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Author Topic: Hard Times at GL - Changes From June 1st, 2013  (Read 15600 times)

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THP Creative

  • THP Creative

« on: June 01, 2013, 02:00 »
+2
GL contributors check your site mail, there is a new message waiting. I don't want to post the whole thing here, figure that is up to the staff at GL to do if they want. But in short, here is some of it:

In January 2013, Google announced their new image search functionality. This new format has significantly hindered our traffic and sales.

As a fair trade contributor site, it is very important to us to maintain the current contributors commission rate of 52%, so we will have to make adjustments in other areas. Effective June 1, 2013 we will be executing the following changes:

1. Suspending the seller referral earnings program
2. Significantly reducing our review team and staff
3. Postponing new contributor admittance


They term it a "temporary downsizing". I know a lot of people have tried to get behind GL, especially during the istock D-Day debacle, but it seems one change in Google has impacted dramatically.

I hope they can come out of it ok.


Poncke v2

« Reply #1 on: June 01, 2013, 02:36 »
+1
At least they keep the 52%.  Thats very good of them.

I just checked the message, and they do ask to help promote them. Problem is, I am working on my own symbiostock site at the moment. And when thats ready, all promoting I will be doing is of my own site as 100% royalty beats 52% royalty.

I hope they manage to stay up, but I find it very very hard to understand that Google can do this without getting called back. They are destroying businesses that are not even competing with them. Plus the copyright question about the new Google search is also still something I do not get. How can Google do all this without infringing any copyright?

Is there no government body that can take on this monstrous company? They are getting too much power.

« Reply #2 on: June 01, 2013, 03:29 »
0
but what is the reason the google images search affects them most than other sites?


Poncke v2

« Reply #3 on: June 01, 2013, 04:00 »
+1
but what is the reason the google images search affects them most than other sites?
Budget and other sites closed down as well, Warm Pictures for example

« Reply #4 on: June 01, 2013, 05:46 »
+3
but what is the reason the google images search affects them most than other sites?
Budget and other sites closed down as well, Warm Pictures for example
Yes, search in forum and you can see at least a post by serban (CEO of dreamstime) that stated the same things, about the bad consequences of new google image search. GL, for the first time an agency don't punish contributors with a cut of earnings. I think that this is a good thing.

« Reply #5 on: June 01, 2013, 06:07 »
0
I'm guessing that SS and IS are looking at this as a good thing, at least for now.  It's serving to eliminate the competition from the lower tier agencies.  Maybe when the big 3 or 4 are the only ones left will they band together and legally challenge this change.

Beppe Grillo

« Reply #6 on: June 01, 2013, 07:09 »
+1
I have just finished to u/l my portfolio there just in time

« Reply #7 on: June 01, 2013, 09:40 »
+1
It's a shame the change has hit them so hard. My own traffic has basically halved, but sales have still been strong. I'm glad they aren't going after royalty rates though. I think that would be a mistake.

« Reply #8 on: June 01, 2013, 10:13 »
+3
Is there no government body that can take on this monstrous company? They are getting too much power.

You are still imagining that "government body" and "monstrous company" are 2 different things?


lisafx

« Reply #9 on: June 01, 2013, 13:01 »
+3
Thanks for posting this.  I might have overlooked the sitemail. 

I am really sorry to see how this google change has affected the smaller sites, particularly ones as ethical and artist centered as GL and WP. 

I am really impressed with their decision to keep royalty rates the same.  My sympathies to any staff members who get furloughed or have hours reduced.  Hope the setback is temporary. 

« Reply #10 on: June 01, 2013, 13:23 »
0
Google giveth, and Google taketh away.   

I have to believe (well I'd prefer to believe) that the people running Google's search engine aren't corrupt and don't really want to let a small web business like this get started, and then ruin it with a single arbitrary move.   Whatever it is that changed, they might reverse it in the future.  But they're now a huge company and a course correction is like turning an aircraft carrier.

lisafx

« Reply #11 on: June 01, 2013, 13:44 »
+2
Whatever it is that changed, they might reverse it in the future.  But they're now a huge company and a course correction is like turning an aircraft carrier.

Seems like they were pretty nimble in screwing things up, though. 

« Reply #12 on: June 01, 2013, 13:51 »
0
Whatever it is that changed, they might reverse it in the future.  But they're now a huge company and a course correction is like turning an aircraft carrier.

Seems like they were pretty nimble in screwing things up, though.

Well, we don't know what really changed, or why, or how long they thought about it before flipping the switch. Maybe it was the result of months of analysis, and turned out to have some unintended effects.   

Google desperately needs competition, but so far, Bing hasn't reached parity.

« Reply #13 on: June 01, 2013, 18:55 »
+1
Whatever it is that changed, they might reverse it in the future.  But they're now a huge company and a course correction is like turning an aircraft carrier.

Seems like they were pretty nimble in screwing things up, though.
That's for sure! They are great at finding new ways to monetize other people's content, and keep the money for Google.

