How is it that you haven't been kicked out of the other micros, I thought most had a policy of closing the accounts of anyone who was involved with the running another stock site?

As far as the similarities to IS goes, it does look like a total clone, but then again DP also looks like a Frankenstein of components from all the other sites and they seem to be doing okay.

I'm not sure if the sites actually have a policy of closing the accounts of anyone who is involved with running another stock site or if that's just something that was mentioned they might have and was turned in to a fact.  Is it written in the terms of any of the sites?

There was something about reviewers keeping quiet because sites didn't like them working for their rivals but I'm not sure that's correct either.  I remember a few people here mentioning they were reviewers for other sites and they didn't get their accounts closed.

Quote from: halfshag on October 13, 2011, 01:53

Quote from: CD123 on October 13, 2011, 01:05
Halfshag, if I understand the initial poster correctly you are advertising here to get contributors, how do do intend on getting customers?

Yes that's true, we're supporting MSG too. That's an easy question to answer but getting and retaining customers is the question most agencies ask themselves frequently I would think, not just start-ups like us. It's not going to be easy. It wasn't easy getting this far.

Value for money, useful content, ease of use, funds for advertising, referral system, good SEO, good customer service, extensive transparent stats are all things worth having. A unique selling point is a good thing - we've made no mention of that yet.

You have basically summarized a marketing course's manual outline here, which can hardly suffice as a marketing plan. Will keep an eye on the forums for feedback from contributors joining your site to see how you fare (actually making some sales). As for me, a good looking site has never guaranteed any measure of success, but all those things you mentioned does, so I would like to see how you intend on implementing them before I make any move. Best of luck with your enterprise.

Yesterday I submitted some vectors to iRockStock and today I was accepted

I for one think that the idea of a site which looks something like IS but which behaves differently (i.e. apparently does not intend to scr*w us in every way possible). I also like that the owner is supporting MSG, and has tried here to address some of our concerns. And who seems to have good idea of what he is doing and has fair commissions. What's not to like?

If other sites seek retribution against him for competing with them, I don't think that's fair, but it's his problem.

Quote from: michaeldb on October 15, 2011, 02:08Yesterday I submitted some vectors to iRockStock and today I was accepted

I bet this came as a total shock to you 

I checked out the site and then thought of the istock lawyers sounding sort of like the lawyer in this Family Guy clip:

Alyssa Milano family guy

If sites removed halfshag from their agency they would be creating quite a double standard.  I can think of at least 3 or 4 other photograhpers who own or are head of agencies and are also submitting to all the stock sites.

I would like to say that I joined in June and already have 2 sales. I know that is not much, but my port is very small (90 photo's or less). Review times there have always been very quick and responses to any questions I asked were returned just as quick. The 40 percent commission is nice and I wish them the best of success. Everyone has to start somewhere. That is just my 2 cents worth.

Quote from: Microbius on October 14, 2011, 07:57
How is it that you haven't been kicked out of the other micros, I thought most had a policy of closing the accounts of anyone who was involved with the running another stock site?

As far as the similarities to IS goes, it does look like a total clone, but then again DP also looks like a Frankenstein of components from all the other sites and they seem to be doing okay.

I wanted to praise iRockStock for emulating iStuck—whether it was intended or not. I am sick of iStuck and their tyranny. A big middle finger and a bowl of fresh horse manure is all I have to say about iStuck's great "power" to crush people. This is the time of the PEOPLE. Not the giants on Wall Street. I am so sick of their completely unpredictable rejection policies. Not to speak about how they've shafted everyone with pay.

I just signed up for iRockStock and hope to upload my portfolio. Hopefully—speaking as an illustrator—the process won't be like iStuck and alot more like GraphicLeftovers (if it is, I will probably lay back until it improves). Also, I hope they can appreciate unique styles of work that sell (unlike iStuck).

Congrats iRockStock. May you and the other independents continue to nibble away at iStuck. We don't need one giant on the block. Everybody can make it if we don't get greedy. 

Quote from: RandallReedPhotography on October 15, 2011, 22:03I would like to say that I joined in June and already have 2 sales.

Don't boast too much over sales. You might draw the attention of the Arcurs scouts, and before you know it another WMD (some DVD's with 50K top images) will be launched from Aarhus.  
Im totally pro the Slocke strategy: nothing to see there, just move on.  

I have a legal responsibility to act in the best interests of the company. This obviously includes staying within the
law. Other responsibilities include my best efforts to launch and run the site effectively. As part of the launch I chose MSG as the first place to advertise
because I like the site, visit it daily and because I knew my ad would create a reaction, negative or positive, it didn't really matter so long as people looked at the
project as a serious effort and talked about it. I think the ad has worked out much better than expected, thank you.

I've already rejected accusations of plagiarism and I stand by this, it is not my intention to harm the brand of any existing
company. What does bother me is if perceived similarities undermine our legitimacy in the eyes of potential customers or
contributors. This devalues our efforts and I'm not happy about that at all. Changes may occur on the site for that reason.

I've got no idea how other agencies will react to the project but according to our logs we had significant activity from Calgary last Friday so I would guess an opinion is forming.

Quote from: RandallReedPhotography on October 15, 2011, 22:03
I would like to say that I joined in June and already have 2 sales. I know that is not much, but my port is very small (90 photo's or less). Review times there have always been very quick and responses to any questions I asked were returned just as quick. The 40 percent commission is nice and I wish them the best of success. Everyone has to start somewhere. That is just my 2 cents worth.

