Actually 'jump the shark' means 'something ridiculous done in attempt to stay relevant'.  Nothing like that here, that I've seen.

Jumping the shark is an idiom created by Jon Hein that was used to describe the moment in the evolution of a television show when it begins a decline in quality, signaled by a particular scene, episode, or aspect of a show in which the writers use some type of gimmick in an attempt to keep viewers' interest, which is ...

jump the shark. a term to describe a moment when somethin that was once great has reached a point where it will now decline in quality and popularity

'Jumping the Shark' is a negative expression to say that something that was once good has now peaked, and has taken a severe downturn in quality or usefulness.

The shark was jumped when the + - hearts thing was put in, I think that really pushed this place into something else.  It's not about stock or photography anymore it's about making comments that will get lots of likes.  Something should be done to try to bring back the professionals but that ship may have sailed long ago.

Quote from: tickstock on July 06, 2015, 14:28

The shark was jumped when the + - hearts thing was put in, I think that really pushed this place into something else.  It's not about stock or photography anymore it's about making comments that will get lots of likes.  Something should be done to try to bring back the professionals but that ship may have sailed long ago.

While I generally agree with you, some of those professionals who are no longer here or have new identities were real A-holes, condescending to anyone who disagreed with them, or they were just outright rude by nature. This is to say that it goes both ways.

Edit...i do prefer good dialogue, ideas and overall opinions. You bring some good balance to these forums and i personally like that even though i dont always agree.

People's portfolios have been deleted for speaking out here.

This has driven a lot of people to various smaller closed circle Facebook groups, where people can say what they want, without having to watch over their shoulder.

Some agencies also have huge online groups,istock fb has over 1500 people and it is often easier and faster to get a reply there then on their forums.

Some artists also "live" most of their online life on their favorite agency forum, part of the higher specialisation where many are moving from generalist "shoot everything and send everywhere" to specialist content where they prefer to be among their peers in a chosen niche.

And the next generation of stock artists are coming in via smartphone apps. they tend to stick to that apps community (instagram, eyeem...) Maybe in time some will discover the wider stock industry and also come here, but that might take a while.

Of course with the overall decline in income because of oversupply and slowing growth, for many stock is becoming a hobby again, not a vital part of their family income, so as they spend less time producing, they also spend less time on the forums.

MSG has gone quiet because the business is stagnant.   SS now controls the market - they don't get all the sales, but they're the ones controlling price.  And they're systematically reducing opportunity for contributors instead of creating it.   I think a bigger shakeout and consolidation is coming, following which royalties will decline even further (behind the usual cover of subscriptions, 'special deals' and 'partnerships').  Some of that decline will simply be from inflation, as the cost of living goes up - and actual prices to buyers increase - while royalties won't.

 So it's a period of discouragement, and while a better platform for image sales will certainly appear some day, it isn't even on the horizon yet.

It's still possible to make money, of course, but nothing is changing, so there's less to discuss.