Previously, I didn't have much hope that the 'new' iStock forums would be useful, or interesting. Now that they are up and running (limping?), I don't see much signs of life in the corpse - a few stalwarts posting, the usual moderators posting the increasingly tired company pap - but maybe I am just being a negative, change-averse nay-sayer (BTW, I think that getty/iStock are a bit optimistic if they think there would be anything interesting enough on these forums to warrant forbidding re-distribution!). 

Having stated my own obvious (and possibly biased) reservations on the new forums, I would welcome any contrary indications... 

Does anyone see any real utility in these new forums? 

Regards

Quote from: lewis larkin on August 15, 2015, 01:59
... maybe I am just being a negative, change-averse nay-sayer (BTW, I think that getty/iStock are a bit optimistic if they think there would be anything interesting enough on these forums to warrant forbidding re-distribution!). 

Maybe they just don't want the negativity reality/realism to be seen by the world at large (as though the cat could be put back in the bag  ).

Think about the thousands of artists getty themselves have, but they have never been able to build a community on their forums. They simply don´t have any professional community building abilities and strangely never learnt anything from the people with experience at istock. Instead of improving getty and building a strong community, istock became as weak and non existent as getty.

A well run vibrant community can do so much for a company and everyone benefits from more online presence.

Internet communities are also valued with hundreds of millions of dollars by investors, even if the community itself hasn´t produced anything. Just for "being there" and being alive, money will be invested.

They just systematically destroyed one of istocks strongest assets.

I wonder if their new CEO will finally be someone who understands the internet and knows how to lead online. But it has been nearly five months and no new CEO is visible anywhere.

They are making it really,really easy for adobe and SS to take over all their business.

I would still prefer if someone came in and revived them, so that we have at least three large marketplaces to work with, instead of two. I just don´t have a lot of hope.

Remember: September is coming!

Quote from: cobalt on August 15, 2015, 09:56
Internet communities are also valued with hundreds of millions of dollars by investors, even if the community itself hasn´t produced anything. Just for "being there" and being alive, money will be invested.

The idea of internet communities was enthusiastically overhyped during the boom which has now definitely ended (as the collapse of the SS stock price demonstrates). Today smart investors are increasing aware that internet communities are transient and likely have very little inherent value.

A platform which hosts communities may have the potential to be profitable (though there are very few examples since the broadband era). Community itself is an organic thing and not something which fits well into an investment model.

The old iStock forum was, at best, of its time.

They completely shut down the old forum and so old topics have disappeared from forum history, for what? surely the negative and all including complaints forum posts of the contributors have disappeared from forum history, too, a good trick....

Quote from: madman on August 15, 2015, 21:15
They completely shut down the old forum and so old topics have disappeared from forum history, for what? surely the negative and all including complaints forum posts of the contributors have disappeared from forum history, too, a good trick....

Nope, they haven't disappeared, they have been archived:
https://secure.istockphoto.com/forums_archive.php

Quote from: ShadySue on August 15, 2015, 21:22

Quote from: madman on August 15, 2015, 21:15
They completely shut down the old forum and so old topics have disappeared from forum history, for what? surely the negative and all including complaints forum posts of the contributors have disappeared from forum history, too, a good trick....

Nope, they haven't disappeared, they have been archived:
https://secure.istockphoto.com/forums_archive.php

not much of a difference, I did not know, most people will ever know.

Quote from: madman on August 15, 2015, 21:42

Quote from: ShadySue on August 15, 2015, 21:22

Quote from: madman on August 15, 2015, 21:15
They completely shut down the old forum and so old topics have disappeared from forum history, for what? surely the negative and all including complaints forum posts of the contributors have disappeared from forum history, too, a good trick....

Nope, they haven't disappeared, they have been archived:
https://secure.istockphoto.com/forums_archive.php

not much of a difference, I did not know, most people will ever know.

I didn't know.
I went to my home page and clicked on one of my old threads and found them that way.
Alternatively, Googling istockphoto forum gets there.

