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Author Topic: Sales have tanked big time  (Read 180479 times)

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Phadrea

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« on: September 09, 2011, 06:49 »
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Someone started off this topic but of course it was stamped on by you know who. September sales have tanked. Absolutely dire !!! This time of year should be busy.


« Reply #1 on: September 09, 2011, 07:07 »
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Doing well here.

graficallyminded

« Reply #2 on: September 09, 2011, 07:28 »
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August was even way more lucrative than most years... kind of surprised me.  Things seem on track for September.

« Reply #3 on: September 09, 2011, 07:36 »
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One day you're in...the next day you're out.

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #4 on: September 09, 2011, 08:03 »
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One day you're in...the next day you're out.
I think there is definitely a 'person' component in the best match search.
Plus best match has shifted again for the fourth day in a row on my two standard search terms.
And on a broader note, after a good-for-me June to August, Sept has started relatively slowly, but a bit better than last Sept.
« Last Edit: September 09, 2011, 08:15 by ShadySue »

« Reply #5 on: September 09, 2011, 08:10 »
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Actually, way better than average sales in August on Istock is very unusual - I wonder if another "clawback" is coming...:) things are just back to normal for me in September.

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #6 on: September 09, 2011, 08:23 »
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And for those who think iStock has it in for independents, here's what I get on a best match for "blue butterfly".
Just because you're paranoid, it doesn't mean they're not out to get you.

Phadrea

    This user is banned.
« Reply #7 on: September 09, 2011, 08:56 »
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Why to they keep changing the best match searches. WHY ?  ???

« Reply #8 on: September 09, 2011, 09:01 »
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Someone started off this topic but of course it was stamped on by you know who. September sales have tanked. Absolutely dire !!! This time of year should be busy.

It's mainly due to the long Labor Day weekend in the US & Canada. Sales have been fairly brisk for me (by today's standards anyway) from Tuesday onwards.

lagereek

« Reply #9 on: September 09, 2011, 09:01 »
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Plenty sales here!  but now according to a massive thread at IS,  they have yet again screwed the best match, so much so, they cant even get it back to the way it was, people over there are screaming but nothing seems to happen.

Oh well,  just another day at the funny farm.

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #10 on: September 09, 2011, 09:14 »
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Why to they keep changing the best match searches. WHY ?  ???
Because no one best match is ever fair to everyone? (that would be impossible). (that's the nice hypothesis)
After all, would you be happy if they stuck with a best match which happened not to favour your images?
Because they're trying to maximise profit (that's the realistic hypothesis).
TBH, I'd vote for a totally 'random' match to be an option, maybe to replace the 'name' search, which can't be much use to buyers (who can search by a contributor name if they've forgotten to bookmark a port).

lagereek

« Reply #11 on: September 09, 2011, 10:17 »
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Why to they keep changing the best match searches. WHY ?  ???
Because no one best match is ever fair to everyone? (that would be impossible). (that's the nice hypothesis)
After all, would you be happy if they stuck with a best match which happened not to favour your images?
Because they're trying to maximise profit (that's the realistic hypothesis).
TBH, I'd vote for a totally 'random' match to be an option, maybe to replace the 'name' search, which can't be much use to buyers (who can search by a contributor name if they've forgotten to bookmark a port).

Hi!

Only at the moment we are back to square one, its either dominated by files with hardly any DLs at all and it really shows why they hardly sell, mediocre stuff (pardon me) or its Vettas.

The best match, to satisfy all?  youre right it doesnt exist BUT, a best match, at least to show buyers some quality without having to wade to page 25, surely that must be quite easy to engineer.

« Reply #12 on: September 09, 2011, 10:36 »
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Well with millions of images they now have I would think it's a pretty difficult task - to "optimize" the search. Many categories are so well covered that you get pages and pages of images with similar content. Which ones do you serve first? If ones with most sales, then new ones will have no chance of making it, even if they are better quality. If new ones first, then old proven good sellers won't show. Mix of new images and good sellers? Then the ones in the middle that sold pretty well but didn't make it to the top yet get eliminated... and so on.
It will be increasingly difficult to have your stuff found in big libraries like Istock and other "top" agencies - I am surprised we still making some money at all..

lagereek

« Reply #13 on: September 09, 2011, 10:41 »
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Well with millions of images they now have I would think it's a pretty difficult task - to "optimize" the search. Many categories are so well covered that you get pages and pages of images with similar content. Which ones do you serve first? If ones with most sales, then new ones will have no chance of making it, even if they are better quality. If new ones first, then old proven good sellers won't show. Mix of new images and good sellers? Then the ones in the middle that sold pretty well but didn't make it to the top yet get eliminated... and so on.
It will be increasingly difficult to have your stuff found in big libraries like Istock and other "top" agencies - I am surprised we still making some money at all..

