QuoteKeep all contributors on FTuk or FTcom and sell as much as you can in Euroland, is the way to maximise profits. Contributors who signed up on Fr or De and get paid in Euro's are lucky!

that's want they are doing and they don't plan to change that according to a reply from one of the moderators.

QuoteAs for an update, I don't have any information to offer and I'm really not sure if there will be any forthcoming or not.  If there is, I will definitely post it.  As Greg mentioned, he has brought this up many times in the past and there never has been a definitive answer.  I don't know if there is one or not and I don't want to speculate.

Sorry,

Mat

Ok, guys. I perfectly understand each of you, I am UK zone prisoner as well... But only few of you were able to express your ideas on Fotolia...The thread is small there. I suggest: help us there! Only people contributing to this topic on Fotolia forum are the same ones from the beginning. If we want the change, they have to see masses. Look at ranking, subscription threads there... They have  at least hundreds of replys by various people... So please, support us there as well... Big thanks to Andresr for his replies there!!! If even one of the biggest fish does not agree with Fotolia policy, it helps so much to our matter...

The thread there is actually quite long and yet it makes little difference. Almost certainly no response will be forthcoming over the Christmas/New Year period as anybody who is anyone will be 'away for the holidays'. Or, the ultimate sanction, the thread will just disappear. Just as a thread disappeared last week. That thread was about a plagiarist who had copied one or more of the better selling images at FT.
Looking at the copied image, it was obvious from the 'banding' (looked like posterization in PS) that something funny was going on. As soon as the question was posted, "How did this get past review?", the thread vanished.

Although we may have been led to believe that we (as contributors) take part in some sort of democratic process, we don't. FT decides. We either comply or vote with our feet. And very few can afford to vote.

I don't think it will change anything, because there is no loss in FT's side, only contributor's side.  Still, I post every now and then.  Useless, possibly, but something I feel I have to do.  Yes, I'm stubborn.   

Regards,
Adelaide

Quote from: Fyletto on December 13, 2008, 10:30
Ok, guys. I perfectly understand each of you, I am UK zone prisoner as well... But only few of you were able to express your ideas on Fotolia...The thread is small there. I suggest: help us there! Only people contributing to this topic on Fotolia forum are the same ones from the beginning. If we want the change, they have to see masses. Look at ranking, subscription threads there... They have  at least hundreds of replys by various people... So please, support us there as well... Big thanks to Andresr for his replies there!!! If even one of the biggest fish does not agree with Fotolia policy, it helps so much to our matter...

I'm no longer a contributor at FT, but during my years there it was crystal clear that there was no tolerance for an open discussion of policies contributors were not happy with. At the beginning, all users could see forums on all the different geographies, and then FT shut that down to try and avoid contributors discussing problems freely. They delete threads at will, threaten people who discuss FT policies on outside forums and anyone who's been there a while knows that as they've seen it repeatedly.

There have been some minor successes in getting changes (over subscription commissions and the initial policy that subscriptions would not count towards rank, for example) but they have not come about via discussion on FT forums, but by action on the part of contributors.

You don't try to organize FT contributors unless you're aware that doing so may result in the closure of your account, but if you do, don't waste your time on the FT forums as it's not a place for any type of free discussion.

Quote from: jsnover on December 13, 2008, 17:40

Quote from: Fyletto on December 13, 2008, 10:30
Ok, guys. I perfectly understand each of you, I am UK zone prisoner as well... But only few of you were able to express your ideas on Fotolia...The thread is small there. I suggest: help us there! Only people contributing to this topic on Fotolia forum are the same ones from the beginning. If we want the change, they have to see masses. Look at ranking, subscription threads there... They have  at least hundreds of replys by various people... So please, support us there as well... Big thanks to Andresr for his replies there!!! If even one of the biggest fish does not agree with Fotolia policy, it helps so much to our matter...

I'm no longer a contributor at FT, but during my years there it was crystal clear that there was no tolerance for an open discussion of policies contributors were not happy with. At the beginning, all users could see forums on all the different geographies, and then FT shut that down to try and avoid contributors discussing problems freely. They delete threads at will, threaten people who discuss FT policies on outside forums and anyone who's been there a while knows that as they've seen it repeatedly.

There have been some minor successes in getting changes (over subscription commissions and the initial policy that subscriptions would not count towards rank, for example) but they have not come about via discussion on FT forums, but by action on the part of contributors.

You don't try to organize FT contributors unless you're aware that doing so may result in the closure of your account, but if you do, don't waste your time on the FT forums as it's not a place for any type of free discussion.

Interestingly, the FT forum thread on this subject has been allowed to bleed to death........move along now, nothing to see here except the euro is now worth 95 pence!

Fotolia really sucks!

...till they introduced subscription downloads. Last 10 downloads there I've 6 subscription downloads for 0,31 credits for L or XL. That means 60% subscription DL and a loss of 10 credits (average) per 10 downloaded Picts. What a fake!!!

...so it seems to me not the credits problem is the really trouble, inspite it´s unfair – but the fraud is elsewere.

Think I'll cancell the account there or use it as my phototrash.

You should cancel it. You are making difficult to buyers to find my images. I whish more of you cancel your accounts, and I sell better due to less competition.

And the greed of Fotolia rises its head yet again. It is really quite amazing what people will let an agency get away with.

