Author Topic: Micromanaging the istock Forums (Read 33362 times)

SNP · « **Reply #50 on:** March 10, 2011, 10:57 »

Quote from: sjlocke on March 10, 2011, 07:37

Let's try this again...

thanks Sean. well done!

jsmithzz · « **Reply #51 on:** March 10, 2011, 11:16 »

Quote from: SNP on March 09, 2011, 21:40

closing that thread was ridiculous. I felt like I got put in the hall out of kindergarten class. I gotta say that I loved seeing Sean's effort at getting it reopened this morning.

I think it's generally in poor taste to discuss specific people, even here. but I have to disagree with Kelvin's name getting thrown around too. of course you're all entitled to your opinions, but I think he's the same old Kelvin. funny, irreverent and succinct. he just has a new badge. I don't think it's accurate to include him in this context. I just wanted to throw that in the mix.

While I agree with you about feeling like being in kindergarten again, I think discussing specific people is entirely warranted. Dawn made a very poor judgement call by closing the thread. Between that and her new PTOTW form that you have to fill out, which was also not well received and for good reason, I think she's still learning the ropes and getting a feeling for what it means to appease the masses in the forums while still towing the company line. No easy job IMHO. With the way things have been going on iStock, niceties have gone out the window, and I think in some cases that's been necessary to get things done. This is an open forum, free from the ban hammer, and I think it's a much needed place for people to vent and take people to task in a safe environment where people don't have to always be looking over their shoulders. And if that means names get mentioned in this forum, then so much the better.

SNP · « **Reply #52 on:** March 10, 2011, 11:34 »

Quote from: jsmithzz on March 10, 2011, 11:16

Quote from: SNP on March 09, 2011, 21:40
closing that thread was ridiculous. I felt like I got put in the hall out of kindergarten class. I gotta say that I loved seeing Sean's effort at getting it reopened this morning.

I think it's generally in poor taste to discuss specific people, even here. but I have to disagree with Kelvin's name getting thrown around too. of course you're all entitled to your opinions, but I think he's the same old Kelvin. funny, irreverent and succinct. he just has a new badge. I don't think it's accurate to include him in this context. I just wanted to throw that in the mix.

While I agree with you about feeling like being in kindergarten again, I think discussing specific people is entirely warranted. Dawn made a very poor judgement call by closing the thread. Between that and her new PTOTW form that you have to fill out, which was also not well received and for good reason, I think she's still learning the ropes and getting a feeling for what it means to appease the masses in the forums while still towing the company line. No easy job IMHO. With the way things have been going on iStock, niceties have gone out the window, and I think in some cases that's been necessary to get things done. This is an open forum, free from the ban hammer, and I think it's a much needed place for people to vent and take people to task in a safe environment where people don't have to always be looking over their shoulders. And if that means names get mentioned in this forum, then so much the better.

sure. in that context I agree. in any case, I think their goal was to make the forums less of a draw for contributors. mission accomplished.

Sean Locke Photography · « **Reply #53 on:** March 10, 2011, 13:49 »

Just found out that user Stalman is now "unbadged" for whatever reason.

jamirae · « **Reply #54 on:** March 10, 2011, 14:11 »

Quote from: sjlocke on March 10, 2011, 13:49

Just found out that user Stalman is now "unbadged" for whatever reason.

wow. that's a real shocker I certainly would not have expected that one.

thesentinel · « **Reply #55 on:** March 10, 2011, 14:15 »

He with KKT in his portraits, and one purveyor of those strangely popular amongst vetta inspector vignette type face shots - trouble in paradise?

Risamay · « **Reply #56 on:** March 10, 2011, 14:21 »

Quote from: sjlocke on March 10, 2011, 13:49

Just found out that user Stalman is now "unbadged" for whatever reason.

And so another wheel comes off the bus. Very interesting.

lisafx · « **Reply #57 on:** March 10, 2011, 14:31 »

Quote from: Risamay on March 10, 2011, 14:21

Quote from: sjlocke on March 10, 2011, 13:49
Just found out that user Stalman is now "unbadged" for whatever reason.

And so another wheel comes off the bus. Very interesting.

Getting pretty ominous...

gostwyck · « **Reply #58 on:** March 10, 2011, 14:50 »

Quote from: thesentinel on March 10, 2011, 14:15

He with KKT in his portraits, and one purveyor of those strangely popular amongst vetta inspector vignette type face shots - trouble in paradise?

About a third of his entire portfolio is Vetta. He obviously worked out the special formula to be "strangely popular amongst vetta inspectors".

Not so long ago one of the few things that I did acknowledge about Istock was how they appeared to genuinely apply the same rules to all without fear or favour and regardless of sales, status, location, etc. Now nothing could be further from the truth. There's a clique of insiders, largely recognisable by the wearing of an Admin or Inspectors' badge, who basically get bribed with everything to keep them on-side whilst the vast majority of contributors get screwed. Things have to smell pretty bad inside Calgary HQ if so many of them are taking Rob Sylvan's lead and are walking out anyway.

