Sorry, could you explain what 'microstocksolutions' actually does and why what that is would benefit me?  Thx.

Hi,

Yes, Microstocksolutions is more aimed at the agency level than at the individual photographer.

Microstocksolutions provides editors with a high level of microstock knowledge who add keywords, determine quality, verify model and property releases so that those images which can sell are put online as quickly as possible.

A good reviewer can go through between 600 and 1000 images per day.

Best,

Mark Milstein

Hi,

The editors who work with Microstocksolutions are -- in effect -- full-time staff for whatever agency contracts with us.

There is no difference.

They are "in house."

The difference exists in the "head count" at that agency.

Our service allows agencies with high overhead costs, i.e., employing people in the US or Germany (where an editor might cost about euro 5000 per month) to reduce that cost dramatically by employing editors through Microstocksolutions.

The editors of that team sit in an office in Central or Eastern Europe and, using a VNC, Skype, video conferencing and full access to that agency's servers, etc., do the same work as would any editor sitting in an office in New York, Hamburg or Seattle.

We are lucky that there are a large number of experienced, English speaking microstock professionals concentrated in this region.

Let me know if I can answer any more questions, and we would love to invite anyone from the microstock community to visit our offices and speak with the editors who might have actually reviewed your images.

Mark Milstein

Hi,

Our estimates are based not just on what the reviewer gets in his or her pocket at the end of each pay period, but on the entire cost, i.e., social security, medical, taxes, cost of actually having someone in an office, IT, PCs, equipment, administration, etc.

I've been in this business for 25 years, and the rest of our team comes with nearly the same amount of time as either photographers, editors or managers of agencies.

As I have written, a good reviewer can process between 600 and 1000 images per day. That translates into a low of 12,000 images per month and a high of 20,000 images per month.

I hope this clears things up.

Best,

Mark

Don't the reviewers for microstock sites work from their own homes?  I don't think running an office full of reviewers would be cheaper than the system the sites currently use.

Hi,

Our estimates are based not just on what the reviewer gets in his or her pocket at the end of each pay period, but on the entire cost, i.e., social security, medical, taxes, cost of actually having someone in an office, IT, PCs, equipment, administration, etc.

I've been in this business for 25 years, and the rest of our team comes with nearly the same amount of time as either photographers, editors or managers of agencies.

As I have written, a good reviewer can process between 600 and 1000 images per day. That translates into a low of 12,000 images per month and a high of 20,000 images per month.

I hope this clears things up.

Best,

Mark

Hi Mark,

As I said you need to do your research, I don't know of any microstcok sites that employ reviewers, they work from home and get an amount (very small) for each image they review, the sites don't pay social security, medical,  there's no overheads for IT equipment or office costs and the only admin costs are paying the reviewers.

You say you've been in the business 25 years, microstock hasn't been around ten years yet, I think you're basing your figures on traditional stock agencies that are run in a completely different way to the microstock one's.

However I'd be happy to hear of an example of a microstock agency that does employ it's reviewers.

I'm not trying to knock your business, just don't think you realise how this side of the stock business works.

Good luck though.

As a side note, as you've stated above your business isn't aimed at the contributor, why then have you come to a forum for contributors? Wouldn't it make more sense just to contact the agencies direct.

Hi,

Microstocksolutions is my third venture.

I founded former Soviet Europe's first online agency, Red Dot www.rdfoto.com, and it's leading editorial and stock agency, Northfoto www.northfoto.com

Before that i was a photojournalist who covered more than 20 conflicts and worked in 60 countries for Time, Newsweek, The New York Times, and numerous other major news outlets. This is where my 25 years of industry experience comes from.

Microstocksolutions was founded not as a fishing expedition, but as a result of a well established microstock agency approaching us to do exactly what I have been describing.

To date, it's been a successful venture.

Microstocksolutions already provides the services I describe on behalf of a number of major agencies. Dreamstime has a similar center down the street from us in Bucharest, Romania. They too recognized what we already knew. Quite a few other agencies do exactly the same.

Other agencies are already in negotiations with us to do the same.

Hope to meet some of you at either UGCX or PhotoPlus.

Mark

Microstocksolutions already provides the services I describe on behalf of a number of major agencies.

Well as they're aren't that many major microstock agencies, four in actual fact and only two of them are what most people would actually describe as major, perhaps you could tell us who you provide services for?

And your comment "Other agencies are already in negotiations with us to do the same." brings me back to my earlier question, why have you come to this forum, I'm not trying to be rude I just don't understand why you're here, even the people here that might believe what you say would surely be scratching their heads at why a company that is of no use to a contributor is plugging their services to contributors, call me old fashioned but the first lesson I learnt in marketing was to market to the target audience.

From Dreamstime to Fotolia, all of the major microstock agencies have someone on staff or on contract who regularly come here and to other similar sites.

Are you telling me you haven't contacted Dreamstime or Fotolia yet!! have you considered going on a sales course, here's a couple more for you - try iStockphoto and Shutterstock just in case their staff don't notice this thread when they pop by.


 

Quote from: RT on October 04, 2009, 09:52

Are you telling me you haven't contacted Dreamstime or Fotolia yet!! have you considered going on a sales course, here's a couple more for you - try iStockphoto and Shutterstock just in case their staff don't notice this thread when they pop by.

Oh __ tsk, tsk! It's an interesting thread and the more we contributors understand about the inner-workings of the industry, the various players and how it is all developing then the better for us.

Totally agree, just trying to help Mark by pointing out that it would be better to contact the agencies direct rather than relying on a member of staff popping by here and noticing the service he is offering.

I'd be interested to see which agencies are using his services because personally I can't see any of the big one's letting the reviewing go 'out of house', I can see this would be an advantage to a start up or some of the minor players though.

I work as a contracted Software Analyst and Developer in the UK, the product is Microsoft Dynamics NAV I have done this for over 13 years, during this time outsourcing companies in India have tried to grab a share of consultancy from the resellers on the same business model as this, saved overheads, payroll and costs, sounds good at first.

But they have been tried but none have taken any real market share and the projects have all come back in-house, although the main core product code is written in india, all the quality control is done in the US and the localisation in each countries version, this is because the people in each country know the market needs, this is the same as stock, QC need the feedback from searches and talking to customers they may have to adjust quickly, good local knowledge of trend and experience cannot be taught or passed on easy to outsourcing companies in other countries.

If we look at Alamy with 16 million plus images, the development, data centres, support and initial image check is already done in India where they have built a base, if I remember right they did try to QC from the indian operation a couple of years ago and batches were being approved all hours evenings and weekends, but all the QC is now done in weekday hours in the UK or US and less bad batches are getting under the radar, as they do not reject on content only quality, if this did model did not work for them with thier own india based staff, I am not sure who outsourcing could work for, maybe a new startup trying to build a collection, but in time they will want in-house control by thier own resource, outsourcing QC makes a company vunerable.

This is not a dig just my observations and opinon.

David  

Hmm __ it might not be entirely coincidental that they happen to be 'just down the street' from DT!

Who knows, but it would be one way to kill of the competition 

I've had enough experience of reading between the lines of corporate waffle to bow out of this thread now.