Funny Istockphoto forums

[gg1]

If you look at the forums a few times you'll find something unusual by any standard in this business. You will find a community of people that never help each other.

You will find a demential sparkle and shine group with 40000 comments about everything except istockphoto. Holiday places, family vacation photos, pets.

Nobody ever criticizes anything at IS, but everyone wants to look good and kiss some a@@

1000 thank you inspector threads where people line up to express their gratitude to inspectors and respect their hard work.

The Kelvinjay moderator that (in my opinion) can be very, very rude at times and will answer questions from a few selected contributors. But mostly he locks threads and tells people not so politely what he doesn't like about their posts.

If someone working for IS writes anything, or even asks about the weather in Canada today, a dozen people will lineup to give him weather information and thank him for sharing his doubts with the community.

If someone unknown shows his or her work used somewhere nobody will answer. If  a big IS name posts anything in that forum compliments will come in by the hundreds.

It's no place for discussion. The entire community praises IS, their big photographers, and their employees. Contributors hope to gain advantages this way and fear consequences if they write anything IS doesn't like.

It's almost funny, you could laugh or cry for those contributors. Why IS treats its people like this is beyond me. Why contributors accept this from IS and kelvinjay is also beyond me.

IS forum writers have no sense of community. It's only a place to try be noticed by a few bic pieces. Pathetic.

[cathyslife]

That's why I don't go to the forums there anymore, and that's why I don't contribute to istock anymore. You sum them up nicely...pathetic.

[ShadySue]

Obviously.

It used to be a very helpful community, but the RC phenomenon all but put an end to that (there is still some helpful info in the critique forum).

Tell the truth about negative things about iStock and you get banned (I'm 17 months and counting; according to Lobo, I'm sine died, but he doesn't know Latin, so he just said I wasn't gettin my posting privileges restored).
The dissenters who persisted were all banned, so that the former leader KKT could claim that the fuss about the broken promise about 'grandfathering in' had all died out.

[gg1]

cclapper, I stopped too. No longer with them.

ShadySue, that's amazing. They can't keep you from posting forever. I mean they can, but I haven't seen this anywhere.

[ShadySue]

ShadySue, that's amazing. They can't keep you from posting forever. I mean they can, but I haven't seen this anywhere.

Nice to be the the Non-Poster Child.  

[KarenH]

It didn't used to be like this.  The community forums were fun and helpful, and they allowed for criticism, and locked threads (or deleted ones) were rare.  Different world then.  Too bad.   

[stockastic]

I'm just waiting for IS to be sold, spun off or reorganized into something that starts making sense again. 

[Sean Locke Photography]

I think the OP is exaggerating.  There is not constant gushing praise anymore.  There are complaints and criticisms.  People are critiqued in the correct forum.  Etc.  Sure, the forums are different then they used to be.

Sounds like someone feels they aren't getting enough attention.

[Wim]

Try DT forums, same stuff over there, one big happy family of contributors. Do not dare to speak evil!

To my opinion, istock is getting way too much heat from everyone. It's not like they are the only bad guys around is it? before you guys think I'm one of those fans, my income there is one third of SS.

I do find the acceptance of cellphone images laughable, but you can bet that other agencies will follow this trend, that's microstock for ya

[WarrenPrice]

Try DT forums, same stuff over there, one big happy family of contributors. Do not dare to speak evil!

To my opinion, istock is getting way too much heat from everyone. It's not like they are the only bad guys around is it? before you guys think I'm one of those fans, my income there is one third of SS.

I do find the acceptance of cellphone images laughable, but you can bet that other agencies will follow this trend, that's microstock for ya

+1

[Microbius]

Agreed, none of the sites forums are worth visiting as far as I know. FL has also banned people for stuff they have said there, SS is totally cliquey and unprofessional, full of promotional show me threads. The only place to come for open discussion and to be heard by the sites/ receive a response is here.
I think there's some people that feel IStock is worse because there was a more community feel over there in the past for some so the change makes it seem worse?  but then again there was less to complain about in the old days so less need for censorship anyhow.

[gg1]

As much as I dislike  censorship on IS forums, particularly from one over confident "moderator" from the UK, I was not complaining about that problem.

My problem is how pathetic some forum contributors are literally trying to kiss a@@, maybe with the hope of selling more images, or with the fear of consequences if they are not visible enough or even look bad. It's really pathetic. Even Stalin didn't enjoy as many compliments from his party friends.

[ShadySue]

As much as I dislike  censorship on IS forums, particularly from one over confident "moderator" from the UK, I was not complaining about that problem.

My problem is how pathetic some forum contributors are literally trying to kiss a@@, maybe with the hope of selling more images, or with the fear of consequences if they are not visible enough or even look bad. It's really pathetic. Even Stalin didn't enjoy as many compliments from his party friends.

