me what I've missed?

jonbull · « **Reply #60 on:** February 20, 2018, 09:13 »

for me the cap is not about the level of growth...im growing eat year, this year so far is better than last....i would grow much more that's the problem, and i see is impossible.

for me the cap is clear from my graph ...i straight line with 10% growth constant...the fact that every big sale is followed by crap days...every 2 good weeks are followed by 2 crap weeks just to reach a decided level of earning....

if is ee the fotolia or stock graphs is like a mountain, unpredictable. one month superb another crap one good....that's what i consider stock photography, in shutter stock is everything predictable. i can already have an idea of my earning this year.

Pauws99 · « **Reply #61 on:** February 20, 2018, 09:25 »

Quote from: derek on February 20, 2018, 08:45

Quote from: Pauws99 on February 20, 2018, 04:25
For those who are capped why not stop uploading and use the time more productively? If your content is really so good SS will see declining sales and customer dissatisfaction and do something about it.

Hahahoho! Paws that kind of crap you come up with can ONLY come from a part-timer who really havent got the slightest clue or idea what full-time photography is all about.
If life was that simple as it seems to be in your make believe world.

Your day-job really cant be much to take to a drycleaner since youre always hanging around here waffling all over the place with such "good" advice! Do me a favour pal!

You need not bother to respond because I am without doubt not tapping into this imbecile cretin thread again!

Result

YadaYadaYada · « **Reply #62 on:** February 20, 2018, 10:46 »

Quote from: Shelma1 on February 19, 2018, 10:53

Quote from: YadaYadaYada on February 19, 2018, 10:28
Quote from: namussi on February 19, 2018, 03:21
C'mon then.

Show us your spreadsheets. Show us your graphs. Show us your workings.

I can't because there are no caps. Show me proof of Nessie, the Bermuda Triangle, Vampires, shape shifting birds, or a yeti. You can't because just like caps, they are a children's fairy tale or belief based on repeated false evidence. There's no proof and that's why believers defend so much. They toss out other myths to prove the first one, like new people are pushed to the front. But wait, I'm on the first page of a number of searches and have been for those same for a long time. I guess SS like me better.

I think they read this forum and punish people who write bad things. So you better watch out, they're making a list and checking it twice, Gonna find out who's naughty or nice. SS caps are coming to town. Then they will change the search so only people here drop down and push horrible new cheap images to the front so buyers will say, SS has terrible photos, we need to go someplace else.

Just because somebody makes a claims and a small minority of believers agree and make the same claim, that don't make it proof. Just false rumors. The number of wrong people doesn't make evidence, it just means more people who have no sense.

Since it took you about 100 years to get to what—is it 36¢ now?—you clearly don't make enough sales to see patterns, and your images aren't popular enough to be affected by changing algorithms.

That's your proof, attack me? Did you ever consider answering anything I post to you, instead of evading?

I have to say I'm really flattered that someone as important and busy as you, takes the time to follow me around the forum to post lies and fabrications about me. I asked but you won't answer. Why do you say I live in Canada and put a city of my home? Why do you say I have a blog, when I don't?

Post the message that I wrote about my blog or where I live as you claim. You can't. You're wrong. And to say you aren't stalking me I'll quote you,

Quote from: Shelma1 on November 14, 2017, 12:06

You're not anonymous. And starting a thread with a joke about a specific person isn't particularly funny.

You've been complaining on this forum since 2009. You have a blog complaining about Getty. And you started a thread here complaining about what I'd been saying on the SS forums. I don't believe I've ever started a thread about you...have I?

Nope but you follow me like a little lost puppy and Brazilnut too, looking for a way to pee on our foot.

Quote from: Shelma1 on November 12, 2017, 06:42

Why don't you tell us who you are, and we can compare successes? I'm assuming since you're on the SS forums you're not McBurney, but you sure sound like him.

Never mind, figured it out.

All false, but you are so convinced that you won't admit you are wrong. Here's your chance, put up or shut up. Who am I? Where's my blog? Link to the post where I wrote that information. You can't because I didn't. You figured it out, that's not reading my posts as you claim, is it. Troll and stalker covers it.

MicroVet · « **Reply #63 on:** February 20, 2018, 10:52 »

Quote from: Pauws99 on February 20, 2018, 09:03

Quote from: MicroVet on February 20, 2018, 07:47
Quote from: Pauws99 on February 20, 2018, 04:25
For those who are capped why not stop uploading and use the time more productively? If your content is really so good SS will see declining sales and customer dissatisfaction and do something about it.

