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Author Topic: Layoffs at istock  (Read 135956 times)

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rubyroo

« Reply #475 on: January 21, 2012, 10:01 »
0
I'm sure as long as we have such delightful treasures as HIGNFY and Mock the Week, that won't happen.  :D

Very true!  I'm a fan of both!  Especially HIGNFY - wouldn't miss it for the world :D


rubyroo

« Reply #476 on: January 21, 2012, 10:06 »
0
unless 'new kind of trust' means 'don't trust anything'.

Yes indeed - there's such a thing as oversaturating your specs with the tint of 'rose'.

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #477 on: January 21, 2012, 10:14 »
0
Not sure if this has already been posted yesterday but they also lost someone from the video department:

http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_messages.php?threadid=339881&page=1

Which will probably mean even longer inspection times are coming. Currently non-exclusives have roughly a 2.5 month wait.


That, on the face of it, seems totally insane.

« Reply #478 on: January 21, 2012, 11:17 »
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Just imagine how long the video reviews would be if they hadn't put a lot of us off with their tedious buggy upload, processing glitches, disgustingly low commissions and poor sales.  I deleted most of my video portfolio after the commission cut and wouldn't dream of uploading there now.

I wonder how much money istock have lost by being greedy and demotivating contributors?  Probably enough to pay for lots more video inspectors.  Pond5 is the big winner, just like SS is with stills.

« Reply #479 on: January 21, 2012, 11:46 »
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ditto. i could care less about hearing answers to jameses questions. they would just be platitudes again anyways.

I guess you mean you couldn't care less?

Off topic - I came across David Mitchel speaking on exactly that point a few days ago -
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om7O0MFkmpw[/youtube]

« Reply #480 on: January 21, 2012, 11:54 »
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...Pond5 is the big winner, just like SS is with stills.

Checked Alexa out of curiosity, and for the first time I've seen, Shutterstock is running neck and neck with IS and actually beating them on some days.  Whether or not Alexa is reliable, this development is nevertheless interesting.
« Last Edit: January 21, 2012, 12:28 by Karimala »

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #481 on: January 21, 2012, 12:01 »
0
I guess you mean you couldn't care less?
Off topic - came across David Mitchel speaking on exactly that point a few days ago -
Brilliant: what a coincidental find.  :D

« Reply #482 on: January 21, 2012, 12:09 »
0
I guess you mean you couldn't care less?
Off topic - came across David Mitchel speaking on exactly that point a few days ago -
Brilliant: what a coincidental find.  :D

 :D You guys are too funny!

rubyroo

« Reply #483 on: January 21, 2012, 13:11 »
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@ briciola

Brilliant!  Thank you so much!  The misuse of that phrase drives me nuts - as he says, it makes no sense at all.  God bless you David Mitchell.  I think he's great on 'Would I Lie To You' also.

« Reply #484 on: January 21, 2012, 19:49 »
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I'm with James! give me your vision not your secrets. I need to make an informed business decision!

« Reply #485 on: January 21, 2012, 20:15 »
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I love David Mitchell. Even 'Peep Show'. You've really got to dig David Mitchell to stream your through 'Peep Show'. It's no 'Mitchell and Webb' (:

« Reply #486 on: January 21, 2012, 21:21 »
0
I'm with James! give me your vision not your secrets. I need to make an informed business decision!

Yes, James post is excellent and down to the point.

This "no -information announcement" from the Wizard(s) of Oz hiding behind some thick curtain is so counterproductive, I really dont know what to say. Apart from all the site bugs, the company communication, if there is any, seems to be designed to belittle and embarrass us. Just like the strange "little monster in the cellar" screen that was used AGAIN.

A CEO of an international  200+ million dollar business that hides? Or that other admins feel they need to protect and shield from the real world?? Isnt "superior social network leadership skills" the most essential part of the job description for an internet based marketplace?  

All the competition now has to do is parade their brainpower - CEOs and executives that give public interviews, show themselves in videos, smart presentation of intelligent new business tools for contributors and customers, a leadership team that OMG (!) dares to personally meet contributors. Maybe even shakes a hand or two and says "I hope the service our agency provides meets your expectations"....and all the time appear to actually ENJOY leading a company. There are indeed people that thrive under that kind of responsibility.


Where will the next generation and talent go? Digital entrepreneurs are not silly little children.

The competition is certainly just sitting back, having enormous fun watching istocks reputation sink lower and lower.

Very sad. And completly avoidable. :(

--------------------------------------------------

I see a lot of new members popping up here. Looks like msg will be even more powerful as the main business plattform of the industry.

