MicrostockGroup
Agency Based Discussion => iStockPhoto.com => Topic started by: Kngkyle on February 20, 2010, 12:34
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Good news for some of you. Doesn't really effect me though.
The canister level changes that we talked about back in December were originally scheduled to happen on February 24. We're going to push this date back. Right now there are just too many other projects taking up the team's time to get this one done on deadline. It is still coming down the pipe though and will be happening eventually.
So for the present and the immediate future it will be business as usual.
We still don't have a new date set for the changes. We will give you at least 30 days notice of the new date when we do though. Thanks everyone.
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I'm almost disappointed. I just reached my gold canister with a little over a week to spare. the only difference for me is a few more upload slots, but I was wondering if I'd make it in time. All that stress for nothing! Or at least for not much... ::)
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It doesn't affect me monetarily because there is no raise for black diamond even if I were exclusive, but it is still nice to know I will probably make it to BD, even without grandfathering now.
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It doesn't affect me monetarily because there is no raise for black diamond even if I were exclusive, but it is still nice to know I will probably make it to BD, even without grandfathering now.
Lisa if you don't mind me asking...how many years did it take to get to Black Diamond and what size is your portfolio? Just wondering....I doubt I'll ever make it there before I die.. ::)
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LOL talk about stress. I am at almost at 2100 downloads. There was 0% of chance I reach the silver canister before the 24th and I was happy as I didn't had to worry. Now they put the date later and I may have 5% of chances. It's like a torture.
I'm just excited to finally fail to achieve the silver canister before the time and have nothing else on my mind...
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It doesn't affect me monetarily because there is no raise for black diamond even if I were exclusive, but it is still nice to know I will probably make it to BD, even without grandfathering now.
Yeah but if/when you are exclusive you could put/(forced transfer) of your entire portfolio on thinkstock and get an extra 2cents per download compared to normal diamond. :)
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It doesn't affect me monetarily because there is no raise for black diamond even if I were exclusive, but it is still nice to know I will probably make it to BD, even without grandfathering now.
Lisa if you don't mind me asking...how many years did it take to get to Black Diamond and what size is your portfolio? Just wondering....I doubt I'll ever make it there before I die.. ::)
I'm not BD yet, so no counting those chickens ;)
But I have been uploading for five years and have a portfolio of just over 5k images.
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May be good news for me. Depends on how long they delay it.
I may be able to hit Gold and then get grandfathered into Diamond.
If they didn't change it I would have been grandfathered into Gold and then Diamond would have been a long long long way away.
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213 downloads away from Silver. Not that I'm going exclusive any time soon. ;)
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I'm interested to know how this announcement has been received by those who deleted their portfolios elsewhere (or gave notice to do so) on the strength of needing to be grandfathered in to the next level ?
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I would say that IS just cost some money to anyone who uploaded to DT and stopped doing so in order to fill out the grandfathering paperwork. If the canister changes are delayed another two months, that's 2+ months of revenue people could have been earning at DT (or whatever sites they had to stop uploading to so they could fulfill the requirement).
To me, this is just another entry under the column "Why I shouldn't go exclusive at IS".
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This is perfect news for me. I can't get my arms down. I was sooo close to making it to the next level (a difference of less than 3 weeks of sales), and I guess there must be hundreds of artists on iStock that are really close to the next level, and who would have just not made it by only a few downloads.
Those pulling their art from other sites are still in a good position: they are closer to exclusivity, which I think is a very wise decision.
Yours sincerely,
Daniel
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..Those pulling their art from other sites are still in a good position: they are closer to exclusivity, which I think is a very wise decision
It depends, it would be the wrong decision for me and anyone else who has much bigger portfolios on other sites that make them more money. I am also disappointed in the way they handled StockXpert, their new subs site offering the lowest commission and that they didn't just grandfather in the canister levels for all their current members. What has happened in the last few months has made me more likely to move away from microstock than go exclusive.
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Those pulling their art from other sites are still in a good position: they are closer to exclusivity, which I think is a very wise decision.
For me, it seems like a dirty trick of IS. Pushing people to commit to them as exclusive, pulling their ports everywhere so they can be grandfathered, then just say, well, we didn't mean it really.
What's next? Bumping you behind in the best match because you don't allow thinkstock sales?
