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Author Topic: IS Newsletter - A collection of excuses  (Read 23932 times)

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Beppe Grillo

« Reply #25 on: August 30, 2013, 04:39 »
+2
SCENE V. Dunsinane. Within the castle.

MACBETH:.........it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.


William Shakespeare.

I was thinking the same in a more XXI century way: Bla bla bla bla
But Shakespeare said it very better


« Reply #26 on: August 30, 2013, 04:53 »
0
Of course that's what it means, but with the best match for almost a year now, and expecially for the past few months penalising new files, and indeed often punishing them if they get early-ish sales, there aren't many 'actions' being performed on them.

I think I can see the logic of new content mostly belonging in the 'newest' search whilst the best match should perhaps mostly be either for hand picked content or for content which has earned a place there over significant time.

It would be great if they could find some way to reward buyers for using the 'newest' search by making it cheaper. But I doubt that is feasible :) - given that buyers who search by 'newest' are effectively going to be doing more work.

« Reply #27 on: August 30, 2013, 05:06 »
+8
Also it would have been good to hear something official about the company's new(ish) General Manager, so we don't have to rely on press releases posted on external sites.

It might just be easier to announce who the next GM of Istock will be ... in about 16 months from now.

« Reply #28 on: August 30, 2013, 05:47 »
+3
it looks like they're resting on their laurels.

by the way, if they dont announce that the new collections are doing great it's an admission they're not doing good at all so they will give it three more months and then make another mess to further mix the collections.

non exclusives are barely kept as second class citizens, guess they're planning yet another cut in their fees.

all in all, i've the feeling they lost their window of opportunity years ago and now it's too * late to patch the sinking boat, it aint gonna work no mother what they try, it's a deja-vu of the old Adobe vs Quark ..




« Reply #29 on: August 30, 2013, 05:55 »
0
"There are a number of lingering questions about what is going to happen with Non-exclusive content, when will people see files moved to S+, and why certain content is in one collection and not the other." But we have no intention of answering them.

exactly, the next bomb for indies is going to be so big that they are delaying the annoucement (while desperate and greedy contributors keep feeding them)

Shelma1

  • stockcoalition.org
« Reply #30 on: August 30, 2013, 06:56 »
+9
It's not a newsletter. Where's the news? It reads like they just picked up Lobo's replies to complaints on the forums. If I didn't visit their forums once in a while I would have absolutely no idea what the heck they were talking about. (Not that I do anyway.)

In addition to hiring new IT staff, they clearly need to hire a professional to write their newsletters (but maybe this one is so bad because they're losing money and had to fire the person who used to write them?).

Oh, heck, they need to clean house and hire an entirely new staff.

« Reply #31 on: August 30, 2013, 07:24 »
+1
What's really relevant:

New Tab = Curated (Editor's Pick) or Hot (a mix of best match and Age). I can't think of anything else.I would bet for first one.

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #32 on: August 30, 2013, 07:50 »
0
In addition to hiring new IT staff, they clearly need to hire a professional to write their newsletters (but maybe this one is so bad because they're losing money and had to fire the person who used to write them?).
RogerMexico (Andrew) who used to write the newsletters has left, and I believe Lobo writes them now, as he is the Contributor Communications Manager sic.
« Last Edit: August 30, 2013, 08:23 by ShadySue »

Beppe Grillo

« Reply #33 on: August 30, 2013, 07:51 »
+4
What I don't understand is why they send me (dear contributor!!)
a news letter without any new,
a news letter where they speak about advantages only for customers
??? ?

Why they don't send me a news letter to explain me how they will sell more and pay more to their "dear contributor"?

Did they forget that we are the suppliers of their feedstock?
And if they have forgotten that, isn't it the time to remember them that without us they could not even exist?!@#*&^?? *

« Last Edit: August 30, 2013, 07:54 by Beppe Grillo »

« Reply #34 on: August 30, 2013, 08:14 »
0
Quote
... That means that we know for certain that things will change. ...

Their analytical skills of reality are stellar.  :P

The universe is in constant motion!!