@peter ...if you want really sell your picts for 0,31 Credits, fotolia is the right place for you. For me it isn´t – definitly not

I sell for 0,36 on SS. Thats about the same, isnt it?

Quote from: Peter on December 24, 2008, 07:20
I sell for 0,36 on SS. Thats about the same, isnt it?

SS = $0.36

FT = 0.32 credits * £0.6 = £ 0.19 = $ 0.28

still a difference op $ 0.08 or more than 20% !!

Only IS does worse with their $0.19 subscription fee.

Europeans get 0.32 credits * €1 = 0.32€ = $0.44 that's $0.16 more than those from the UK.  Do you realize that 0.16 of 0.28 is 57% !!!!!  Those registered in the euro zone get 50% more than the UK or US zone, do you find this normal ??  It seems many do 

Quote from: Peter on December 24, 2008, 07:20
I sell for 0,36 on SS. Thats about the same, isnt it?

At least I have a choice of not selling subs by not being at SS.  I have a choice of opting out at StockXpert and IS.  DT and FT however don't give me a choice.  It's all or nothing, even if I signed up before subs was implemented.

Regards,
Adelaide 

of course FT give you a choice. You can opt out, if you are exclusive.

no, I dont find converison rates normal.

It should be:

1 credit = 1$ = 0.71Eur

and updated every 7 days as currecny fluctuate.

Quote from: Peter on December 24, 2008, 16:11
of course FT give you a choice. You can opt out, if you are exclusive.

Do you consider this a fair enough deal?  It's the least they could do.  But they should have given any member a choice too - at least with the existing images, uploaded before subs.

Regards,
Adelaide

Quote from: Peter on December 23, 2008, 15:37
You should cancel it. You are making difficult to buyers to find my images. I whish more of you cancel your accounts, and I sell better due to less competition.

lol peter, that's the christmas spirit !
to be fair to fotolia, one of my network told me she had her images rejected by a reviewer
even if they were all well-lit, and highly stock potential type images.
they were accepted by even istock. but she didn't complain. she accepted fotolia's (or at least, the reviewer's unjustified comments).
then to her surprised, last week, she received another email to say, "congratulations, your images have been selected".  the same ones that the first reviewer rejected.

so maybe there is a bunch of unqualifed reviewers brought in for the christmas and end of year rush.
but the final decision still lies with the team lead or someone who check these newbies or temps and overrule their rejections if they make a human error.

hats off to fotolia . this is one site i will start uploading to in 2009.

p.s.
OFF TOPIC , i know, but i think we need some optimism here at this forum,
after so much negativity of late. what do you think?

Quote from: Peter on December 24, 2008, 16:11
It should be:

1 credit = 1$ = 0.71Eur

No. It should be 1 credit = 1 Eur. Like it is.
And then they can convert to $ and Pound at the actual rate once a month or once a week or whatever (doesn't affect me, since I'm registered in FT Germany, but it would be fairer).

imho the idea behind this move is the following.

Most contributors are at UK and US,  But FT sells a lot in europe.  So most buyers comes from .EU

Buyers pay in €, FT pays 33% commission in £ or $ ... twice a profit 

Bingo. Give the man a cuddly toy!

We need, all together some kind of campaign on Fotolia to change this injustice... 

Quote from: borg on January 04, 2009, 18:24
We need, all together some kind of campaign on Fotolia to change this injustice... 

By popular acclaim, one of the longest threads of FT has now been terminated by Mat the Mod.

It was obviously an embarrassment to the 'Powers That Be' so the order came down from on high to minion Mat........."Make an end to this revolting thread". Also sprach Zarathustra......Beam me up, Scottie........and it was made so!

I have no words. No good words.

This is the answer that I get:

Thank you for your e-mail. Unfortunately it is not possible to change the currency zone. You would have to set up a new account and set the currency up again that way. The other thing, is that we cannot transfer pictures across, you would have to leave them on this username and re-upload. However it is possible to transfer credits between usernames.

Hope this helps, and apologies for any inconvenience caused by this.

Quote from: borg on January 04, 2009, 18:24
We need, all together some kind of campaign on Fotolia to change this injustice... 

Personally I tend to regard the US $ as the 'default' currency being as all the other agencies that I'm with use it exclusively.

To give FT credit when I started submitting to them in March 2006 the exchange rate between the £ and the $ was 1.75 and the worth of a credit was 57p (exactly in line with the prevailing exchange rate).

Even  though the exchange rate later rose to over 2 $'s to the £, if I remember correctly, FT did not modify their payout levels although it must have been costing them plenty.

The £ has recently plummeted against both the $ and the Euro but FT are still paying out at 60p per credit, an adjustment but much smaller than the actual movement in the exchange rates.

FT are also consistently demonstrating by far the most growth of any other agency, at least for me anyway. This month's earnings are projected to be 92% higher than Feb 08 (which itself was 95% higher than Feb 07). I'm at Gold level too so I haven't had the benefit of increasing my prices either.

I can put up with minor exchange rate issues for any agency that maintains that sort of growth in earnings. Over the last two years FT have gone from generating 9.5% of my earnings to 18.5% this month.

QuoteHowever it is possible to transfer credits between usernames.

transfered credits can not be cached out, they can only be used to buy images.