BaldricksTrousers · « **Reply #59 on:** March 10, 2011, 15:50 »

Quote from: gostwyck on March 10, 2011, 14:50

Quote from: thesentinel on March 10, 2011, 14:15
He with KKT in his portraits, and one purveyor of those strangely popular amongst vetta inspector vignette type face shots - trouble in paradise?

About a third of his entire portfolio is Vetta. He obviously worked out the special formula to be "strangely popular amongst vetta inspectors".

Not so long ago one of the few things that I did acknowledge about Istock was how they appeared to genuinely apply the same rules to all without fear or favour and regardless of sales, status, location, etc. Now nothing could be further from the truth. There's a clique of insiders, largely recognisable by the wearing of an Admin or Inspectors' badge, who basically get bribed with everything to keep them on-side whilst the vast majority of contributors get screwed. Things have to smell pretty bad inside Calgary HQ if so many of them are taking Rob Sylvan's lead and are walking out anyway.

I don't think they need to bribe the clique. It's more likely that the clique has found itself able to take control and is doling out the goodies to itself. It doesn't really matter to the owners, does it? Because the overall sales are independent of any redirection of income to a preferred few.
Creating layers of preferred contributors through Vetta, where status is determined by a small cell of insiders is an open invitation to corruption.
The interesting question is whether those who benefit are the same people who invented the scheme in the first place.

Risamay · « **Reply #60 on:** March 10, 2011, 16:00 »

Quote from: BaldricksTrousers on March 10, 2011, 15:50

Creating layers of preferred contributors through Vetta, where status is determined by a small cell of insiders is an open invitation to corruption.

The interesting question is whether those who benefit are the same people who invented the scheme in the first place.

+1 and great question

Ghost in the Machine · « **Reply #61 on:** March 10, 2011, 17:50 »

Several others who up till recently were inspectors
Brentman
LLMillerMedia
Maybelle

Former admins
Cobalt
Brent (IT guy?)

caspixel · « **Reply #62 on:** March 10, 2011, 18:10 »

Quote from: Ghost in the Machine on March 10, 2011, 17:50

Several others who up till recently were inspectors
Brentman
LLMillerMedia
Maybelle

Former admins
Cobalt
Brent (IT guy?)

For some reason it is in my head that Brent was "let go".

jsmithzz · « **Reply #63 on:** March 10, 2011, 18:13 »

Quote from: caspixel on March 10, 2011, 18:10

Quote from: Ghost in the Machine on March 10, 2011, 17:50
Several others who up till recently were inspectors
Brentman
LLMillerMedia
Maybelle

Former admins
Cobalt
Brent (IT guy?)
And what makes you come to that conclusion?
For some reason it is in my head that Brent was "let go".

Risamay · « **Reply #64 on:** March 10, 2011, 18:16 »

Brent was gone a long, long time ago. And yeah. I thought he was asked to leave.

jamirae · « **Reply #65 on:** March 10, 2011, 18:30 »

Quote from: Risamay on March 10, 2011, 18:16

Brent was gone a long, long time ago. And yeah. I thought he was asked to leave.

really. wow. I know he was there in the beginnings (or at least from several years back) and he was one of the main IT guys. I didn't realize he had gone. he is both of these logins http://www.istockphoto.com/brentman (the contributor account) and http://www.istockphoto.com/brent the sysadmin account.

Sean Locke Photography · « **Reply #66 on:** March 10, 2011, 18:56 »

Quote from: Risamay on March 10, 2011, 18:16

Brent was gone a long, long time ago. And yeah. I thought he was asked to leave.

I didn't know that one either.

cathyslife · « **Reply #67 on:** March 10, 2011, 19:00 »

Quote from: Risamay on March 10, 2011, 18:16

Brent was gone a long, long time ago. And yeah. I thought he was asked to leave.

<sarcasm>Yeah, I'll bet he was asked to leave because he knew what he was doing, IT-wise. They needed to get some bozos in there.</sarcasm>

lisafx · « **Reply #68 on:** March 10, 2011, 19:01 »

Jasmine (Cobalt) is no longer an admin? Well good for her. I always liked her and felt she has a lot of integrity.

Do we need an Admins Bailing on Istock thread now?

cobalt · « **Reply #69 on:** March 10, 2011, 19:48 »

Hi Lisa,

thank you for the flowers!

I resigned because I have ongoing issues in my life that have kept me away from istock. I have uploaded only 200 images in 2010, mostly the leftovers from old shootings. Need to sort out some other stuff, before I focus back on stock.

I really enjoyed being a part of the team, some very dedicated people there. And together with my collegue MichaelJay I loved moderating the German forum. It´s a lot of work though, what you see in the forum is just a part of it. There is a whole world of sitemails, emails, phonecalls, meet ups to organize and all that balancing of different characters to keep communication flowing.