Ron

« Reply #35 on: August 30, 2013, 08:23 »
+2
In addition to hiring new IT staff, they clearly need to hire a professional to write their newsletters (but maybe this one is so bad because they're losing money and had to fire the person who used to write them?).
RogerMexico (Adrew) who used to write the newsletters has left, and I believe Lobo writes them now, as he is the Contributor Communications Manager sic.
Him being a communications manager is like giving a Nobel peace price to Assad.

« Reply #36 on: August 30, 2013, 08:28 »
0
Andrew was great! I dont know who writes the newsletters now, but he or she is (not yet?) anywhere near his level.

It is difficult to communicate well with an international contributor base.

« Reply #37 on: August 30, 2013, 08:29 »
0
Good news that thumbnails are finally going to get bigger.  Hope they make a decent job of it.

« Reply #38 on: August 30, 2013, 09:19 »
+1
Bugga
« Last Edit: August 30, 2013, 11:40 by jjneff »

« Reply #39 on: August 30, 2013, 10:00 »
-1
It reads like they just picked up Lobo's replies to complaints on the forums.

More than that what would you expect or want ? It brings everyone who reads it up to speed which is great if you don't read the forums or miss something. I cannot see what the issue is with the newsletter.
« Last Edit: August 30, 2013, 10:10 by bhr »

« Reply #40 on: August 30, 2013, 10:19 »
+4
Good news that thumbnails are finally going to get bigger.  Hope they make a decent job of it.

,,, new interface is so ugly -
« Last Edit: February 03, 2014, 03:00 by ferdinand »

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #41 on: August 30, 2013, 10:37 »
+4
It reads like they just picked up Lobo's replies to complaints on the forums.

More than that what would you expect or want ?

"Tell us News, not history". I.e. tell us what's about to happen and why. Don't suddenly spring half-functioning features on the website without telling us first. More, timelier newsletters would be more welcome - people can opt out if they wish.
Don't always be caught up in amelioration.
In other words, be proactive, not reactive. Tell us the benefits of the changes, and make sure before you launch them that there will actually be benefits. I and many others (not everyone) have seen nothing but falling dls and $$s for many months now. If they are only targetting a certain kind of customer, tell us - so that those of us with different subjects in our portfolio know that iS is not the place to put these, even if it used to be.
Let us know they know what they're doing and that they have a solid plan and strategy (I have seen no evidence of either for several years).
Don't keep trying to tell us there's 'something great just round the corner'. There hasn't been much of that for several years either.
« Last Edit: August 30, 2013, 10:51 by ShadySue »

« Reply #42 on: August 30, 2013, 11:23 »
+2
It is difficult to communicate well with an international contributor base.

actually it is so easy, just bring royalties to a fair level and stop messing around with pricing and collections, BTW that is reminding me of an agency ;D

« Reply #43 on: August 30, 2013, 12:21 »
+3
"Tell us News, not history". I.e. tell us what's about to happen and why. Don't suddenly spring half-functioning features on the website without telling us first. More, timelier newsletters would be more welcome - people can opt out if they wish.
Don't always be caught up in amelioration.
In other words, be proactive, not reactive. Tell us the benefits of the changes, and make sure before you launch them that there will actually be benefits. I and many others (not everyone) have seen nothing but falling dls and $$s for many months now. If they are only targetting a certain kind of customer, tell us - so that those of us with different subjects in our portfolio know that iS is not the place to put these, even if it used to be.
Let us know they know what they're doing and that they have a solid plan and strategy (I have seen no evidence of either for several years).
Don't keep trying to tell us there's 'something great just round the corner'. There hasn't been much of that for several years either.

You seem to have a very negative outlook. And yet many exclusives have been reporting another strong month of Getty sales - whilst many on the non excluive subscription side have been reporting strong Thinkstock sales and income. It certainly is not all bad.

And from my point of view the site and search changes at iStock seem sensible. I think they are improving the site. I don't expect to be told everything in advance. It's not my site. Shutterstock, Alamy and GI don't tell everyone everything in advance. Why should iStock ? Things seem to be going in the right direction.

Given all the often infectious negativity about iStock I was surprised when I looked at the numbers to find that my income from iStock-Getty combined has been remarkable steady for the past 3 years despite the dreadful world economy; despite massively increased competition relative to the size of my own portfolio; despite microstock per se likely being in decline etc. Moving some of the income to Getty has definitely worked for me and I think for many others too. Moving stuff to different price points represents something like a diversification.

