Well, now it's very clear you work for iStock. Only their employees would be arrogant enough to put the onus of getting sales stats on their contributors and not on themselves. The site is poorly run, with continuous problems other sites either don't have or are capable of fixing very quickly. It's truly embarrassing, especially now that you're owned by a large corporation.

I think we all express our frustration here because we want the site to work properly and we want the company to do well. Because when iStock does well its contributors do well (sort of). But complaints about basic functionality are taken as personal insults and met with snarls of derision. With the tremendous percentage of commission iStock takes, it also expects its contributors to cough up their own earnings to get sales information? It can't fix a simple function that's been broken for weeks now?

It can't...or it won't? After all, iStock is capable of running a half price sale flawlessly while contributor stats languish.

It's a pragmatic solution, the site isn't working and you want to see stats in an easy to view way?  What's the best way to do it?  Complain and when that doesn't work complain some more or try to find a solution?  I chose to offer possible solutions.  Do people want to get stats or just complain that iStock isn't working?

And to answer your question bhr, 'Why?".  It might have something to do with being called a liar, a stooge, a shill, or arrogant when you offer help.  Or maybe people left to find a site where there were less emoticons in use?

Quote from: Shelma1 on November 22, 2013, 14:57

Well, now it's very clear you work for iStock. Only their employees would be arrogant enough to put the onus of getting sales stats on their contributors and not on themselves. The site is poorly run, with continuous problems other sites either don't have or are capable of fixing very quickly. It's truly embarrassing, especially now that you're owned by a large corporation.

I think we all express our frustration here because we want the site to work properly and we want the company to do well. Because when iStock does well its contributors do well (sort of). But complaints about basic functionality are taken as personal insults and met with snarls of derision. With the tremendous percentage of commission iStock takes, it also expects its contributors to cough up their own earnings to get sales information? It can't fix a simple function that's been broken for weeks now?

It can't...or it won't? After all, iStock is capable of running a half price sale flawlessly while contributor stats languish.

It's a pragmatic solution, the site isn't working and you want to see stats in an easy to view way?  What's the best way to do it?  Complain and when that doesn't work complain some more or try to find a solution?  I chose to offer possible solutions.  Do people want to get stats or just complain that iStock isn't working?

And to answer your question bhr, 'Why?".  It might have something to do with being called a liar, a stooge, a shill, or arrogant when you offer help.  Or maybe people left to find a site where there were less emoticons in use?

Asking contributors to spend more than a hundred dollars a year to get access to stats that should be provided as a matter of course by their representative is not pragmatic. It's ludicrous. Especially when, I'm sure, many of your contributors don't earn that much at iStock in a year.

Do people want to get stats or just complain that iStock isn't working?

My interpretation would be that people want stats but they balance the desire for stats against the cost in terms of effort of getting them. The methods you outlined did not meet the cost/benefit requirement.
Obviously the fact iStock charges contributors heavily for doing business also enters the equation.

Then why are you here? 

ETA:  I am not encouraging you to leave, BTW.  I don't have a problem with people posting stuff I disagree with.  However if I disagree with it, I'm going to say so.   You may not be a shill.  However it is an increasingly common phenomenon online in industry forums for companies to have their employees monitor and shout down members who post negatively about the company.  Some guys at Fox admitted to having dozens of identities and trolling the web to attack anyone who posted negatively about Fox. 

The amount of time you and Tickstock spend in this forum pouring water on every single negative comment about Istock is suspect.  Anyone who had another job simply wouldn't have the time for it. 

It also seems you guys work as a tag-team.  That's not a personal insult, BTW, but an observation.  He gets fed up, and then suddenly there you are to take over.

I don't know where to begin with this utterly silly nonsense. You are finding stuff which simply is not there and drawing bogus, weird and almost nasty conclusions.

On the one hand you are saying that you are happy to listen to other points of view - but the result of me posting opinion which contradicts your own is that you accuse me of being a shill.

The tag-team thing is especially mad.

Quote from: Shelma1 on November 22, 2013, 15:15

Quote from: tickstock on November 22, 2013, 15:01

Quote from: Shelma1 on November 22, 2013, 14:57

Well, now it's very clear you work for iStock. Only their employees would be arrogant enough to put the onus of getting sales stats on their contributors and not on themselves. The site is poorly run, with continuous problems other sites either don't have or are capable of fixing very quickly. It's truly embarrassing, especially now that you're owned by a large corporation.

I think we all express our frustration here because we want the site to work properly and we want the company to do well. Because when iStock does well its contributors do well (sort of). But complaints about basic functionality are taken as personal insults and met with snarls of derision. With the tremendous percentage of commission iStock takes, it also expects its contributors to cough up their own earnings to get sales information? It can't fix a simple function that's been broken for weeks now?

It can't...or it won't? After all, iStock is capable of running a half price sale flawlessly while contributor stats languish.

It's a pragmatic solution, the site isn't working and you want to see stats in an easy to view way?  What's the best way to do it?  Complain and when that doesn't work complain some more or try to find a solution?  I chose to offer possible solutions.  Do people want to get stats or just complain that iStock isn't working?