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..Those pulling their art from other sites are still in a good position: they are closer to exclusivity, which I think is a very wise decision
It depends, it would be the wrong decision for me and anyone else who has much bigger portfolios on other sites that make them more money. I am also disappointed in the way they handled StockXpert, their new subs site offering the lowest commission and that they didn't just grandfather in the canister levels for all their current members. What has happened in the last few months has made me more likely to move away from microstock than go exclusive.
I can just say that after the intro of VETTA and the price increase my RPI for January was $6.6, and Feb is going to be even better. I think it's worth the wait for ones portfolio to grow. But hey that's just my 5 cents ::) I mean I know it takes a bit of faith, a temporary decrease in income and a lot of patience, but I think you will end up with a smile on your face ;D In my eyes this canister level or that canister level doesn't really matter. The commission is reasonably high to begin with when you become exclusive, and it only becomes VETTA, I mean better! 8)
Are you really considering leaving microstock? Where will you go?
Yours,
laflor
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I'm interested to know how this announcement has been received by those who deleted their portfolios elsewhere (or gave notice to do so) on the strength of needing to be grandfathered in to the next level ?
I'm one of those and I am still happy about this announcement.
I will admit I am considering jumping back on the fence, but it has more to do with Thinkstock and my concerns for the direction Getty appears to be taking Istock than in any issues related to canister level.
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..Those pulling their art from other sites are still in a good position: they are closer to exclusivity, which I think is a very wise decision
It depends, it would be the wrong decision for me and anyone else who has much bigger portfolios on other sites that make them more money. I am also disappointed in the way they handled StockXpert, their new subs site offering the lowest commission and that they didn't just grandfather in the canister levels for all their current members. What has happened in the last few months has made me more likely to move away from microstock than go exclusive.
I can just say that after the intro of VETTA and the price increase my RPI for January was $6.6, and Feb is going to be even better. I think it's worth the wait for ones portfolio to grow. But hey that's just my 5 cents ::) I mean I know it takes a bit of faith, a temporary decrease in income and a lot of patience, but I think you will end up with a smile on your face ;D In my eyes this canister level or that canister level doesn't really matter. The commission is reasonably high to begin with when you become exclusive, and it only becomes VETTA, I mean better! 8)
Are you really considering leaving microstock? Where will you go?
Yours,
laflor
There are lots of other ways to make money from images and footage. Some are probably better than vetta :) I am bored doing the same thing for over 3 years and need a change. I will try and maintain my microstock income but this year I feel like exploring other markets.
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I'm interested to know how this announcement has been received by those who deleted their portfolios elsewhere (or gave notice to do so) on the strength of needing to be grandfathered in to the next level ?
I'm one of those and I am still happy about this announcement.
I will admit I am considering jumping back on the fence, but it has more to do with Thinkstock and my concerns for the direction Getty appears to be taking Istock than in any issues related to canister level.
yep, I'm on that rickety fence too :)
Dreamstime's lowering commissions and Fotolia's BS makes me want to go exclusive but I have a very cyncial view of thinkstock and getty and it keeps me away (not to mention halving my income for sometime).
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This is perfect news for me. I can't get my arms down. I was sooo close to making it to the next level (a difference of less than 3 weeks of sales), and I guess there must be hundreds of artists on iStock that are really close to the next level, and who would have just not made it by only a few downloads.
Those pulling their art from other sites are still in a good position: they are closer to exclusivity, which I think is a very wise decision.
Yours sincerely,
Daniel
Same here
Kone
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There are lots of other ways to make money from images and footage. Some are probably better than vetta :) I am bored doing the same thing for over 3 years and need a change. I will try and maintain my microstock income but this year I feel like exploring other markets.
I'm thinking the same thing lately. StockXpert closing was a real kick in the teeth for me, cutting a little over 10% of my monthly microstock income. On the one hand you might think that would push me more towards exclusivity since my non-istock income is now a lot lower. On the other hand, though, with the ThinkStock debacle and other recent happenings, it all collectively makes me want to stay away from istock. Frankly, I don't trust that company anymore and wouldn't gamble the rest of my microstock income on them. I get the feeling I'm not alone in that sentiment, and that even some current istock exclusives are starting to lose faith in the crown.