Spoken like a true, clueless and ignorant hobbyist.

People who are professional and look at this as a business cannot simply abandon one of the major, if not the biggest earner of all their agencies.

Maybe you're in stock just to pay for a couple coffees, and despite that you are not shy about making ignorant comments towards professionals. But for a lot of people to abandon SS it means having to chose between paying the rent or buying food because half of their income would be lost.

Do you see why some people actually have reasons to take this issue seriously?

And this is the problems in these discussions. Some wannabees who need a year to make what professionals make in a month or even week think they have the same data and knowledge as them.
If you have reached your cap why would your sales go down if you stop uploading...Isn't that the whole point? As you are taking the issue seriously what are you actually doing about it? Did I say abandon? nope just stop uploading until a point when you feel resuming will actually bring an improved return. Seems perfectly sensible to me...perhaps you can tell me what I've missed?

But why should I stop uploading to SS? That does not make sense. After all I would still keep producing images to the other agencies who represent the other ~50% of my income. So, I already have the images why should I not send them to SS?

As another member already said, the other agencies are much more volatile and work differently from SS, and still close to what SS was in the past. I mean, in the other agencies if you upload new content you actually see your sales increase like it has always been, despite the competition.

Plus, nobody said that sales don't go down. There's still competition from new members and images that make the income split among more people.

The problem is that extremely hard to stop this downfall. As I mentioned, if new images are uploaded they take the place of the older ones that were selling. So, there's no progression here. You may at best maintain your income. If I were to stop uploading nothing guarantees that the income wouldn't fall.

And since no one can predict the future it's better to have a large portfolio than a small one.

YadaYadaYada · « **Reply #64 on:** February 20, 2018, 11:22 »

Years ago it was called the wall, now it's called capped. Nothing changed, except the name and some new theories about why. Remember the wall?

Remember diminishing returns. Upload more and earnings were almost flat? Makes me ask how is that promise of $2 RPI that people talked about years ago? I don't know about others but mine is more like 50c now.

I upload new in hopes that some will catch on and make more, but mostly everything is pretty flat and even, good days and bad, good months and bad, year to year about the same. Currently each year gets a tiny bit better because I keep uploading more and new.

I'm not capped, I'm just up against the wall of competition which has no signs of slowing down. Unsustainable? That's what this business is for artists.

pancaketom · « **Reply #65 on:** February 20, 2018, 11:24 »

The talk of the "wall" had a lot more mathematical plausibility to me rather than a cap - and does cap mean that your sales are lifted up if they fall below this cap? It seems if the cap was real you need to just open up another account - and why not stop submitting if your earnings don't change?

I am not denying search changes squashing sales overnight. There are all kind of search shenanigans going on - based on image age, size, location, and who knows what else. (I certainly wouldn't put it past them to push .25 images up in the search, or images from newer contributors, which is pretty similar).

But if every good day is followed by down days, how do you get good weeks? or good 2 weeks to be followed by bad 2 weeks? I suppose they could program a random time period to turn sales on and off to level things out, but then why not do it on a larger time frame so that nobody would think there was a cap anyway?

Pauws99 · « **Reply #66 on:** February 20, 2018, 13:15 »

Quote from: pancaketom on February 20, 2018, 11:24

The talk of the "wall" had a lot more mathematical plausibility to me rather than a cap - and does cap mean that your sales are lifted up if they fall below this cap? It seems if the cap was real you need to just open up another account - and why not stop submitting if your earnings don't change?

I am not denying search changes squashing sales overnight. There are all kind of search shenanigans going on - based on image age, size, location, and who knows what else. (I certainly wouldn't put it past them to push .25 images up in the search, or images from newer contributors, which is pretty similar).

But if every good day is followed by down days, how do you get good weeks? or good 2 weeks to be followed by bad 2 weeks? I suppose they could program a random time period to turn sales on and off to level things out, but then why not do it on a larger time frame so that nobody would think there was a cap anyway?