The advantage of not having a badge is that people again accept that what I am saying is what I want to say, without suspecting that I am somehow towing the "party line". I think you will see that I am saying the same things now as before.

I am very sad with what has been happening in the last six months and I know there are many people working very, very hard to get istock back on track. Like many contributors, I wish there was better communication, although I am seeing that they are trying to improve this.

But the site has to get back on track and there is a lot of work to do, to regain the confidence and trust of the contributors. The members have the right to expect their agent to do the best possible to represent their interests.

Oh, and I think the new moderators are very passionate about their work, they really just want to serve the community. But it takes time to learn when to open and close threads. What you don´t see is the amazing amount of sitemails they get from members and when emotions run to high it is often best to close a thread, even if it is just for a day. Again, it all depends on the context. And sometimes what you write as a moderator doesn´t really communicate what you were trying to say. Also for so many members English is not a first language.

So as a former istock moderator: please have a little patience with the moderators. They really work hard.

lisafx · « **Reply #70 on:** March 10, 2011, 19:53 »

Hi Jasmine,

Sunny, pleasant disposition as always

Hope you are right that things are going to get back on track, but not looking like it'll be any time soon. This reclaiming of fraud payments is destroying any possibility of their regaining contributor trust.

Risamay · « **Reply #71 on:** March 10, 2011, 22:27 »

Quote from: jamirae on March 10, 2011, 18:30

really. wow. I know he was there in the beginnings (or at least from several years back) and he was one of the main IT guys. I didn't realize he had gone. he is both of these logins http://www.istockphoto.com/brentman (the contributor account) and http://www.istockphoto.com/brent the sysadmin account.

Quote from: sjlocke on March 10, 2011, 18:56

I didn't know that one either.

I could be wrong. That's just the word I heard, on the street. Some time back.

SNP · « **Reply #72 on:** March 10, 2011, 22:47 »

Quote from: cobalt on March 10, 2011, 19:48

Hi Lisa,

thank you for the flowers!

I resigned because I have ongoing issues in my life that have kept me away from istock. I have uploaded only 200 images in 2010, mostly the leftovers from old shootings. Need to sort out some other stuff, before I focus back on stock.

I really enjoyed being a part of the team, some very dedicated people there. And together with my collegue MichaelJay I loved moderating the German forum. It´s a lot of work though, what you see in the forum is just a part of it. There is a whole world of sitemails, emails, phonecalls, meet ups to organize and all that balancing of different characters to keep communication flowing.

The advantage of not having a badge is that people again accept that what I am saying is what I want to say, without suspecting that I am somehow towing the "party line". I think you will see that I am saying the same things now as before.

I am very sad with what has been happening in the last six months and I know there are many people working very, very hard to get istock back on track. Like many contributors, I wish there was better communication, although I am seeing that they are trying to improve this.

But the site has to get back on track and there is a lot of work to do, to regain the confidence and trust of the contributors. The members have the right to expect their agent to do the best possible to represent their interests.

Oh, and I think the new moderators are very passionate about their work, they really just want to serve the community. But it takes time to learn when to open and close threads. What you don´t see is the amazing amount of sitemails they get from members and when emotions run to high it is often best to close a thread, even if it is just for a day. Again, it all depends on the context. And sometimes what you write as a moderator doesn´t really communicate what you were trying to say. Also for so many members English is not a first language.

So as a former istock moderator: please have a little patience with the moderators. They really work hard.

thank you for the post and for being candid. same goes to all iStock admin ex-pats...there's nothing better than to get some real information about what's happening. when you develop a contributor culture that is fueled by emotion, passion and community---there's a flip side that includes deep disappointment, frustration and vehement dispassion when the party line starts to strangle the suppliers. attempts to further control contributors are going to be perceived as hostile. how could they not be in the current climate? I think iStock's greatest liability right now is the crumbling of its back end. my fear is the issues run deep enough to really destroy all the business iStock has built up over the years. talk about undoing years of marketing and hard work to secure one of the lead spots in the industry.

I can't understand why they aren't strapping down and hiring in as much outside IT help to get that place running as they can. aren't there a bazillion IT companies out there who handle precisely this type of site breakdown?

Goldmund · « **Reply #73 on:** March 11, 2011, 09:31 »

So the IS forums have become dull and lousy because you're all here!

jamirae · « **Reply #74 on:** March 11, 2011, 10:21 »

Quote from: Goldmund on March 11, 2011, 09:31

So the IS forums have become dull and lousy because you're all here!

exactly! it's a lot more fun over here!

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Author Topic: Micromanaging the istock Forums (Read 33362 times)

SNP

jsmithzz

SNP

Sean Locke Photography

jamirae

thesentinel

Risamay

lisafx

gostwyck

BaldricksTrousers

Risamay

Ghost in the Machine

caspixel

jsmithzz

Risamay

jamirae

Sean Locke Photography

cathyslife

lisafx

cobalt

lisafx

Risamay

SNP

Goldmund

jamirae

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