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Agency Based Discussion => iStockPhoto.com => Topic started by: Freedom on April 23, 2008, 11:27

Title: Slowdown prior to sub launch?
Post by: Freedom on April 23, 2008, 11:27
Don't know if it is just me, but I don't have the regular amount of DLs since IS announced the subscriptions. Have the designers stopped downloading until the sub sales start?
Title: Re: Slowdown prior to sub launch?
Post by: jsnover on April 23, 2008, 11:43
My week's been pretty good so far - perhaps it's just the natural ebb and flow that hit you this week?
Title: Re: Slowdown prior to sub launch?
Post by: RT on April 23, 2008, 12:08
All good for me
Title: Re: Slowdown prior to sub launch?
Post by: Freedom on April 23, 2008, 12:08
It's quite possible. I usually get multiple DLs everyday but in the past 5 days, I only got 1 large DL.

Glad to hear that you are doing well. Thanks for the reply.
Title: Re: Slowdown prior to sub launch?
Post by: leaf on April 23, 2008, 12:11
I have had a regular to good week.
Title: Re: Slowdown prior to sub launch?
Post by: Waldo4 on April 23, 2008, 12:56
My shots have been flying off the shelves this week, relatively speaking.

If I've noticed a slowdown anywhere since the announcement it has been at SS, sales have tanked there lately despite constant uploading.
Title: Re: Slowdown prior to sub launch?
Post by: Graffoto on April 23, 2008, 13:07
IS is always slow for me, so I am not noticing any change  :-\

OTOH, as Waldo4 pointed out SS has been tanking big time.
Not just for me either as there is a thread about it on the SS forums as well.

Maybe subs buyers who have subscriptions that have run out are waiting for the IS launch rather than re-upping at SS?
Title: Re: Slowdown prior to sub launch?
Post by: bittersweet on April 23, 2008, 13:33
Don't know if it is just me, but I don't have the regular amount of DLs since IS announced the subscriptions. Have the designers stopped downloading until the sub sales start?

I don't know of too many designers who can put a complete halt to their workflow for a month in order to possibly save a few bucks later. :) I really doubt that is the reason for any perceived slowdown.
Title: Re: Slowdown prior to sub launch?
Post by: lisafx on April 23, 2008, 14:03
I have had a regular to good week.

Me too.  No complaints here :)
Title: Re: Slowdown prior to sub launch?
Post by: travelstock on April 23, 2008, 14:10
I've found both IS and SS to be very up and down for the last two weeks, but overall DLS have been better than ever - looks like another BME on both sites. Still waiting for details of the SS increase though....
Title: Re: Slowdown prior to sub launch?
Post by: Freedom on April 23, 2008, 14:25
Ok, ok, it was just me then.  >:(

Probably I don't have good images for this season. What have you been selling?

Usually IS is my top performer, but this month, DT is doing better.
Title: Re: Slowdown prior to sub launch?
Post by: madelaide on April 23, 2008, 17:37
It seems I will have a slower month, but not too slow.  In the past few days it even got a bit better than last week. 

Regards,
Adelaide
Title: Re: Slowdown prior to sub launch?
Post by: bittersweet on April 23, 2008, 18:49
Ok, ok, it was just me then.  >:(

Probably I don't have good images for this season. What have you been selling?

Usually IS is my top performer, but this month, DT is doing better.
It also may have a lot to do with the size of your portfolio. Usually when someone says they've gone from "multiple downloads" to one or none, they have a very small batch of images to which they are referring.

A very small portfolio, unless it is tightly packed with very good sellers, is going to feel every slight shift more acutely than others who have spread out their earnings over many more images.
Title: Re: Slowdown prior to sub launch?
Post by: Whiz on April 23, 2008, 20:27
Don't know if it is just me, but I don't have the regular amount of DLs since IS announced the subscriptions. Have the designers stopped downloading until the sub sales start?


It's not just you. My downloads have been fairly slow at IS and Shutterstock for the past few days. Stockxpert has been unusually high for me though, so it's balanced out a bit.
Title: Re: Slowdown prior to sub launch?
Post by: Freedom on April 24, 2008, 00:32
I am not sure if my portfolio should be defined as "very small" but it managed to get daily and often multiple DLs in the past few months, except in the last few days after the annoucement of sub sales. Of course, it could be just me.

How small is considered very small?

Ok, ok, it was just me then.  >:(

Probably I don't have good images for this season. What have you been selling?

