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Author Topic: Your Questions for Shutterstock, Fotolia, iStockphoto?  (Read 21722 times)

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« on: October 13, 2009, 15:41 »
0
Hello Microstockers,

i need you questions for the book fair in Frankfurt (biggest Book Fair in the World btw).
http://www.buchmesse.de/en/fbf/programme/key_focuses/photography/

Who i will meet?
I will meet there with Shutterstock (Adam Riggs), iStockphoto (Dittmar Frohmann) and Fotolia (Martin Ruge). I will have lots of time to ask them questions and i will try to make some interviews with my video camera.

I will interview them, so tell me YOUR! question!
What should i ask these guys?

I will be happy to write they answers into this post.


LSD72

  • My Bologna has a first name...
« Reply #1 on: October 13, 2009, 19:37 »
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For Shutterstock: What do they see as their ultimate goal for BigStock?

For Istock: Why do they hate Raster Illustrations?

« Reply #2 on: October 13, 2009, 20:06 »
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For Istock: When are they going to increase the miserly royalties they pay the contributors who built their business for them?

« Reply #3 on: October 13, 2009, 20:23 »
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For all:  will you implement flexible pricing - set by contributors -  so that quality images with niche appeal can receive acceptable returns?   

« Reply #4 on: October 13, 2009, 20:28 »
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For all:  will you implement flexible pricing - set by contributors -  so that quality images with niche appeal can receive acceptable returns?   

Yes please. Good one.

« Reply #5 on: October 13, 2009, 20:55 »
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For all three: How do they think they are doing in appealing to non-English speaking buyers? If any barriers remain, what are they and how/when do they plan to address them.

I ask that because from some recent numbers (can't remember where I saw them) it appeared that there was still a huge portion of business coming from the US and UK. Seems a shame to be leaving money on the table elsewhere. I know everyone's doing translated sites and purchases in various currencies, but I wonder what else is needed?

ap

« Reply #6 on: October 13, 2009, 21:20 »
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it seems microstock is the key growth area in stock (outbidding traditional stock) for the next few years. where do these three see the growth areas to be? ie online media, traditional stock users, small blogs, etc. how much growth per year and in the line of jsnover's question, which foreign markets are most promising? (asia or south america, etc.)

KB

« Reply #7 on: October 13, 2009, 21:29 »
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For Shutterstock: Any plans to update the contributor side of the website to make it easier to manage our portfolio and track our sales? Perhaps you can "borrow" BigStockPhoto's design?  ;D

For Fotolia: Does anyone there notice the number of contributor complaints about inconsistent and annoying reviewing standards (more so than any other site, by far)? Any hope of educating reviewers towards implementing a focused, coherent, and clear vision of what is technically and aesthetically acceptable (and conveying same to contributors as well)?

« Reply #8 on: October 13, 2009, 22:05 »
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for SS (and the others too I suppose)- what percentage do you pay to contributors?

for IS - what are the plans for stockxpert?




« Reply #9 on: October 13, 2009, 22:46 »
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For Fotolia: Does anyone there notice the number of contributor complaints about inconsistent and annoying reviewing standards (more so than any other site, by far)? Any hope of educating reviewers towards implementing a focused, coherent, and clear vision of what is technically and aesthetically acceptable (and conveying same to contributors as well)?

Actually I find FT about the most consistent agency out there. Virtually the only rejections I've got in the last year, out of something like 700-odd uploads, are if I upload a view of a property without a PR. Ergo, I don't. Simples.

Much, much better than all those imaginary 'artifacts' or 'isolation too rough or too smooth' nonsense from IS __ which basically means you just uploaded an image that might seriously compete with one of the inspector's own images.

ap

« Reply #10 on: October 13, 2009, 22:54 »
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i find ft highly consistent too, for their rejections. but, you're right, it's never for technical reasons, just subject matter not suitable for them.

« Reply #11 on: October 14, 2009, 00:53 »
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Gostwyck I always seem to agree with you :)
I find exactly the same as you. I am very selective of what I upload and Fotolia along with Dreamstime and SS accept virtually everything I throw at them but I am also sick of the artifact rejections at IS.

 I also sometimes think that they come from a reviewer that just doesn't like the competition to the exclusive images.


Actually I find FT about the most consistent agency out there. Virtually the only rejections I've got in the last year, out of something like 700-odd uploads, are if I upload a view of a property without a PR. Ergo, I don't. Simples.

Much, much better than all those imaginary 'artifacts' or 'isolation too rough or too smooth' nonsense from IS __ which basically means you just uploaded an image that might seriously compete with one of the inspector's own images.