I'm stuck in the dilemma of regaining that lost StockXpert 10% and then still trying to grow my income beyond that which feels more and more like a losing battle these days. I'm not sure where this all leads but it's not exclusivity for me. I need to remain more nimble in the current micorstock market to keep all options open and explore new avenues of earning (some of which are already looking good so far).
Beyond microstock, I'm taking the time to work on some other projects that I've been neglecting. So for now, I'm on a microstock hiatus. I haven't produced anything new for stock in a few weeks and don't plan on doing anything new for a few months. I'm just too * frustrated with everything right now and need to stop and reassess my business plan. One of my neglected projects is a new design business that could turn out to be a good long-term income source if things go well, so I'm putting most of my energy into that right now. Microstock just feels too much like a losing venture at the moment and I think the wise thing for me to do personally is to take a break from it.
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Those pulling their art from other sites are still in a good position: they are closer to exclusivity, which I think is a very wise decision.
For me, it seems like a dirty trick of IS. Pushing people to commit to them as exclusive, pulling their ports everywhere so they can be grandfathered, then just say, well, we didn't mean it really.
What's next? Bumping you behind in the best match because you don't allow thinkstock sales?
To me it also seems like that, or moreover IS saw less exclusive commitment then expected with the canister level change announcement, so they are extending the time to pull in more contributors. I am starting to reconsider my exclusivity, as with over 1000 files online my sales are tumbling.. mostly vector and raster illustrations..with my high production capability, i am wondering if istock is the place for me, with new files laying stale...Its definitely a big risk but worth considering
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i am wondering if istock is the place for me, with new files laying stale...Its definitely a big risk but worth considering
IMO, the risk is not all that big going from exclusive to independent. What do you give up that you can't get back if you change your mind? (Well, with the new proposed canister level changes, there is that grandfathering to the next level.)
OTOH, going from independent to exclusive is a huge risk, as on most sites, you have to delete your entire portfolio in order to stop selling there. If it turns out exclusivity doesn't work for you, good luck getting even half of your original portfolio back on many sites.
So, I've never quite understood exclusives being nervous about trying independence, but I definitely understand independents who are unwilling to chuck it all for the hope that exclusivity might work out for them.
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I'm interested to know how this announcement has been received by those who deleted their portfolios elsewhere (or gave notice to do so) on the strength of needing to be grandfathered in to the next level ?
I'm one of those and I am still happy about this announcement.
I will admit I am considering jumping back on the fence, but it has more to do with Thinkstock and my concerns for the direction Getty appears to be taking Istock than in any issues related to canister level.
Lisa,
you changed your mind about exclusivity so many times lately, it is becoming so interesting! ;D :-*
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Lisa,
you changed your mind about exclusivity so many times lately, it is becoming so interesting! ;D :-*
More like embarrasing! ;)
OTOH I do this for a living and my mortgage and daughter's college education are on the line, literally. No room to make any drastic mistakes.
If IS could manage to go six months (the Dreamstime hold period) without doing something bone-headed I would probably have been exclusive years ago.
If you read the IS forums lately even some of the most (formerly) ardent cheerleaders are having doubts about exclusivity.
Of course this may all blow over, but meanwhile I have to play it safe.
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Well... I don't want to jinx myself, but I am very happy with the results of my exclusivity so far. (regardless of any cannister level stuff)
I deleted portfolios from StockXpert, SS, FT, DT, BS and Veer.
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This is perfect news for me. I can't get my arms down. I was sooo close to making it to the next level (a difference of less than 3 weeks of sales), and I guess there must be hundreds of artists on iStock that are really close to the next level, and who would have just not made it by only a few downloads.
Those pulling their art from other sites are still in a good position: they are closer to exclusivity, which I think is a very wise decision.
Yours sincerely,
Daniel
Maybe even better news for people who like yourself were close to one level up. From the IS forum:
When the canister levels change on February 24, all members will still be grandfathered into their current level, and all Exclusive members will be grandfathered into the old levels for their next canister as well.
I don't see how people who changed to exclusive can find something to complain about being grandfathered into the next higher level? But then some people will find something wrong with picking up a $20 bill off the ground. ::)
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More like embarrasing! ;)
Does the Greek God has to send you a mail again? :-p