Unfortunately, I spent too little time building my portfolio in the last few years. And I seriously wonder how the Inspector team or any admins are taking the new developments. I wish them all the best, they are amazingly passionate and hard working people. Best team I have ever been part of. Truly grateful to the istock that was.

I think I will try to take a break from the forums for a while and just focus on content production. I own my products, it is the only thing I have full control over.
« Last Edit: January 21, 2012, 21:30 by cobalt »

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #487 on: January 22, 2012, 06:41 »
0
The competition is certainly just sitting back, having enormous fun watching istocks reputation sink lower and lower.
Very sad. And completly avoidable. :(

If they'd wanted to avoid it, which seems debatable.

« Reply #488 on: January 22, 2012, 07:10 »
0
I love David Mitchell. Even 'Peep Show'. You've really got to dig David Mitchell to stream your through 'Peep Show'. It's no 'Mitchell and Webb' (:
It's funny, I much prefer "Peep Show" to "Mitchell and Webb".  Some of the scenes with Super Hans make me laugh until it hurts.  There's a few episodes that aren't brilliant but ones like "Wedding" and "Shrooming" are hilarious.

« Reply #489 on: January 22, 2012, 08:14 »
0
I'm with James! give me your vision not your secrets. I need to make an informed business decision!

Yes, James post is excellent and down to the point.

This "no -information announcement" from the Wizard(s) of Oz hiding behind some thick curtain is so counterproductive, I really dont know what to say. Apart from all the site bugs, the company communication, if there is any, seems to be designed to belittle and embarrass us. Just like the strange "little monster in the cellar" screen that was used AGAIN.

A CEO of an international  200+ million dollar business that hides? Or that other admins feel they need to protect and shield from the real world?? Isnt "superior social network leadership skills" the most essential part of the job description for an internet based marketplace?  


All the competition now has to do is parade their brainpower - CEOs and executives that give public interviews, show themselves in videos, smart presentation of intelligent new business tools for contributors and customers, a leadership team that OMG (!) dares to personally meet contributors. Maybe even shakes a hand or two and says "I hope the service our agency provides meets your expectations"....and all the time appear to actually ENJOY leading a company. There are indeed people that thrive under that kind of responsibility.


Where will the next generation and talent go? Digital entrepreneurs are not silly little children.

The competition is certainly just sitting back, having enormous fun watching istocks reputation sink lower and lower.

Very sad. And completly avoidable. :(

--------------------------------------------------

I see a lot of new members popping up here. Looks like msg will be even more powerful as the main business plattform of the industry.

Unfortunately, I spent too little time building my portfolio in the last few years. And I seriously wonder how the Inspector team or any admins are taking the new developments. I wish them all the best, they are amazingly passionate and hard working people. Best team I have ever been part of. Truly grateful to the istock that was.

I think I will try to take a break from the forums for a while and just focus on content production. I own my products, it is the only thing I have full control over.

Nice post.  Bottom line...they either simply don't know what their go-forward plan is or they know it's going to be a knock out punch to many, many current contributors and until they are ready to drop that axe mums the word.  I still personally feel that all indys will ultimately be pushed into PP as their only "relationship" with Getty.IS.  I have no proof, of course, just that it seems that is just the thing these vultures would do.
« Last Edit: January 22, 2012, 08:23 by Mantis »

« Reply #490 on: January 22, 2012, 08:22 »
0

The problem is that there's been the same helmsman steering the boat since last summer. Is it appreciably further from the shoals now than it was then? Has confidence in completing the voyage safely improved since Rebecca took the helm?



With all these nautical references, this image keeps springing to mind...


ETA:  Just read the prior page and saw Gostwyck beat me to the Costa Concordia reference :)


Another's trash can be someone else's treasure...an artificial reef!!

lagereek

« Reply #491 on: January 22, 2012, 08:32 »
0
I actually photographed this ship in the port of Stockholm a few years back,  was a job for the port of Stockholm authorities, their cruising magazin.

« Reply #492 on: January 22, 2012, 08:48 »
0
I actually photographed this ship in the port of Stockholm a few years back,  was a job for the port of Stockholm authorities, their cruising magazin.

It'll be very interesting to see how and/or what they actually do with it now.  Remove it? Remove it a piece at a time? Clean it, then sink it in deeper water? I saw something on the news that a ship of this type costs $500,000,000.  WOWZ!!

rubyroo

« Reply #493 on: January 22, 2012, 09:19 »
0
I still personally feel that all indys will ultimately be pushed into PP as their only "relationship" with Getty.IS.  I have no proof, of course, just that it seems that is just the thing these vultures would do.