So true!!  the old adage, cream always floats to the top,  is long gone. You can produce the most fantastic, most creative shots and they just fade away into oblivion. This happens to all searches that use relevance or best match,  hence "popularity"  is by far the most effective.

« Reply #14 on: September 09, 2011, 11:14 »
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Why to they keep changing the best match searches. WHY ?  ???
Because no one best match is ever fair to everyone? (that would be impossible). (that's the nice hypothesis)
After all, would you be happy if they stuck with a best match which happened not to favour your images?
Because they're trying to maximise profit (that's the realistic hypothesis).
TBH, I'd vote for a totally 'random' match to be an option, maybe to replace the 'name' search, which can't be much use to buyers (who can search by a contributor name if they've forgotten to bookmark a port).

Every single time they shuffle, somebody wins and somebody loses (among the contributors, that is...of course, Getty/IS wins all the time...like the house in Vegas).

Why contributors continue, after all this time, to be surprised, is beyond me.

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #15 on: September 09, 2011, 11:20 »
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So true!!  the old adage, cream always floats to the top,  is long gone. You can produce the most fantastic, most creative shots and they just fade away into oblivion. This happens to all searches that use relevance or best match,  hence "popularity"  is by far the most effective.

How does 'popularity' differ from 'downloads'?

lagereek

« Reply #16 on: September 09, 2011, 11:36 »
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So true!!  the old adage, cream always floats to the top,  is long gone. You can produce the most fantastic, most creative shots and they just fade away into oblivion. This happens to all searches that use relevance or best match,  hence "popularity"  is by far the most effective.

How does 'popularity' differ from 'downloads'?

Same thing, only popularity or downloads should be the default settings, problem at IS, is that not many bother to use the differant settings, just goes with the default which is this best match. Hence all the troubles.

« Reply #17 on: September 09, 2011, 11:38 »
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Re: Popularity: In SS's case I think it's more like downloads per month - an age weighted downloads search with some brief boost for new files
« Last Edit: September 09, 2011, 11:59 by jsnover »


« Reply #19 on: September 09, 2011, 13:42 »
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A slight boost for indies during 'decision month'?

nice upgrade on royalties for 40% at iRockstock, great job

« Reply #20 on: September 09, 2011, 15:12 »
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A slight boost for indies during 'decision month'?

nice upgrade on royalties for 40% at iRockstock, great job

Thanks Luis. Just here to keep tabs on iStock as always.

Just to elaborate a bit - my sales on iStock have increased significantly this month so far, don't know why but talking people down from the fence with a temporary best match shift the month before your indy files get 'locked' into other systems that, if you're like me, have no idea regarding the T&Cs of TS and other Getty family sites, loss of RCs and control over where your work is sold. A few extra dollars could be enough to sway people?

lagereek

« Reply #21 on: September 10, 2011, 01:23 »
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Yep!  slight boost for us during decision month hey?  looks that way doesnt it,  only Shouldnt this new IS venture work out or turning into the same fiasco, I have got myself the most beautyful way out of it. :)

« Reply #22 on: September 10, 2011, 02:03 »
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This week at iStock (weekend hasn't happened yet, to be fair, but these days that's generally pretty small) has been less than half last week (and that was less than the week before that). That's not just one day off for Labor Day, but as I say more and more these days, thank heavens for SS!

Phadrea

    This user is banned.
« Reply #23 on: September 10, 2011, 05:33 »
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I would join SS but I can't be bothered jumping through the right hoops to get accepted. It's too frustrating.

lagereek

« Reply #24 on: September 10, 2011, 07:22 »
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Re: Popularity: In SS's case I think it's more like downloads per month - an age weighted downloads search with some brief boost for new files

Yes,  but it seems to work though, the SS search is without doubt the most effective, even if you try their new "relevance" search, its reasonably good.

The whole trouble with the IS, best match,  is that the relevance factor is also geared towards favouritism, Vettas,this and that, even geography seems to matter, so how on earth can you expect a search like that to be effective? might as well bang your head against a brickwall.

Just out of interest!  price-slider?  well thats a joke and a half. I asked some creative buyers I know, here and in England and France,  not one, not even one, can be bothered with this slider, some dont even know it exists. So much for that Einstein idea.


 

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