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Do we need a deactivation day on fotolia?

Started by picture5469, July 24, 2013, 16:03

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picture5469

Following their two price cuts in a year about one year ago and their most recent tactic of lowering the prices of unsold images it makes me question whether we need another deactivation day but this time for Fotolia.
I have around 1200 files with them.

What are other peoples thoughts?

Ron

#1
There is no deactivation on FT, you need to delete the file. And I am not going to waste all the time I put in to get them online by deleting my portfolio. Sorry but I have had too many headaches to get those files online. I am sure I'll get voted down, but the frustration I have experienced with FT has been enough. They can do what they want, I am not going to remove anything.

6 votes down and counting, I assume all the down voters are going to delete all their images? If not, you are a hypocrite. Cheers

picture5469

Thats fine and its your choice. I'm just asking for opinions

Mellimage

I will go through my port and definitely delete some images - especially those that sell well and at higher prices at other agencies in order to avoid that FTs prices will undercut these prices... .

sharpshot

#4
I don't think enough people will be willing to do something that would make FT change their ways.  They're ruining their own business by following the bad moves istock has made.

I'm taking positive action now by mostly working on new photos with alamy.  I'm also going to do a lot of video clips for Pond5 soon.  They're the sites I like working with and have enough sales to keep me interested.  I stopped uploading to istock months ago and I'll now just leave my portfolio on FT and not add anything new.

Low commission percentages and low prices are crippling for contributors, I've thought for a long time that FT have been almost as bad as istock, now they've lost the almost.

ShadySue

Quote from: picture5469 on July 24, 2013, 16:03
Following their two price cuts in a year about one year ago and their most recent tactic of lowering the prices of unsold images it makes me question whether we need another deactivation day but this time for Fotolia.
I have around 1200 files with them.

What are other peoples thoughts?

Delete files only if it makes you happy. There is no evidence that D-Day had any effect whatsoever on iStock, but some people were very happy to take certain files out of possible abuse on other sites.

lisafx

Quote from: ShadySue on July 24, 2013, 16:35

Delete files only if it makes you happy. There is no evidence that D-Day had any effect whatsoever on iStock, but some people were very happy to take certain files out of possible abuse on other sites.

Sad to say it, but I think this is right.  D-Day was a great idea, but didn't turn out to accomplish anything.  I don't plan on tilting at anymore windmills.  Just going to turn the majority of my efforts elsewhere. 

cthoman

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luissantos84

Quote from: cthoman on July 24, 2013, 16:54
Done. What do I win?  ;D

my respect, don't tell me that ain't good enough :D

Ploink

Just had my account closed, still feels strange after 8 years  :-\

WarrenPrice

Quote from: Ploink on July 24, 2013, 17:18
Just had my account closed, still feels strange after 8 years  :-\

Was it closed via email request?
Did you lose some money?

Ploink

Quote from: WarrenPrice on July 24, 2013, 17:24
Quote from: Ploink on July 24, 2013, 17:18
Just had my account closed, still feels strange after 8 years  :-\

Was it closed via email request?
Did you lose some money?

I sent them an e-mail, have not got a reply yet. I just had a payout, so all is left in my account are $0.25. Don't spend it all at once, guys  ;D

cthoman

Quote from: luissantos84 on July 24, 2013, 17:07
Quote from: cthoman on July 24, 2013, 16:54
Done. What do I win?  ;D

my respect, don't tell me that ain't good enough :D

It's been basically closed for 2 years, so I guess it wasn't good enough.  ;D
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Ron

So no one is up for it, mostly saying the same as I do, yet my post gets voted down and one post is actually now a great post?

Its clearly personal. I'll take the hint.

WarrenPrice

Quote from: Ron on July 24, 2013, 17:51
So no one is up for it, mostly saying the same as I do, yet my post gets voted down and one post is actually now a great post?

Its clearly personal. I'll take the hint.

I think it is every man (woman) for themselves, Ron.  I tried deleting images and found it far too tedious.  I emailed a request to close my account ... and deposit my $43.99 balance in my PayPal account.


Ron

Quote from: WarrenPrice on July 24, 2013, 17:57
Quote from: Ron on July 24, 2013, 17:51
So no one is up for it, mostly saying the same as I do, yet my post gets voted down and one post is actually now a great post?

Its clearly personal. I'll take the hint.

