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Microstock Photography Forum - General => General Stock Discussion => Topic started by: melastmohican on July 07, 2009, 14:58

Title: What is you biggest fiasco so far?
Post by: melastmohican on July 07, 2009, 14:58
Sometimes I am frustrated with all so called "Up and Coming" sites. Every new one promises to be different but ends up with no customers. Is my time dedicated for them and investment, what do you think?
Title: Re: What is you biggest fiasco so far?
Post by: takestock on July 07, 2009, 15:02
Albumo gets the vote!
Title: Re: What is you biggest fiasco so far?
Post by: melastmohican on July 07, 2009, 15:04
I came after Albumo so I never had account there :-)
Title: Re: What is you biggest fiasco so far?
Post by: gbcimages on July 07, 2009, 15:06
Albumo also
Title: Re: What is you biggest fiasco so far?
Post by: m@m on July 07, 2009, 15:09
Definitely Crestock!
Title: Re: What is you biggest fiasco so far?
Post by: zymmetricaldotcom on July 07, 2009, 15:22
I am sorry I voted Zymmetrical without forethought. :)   Please -1 from us lol. 
Title: Re: What is you biggest fiasco so far?
Post by: Pixart on July 07, 2009, 15:25
Albumo got my vote, but Crestock was very close.
Title: Re: What is you biggest fiasco so far?
Post by: kaycee on July 07, 2009, 15:38
I think all are a big disapointment.
In communication nr one big fiasco ALBUMO
Title: Re: What is you biggest fiasco so far?
Post by: stockastic on July 07, 2009, 15:53
Cutcaster is not a "fiasco"!  It's my "fantasy" site.  :)

I put all my images there, with $5 price tags, and I visit them once in a while, just because they look so nice.  Maybe one will sell, someday...

Title: Re: What is you biggest fiasco so far?
Post by: melastmohican on July 07, 2009, 15:55
In some sense IStock is a fiasco for me. I cannot force myself to upload there. Cumbersome workflow, upload limits, long review times. After one year I got 141 files online and 53 sales. I cannot tell if this bothers me more than easy upload and no sales. I kind of feel that I am wasting less time if workflow is easier.
Title: Re: What is you biggest fiasco so far?
Post by: melastmohican on July 07, 2009, 15:56
Cutcaster is not a "fiasco"!  It's my "fantasy" site.  :)

I put all my images there, with $5 price tags, and I visit them once in a while, just because they look so nice.  Maybe one will sell, someday...



Thanks, you made me smile ;-) Sometimes I wonder if the views I got there are all mine :-)
Title: Re: What is you biggest fiasco so far?
Post by: stockastic on July 07, 2009, 16:04
I agree with you about IStock, and I'd call it a slowly unfolding fiasco.  Bottome line - it's just more work than it's worth.  I've made a few sales there but it gets harder and harder to motivate myself to grind through their keywording system, only to see the best ones rejected for "artifacts".  They don't pay any more than the other sites, but they demand so much more of contributors.  Looking ahead, at the time it would take to get enough images accepted to make any real money - I lose interest.
Title: Re: What is you biggest fiasco so far?
Post by: gbcimages on July 07, 2009, 16:14
some more that were disappointing are yay,cc,zymmetrical,most,cs,scanstock,and some that are working on a fiasco are 123,canstock,stockexpert,fotomind,spm,ft.fp and vivozoom
Title: Re: What is you biggest fiasco so far?
Post by: disorderly on July 07, 2009, 16:19
So far it's FeaturePics.  Yeah, Albumo is a huge disappointment, but thanks to their upload bounty I actually collected a few hundred bucks from them.  Almost the same with Crestock; less money so far but more likely to pay out in the future.  With a few others I uploaded a small set of images with the intention of adding to them if I saw any action.  I haven't, so I haven't.

FeaturePics is the one into which I put the most effort with the least result.  Thousands of uploads, and a grand total of $8.44 from four downloads, the last of which was two months ago.  Definitely the worst pain/gain ratio.
Title: Re: What is you biggest fiasco so far?
Post by: gbcimages on July 07, 2009, 16:24
I know what  you mean on FP sales,i haven't had a sale since last sep. I've got a total of $22.45 waiting since then
Title: Re: What is you biggest fiasco so far?
Post by: goldenangel on July 07, 2009, 16:28
YAYMicro gets my vote. Still no sales there. I only upload because it's easy.
Title: Re: What is you biggest fiasco so far?
Post by: sharpshot on July 07, 2009, 16:37
Albumo is the biggest fiasco by far.  I am not pleased with Pixmac after they reduced subs prices and failed to reply to my email but they aren't in the list. 

I have had payouts with all the other sites in the list, just received my first from cutcaster today after an EL last month, so the views might be from buyers.
Title: Re: What is you biggest fiasco so far?
Post by: puravida on July 07, 2009, 16:43
mela, i think every site that came after Alamy and Photoshelter falls into this category. i am only sorry Photoshelter died a horrible demise, as i was one who applauded their brave stand against Getty.  why they crashed was also well documented by the CEO of Photoshelter. too bad, it had all the making of a good alternative, but buyers didn't buy into their vision that contributors deserve to earn more for their images.
Title: Re: What is you biggest fiasco so far?
Post by: melastmohican on July 07, 2009, 16:48
It looks like PhotoShelter was not the one prophesied to bring balance to the Force :-)
Title: Re: What is you biggest fiasco so far?
Post by: Adeptris on July 07, 2009, 16:55
Where is PhotoShelter and "All of the Above"  ???  ;D
Title: Re: What is you biggest fiasco so far?
Post by: melastmohican on July 07, 2009, 16:57
Ooops, I missed them...my bad I am newbie. Came after Albumo and PhotoShelter.
Title: Re: What is you biggest fiasco so far?
Post by: Lcjtripod on July 07, 2009, 16:57
YAYMicro gets my vote. Still no sales there. I only upload because it's easy.

