Quote from: gostwyck on February 19, 2011, 14:16

Quote from: Eyedesign on February 19, 2011, 04:40

Here's a glimpse, the big hefty drop has turned out to be a drop of about 2% because of Vetta/Agency sells.

I think it's wonderful that you are so grateful to your agency for cutting your commissions by less than you expected them to. Fantastic! How many pints of Istock Kool-Aid do you need to drink per day to maintain that attitude?

Be careful though __ if they only cut your commissions by another 2% this year then there's a danger you might actually explode with happiness and gratitude.

It's good of you to pick out the stuff you want to mock out of context and ignore the overall sentiment, "I think with VeTTa/Agency images placed on Getty I should see an increase of 10% - 15% over last year. If that doesn't workout I'll drop them in a hot minute, I'm not marry or in love with them,iStock is just a company I do business with."

Not out of context...for a FACT eyedesign has seen a drop of about 2%...he is only hoping to see an increase...there's a difference between something that has already happened, and one using a crystal ball to try to determine the future. So gostwyck's IF is just as valid as eyedesign's IF. 

... MSG has become a haven for thugs. we're professionals. disagree until the cows come home, that's totally fine. I don't care if you dislike everything I say and vice versa...there's still a line that gets crossed regularly over here. it's not about moderation, it's about professional courtesy. not to mention the conspiracy theories and extrapolations on 'the truth' here go so far beyond ridiculous that you're not even disseminating information anymore.

this isn't a watercooler anymore. if you want it to belong to you, congrats....thanks to the intimidation tactics that happen, mostly unfettered here, it actually does belong to you and those like you. no one else bothers to come here. why do I come here? because there is some information that gets passed around. but that's rarer and rarer these days.

I see you're also complaining on the Istock forum about the way your thoughts/desires are being ignored. This is becoming a habit __ you just keep popping up everywhere to complain how each forum is treating you.

MSG has become a haven for thugs.

Some of the behavior and name-calling here definitely goes over the top, but you're part and parcel when it comes to that.

And, "a haven for thugs"? Seriously?

Quote from: SNP on February 19, 2011, 12:13

MSG has become a haven for thugs.

Some of the behavior and name-calling here definitely goes over the top, but you're part and parcel when it comes to that.

And, "a haven for thugs"? Seriously?

I can't take credit for it. it was what another contributor called MSG and I thought it was fairly accurate. secondly, I'm not part and parcel. I'm definitely opinionated, and yes, many of my thoughts have rubbed some of you the wrong way or come across as provocative. but my first line of defense is not name calling or mud slinging. I won't say I haven't been reactive at times, because I've had my knee jerk moments for sure. but in general I'd prefer to talk things out. anyone I've unintentionally insulted I have always contacted personally to apologize. and there's just one person I've ever actually told off who absolutely deserved it.

what I don't understand is the unwillingness to accept that indeed things get really nasty over here and it's not conducive to any sort of discussion. I think that's how some of you like it and inevitably those personalities will eclipse any attempts to change that culture. you can call it freedom of speech if that makes it appear more noble. but it's not freedom, nor is it noble.

Quote from: VB inc on February 19, 2011, 16:38

Welcome to the CROWDSOURCING DILEMA!!!! The Squeeze has just begun!!!

Crowdsourcing has certainly brought on a dilemma for agencies. I think istock has realized that no longer can they keep screwing contributors over...the news is going to spread like wildfire. They can control their own forums, but they can't control the rest of the world.

Crowdsourcing is the business model of the agencies. The dilemma is with the suppliers when the market is overflooded with goods. The agencies get paid either way while the suppliers are working harder and harder for the shrinking slice. I cant possibly see a brighter picture for the majority of sellers going forward unless we get more buyers. Only a select few will profit handsomely from now on.

...this isn't a watercooler anymore. if you want it to belong to you, congrats....thanks to the intimidation tactics that happen, mostly unfettered here, it actually does belong to you and those like you. no one else bothers to come here. why do I come here? because there is some information that gets passed around. but that's rarer and rarer these days.

Couldn't disagree more. This place is the only objective forum for microstock with useful information. The istock forum is useless. SS has turned into a sideshow for posting political rants and photos of little white dogs. MSG is the only microstock forum I use anymore because of the interesting discussions and useful information. I just don't see it the way you do, I guess.

The tone around here has certainly gotten very anti-istock, but that's the same everywhere. istock, deservedly, has become a hot topic for mostly bad moves lately. If you're an istock supporter, I can see how the tone of this forum might seem a bit more hostile. But it's no worse here than at istock's own forum. The only difference is that here the threads don't get locked and people don't get easily banned. Which I think is a good thing. I understand why istock draws the line where they do, but it's nice to know that I can come here and read some real opinion and commentary that people can post without fear of over-moderation.

