funny, one of Aldra's bestselling images is....a headset on white....blue flames. couldn't resist. amazing though considering the unbelievable creativity and beauty of other images in that port

...Ford/Toyota/BMW haven't stopped bringing out new models of car and instead are diversifying into boats, planes or laptops are they? They try to maintain and grow their market share in what they are good at.

I'm not sure that's the right way to look at it. A Toyota purchase potentially takes a sale away from every other car manufacturer, because that buyer isn't in the market for a Ford or BMW once they bought the Toyota. Stock image buyers are always in the market for more images, but usually different images. Once they finish that headset project, they're on to a speaker project, a microphone project, etc., and need relevant images for all of those projects.

If I'm good at creating headset images, then sure I want a couple hundred really really good headset images to help me take a good chunk of that niche. But with a few thousand headset images I think at some point I'd only be competing with myself, and only for the attention of the fairly limited pool of buyers who are only ever looking for headset images. It's marketing yourself to the limited audience that only needs one of something, rather than marketing yourself to the wider audience that will be a repeat customer.

I would like to know if it's correct that "most of its users do still think reasonably well of iStockphoto" as stated on another thread. What better way to check if faith has been eroded in the brand than by a poll!

I think their upload/submission process is wholly inefficient. Their policies of whats "suitable for stock" changes with the wind. They manage us like we are mindless and their forums are toxic. For buyers they are also tyrannical regarding credits and their pricing. I get the impression that management is out of touch. Other than that, they are a descent company. 

a poll is only as good as its sample group. a poll here is entertainment at best.

Other than that, they are a descent company. 

your typo is Freudian...;-)

Quote from: TheBlackRhino on December 13, 2011, 19:35

Other than that, they are a descent company. 

your typo is Freudian...;-)

Woo yay!!!

Aldra,

have you asked Getty if they will keep your contract? Or maybe it is worth keeping your 600 Vetta files with them and not upload these to the micros? Or are the results on Getty itself so dissapointing?

Did anyone from istock contact you personally to ask in more detail why you are leaving or make an effort to win you back?

Or at least to thank you for the many years of excellent business collaboration wishing you well in your journey?

JoAnn - what is your point? I apologize for missing the size of the portfolio on SS and DT...but you're just splitting hairs. My point is exactly the same. How can morphart give advice concerning lost IS income to SS gain-with JUST 17 files on iStock?

I certainly wish sodafish the best but I wouldn't expect income to be made up anytime soon.

For some or most of us truth matters. What iSt-oka want to I believe is not powerfull enough to convince me in they greedy *insult removed* game. Maybe you were in right time in right place and avoid touching TipToes but most of us are not. I really dont understand why you advocate this *insult removed* just from you own horse glasses perspective?

Dont worry be happy and start practicing Salute to Sun exercise in new year.

Ill been watching you, to how you delusion/s will evolve thru next year.

For some or most of us truth matters. What iSt-oka want to I believe is not powerfull enough to convince me in they greedy *insult removed* game. Maybe you were in right time in right place and avoid touching TipToes but most of us are not. I really dont understand why you advocate this *insult removed* just from you own horse glasses perspective?

Dont worry be happy and start practicing Salute to Sun exercise in new year.

Ill been watching you, to how you delusion/s will evolve thru next year.

He's a poet __ but he don't know it.

Hi Aldra!  welcome to the ever exiting world of independants! fantastic port.

On another note:  there are so many high-flying exclusives leaving, I think we can safetly resume to the fact, IS,  is definetely losing it. At first one thought it was a flash in the pan, you knoiw, the kind of usual bickering but not now. Here are a whole string of really heavy contributors, leaving. DAD sign indeed.

Somehow I dont think the Getty/IS, hierarchy expected this.

Isn't it four or five out of the top couple of hundred? It's like watching a dam starting to break.
No doubt a lot of others will be watching with interest to see what sort of results these people report. If they do well, others will probably follow. If they don't, people will probably stay aboard the RMS iStock, convinced that she's unsinkable and can't have been holed.

Isn't it four or five out of the top couple of hundred? It's like watching a dam starting to break.
No doubt a lot of others will be watching with interest to see what sort of results these people report. If they do well, others will probably follow. If they don't, people will probably stay aboard the RMS iStock, convinced that she's unsinkable and can't have been holed.

4-5 exclusives going independent out of the top 2-300 contributors = 4,5/250 = 1,8%...hmmm that is a very small leak (so far).

Sorry, of course what  I meant to say was they would be convinced that the LZ-2000 iStock would float serenely onwards through heavily oversaturated blue skies, guided by its captain's steady hand, driven by powerful Hellfried engines, and could never encounter any storm that would make it crash and burn.