And to answer your question bhr, 'Why?".  It might have something to do with being called a liar, a stooge, a shill, or arrogant when you offer help.  Or maybe people left to find a site where there were less emoticons in use?

Asking contributors to spend more than a hundred dollars a year to get access to stats that should be provided as a matter of course by their representative is not pragmatic. It's ludicrous. Especially when, I'm sure, many of your contributors don't earn that much at iStock in a year.

You're misunderstanding me then.  I'm not asking you to do anything.  I'm telling you there are ways to see your stats if you really want to.  One way is to spend some money.  Another is to spend some time.  Other than that I don't think there is a good solution.  If you just want your totals you can add up all the money you've cased out since the stats broke and add it to your current balance.  The raw data is all correct so going through your sales on the 'my uploads' page will get you all the info too.

The good solution is for iStock to FIX THE WEBSITE. The good solution is NOT for contributors to spend more time or more money figuring out stats every other website is perfectly capable of providing. Contributors should spend their time and money creating content.

All iStock's arrogance does is drive contributors away. I'm a perfect example. I'm a creative director; illustration is a hobby for me. I never would have even noticed there were other stock sites, really, if iStock hadn't aggravated me so much. (I was aware of Getty and Corbis, of course, and Veer; all the art directors I work with use them). It was only after getting completely fed up with iStock that I started poking around and discovered Shutterstock. I uploaded my work and immediately started earning 4X as much there. Until then my goal was to get enough sales at iStock to hopefully one day go exclusive. iStock immediately became the site I uploaded to much less often.

The good solution is for iStock to FIX THE WEBSITE. The good solution is NOT for contributors to spend more time or more money figuring out stats every other website is perfectly capable of providing. Contributors should spend their time and money creating content.

Obviously it would be better if the website worked, this thread exists because it's not working.  You can hope and wish it was working but that won't get you any closer to seeing the stats.  Sorry to say, it seems you'll just have to wait then.

Quote from: Sedge on November 22, 2013, 13:37

Why don't you just quit responding altogether?

 

I've been thinking that might be a good idea.  You even got a +1 from me.

What, and give up that added income you must be getting from iStock for defending them in these forums? 
I appreciate that you, on occasion, have tried to be helpful.  But, you also need to accept the fact that some/many of us are tired of the problems iStock has (look at the bug list) and are perfectly content to throw our support elsewhere....even places that have graphs and world maps; and certain start ups.

Quote from: tickstock on November 22, 2013, 13:38

Quote from: Sedge on November 22, 2013, 13:37

Why don't you just quit responding altogether?

 

I've been thinking that might be a good idea.  You even got a +1 from me.

What, and give up that added income you must be getting from iStock for defending them in these forums? 
I appreciate that you, on occasion, have tried to be helpful.  But, you also need to accept the fact that some/many of us are tired of the problems iStock has (look at the bug list) and are perfectly content to throw our support elsewhere....even places that have graphs and world maps.

Don't buy into that nutty conspiracy theory.  I'm not defending iStock, they should fix the website.  I have no control over that but what I do have control over is how I react to the problems.  Like I said you can complain about not seeing your stats and end up no closer than when you started or you can try to figure out a solution. 

Quote from: tickstock on November 22, 2013, 16:14

Quote from: mlwinphoto on November 22, 2013, 16:05

Quote from: tickstock on November 22, 2013, 13:38

Quote from: Sedge on November 22, 2013, 13:37

Why don't you just quit responding altogether?

 

I've been thinking that might be a good idea.  You even got a +1 from me.

What, and give up that added income you must be getting from iStock for defending them in these forums? 
I appreciate that you, on occasion, have tried to be helpful.  But, you also need to accept the fact that some/many of us are tired of the problems iStock has (look at the bug list) and are perfectly content to throw our support elsewhere....even places that have graphs and world maps.

Like I said you can complain about not seeing your stats and end up no closer than when you started or you can try to figure out a solution.

With all the recent changes I no longer make enough sales to worry about my stats.    

Then I hope your other sites are making up the difference.

Quote from: mlwinphoto on November 22, 2013, 16:18

Quote from: tickstock on November 22, 2013, 16:14

Quote from: mlwinphoto on November 22, 2013, 16:05

Quote from: tickstock on November 22, 2013, 13:38

Quote from: Sedge on November 22, 2013, 13:37

Why don't you just quit responding altogether?

 

I've been thinking that might be a good idea.  You even got a +1 from me.

What, and give up that added income you must be getting from iStock for defending them in these forums? 
I appreciate that you, on occasion, have tried to be helpful.  But, you also need to accept the fact that some/many of us are tired of the problems iStock has (look at the bug list) and are perfectly content to throw our support elsewhere....even places that have graphs and world maps.

Like I said you can complain about not seeing your stats and end up no closer than when you started or you can try to figure out a solution.

With all the recent changes I no longer make enough sales to worry about my stats.    

Then I hope your other sites are making up the difference.

And then some.

Ok.. perhaps this topic has been hashed on enough.  If someone new comes up, feel free to start a new topic.