I'm sure sites manipulate search algorithms which has intended and unintended consequences including "demoting" popular images either to "freshen" the site or save a bit on commission maybe they think buyers don't want to keep using the same images that have been seen thousands of times all over the world? What I can't visualise is SS either having the inclination or programming know how to drill down to individual contributor level and design a customised Cap that appears to have different consequences for each contributor.

farbled · « **Reply #67 on:** February 20, 2018, 13:16 »

Quote from: pancaketom on February 20, 2018, 11:24

The talk of the "wall" had a lot more mathematical plausibility to me rather than a cap - and does cap mean that your sales are lifted up if they fall below this cap? It seems if the cap was real you need to just open up another account - and why not stop submitting if your earnings don't change?

I am not denying search changes squashing sales overnight. There are all kind of search shenanigans going on - based on image age, size, location, and who knows what else. (I certainly wouldn't put it past them to push .25 images up in the search, or images from newer contributors, which is pretty similar).

But if every good day is followed by down days, how do you get good weeks? or good 2 weeks to be followed by bad 2 weeks? I suppose they could program a random time period to turn sales on and off to level things out, but then why not do it on a larger time frame so that nobody would think there was a cap anyway?

No idea of the how's or why's. Some people don't believe it and that's fine, but for some of them, I really don't understand the over the top reactions when someone disagrees with them (not you Tom

). They seem to take it so very personally.

I just know that I can accurately gauge my earnings month to month, regardless of how much or little I upload. There is virtually no improvement and no fall off. I stay within a narrow 5-10% every month. If my sales are consistent I sell the same amount of licenses. If I make a few hundred in SOD's, then yes, the following weeks my sales are negligible until I end up with the same amount, month after month. I stopped uploading recently since there seemed to not be much point, but I just got laid off from my job a few days ago so I am working on video now and uploading again. Maybe a different medium will break my stagnation. Time will tell. At least it gets me looking at other agencies to upload more.

I don't believe one can have multiple contributor accounts there, but I am not sure and going through the TOS today doesn't seem like much fun.

Shelma1 · « **Reply #68 on:** February 20, 2018, 13:56 »

Quote from: Pauws99 on February 20, 2018, 09:03

Quote from: MicroVet on February 20, 2018, 07:47
Quote from: Pauws99 on February 20, 2018, 04:25
For those who are capped why not stop uploading and use the time more productively? If your content is really so good SS will see declining sales and customer dissatisfaction and do something about it.

Spoken like a true, clueless and ignorant hobbyist.

People who are professional and look at this as a business cannot simply abandon one of the major, if not the biggest earner of all their agencies.

Maybe you're in stock just to pay for a couple coffees, and despite that you are not shy about making ignorant comments towards professionals. But for a lot of people to abandon SS it means having to chose between paying the rent or buying food because half of their income would be lost.

Do you see why some people actually have reasons to take this issue seriously?

And this is the problems in these discussions. Some wannabees who need a year to make what professionals make in a month or even week think they have the same data and knowledge as them.
If you have reached your cap why would your sales go down if you stop uploading...Isn't that the whole point? As you are taking the issue seriously what are you actually doing about it? Did I say abandon? nope just stop uploading until a point when you feel resuming will actually bring an improved return. Seems perfectly sensible to me...perhaps you can tell me what I've missed?

Your sales would go down if you stop uploading for the same reasons everyone else's would.

If you stop uploading, at what point, exactly, would resuming uploading make a difference, do you think? How would anyone be able to figure that out? I'd like to know how you'd figure it out. Say you stop uploading today. Exactly which day this year or this week or this month would be the magic day resuming uploads would make a difference?

And why would stopping and then resuming change anything? You'd still be at the top tier royalty rate, still subject to the same algorithms that are suppressing your sales in favor of contributors with lower royalties.

Pauws99 · « **Reply #69 on:** February 20, 2018, 14:21 »

But if you are capped there is latent demand for your images which has been suffocated so that would take you to your cap without any need for new images. If SS had fewer contributors and complaining customers then they would have to react. You'd work out any changes in their algorithm by loading test images and measuring the result.

derek · « **Reply #70 on:** February 20, 2018, 14:55 »

Blimey I cant belieeeeeve how silly some people can get this to be?? haha! this is NOT a so called cap for each and every contributor, how can it be with about 50K contributors and lets forget the word cap for a second.

One "cap" so called is when the agency algorithm promotes 0.25c and thereby saving them millions of bucks in payouts. Another type of cap is the "fair" game. New contributors are sometimes favoured in the algorithm so that they dont get fed-up and calls bollocks to it all!

