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Quote from: cthoman on July 12, 2013, 13:34Quote from: ShadySue on July 12, 2013, 13:13Tror ~Your points are all valid, but I have a point 6, which is not being able to do anything like adequate customer service. A lot of the time I'm out of phone contact, even quite near home, far less internet; and I'm sometimes weeks out of phone/internet contact, even more out of secure internet access. Customers nowadays demand virtually instant, or at the very least next day, answers to enquiries. How do you deal with that?I don't really have that problem, but I guess you'd have to hire someone, ask a friend, or partner up if you can't do it.That would be 'hire someone', so probably I'd be even more quids out, and I'd probably be paying them for really little actual work. Finding someone I could trust to deal with financials ... big risk.At the moment, I'm at home virtually all the time as we've got a huge garden project, but this is extremely unusual, especially if I were out and about shooting. Luckily the death of new files at iStock has coincided with this project, so I don't even feel I'm missing anything by not shooting stock.Actually, I feel pretty much like the OP, but for me I don't see 'going it alone' as an option. Of course I realise other people have different circumstances. 3G is notoriously spotty and dead slow here, and 4G non-existent out of big cities (I'm out in the boonies).
Quote from: ShadySue on July 12, 2013, 13:13Tror ~Your points are all valid, but I have a point 6, which is not being able to do anything like adequate customer service. A lot of the time I'm out of phone contact, even quite near home, far less internet; and I'm sometimes weeks out of phone/internet contact, even more out of secure internet access. Customers nowadays demand virtually instant, or at the very least next day, answers to enquiries. How do you deal with that?I don't really have that problem, but I guess you'd have to hire someone, ask a friend, or partner up if you can't do it.
Tror ~Your points are all valid, but I have a point 6, which is not being able to do anything like adequate customer service. A lot of the time I'm out of phone contact, even quite near home, far less internet; and I'm sometimes weeks out of phone/internet contact, even more out of secure internet access. Customers nowadays demand virtually instant, or at the very least next day, answers to enquiries. How do you deal with that?
Eventually microstock sites will realize that they lost all good talent, while only amateurs are left to contribute.
Quote from: bgbs on July 15, 2013, 11:05Eventually microstock sites will realize that they lost all good talent, while only amateurs are left to contribute. This should be embroidered on a pillow in the office of every CEO of a major microstock company. You have perfectly summed up the situation. The people running most of the major agencies really don't seem to see beyond the numbers of contributors to the quality of the portfolios. As the top producers drop out because all the royalty and price cuts make it unsustainable (yeah, there's that word) the content they never upload isn't going to be adequately replaced by enthusiastic amateurs. Even newbies aren't as enthusiastic about micro anymore. They can see from the top producers that there isn't the future in it that there once was.
There is a point in there. I am happy that I am an amateur uploading crapstock as my work is considered to be. At least I dont have any significant overhead, and I dont have any costly image productions. Just me and my cheap camera, shooting crapstock.
Quote from: Ron on July 15, 2013, 11:33There is a point in there. I am happy that I am an amateur uploading crapstock as my work is considered to be. At least I dont have any significant overhead, and I dont have any costly image productions. Just me and my cheap camera, shooting crapstock. Ron, I hope it didn't sound like I was trashing newer members or amateurs. Most produce very good work - not crapstock at all - or they wouldn't have qualified for the agencies. What I meant was just what you said about not wanting to invest time and money in expensive shoots, nor producing a large volume of HCV images. Five years or more ago, a lot of us who started out as enthusiastic newbies saw the top producers doing very well and knew that with hard work and talent, we could be similarly rewarded. Now I don't think a lot of newbies feel that way, and for good reason.
The people running most of the major agencies really don't seem to see beyond the numbers of contributors to the quality of the portfolios.
No no no, I wasnt thinking that you said that. I truly meant MY work is considered to be crapstock. I have been told in not so many words by several members on the SS forum.
Quote from: Ron on July 15, 2013, 11:48No no no, I wasnt thinking that you said that. I truly meant MY work is considered to be crapstock. I have been told in not so many words by several members on the SS forum. You have been told that only by one member who also happens to be an extreme snob. His opinion doesnt matter, forget about that crapstock thing, you have great photos.
besides, Yuri leaving micros is clearly a sign of the times and the nail in the coffin.
...i was saying the same sh-it since many years just to get banned and called names and now you all agree with me...
Quote from: kaboom on July 15, 2013, 13:22Quote from: Ron on July 15, 2013, 11:48No no no, I wasnt thinking that you said that. I truly meant MY work is considered to be crapstock. I have been told in not so many words by several members on the SS forum. You have been told that only by one member who also happens to be an extreme snob. His opinion doesnt matter, forget about that crapstock thing, you have great photos. Its been mentioned by more people, not only him. It did put a doubt in me, asking myself if I could justify setting up my own website. I dont want to drag the work down of other shooters. I am not a professional photographer, so when someone is, telling me my work is laughable, I question myself. But thanks anyway, its appreciated.
well, what did you guys expected ? it was obvious for everyone on RM how micro would first kill RM and then kill micro shooters too.i was saying the same sh-it since many years just to get banned and called names and now you all agree with me.too little too late.ironically i still see some opportunities in micro for some types of imagery that dont sell well on RM agencies, micro is here to stay but it's gonna be very hard to make a living with it alone.
Quote from: Xanox on July 15, 2013, 16:50besides, Yuri leaving micros is clearly a sign of the times and the nail in the coffin.Just a week ago I still saw his port on DP so he hasn't left them all entirely. Only reason I know that is the monthly email and one of his images was featured.
Quote from: Anita Potter on July 15, 2013, 23:58Quote from: Xanox on July 15, 2013, 16:50besides, Yuri leaving micros is clearly a sign of the times and the nail in the coffin.Just a week ago I still saw his port on DP so he hasn't left them all entirely. Only reason I know that is the monthly email and one of his images was featured.He hasn't left the micros. iS is still a micro and has just cut the prices of half its files to underline this. Also, his deal with iS/getty, didn't prevent his pics remaining in the PP, undeniably low-cost micro.
Quote from: Xanox on July 15, 2013, 16:47...i was saying the same sh-it since many years just to get banned and called names and now you all agree with me...I don't think anyone is agreeing with the sentiment that micro was going to kill the industry. This discussion is about microstock agencies making it impossible for artists to make a living anymore. A few years ago it was possible to not only achieve success in microstock but to thrive, to grow your income. Now it's nearly impossible just to maintain previous income levels, forget about growing income. And it's all to do with agency greed, changes to policy, rate cuts, etc. You're talking about a completely different topic. All that stuff in the past was about penny stock, dollar stock, the "race to the bottom", microstock undercutting traditional RF, etc. It's not the race to the bottom that's killing microstock. What is happening now isn't what was being predicting years ago. If you were predicting this, the clawbacks, cuts, SS IPO, threat of investor loyalty, referral program cuts, BigStock RC system, massive growth alongside unprecedented greed, then you've got a mighty fine crystal ball in your hands.
@ xanox - well, what did you guys expected ? it was obvious for everyone on RM how micro would first kill RM and then kill micro shooters too.absolutely my friend. anyone who was a true professional stock shooter before the day of microstock could see this one coming. the micros started to cannibalize the RM agencies, and now it is starting to cannibalize itself. i too have been lambasted for saying the very same thing. always from the microstock crowd and never from the traditional agency crowd.