I think it is every man (woman) for themselves, Ron.  I tried deleting images and found it far too tedious.  I emailed a request to close my account ... and deposit my $43.99 balance in my PayPal account.

Did they do both things for you?

Mellimage

Quote from: lisafx on July 24, 2013, 16:53
Quote from: ShadySue on July 24, 2013, 16:35

Delete files only if it makes you happy. There is no evidence that D-Day had any effect whatsoever on iStock, but some people were very happy to take certain files out of possible abuse on other sites.

Sad to say it, but I think this is right.  D-Day was a great idea, but didn't turn out to accomplish anything.  I don't plan on tilting at anymore windmills.  Just going to turn the majority of my efforts elsewhere.

At least this time the efforts all others make won't be put to nil by a certain bighead going exclusive with FT and then say something like "professionals deal with professionals"  ;)

WarrenPrice

Quote from: Ron on July 24, 2013, 18:19
Quote from: WarrenPrice on July 24, 2013, 17:57
Quote from: Ron on July 24, 2013, 17:51
So no one is up for it, mostly saying the same as I do, yet my post gets voted down and one post is actually now a great post?

Its clearly personal. I'll take the hint.

I think it is every man (woman) for themselves, Ron.  I tried deleting images and found it far too tedious.  I emailed a request to close my account ... and deposit my $43.99 balance in my PayPal account.

Did they do both things for you?

Have to wait.  Email was sent this morning (US time).


Jo Ann Snover

I have no skin in this game (you can see other posts here about why FT wouldn't have me back after I returned to independence) but my suggestion is that people stop uploading there if they're not happy. Why give crappy agencies any new content?

A second thing to consider is deleting any files that get demoted to the low prices - why undercut yourself at another agency by selling an XXL or a vector for a breathtakingly pathetic 3 credits? Even cheapo agencies like 123rf (or iStock's "ValueBin for indie content" files) sell for more than that.

The days are long gone that FT will improve anything for contributors, but where they can make you some money, take it. Where they are actively hosing your files in the search and then as a result of their lack of ability to sell it, cutting the price, take the file away. If you think about it, it's really a big black mark for their reviewing system and their agency's sales capability that they're even having to do this :)

EmberMike

Quote from: lisafx on July 24, 2013, 16:53...I don't plan on tilting at anymore windmills.  Just going to turn the majority of my efforts elsewhere.

Elsewhere in microstock or elsewhere away from microstock?

lisafx

Quote from: EmberMike on July 24, 2013, 19:37
Quote from: lisafx on July 24, 2013, 16:53...I don't plan on tilting at anymore windmills.  Just going to turn the majority of my efforts elsewhere.

Elsewhere in microstock or elsewhere away from microstock?

Spending a lot more time pursuing things away from microstock.  My uploads are down from +/- 100 per month for a number of years,  to more like 30-40 per month.  Even that feels like a chore for so little reward....

flashon

Quote from: ShadySue on July 24, 2013, 16:35

Delete files only if it makes you happy. There is no evidence that D-Day had any effect whatsoever on iStock, but some people were very happy to take certain files out of possible abuse on other sites.

+1
I am one of those happy folks - no longer need to deal with FT and IS - a great feeling.

sharpshot

I think the success of D-Day is hard to measure because we don't know how many buyers were persuaded to try the other sites.  There was a lot of bad publicity for istock.  My guess is that some have switched sites and to me that's a victory.

FT is such a low earner for me now, it's almost insignificant.  They have made a really bad move doing this and I can't see how it will possibly make them more money?  They're already making contributors leave and they will do all they can to get buyers to use other sites.  That's something istock and FT obviously have in common, they don't fully think through the consequences of treating their contributors so badly.  It baffles me why they can't see its a bad policy but hopefully one day it will dawn on them.

WarrenPrice

Quote from: sharpshot on July 24, 2013, 20:49
I think the success of D-Day is hard to measure because we don't know how many buyers were persuaded to try the other sites.  There was a lot of bad publicity for istock.  My guess is that some have switched sites and to me that's a victory.

FT is such a low earner for me now, it's almost insignificant.  They have made a really bad move doing this and I can't see how it will possibly make them more money?  They're already making contributors leave and they will do all they can to get buyers to use other sites.  That's something istock and FT obviously have in common, they don't fully think through the consequences of treating their contributors so badly.  It baffles me why they can't see its a bad policy but hopefully one day it will dawn on them.

Didn't a former executive at iS move into a management/executive position at Fotolia?