Meanwhile: Shutterstockers continue to be enthusiastic about Shutterstock; Stocksy has an awesome body of work and seems to have made a very impressive launch; Alamy is still a great outlet for the sort of RM editorial content which sells well at Alamy. There is a good range of options and things seem surprisingly ok really.

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #44 on: August 30, 2013, 12:43 »
+4
You seem to have a very negative outlook.
I can only say as I find. As you can.
I said that not everyone was reporting falls, and I was talking about iS, not GI or TS, neither of which were mentioned in the newsletter.
What relevance do SS, Stocksy and Alamy have to the iStock newsletter?
« Last Edit: August 30, 2013, 12:52 by ShadySue »

lisafx

« Reply #45 on: August 30, 2013, 12:50 »
+9


"Tell us News, not history". I.e. tell us what's about to happen and why. Don't suddenly spring half-functioning features on the website without telling us first. More, timelier newsletters would be more welcome - people can opt out if they wish.
Don't always be caught up in amelioration.
In other words, be proactive, not reactive.

Yes!  God, wouldn't you think that would be obvious?  A newsletter should express UPCOMING events, not give a half-a$$ed explanation/excuse for past implementations. 

It really leaves the impression that half the management doesn't even know what's going on most of the time. 

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #46 on: August 30, 2013, 13:10 »
+2
Those lightbox links often look shonky - and sometimes the links are even missing or dead - or code snippets left showing because someone has not checked their work. Or images not showing because the free hosting has failed etc.
iStock, having encouraged us to create them and told us how to do it, broke the links a few years back [1]. But only on one of the three (IIRC) ways you could do it, as was explained in an admin's tutorial. So some lightboxes were broken and some were find.

[1]Without telling us.
I remember reading about it in passing in the forum, looking at one of my links and seeing it was OK, and only much later I found that as I hadn't done them all the same way (but all as explained in the tutorial), some had been broken.
I thought I'd fixed all mine, but apparently although I did it in DM, there are some 'odd' files which DM  didn't throw up, and I fix them when I find them.

Please allocate blame where it's due.

« Reply #47 on: August 30, 2013, 13:21 »
-2
You seem to have a very negative outlook.
I can only say as I find. As you can.
I said that not everyone was reporting falls, and I was talking about iS, not GI or TS, neither of which were mentioned in the newsletter.
What relevance do SS, Stocksy and Alamy have to the iStock newsletter?

iS, GI and TS are different parts of a single thing. I am fairly certain that you need to be looking at the thing as a whole rather than as a bunch of bits in isolation.

SS, Stocksy and Alamy are 3 other good news stories. The point I am making is that despite all of the negative sentiments often expressed here there is lots to be positive about in reality.

iStock, having encouraged us to create them and told us how to do it, broke the links a few years back

I am guessing that after a few years anyone who cares will have gone back and fixed or updated them by now. Presumably people check their work now and again. Especially given that there will be other issues which need checking - Eg external hosting, keywording etc.

ETA: and the broken links often appear to be about sloppy coding - eg when you see bits of UBB in the description because it has not been closed properly.
« Last Edit: August 30, 2013, 13:24 by bhr »

WarrenPrice

« Reply #48 on: August 30, 2013, 13:36 »
+1


"Tell us News, not history". I.e. tell us what's about to happen and why. Don't suddenly spring half-functioning features on the website without telling us first. More, timelier newsletters would be more welcome - people can opt out if they wish.
Don't always be caught up in amelioration.
In other words, be proactive, not reactive.


Yes!  God, wouldn't you think that would be obvious?  A newsletter should express UPCOMING events, not give a half-a$$ed explanation/excuse for past implementations. 

It really leaves the impression that half the management doesn't even know what's going on most of the time.

Would that be News or a prediction ... forecasting?
This reminds me a bit of watching the 5 o'clock news -- I already know all that.  I read it on the internet.  Tell me something new ... even if you have to make it up.   ;D :P


« Reply #49 on: August 30, 2013, 13:43 »
+4
Good news that thumbnails are finally going to get bigger.  Hope they make a decent job of it.

Bravo Sir/Madam for finding the lone nugget of goodness in a pile of horse manure ;)



 

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