« Reply #12 on: October 14, 2009, 02:57 »
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To IS and FT: What about editorial pictures? Any plans to go into that direction?

« Reply #13 on: October 14, 2009, 03:25 »
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How about any plans to open up thier API for software developers, so they can create non registration (affiliate fee) Pay-Per-Download plug-ins.

David

RT


« Reply #14 on: October 14, 2009, 03:45 »
+1
Categories - Are they really that necessary?

« Reply #15 on: October 14, 2009, 04:32 »
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@ Fotolia
Can we (contributors) expect a fair relationship. Without unilateral changes like:
- Commition drop
- Added new forms of sales without possibility to opt-out
- Ranking system changes
- Pay 3.5 $ for HD videos (4 times less than the market average)
- Try "trap" contributors hiding information (information on subscriptions in the chapters "illustrations" and "videos" is omitted on contributor's page

Why Fotolia has highest  number of  thiefs - clients with stolen credit cards?
And please ask what made Chad Bridel change his mind about subscriptions (few months before subscription's introduction at FT he thought that subscriptions were very bad for long term)

« Reply #16 on: October 14, 2009, 06:37 »
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For Shutterstock - Do you plan to ever bring back Lightbox contest for contributors? (I thought those were good for helping sellers get seen) Have you considered allowing contributors to buy subscriptions at a discount? Can we get increased statistics information like views, keywords bought with, and lightboxes?

For iStock - How do you plan to protect sellers from lawsuits in the new logo program? Are you planning to decrease the commission price below 50% after six months?

For Fotolia - Can you implement a way for sellers to add vector formats to existing illustrations on the site? (Without having to delete the original files)


« Reply #17 on: October 14, 2009, 08:00 »
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For Istock - Any plans on making the submition process for contributors painless?  Maybe incorporate FTP?!!!

What is your plan for StockXpert?


For Fotolia - Can you set up a process to re-evaluate file rejections deemed not suitable for stock since some rejections end up being big sellers?  Not talking about the Academy Board!

Will you allow keywording of images after submittion?  Reason being is that I still have alot of images that were keyworded in phrases during version 1 and are not effective for the current version to get views.  Too many to reupload!
« Last Edit: October 14, 2009, 09:17 by tdoes »

traveler1116

« Reply #18 on: October 14, 2009, 09:22 »
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For all three: How do they think they are doing in appealing to non-English speaking buyers? If any barriers remain, what are they and how/when do they plan to address them.

I ask that because from some recent numbers (can't remember where I saw them) it appeared that there was still a huge portion of business coming from the US and UK. Seems a shame to be leaving money on the table elsewhere. I know everyone's doing translated sites and purchases in various currencies, but I wonder what else is needed?

I'm in china now and on FTs website I noticed all of the images on the homepage were of asian people and then when you switch to the US you get a different set of images and then there were talks about IS having different best match results for different countries.

« Reply #19 on: October 14, 2009, 10:05 »
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To IS and FT: What about editorial pictures? Any plans to go into that direction?

IS has already announced that it's going to allow exclusives to submit editorial images (the 'lypse in Istanbul next month to start and then more generally in 2010).

« Reply #20 on: October 14, 2009, 10:08 »
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To IS and FT: What about editorial pictures? Any plans to go into that direction?

IS has already announced that it's going to allow exclusives to submit editorial images (the 'lypse in Istanbul next month to start and then more generally in 2010).

Then I'll have to clarify the question (I'm not exclusive): How about allowing independants to submit editorial images?

« Reply #21 on: October 14, 2009, 11:10 »
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Categories - Are they really that necessary?

Here here  :D

« Reply #22 on: October 14, 2009, 17:11 »
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For FT: is it possible to change this ridiculous watermark appeared since V2?

« Reply #23 on: October 14, 2009, 19:57 »
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Hi Ap,

 At this time Micro is not even close to out selling standard stock. Maybe down the road but it's a bit of a jog.

 As for the post I would like to ask them about the future of their industry and how they plan to sustain growth and profit and at what rate and margin. With some data to support it. Where will all the new buyers come from to sustain growth in this industry at the rate the product is being produced.

Best,
Jonathan


« Reply #24 on: October 14, 2009, 20:14 »
0
To IS and FT: What about editorial pictures? Any plans to go into that direction?

IS has already announced that it's going to allow exclusives to submit editorial images (the 'lypse in Istanbul next month to start and then more generally in 2010).

Then I'll have to clarify the question (I'm not exclusive): How about allowing independants to submit editorial images?

That is incorrect.  Getty has invited a select group of iStock exclusives to submit to their editorial collection.  A move that will unlikely be extended to any non-exclusive for obvious reasons.


 

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