The old istock community  wasn't  just made up of contributors, like I assume a getty forum would mostly be. Because of istock's history of designers swapping images  there was a big overlap with buyers.

I miss the old forums. (ie pre-2010) And call me lazy, but with the new forums not embedded into the iStock site, they just aren't as easy to "pop into" to see what's being discussed. Of course, the "community" has changed so much in the last 5 years that I guess I have to accept that it will never be the same.

The most valuable forum for me was Critique.

I learned so much by analyzing the images uploaded for critique and then reading the comments. My image editing improved tremendously over the years, just from reading the Critique discussions.

Is there anything like that available anywhere now?

Quote from: lewis larkin on August 15, 2015, 01:59
Previously, I didn't have much hope that the 'new' iStock forums would be useful, or interesting. Now that they are up and running (limping?), I don't see much signs of life in the corpse - a few stalwarts posting, the usual moderators posting the increasingly tired company pap - but maybe I am just being a negative, change-averse nay-sayer (BTW, I think that getty/iStock are a bit optimistic if they think there would be anything interesting enough on these forums to warrant forbidding re-distribution!). 

Having stated my own obvious (and possibly biased) reservations on the new forums, I would welcome any contrary indications... 

Does anyone see any real utility in these new forums? 

Regards

No utility, no use, same old company lies and misdirection. Write a question, they tell you, go ask scout. Or write to video or let it go through channels. 4 months in executive review. Write to scout, it's 6 months. Write to videohelp, no answer.

There is nobody home just a bunch of hired liars and mean people to write lies or misdirection. There's no staff left with any balls or cares. All they want to do is keep their jobs and bow in fear to the master Getty.

There is no community because the moderators and Getty killed it by censorship.

That forum is dead and so is the GI forum. Any All news, all mails almost everything from Getty out to the world carries a confidential-stamp!  so why would they really want a forum with free and open discussions?

they don't.

Where are the stock forums now?  I go to the Getty Images, BOARDS, and can't find any forums.  what is going on now?

Quote from: Dennis Hoyne on October 14, 2015, 03:42
Where are the stock forums now?  I go to the Getty Images, BOARDS, and can't find any forums.  what is going on now?

You need to have an account for https://contributors.gettyimages.com/ and the forums, such as they are, are still there. There is virtually zero discussion - just some announcements and an occasional question.

I login in with my istock user name and password. It didn't work. Wondering why?

Quote from: Sion on November 09, 2015, 11:24
I login in with my istock user name and password. It didn't work. Wondering why?

You need a different UN/PW which should have been emailled to you.
If not, you need to contact CR (there's a more direct route, from the old forums, if you can find it).

The more direct way is via content [email protected]

Quote from: Jo Ann Snover on October 14, 2015, 06:34

Quote from: Dennis Hoyne on October 14, 2015, 03:42
Where are the stock forums now?  I go to the Getty Images, BOARDS, and can't find any forums.  what is going on now?

You need to have an account for https://contributors.gettyimages.com/ and the forums, such as they are, are still there. There is virtually zero discussion - just some announcements and an occasional question.

Yes, I prefer to comment here instead of the official getty-istock forums, almost zero discussion.

I've just been onto the istock forum and can't believe how non existant it has become. Literally a deadzone with nothing happening. Looks like i'll keep coming here to find out whats going on over there...

Quote from: jorgenmac on November 10, 2015, 11:40
I've just been onto the istock forum and can't believe how non existant it has become. Literally a deadzone with nothing happening. Looks like i'll keep coming here to find out whats going on over there...

Not a great strategy, as we can't link to or quote any info from there here.

Quote from: jorgenmac on November 10, 2015, 11:40
I've just been onto the istock forum and can't believe how non existant it has become. Literally a deadzone with nothing happening. Looks like i'll keep coming here to find out whats going on over there...

You post message, some mod comes and gives corporate speak answer, locks thread. How can there be discussion. The mods threaten users and make the forum nothing but yes people. Nothing thereof use.