Thanks Randall. Tweeting each time you've had files accepted really kept our spirits up during those very long months

I really like the site and what you are doing (I am an illustrator myself) and I might even join the site, but at the moment I am very afraid that this 'opinion being formed in Calgary' will be detrimental to your success 

Curious to see how things will evolve...

I just registered.

The site is written in ENGLISH!
I mean, not Spanish English, German English, Hungarian English, Asian English ...
but in plain British English. How refreshing!

"I've already rejected accusations of plagiarism and I stand by this"

Come on now - you even have the same adorable icons by everyone's names, lol - a shield for an admin, etc...

The name might be OK, because there's already isignstock and they don't seem to of done anything about that.  They might have a good reason to use that name though.  I think I would be seeking pre-emptive legal advice.  It would be a waste of everyone's time if this site runs in to problems, I would rather find out now than after spending money on it.

Registered two hours ago, ID submitted (and confirmed within 30 minutes) and x5 sample images uploaded for review. Images from my ports at iSP, SS and DT.

If accepted, my entire portfolio will be uploaded over the next few days to irockstock. Apart from anything else, it's a privilege to support a British venture in what is a US and Canadian dominated industry. I hope they get many more British photographers joining and contributing images.

Good luck with it Halfshag!

Quote from: halfshag on October 16, 2011, 11:08
...according to our logs we had significant activity from Calgary last Friday so I would guess an opinion is forming.

The Dark Lord of Mordor is gathering his orcs, er I mean lawyers.

Quote from: Maui on October 16, 2011, 12:28I really like the site and what you are doing (I am an illustrator myself) and I might even join the site, but at the moment I am very afraid that this 'opinion being formed in Calgary' will be detrimental to your success

Calgary ows obedience to the British crown and rules some pinewoods around as serfs. Britannia, at the contrary, rules the waves. It's about time we Europeans beat some sense back into our rebellious colonies that seem to be ruled by gangs of greedy lawyers nowadays. The best thing that could happen to iRockStock is that the i-thing sued them, before a British and EU court of course. Everybody likes free publicity.

It sounds as your site is worth a try...

Quote from: AttilaTheNun on October 16, 2011, 22:02

Quote from: Maui on October 16, 2011, 12:28I really like the site and what you are doing (I am an illustrator myself) and I might even join the site, but at the moment I am very afraid that this 'opinion being formed in Calgary' will be detrimental to your success

Calgary ows obedience to the British crown and rules some pinewoods around as serfs. Britannia, at the contrary, rules the waves. It's about time we Europeans beat some sense back into our rebellious colonies that seem to be ruled by gangs of greedy lawyers nowadays. The best thing that could happen to iRockStock is that the i-thing sued them, before a British and EU court of course. Everybody likes free publicity.

And the British and European courts will kick them well into the long grass. Canadian lawyers will not enjoy the experience, any more than American lawyers, in facing the English and European courts. And besides, iRockStock has done nothing wrong. Anyways, what are the Canadians afraid of, a little competition? They really ought to be more concerned about the beatings their getting in the microstock markets by SS, DT and FT. That's really gonna kill them off.....

^^^Don't you think it could cost a lot of money?  Sometimes it doesn't matter if you're in the right, you also have to have the money and time to win.  When you're trying to attract contributors and buyers, going through a costly legal action isn't going to work.  I'm not confident about most new sites, this one has a potential huge problem.  I'm all for a UK site but the last microstock priced one I tried was a waste of time.

If there aren't any legal problems, I'm far more likely to upload my portfolio, so I hope iRockStock seek advice and make changes if they have to.

Quote from: sharpshot on October 17, 2011, 08:10I'm all for a UK site but the last microstock priced one I tried was a waste of time.

This one probably too. So what? Whining 5 years from now IS had - sadly enough - to lower commissions to 1 dollarcent to be "sustainable"?

Quote from: sharpshot on October 17, 2011, 08:10If there aren't any legal problems, I'm far more likely to upload my portfolio, so I hope iRockStock seek advice and make changes if they have to.

Why would there be legal problems? Because iStock forgot to patent the shield as an administrator's icon on the forum? 

Actually, this is a golden opportunity for IS to increase their profits. They should make an announcement like this:

"In the interest of fair microstock trade and sustainability of our business model, our upper level managers and everyone else under them have decided that any contributors whom we discover uploading their images to other stock sites that are similar in design to Istock will have their canisters reduced to the base level and their royalties reduced to 0.1% for life."

Quote from: Cogent Marketing on October 16, 2011, 22:17

Quote from: AttilaTheNun on October 16, 2011, 22:02

Quote from: Maui on October 16, 2011, 12:28I really like the site and what you are doing (I am an illustrator myself) and I might even join the site, but at the moment I am very afraid that this 'opinion being formed in Calgary' will be detrimental to your success

Calgary ows obedience to the British crown and rules some pinewoods around as serfs. Britannia, at the contrary, rules the waves. It's about time we Europeans beat some sense back into our rebellious colonies that seem to be ruled by gangs of greedy lawyers nowadays. The best thing that could happen to iRockStock is that the i-thing sued them, before a British and EU court of course. Everybody likes free publicity.

And the British and European courts will kick them well into the long grass. Canadian lawyers will not enjoy the experience, any more than American lawyers, in facing the English and European courts. And besides, iRockStock has done nothing wrong. Anyways, what are the Canadians afraid of, a little competition? They really ought to be more concerned about the beatings their getting in the microstock markets by SS, DT and FT. That's really gonna kill them off.....

----------------------------------
I have no idea if Istock might have a case, but generally I think the plaintiff gets to pick the venue, so Istock/Getty could sue in U.S. or Canada.