Usually IS is my top performer, but this month, DT is doing better.
It also may have a lot to do with the size of your portfolio. Usually when someone says they've gone from "multiple downloads" to one or none, they have a very small batch of images to which they are referring.

A very small portfolio, unless it is tightly packed with very good sellers, is going to feel every slight shift more acutely than others who have spread out their earnings over many more images.
Title: Re: Slowdown prior to sub launch?
Post by: Sean Locke Photography on April 24, 2008, 06:20
If your level of comparisoon is that you got a download or "multiple" downloads on a day, then its too small.
Title: Re: Slowdown prior to sub launch?
Post by: Freedom on April 24, 2008, 10:50
That is very true. My portfolio cannot compare with what you have in yours because I am not even a year old with IS.

However, that does not invalidate my comparison of my DLs of this month with those in the previous months.

If your level of comparisoon is that you got a download or "multiple" downloads on a day, then its too small.
Title: Re: Slowdown prior to sub launch?
Post by: jsnover on April 24, 2008, 11:19

However, that does not invalidate my comparison of my DLs of this month with those in the previous months.

If your level of comparisoon is that you got a download or "multiple" downloads on a day, then its too small.

When your numbers are small, it's too easy to see "trends" that aren't there, even when comparing month to month. If someone with a large number of sales per day sees them go up or down by 1 or 2, it's essentially a wash - they say things are the same. If someone with only 1 or 2 sales a day gets 2 or 4 sales (or 0 or 2), they see "sales doubled" or "sales tanked".

This isn't trying to put anyone down for having small portfolios or small numbers of sales, it's just that you can't really tell much about overall trends until the numbers get larger.
Title: Re: Slowdown prior to sub launch?
Post by: Tim Markley on April 24, 2008, 11:22
Slightly better than average for me. I am hoping for a big uptick after subs start.
Title: Re: Slowdown prior to sub launch?
Post by: Freedom on April 24, 2008, 13:00
I appreciate what you said. You are correct to point out that when some perceived "newbies" ask some simple questions in their attempt to figure out something, more "seasoned" photographers tend to, instead of addressing the issues, act in somewhat condescending or judgemental manners. It does look like a put-down and is not helpful.

As I said before, I do have my own portfolio's previous performance for comparison. I also have the performance in other agencies for longer period for comparison. Perhaps my IS port lacks some images which sell betterin this particular season, or perhaps it is a small portfolio, please do not invalidate my experience and any other "newbies" because your experience is different.

I didn't say what my normal average DLs were. I just said that I had almost no DLs in a five-day period, which was unusual for me. If you have better or worse DL rates, that's great, and that all I need to know.



However, that does not invalidate my comparison of my DLs of this month with those in the previous months.

If your level of comparisoon is that you got a download or "multiple" downloads on a day, then its too small.

When your numbers are small, it's too easy to see "trends" that aren't there, even when comparing month to month. If someone with a large number of sales per day sees them go up or down by 1 or 2, it's essentially a wash - they say things are the same. If someone with only 1 or 2 sales a day gets 2 or 4 sales (or 0 or 2), they see "sales doubled" or "sales tanked".

This isn't trying to put anyone down for having small portfolios or small numbers of sales, it's just that you can't really tell much about overall trends until the numbers get larger.
Title: Re: Slowdown prior to sub launch?
Post by: PaulieWalnuts on April 24, 2008, 17:51
Had a bit of a dip the past couple of days but today was way higher than normal which offset the dip. So, no I haven't noticed an overall slowdown and I even have a small portfolio.
Title: Re: Slowdown prior to sub launch?
Post by: dbvirago on April 24, 2008, 18:38
Last month was a BME, but this definitely will not be.  Last few days slower than normal.

OTH, April has been slightly off across the board for me.
Title: Re: Slowdown prior to sub launch?
Post by: Susan S. on April 24, 2008, 19:08
The last two weeks have been better than over a year for me...

But small portfolios will always be more subject to sudden swings. It's just applied statistics (I have a small portfolio...I've had changes in best match or the positions of the moon, or whatever cut my download rate to a third of what it was overnight...and sadly it stayed there!)

And any portfolio that can have no sales for five days is by definition small  and you can tell nothing about the way that the site is operating as a whole from such a tiny sample. What is small? My portfolio is small (only 300 images). There are 3 million images at istock. There are very few portfolios that are large enough or sell enough to have a valid statistical sample. Sean (sjlocke) would I guess be one of those - although even then with the massive growth in istock it would be a close run thing.

To make that point is not invalidating your experience. It's just pointing out that there is very little reason to think that your experience is a good pointer to what is happening to the site as a whole.