« Reply #14 on: June 01, 2013, 18:59 »
0
They said that they would be lowering upload limits from june 1st but mine still shows 1000 a day. I don't think that anybody needs more than that :D

gillian vann

  • *Gillian*
« Reply #15 on: June 01, 2013, 19:33 »
0
mine's at 20/day, that's still plenty.

« Reply #16 on: June 01, 2013, 20:47 »
0
If they sent that out in an email I never got it.  MY upload limit is 40 and I couldn't make that many in a week if I tried. 

Isn't there some kind of legal precedent that makes monopolies illegal?  Trying to remember from years ago when Microsoft got sued for that reason.

gillian vann

  • *Gillian*
« Reply #17 on: June 01, 2013, 21:04 »
+1
we don't have global laws (even though many US "rules" are adopted by other nations), but Google isn't a monopoly, there are other search engines, just not as good.

ditto for MicroSoft. They weren't a monopoly at all, just offered a good product at the best price and the US govt saw a loophole for a cash grab?  pretty shameless really, although it's certainly what the Aussie govt would do.

Google offer a great service and if weren't a photographer I'd be thrilled with the new ways to download images off the internet. At my girls' Primary School they are learning that the way you get images is to search on Google Images, and the teacher even said, "if they're on Google images you can use them". OMG. the misinformation! think about that: hundreds of millions of future consumers being misinformed like that from such a young age.

« Reply #18 on: June 01, 2013, 23:00 »
0
If they sent that out in an email I never got it.  MY upload limit is 40 and I couldn't make that many in a week if I tried. 

Isn't there some kind of legal precedent that makes monopolies illegal?  Trying to remember from years ago when Microsoft got sued for that reason.
The FTC did launch an anti-trust investigation (similar to those it attacked Microsoft and IBM with in the past) against Google in June, 2011.

On January 3, 2012, the FTC dropped the investigation, after supposedly Google agreed to make some minor changes in its search. The real story is that Google paid hundred of millions of dollars to Washington lobbyists and politicians. It was a huge win for Google, which will now be immune to actions by US Gov for a long time. This may be why Google has been emboldened to launch new attacks against copyright.

« Reply #19 on: June 02, 2013, 00:17 »
+2
as Murdoch said, google is "the leader in piracy".

the new Google Images is plain theft ! and they make money on OUR images, if i click on an image a box will open with a medium sized image and next to it i will be recommended with other similar images OR with a Adsense advertising box !

and they have the guts to claim this is not for profit and this is "fair use" !
fair use my as-s !

i've more than 8000 images indexed on Google Images, since the launch of the new GI months ago the number of visitors coming into my photo blog from GI dropped 70-80% !

before i had no chance to rank on google as for the same keywords i should have to fight with the whole travel industry, now i've also no chance to rank or profit from Google Images, and after the Panda and Penguin updates my site is completely worthless unless i make it linked from some big newspapers or find a way to make it viral.

indeed this killed a lot of webmasters and will kill many small businesses, just read some webmaster forums and see by yourself.


falstafff

    This user is banned.
« Reply #20 on: June 02, 2013, 01:24 »
0
Not only Googles fault!

GL started off with great expectations, here was creative guys, graphic people, etc. They invited photographers to place their material but not once, not once did they promote the fact they ALSO sold pictures.
GL always gave the impression they were first and foremost an agency for illustrations, vectors and graphics. How can you then expect an increase of buyers for photography?

Apart from that, good agency, run by professional people. Its a great shame its gone this way. :)

« Reply #21 on: June 02, 2013, 01:41 »
+2
Apart from that, good agency, run by professional people. Its a great shame its gone this way. :)

yeah but if they want to target professional buyers they should better use a professional brand name !

what do they expect with a company name like "Graphic LEFTOVERS" ??

am i supposed to buy a decent product or a "leftover", cr-ap, trash ?



« Reply #22 on: June 02, 2013, 01:47 »
0
They did change their name to GL Stock Images but I don't think it stuck.

For me when they opened up to photographs my sales took a dive (nothing against photographers at all) after that and never recovered.

« Reply #23 on: June 02, 2013, 05:51 »
0
I think your guys are right, it is not only the google search.

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #24 on: June 02, 2013, 05:59 »
0
Google offer a great service and if weren't a photographer I'd be thrilled with the new ways to download images off the internet. At my girls' Primary School they are learning that the way you get images is to search on Google Images, and the teacher even said, "if they're on Google images you can use them". OMG. the misinformation! think about that: hundreds of millions of future consumers being misinformed like that from such a young age.
Don't worry - in my old school, I always told the kids it's fine to use Google images for school projects, but not in real life later one, and the computing department told them the same, and indeed the pupils did posters to that effect about copyright, with details about copyright law etc.
I can assure you the pupils thought we were all totally clueless oldies.
I have to repeat that as a teacher, I couldn't have afforded stock images, and in any case, what's available CC on Flickr was almost always far more suited to my needs - the weans could spot a 'set up' ('fake' in their words) photo a mile away.
(they went onto GLOW a couple of months before I left, but even with a start-up million+ images, I could seldom find what I needed. The pics were pretty generic, more suited to primary schools or language teaching flashcards).
« Last Edit: June 02, 2013, 06:04 by ShadySue »


 

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