I don't see many of these now: one firm believer and a 'wish I could keep the faith' hopeful.
The woo-ways were far, far more common in the GODs.
However, I seldom look in the sparkle and shine and race to gold threads. These started from old race threads, and are by way of social groups.

[michaeldb]

It didn't used to be like this... 

Am I the only one who remembers Peebert?

Although I should admit that I don't know much about what it is like there now. I go to request payments, remove a few more of my flamed images when I have some spare time, and don't need IS for anything.

[lisafx]

Am I the only one who remembers Peebert?

Peebert was brash and intimidating, but he was also funny as He11.  The IS forums were way more interesting back then. 

[Mantis]

Nobody ever criticizes anything at IS, but everyone wants to look good and kiss some a@@
IS forum writers have no sense of community. It's only a place to try be noticed by a few bic pieces. Pathetic.

This is all wrong if you consider what IS WAS.  Contributors used to always criticize.  We still would if we could.  Now those kind of threads get instantly locked by the forum *. It used to be a meaningful community, a lot of helping and image critique.  Then contributors, after all the changes IS made, said, "fk it, I am not helping other photographers become my competitors with the RC change".  What's left? The rest of what you said.  Those who can stomach posting "I love you" threads and responses are what's left.  And there you have today's IS forum....by no fault of the contributors, but 100% fault of the IS policy, forum admins and a lack of forum usefulness altogether.  The more power to those posting on IS who can stomach the unconstructive, misguided environment there. For me, I found MSG a couple of years ago and it's FAR better than the IS forums and also, I might add, the SS forums.

[Carl]

Soon after I criticized IS in a forum post, they decided that they didn't want any more of my work, and they sent an email to me telling me just that.  I probably would have stopped uploading to them anyway.  They didn't delete the material that I had, though.  It continues to sell, and I'll make payout about every three months.

[gallofilm]

sad thing if it's all true

[Jo Ann Snover]

It didn't used to be like this... 

Am I the only one who remembers Peebert?

Although I should admit that I don't know much about what it is like there now. I go to request payments, remove a few more of my flamed images when I have some spare time, and don't need IS for anything.

No, I remember Peebert too. Brusque to a fault and merciless, but as Lisa says, very funny.

Heart, heart, unicorn, rainbow.

The iStock forums have changed dramatically in the last 18 months. I don't post there any more because Lobo banned me too - for one sarcastic post in a thread about the Feast site that they started (the sarcasm was about why they were starting up a new site when we had a list of bugs as long as your arm that weren't being fixed for the main site).

Getty's running the show now...

[gg1]

jsnover, you're right, I think Getty is at fault here. Getty is overrated among corporate buyers. Their selection is often horrible. Their site is ugly to see and to navigate. Their prices are excessive. They select a few Vetta collection photos assuming they are better than the rest of IS and worthy of Getty. Most Vetta is a collection of over saturated pictures and HDR work anyway.

But Getty is killing IS. They really don't know what to do with all their sites they purchased, they are annoying many contributors with their PP program. I suppose that helped kill the community at IS.

[oxman]

Soon after I criticized IS in a forum post, they decided that they didn't want any more of my work, and they sent an email to me telling me just that.  I probably would have stopped uploading to them anyway.  They didn't delete the material that I had, though.  It continues to sell, and I'll make payout about every three months.

WOW! 
Any more details on that. They really stopped accepting uploads from you for a forum post?

[Wim]

A shame that some of you got treated this way, but don't think you're safe on other sites my friends, they all have their different tactics.

I can imagine the frustration for the big IS change though, not only in forums, but search and sales too.

[Mantis]

A shame that some of you got treated this way, but don't think you're safe on other sites my friends, they all have their different tactics.

I can imagine the frustration for the big IS change though, not only in forums, but search and sales too.

**^exactly^**

[BaldricksTrousers]

cclapper, I stopped too. No longer with them.

ShadySue, that's amazing. They can't keep you from posting forever. I mean they can, but I haven't seen this anywhere.

It's hard to see when people can't post 

Try asking Caspixel about it. Quite a few have been banned. Lots more have banned themselves and others obediently put on a gag when they do bother to post there.

[Carl]

Soon after I criticized IS in a forum post, they decided that they didn't want any more of my work, and they sent an email to me telling me just that.  I probably would have stopped uploading to them anyway.  They didn't delete the material that I had, though.  It continues to sell, and I'll make payout about every three months.

WOW! 
Any more details on that. They really stopped accepting uploads from you for a forum post?

They didn't say, "Hey, you posted something on the forum that we don't like, so we're revoking your uploading priviledges."  The message came soon after the forum post telling me that they didn't like what I had been uploading [even though it was being inspected and approved], and that they would no longer accept any of my material.  Maybe it was just coincidental.  Maybe the two events are completely unrelated.  And maybe two plus two really doesn't equal four.