Quote from: SNP on February 19, 2011, 12:13

...this isn't a watercooler anymore. if you want it to belong to you, congrats....thanks to the intimidation tactics that happen, mostly unfettered here, it actually does belong to you and those like you. no one else bothers to come here. why do I come here? because there is some information that gets passed around. but that's rarer and rarer these days.

Couldn't disagree more. This place is the only objective forum for microstock with useful information. The istock forum is useless. Shutterstock has turned into a sideshow for posting political rants and photos of little white dogs. MSG is the only microstock forum I use anymore because of the interesting discussions and useful information. I just don't see it the way you do, I guess.

The tone around here has certainly gotten very anti-istock, but that's the same everywhere. istock, deservedly, has become a hot topic for mostly bad moves lately. If you're an istock supporter, I can see how the tone of this forum might seem a bit more hostile. But it's no worse here than at istock's own forum. The only difference is that here the threads don't get locked and people don't get easily banned. Which I think is a good thing. I understand why istock draws the line where they do, but it's nice to know that I can come here and read some real opinion and commentary that people can post without fear of over-moderation.

I think that's actually a fair way to say it. I don't have any issue with disagreement. that's fuels awesome discussions. what I disagree with is the language and playground bullying that occurs when someone disagrees. we're all coming from different perspectives, with different experiences, in different countries. I too have had to learn to rein my opinions in and keep that in mind. it's too easy on an internet forum to speak to people in a way you never would in person. at least I wouldn't.

@jamirae: nope. I wouldn't have referred to you as a thug. in fact, you're a great example of someone who generally seems to post with respect for your colleagues, even when you disagree.

again, it wasn't me who initially coined the term. I just re-used it, so I don't have any individuals in mind Marisa. just the general tone of discussions and the railroading that occurs here frequently can be thuggish. and I know many contributors are far too intimidated to post here for that reason. it's often a topic for discussion at minilypses and other contributor events. sorry you felt I was referring to you specifically.

again, it wasn't me who initially coined the term. I just re-used it, so I don't have any individuals in mind Marisa. just the general tone of discussions and the railroading that occurs here frequently can be thuggish. and I know many contributors are far too intimidated to post here for that reason. it's often a topic for discussion at minilypses and other contributor events. sorry you felt I was referring to you specifically.

For what it is worth, i have often felt that way on the istock forums -- being treated like a second class citizen or "thuggish railroading" -- and thus was when i was exclusive.  There are somw tought cliques there as there are pretty much anywhere.  This place just has more on both sides.

Quote from: SNP on February 24, 2011, 14:01

again, it wasn't me who initially coined the term. I just re-used it, so I don't have any individuals in mind Marisa. just the general tone of discussions and the railroading that occurs here frequently can be thuggish. and I know many contributors are far too intimidated to post here for that reason. it's often a topic for discussion at minilypses and other contributor events. sorry you felt I was referring to you specifically.

For what it is worth, i have often felt that way on the istock forums -- being treated like a second class citizen or "thuggish railroading" -- and thus was when i was exclusive.  There are somw tought cliques there as there are pretty much anywhere.  This place just has more on both sides.

I agree there are tough cliques there too. And I think what people get away with often depends on who they are. But that has nothing to do with here. I disagree that there's balanced representation here though. In fact you really just need to look at the end of year surveys to see the imbalance. But it is what it is. I have no illusions about the culture here changing.

just had a comment removed from the BUGS thread at iStock.. I never post anything on the forum there but it was a polite comment, I was just asking what was being done regarding the "uploading slots bug" and that it would be fair to have a few slots too (once I guess if I am uploading for almost 2 years every single week and have a little more than 600 files online, when some uploaded that in a single month), I have noticed that other (sjlocke) had a little *regarding this matter telling that they were taking care of this

I had a comment removed on Friday - not from that thread - but as in part it made a snide reference to the banning of +1 in comments, it was deemed to be inappropriate.

Seemed petty and pointless so I didn't do much more than note it and move on.

Regarding this bug with the upload counter never decrementing, I think it isn't everybody affected as my upload counter has gone down as it should. Either that or it matters if you use the web site (I use DeepMeta to upload).

I agree they should fix it, but as there are so many very, very important bugs that have been outstanding for months, I'd rather they did the important stuff (search and paying us correctly and at the right time) first.

Regarding this bug with the upload counter never decrementing, I think it isn't everybody affected as my upload counter has gone down as it should. Either that or it matters if you use the web site (I use DeepMeta to upload).

I use the website directly to upload, and my slots are decrementing as usual. So far.