Yet another type of cap is to favour in algorithm the so called factories with some 100.000 plus images in files, then you have the aggregators, distributors etc. All in all these things reflect very badly on many peoples payouts.

No one have said Oh I personally and nobody else but me is punished

Pauws99 · « **Reply #71 on:** February 20, 2018, 15:08 »

Thought you'd had enough? that didn't last long...so not a cap at all then? “When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.”

derek · « **Reply #72 on:** February 20, 2018, 16:03 »

Quote from: Pauws99 on February 20, 2018, 15:08

Thought you'd had enough? that didn't last long...so not a cap at all then? “When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.”

Youre full of crap pal and you know it! end of story!

derby · « **Reply #73 on:** February 20, 2018, 16:27 »

Quote from: MicroVet on February 20, 2018, 04:04

Here's a real example, although with fictional numbers.

Lets say you have an average of about 50 downloads per day on a weekday. And that these 50 DL are from a portfolio that hasn't received new images in a while.

Then, you upload new content that does no compete with your old one, and you start selling about 10 images per day from these new images. It would be expected that you'd start to have 60 DL per day, no? At least for a while, since you've got images in the New filter and some may even get to the Popular.

Yet, what happens is that you still get about 50 DL per day, even with the 10 you get from the new content! That means that somehow your older images stopped being seen by buyers when in the previous period they sold regularly. How does this happen? And so often?

This has been happening to me. Almost half of my daily sales are from new content and my average is the same as before I uploaded them.

Is there anyone here who knows some basics of a science call Statistics? 😊

I'm reading a lot of nonsense here.
Too much nformations are missing to prove what you are saying. How many other images are added in meantime? For which reason on the earth you should think that your old 50 dl months will be reproduced forever and you simply add new dl to old dls?

This is a complete nonsense.

YES there is a cap! It's called statistics pyramid, more you go up harder is the next step and when you reach the top, that's your personal cap.

Want to double it? Just build a new pyramid, don't ask to add a stone more on the original one 😁

Sorry for my poor English

Milleflore · « **Reply #74 on:** February 20, 2018, 16:46 »

I think there is enough sensible people around, with sufficient sales data and longevity in the industry, not to completely ignore what they are saying about having their sales capped.

Whilst I have never subscribed to the capping theory (Why? How? Who to? Why would SS do it?) I think there may be another plausible explanation. I reached top tier back in 2014, and my sales kept going up and up until end of 2016, so I don't think its that. But something big happened to me in the beginning of 2017, a massive 50% drop in photo DLs, that has never really recovered. SS went from 50% of my total microstock sales, to around 30%, and if I hadn’t started video before that, I would have suffered deeply. This also affected a number of other people I know who made good sales. They saw the same significant % drop as well.

This takes a while to explain, so please bear with me, and forgive the long post.

Now, this is the other possible explanation that I think of. SS is big on having very complex algorithms. They pride themselves on it, in fact. right? Also keeping in mind that one of the biggest problems that clients have is seeing the same images every time at the top of searches. This drives the buyers nuts – and away. Even building in a function of time into their algorithm probably doesn’t cut it.

Also keeping in mind that SS has some big buyers – the very large advertising agencies or whatever, that probably come in and buy up 10,000 photos or whatever for their needs. Now SS can’t afford to lose these guys. So, what if they wrote another algorithm just for them. If it was my business, I certainly would. And what if, that algorithm included, ‘if you have seen or purchased this image before – don’t show it!’ ?? And what about the consequences to all the contributors who have sold a hell of a lot of images in their past? How much of their port would automatically disappear from view from these big buyers?

We can’t prove the individual capping theory because when we look our images are still there. But what if there are special algorithms for special big buyers??

So, my question is to others – did you also notice a sudden drop at a particular time? And are there other people here who also experienced a significant drop in January 2017? I have been racking my brains the past 12 months as to what happened. Where did the buyers go? Not noticeably to other agencies. So, I am very, very interested in what others say. More contributors and more images being added to their database would not have resulted in such a big sudden drop, it would have been more gradual.

(To explain how much data I have to collect, I started Microstock in December 2012, now have 8,000 photos, and for the past 3 years have earned over $30,000, every year, from microstock. Also, I keep RPIs and stats on just about everything, and up until January 2017 they were always very predictable. I specialised in Holidays and Events, which makes it even more predictable.)

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Author Topic: How to end the "Caps" debate: share your data. (Read 28662 times)

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