Pissing on the floor is easy too .... but I don't do it anymore!  ;D
I just had to do it, cuz you made it so easy!

-Larry
Title: Re: What is you biggest fiasco so far?
Post by: Adeptris on July 07, 2009, 16:58
LO is missing as well, I watched a TV interview one month about Lucky Oliver and within a couple of month they were gone!
Title: Re: What is you biggest fiasco so far?
Post by: Phil on July 07, 2009, 17:32
I am sorry I voted Zymmetrical without forethought. :)   Please -1 from us lol. 

ROFL

You dont have pixmac on there, they would get my vote first as I did pull $250 from albumo for paid uploads before it went to pieces
Title: Re: What is you biggest fiasco so far?
Post by: Squat on July 07, 2009, 17:47
YAYMicro gets my vote. Still no sales there. I only upload because it's easy.

Pissing on the floor is easy too .... but I don't do it anymore!  ;D
I just had to do it, cuz you made it so easy!

-Larry

ha!ha! that's sooo funny Larry ole friend, u made my day!
As 4 pissin on the floor, I've  never done it ever. I don't have the luxury of a maid to wipe up after I swish. What more, it's still many years before I am incontinent ha!ha!
Title: Re: What is you biggest fiasco so far?
Post by: KB on July 07, 2009, 17:55
LuckyOliver  :D
Title: Re: What is you biggest fiasco so far?
Post by: bittersweet on July 07, 2009, 18:05
I agree with you about IStock, and I'd call it a slowly unfolding fiasco.  Bottome line - it's just more work than it's worth.
 
Clearly that is not the case for everyone. If they didn't make money for contributors who do stick it out and learn what they want, there wouldn't be so many people trying to get in.

I've made a few sales there but it gets harder and harder to motivate myself to grind through their keywording system, only to see the best ones rejected for "artifacts".  They don't pay any more than the other sites, but they demand so much more of contributors. 


You know, I haven't had experience with the requirements of other sites because I have always been exclusive to istock. I've heard over and over about their "demands". I still don't know if it's true or not, but I can say that I so far have a 100% approval rating for the 50 or so files I've uploaded to Veer MP, so maybe it is true and I actually learned something during my years of being an exclusive there. Or maybe I've just been lucky so far and the remainder of my portfolio will not fare as well.
Title: Re: What is you biggest fiasco so far?
Post by: madelaide on July 07, 2009, 19:33
There are so many fiascos, I picked SV here, but then I didn't give them much effort nor had great hopes.  I believe LO was really the greatest fiasco, given high expectations.
Title: Re: What is you biggest fiasco so far?
Post by: click_click on July 07, 2009, 20:54
At the beginning of Luck Oliver I checked out their site and had immediately the feeling that this is not going to work out.

I'm well aware that they poured a lot of work and heart into that project but to me it looked more like a site for male-Barbie users (if something like that even exists).

It simply didn't look professional.

It's one thing to be successful at the beginning but another to maintain success. Look at the dinosaurs of Microstock SS and IS.

SS has the most simple design there is - does it "bother" the buyers? No, I don't think so.

A stock image agency has to provide a powerful, efficient search engine and good images. That's what buyers are looking for and not little piggy bank icons and lollipop illustrations in retro style...
Title: Re: What is you biggest fiasco so far?
Post by: bittersweet on July 07, 2009, 21:15
A stock image agency has to provide a powerful, efficient search engine and good images. That's what buyers are looking for and not little piggy bank icons and lollipop illustrations in retro style...

LOL I've personally purchased at least six variations of piggy bank icons over the past few months. It's a subject very much on topic for a lot of publications lately. Not so much with the lollipops. ;)
Title: Re: What is you biggest fiasco so far?
Post by: Clivia on July 08, 2009, 01:45
There have been some howlers over the years. What about Totally Photos, who ran off with all our pictures? Then there was one, I cannot remember the name, but one of the staff were selling our pictures as their own.
The biggest fiasco has to be istock. When they started they had a really good view of what they wanted to do, and they were ALL contributors. They had real ideals, and made a big difference to a lot of lives. However money counts, and they sold out. Now the welfare of the contributor will come way down the list, with profit at the very top.
Title: Re: What is you biggest fiasco so far?
Post by: goldenangel on July 08, 2009, 02:45
YAYMicro gets my vote. Still no sales there. I only upload because it's easy.

Pissing on the floor is easy too .... but I don't do it anymore!  ;D
I just had to do it, cuz you made it so easy!

-Larry
:D No problem Larry :)
Title: Re: What is you biggest fiasco so far?
Post by: click_click on July 08, 2009, 07:10
LOL I've personally purchased at least six variations of piggy bank icons over the past few months. It's a subject very much on topic for a lot of publications lately. Not so much with the lollipops. ;)

I'm sorry - I completely worded that wrong (again).

I was ONLY referring to the piggy bank that Lucky Oliver had in their design for your status page or something like that. They used funny icons all over the place. All those retro things etc. While it was pretty to look at for someone who got stuck in the 70s I wondered what purpose it has, not to mention the loading times for all the graphics...

I'm well aware that buyers want to buy images of piggy banks don't get me wrong there ;)