That would be interesting.  I suspect an awful lot of indies would pull their ports out of the PP if it came to that.  They won't have a PP if they have no content.

« Reply #494 on: January 22, 2012, 10:39 »
0
I still personally feel that all indys will ultimately be pushed into PP as their only "relationship" with Getty.IS.  I have no proof, of course, just that it seems that is just the thing these vultures would do.

That would be interesting.  I suspect an awful lot of indies would pull their ports out of the PP if it came to that.  They won't have a PP if they have no content.

It's already happening in some ways.  As I've mentioned previously, 17 of the 20 images in my neon alphabet series completely stopped selling at IS in August 2010, then started selling on the partner sites in September 2010.  They had regular sales at IS up until then, and sales continued with regularity on the partner sites.  Why would these images just stop selling on IS like that? 

I've deactivated these images, so I can't monitor them on IS anymore, but just prior to removal they were showing in best match along with 80 other images with the keywords "neon" and "alphabet."  Only 100 images in the best match, so why did sales come to a sudden halt?

Did they somehow get lost for over a year on IS and only recently reappear just prior to deactivation?  I have no idea, but I do find the whole thing extremely weird.

« Reply #495 on: January 22, 2012, 10:46 »
0

This "no -information announcement" from the Wizard(s) of Oz hiding behind some thick curtain is so counterproductive, I really dont know what to say. Apart from all the site bugs, the company communication, if there is any, seems to be designed to belittle and embarrass us. Just like the strange "little monster in the cellar" screen that was used AGAIN.

A CEO of an international  200+ million dollar business that hides? Or that other admins feel they need to protect and shield from the real world?? Isnt "superior social network leadership skills" the most essential part of the job description for an internet based marketplace?  

It's the way of American big business, where the uber-wealthy CEOs sit in their ivory towers, insulated from the riff raff, disconnected from the real world. When are people going to realize, they will never get the answers they seek from Getty? Getty will do what Getty wants and only inform you of the decisions after they are already implemented. Or do people just not pay attention to their past performance?
« Last Edit: January 22, 2012, 10:49 by caspixel »

« Reply #496 on: January 22, 2012, 11:05 »
0
It's the way of American big business, where the uber-wealthy CEOs sit in their ivory towers, insulated from the riff raff, disconnected from the real world. When are people going to realize, they will never get the answers they seek from Getty? Getty will do what Getty wants and only inform you of the decisions after they are already implemented. Or do people just not pay attention to their past performance?

It pretty much seems that way. I don't know what it will take for some people to see that Getty was on, has been on, and will be on this path from day 1. Every single thing that has happened has been a step closer. The only reason Lobo, KKT, etc. are put in the path is to try and minimalize damage. They DO want to keep a select few happy, and give the illusion that they are giving information and are transparent, but for the most part, they don't give a rat's a$$ what happens to the rest of the contributors. The ones they want to keep happy ARE being communicated with in a businesslike manner. The rest get Lobo.

« Reply #497 on: January 22, 2012, 11:39 »
0
A CEO of an international  200+ million dollar business that hides? Or that other admins feel they need to protect and shield from the real world?? Isnt "superior social network leadership skills" the most essential part of the job description for an internet based marketplace?  

Istock's real problem was that it didn't actually have a CEO. Thompson was only the COO and there's a world of difference. Istock is now nothing more than a 'profit centre' for Getty and worse, one that is being perpetually squeezed for short-term gain to the considerable cost of it's future. Istock will never again have anyone in charge with the authority to make the real strategic decisions necessary to build the business or even prevent it being overwhelmed by the competition. It hasn't got a chance of competing effectively against other agencies that are being driven hard and aggressively by entrepreneurs. Istock is basically f**ked.

« Reply #498 on: January 22, 2012, 12:04 »
0
Istock is being "Lobo"tomized... lol

« Reply #499 on: January 22, 2012, 12:20 »
0
I actually photographed this ship in the port of Stockholm a few years back,  was a job for the port of Stockholm authorities, their cruising magazin.

It'll be very interesting to see how and/or what they actually do with it now.  Remove it? Remove it a piece at a time? Clean it, then sink it in deeper water? I saw something on the news that a ship of this type costs $500,000,000.  WOWZ!!

It took me a minute to decide if you were referring to the ship or to Istock.   ;)


 

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