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Messages - DallasP
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126
« on: August 09, 2018, 16:57 »
2 thumbs up so far with this webhost offered by DallasP. I am in the process of moving after some bad experiences with Bluehost and these guys are very easy to use so far. Color me impressed...
Thanks Farbled! Thank you for being patient with those .ca domains too. I figured there would be something we'd overlooked but, not something as odd as that. Ed sat on hold last night for nearly an hour trying to get it sorted out.
127
« on: August 07, 2018, 20:51 »
Hosting I'm using, and recommending it > https://buyshared.net
Shhhhh... you're ruining my promo.
128
« on: August 07, 2018, 17:13 »
I like the pricing and the site looks great. But there is little about who you are, reliability, where the server is located, etc. I am with Bluehost and they are getting worse and worse these days and I would be willing to jump ship if you are reliable and don't vanish in a few months or years. What is support like? Is it 24/7 (I am on the west coast).
Hi! It's myself Dallas Price (drpgraphicdesign.com), Utah; and a friend in Texas. The server primarily is located in Texas but, it's a "cloud server". In event of catastrophe it can be back up within minutes. Support for the moment is ticket based however, we both have google voice numbers and such if there's a big issue. We can't really get people in to run a call center or some such without any websites. lol. I trust we'll be here for a while, I've moved my sites to it and ... I don't plan on retiring soon. He also has one. Let me know if you have any other questions! You can even email ( [email protected]) or call ( (435) 277-0338 <-- don't spam that number, I think it comes to my computer and phone. I'm not really sure? ) if you'd like.
129
« on: August 06, 2018, 22:01 »
This would/should have gone in a self-hosting sub forum but, there isn't one. For the past few months we've been setting up our server to provide web hosting services and the like. We provide free SSL, some great WordPress options and .... etc. I wanted to post it here because I know some are still self-hosting using symbiostock, woo, or easy digital downloads ... etc. Our prices are very competitive, it's an empty server so the speed is great. We just need some people to get the ball rolling. I've written a little mission statement if it matters much. "We believe in helping everyone get the best website and hosting service that they can afford. Were here for the little guy, the small businesses, those that need reliable and affordable service to help their dreams get off the ground. We offer design, development, hosting, SEO and maintenance services." Anyway, sorry for the lame promo message but, I'd love to get some of you guys on board. Thanks for reading. https://bestwebsiteandhosting.com
130
« on: August 03, 2018, 19:44 »
If the Pope stood up today and said Donald Trump was not a "Christian" and his policy of separating children from their parents was wrong. republicans and conservatives would still love him for no other reason than they have to love him.
BOOOM!
131
« on: July 31, 2018, 14:31 »
I'm pretty sure the entire US sleeps off their hangover from the 4th clear until August. Don't worry fam, it'll be a terrible August too and we can have a new thread.
132
« on: July 29, 2018, 15:25 »
How come all the top stock footage creators I know of, don't seem to be blogging or vlogging, or on Instagram or anything else I know of.
Actually I think I know the answer...
Indeed - the vloggers are the ones barely earning $100 a month yet offering to teach newcomers their secrets. Great insights to be had there.
Don't forget that they also want to tell you how awesome BlackBox is... 
So are 90% of vloggers doing youtube instructional videos because they can't make it at what they are giving instruction on?
I'd estimate the majority of people doing stock video/photos are part timers many of whom struggle to make their expenses back. They will be the ones making continuous posts as well as sharing their sales info. Meanwhile the core of professionals actually making it work are heads down, and know better than to share their hard earned trade secrets and financial info for all comers.
I doubt many in North America are spending full-time hours on microstock ... If they are maybe they should make a video about how that can even be sustainable. Maybe a portfolio of a hundred thousand could keep up with the bills? lol.
133
« on: July 27, 2018, 04:47 »
Yeah ... I think I'm going to just drop most all this crap and self host. We are making peanuts with these fuckers.
I have a server and crap if you wanna hit me up.
134
« on: July 25, 2018, 17:25 »
lol. If you already got away with taking the photo, I'd say go ahead. I highly doubt that they're tracking down a lone photographer over a $100 ticket. Some of the professional photographers even sneak photos in places they aren't supposed to. I think the whole compact tripod market is probably built around this.
135
« on: July 25, 2018, 04:37 »
If my opinion matters much, I've got a small port and ... barely contribute but, I've considered multiple times dropping them all and going Adobe/Fot exclusive. They're legitimately the only ones trying to drive the market up instead of down ... I'd really love to make payout on some of them though, I think my DT balance has been stuck at 40 something for a year or better.
Edit: More on topic I hit enter before I was done ... Adobe/Fot have been paying significantly more for me. SS seems slow ... :/ idk. I uploaded a 60fps video the other day just to see if I could get something in but, it's still not accepted and I'm not terribly sure if micro is worth my time anymore. I want and need these files to make some money ... money for me. Not 1/5 of my sale and we can clearly see buyer loyalty dropping. idk. Designers are more and more actually hiring photographers than buying stock. I value this as a small bit of passive income but, it's becoming less realistic ... I'm ... probably going back to self hosted and hoping that crap will just take off again.
136
« on: July 19, 2018, 15:47 »
Get your SEO top notch for the trickle of organic results ... then post ... all day every day. Or use a post scheduling service like buffer.
137
« on: July 17, 2018, 14:37 »
New campaign hats
138
« on: July 17, 2018, 01:27 »
I believe you are overthinking it....all products in any industry have a similar life cycle. Nothing "special" about microstock pictures.
Meh, many industries would call it "Market Saturation" I think in stock some photos definitely have a time of relevance ... which may occur well before saturation. Think Saturation if it ends up as a meme and relevance if it's a timely editorial photo.
139
« on: July 15, 2018, 14:44 »
The only one I'd even consider is maybe Adobe/Fot. I don't think I've sold anything on DT all year.
140
« on: July 12, 2018, 17:11 »
lol. Maybe they can devise a strategy to just slice our bill in half ... for all of us with the full CC and no video. lol
141
« on: July 12, 2018, 17:06 »
LOL. No love for the Illustrators.
Not true! We definitely love illustrators! I understand you are referring to Adobe Illustrator specifically but it's important to note your vector uploads and earnings from vectors do count towards the CCP giveaway.
-Mat
Will the credits for the photography plan go towards a full CC version that I'm already paying for? Like others have said the photo version isn't a ton of use by itself to me, but a little off my bill is always good.
The full cc comes with illustrator Edit: I see, it's the PS, LR combo that's given away. not the $50 plan. Meh
142
« on: July 10, 2018, 16:30 »
Some people were probably complaining here while they were uploading. Many of us stopped uploading, deleted images and eventually closed our accounts. That was the only way to hurt istock and at least make the other sites give us a bit more respect.
I understand what you are saying, but even in small companies people can't get a few dozen workers, who know and see each other every single day, united on a common goal.
How would you expect a mass organized action based on MSG alone where only a small fraction of photographers come, on a global scale, between people that have never met, have absolutely different goals (professional/amateurs), different income expectations where some nee 3000 to live and others are kings with 500, different points of view on the subject, etc.
The only way to change an agency politics on this type of business is to threaten their income through competition. Or have the means to launch a persistent major campaign worldwide. And have the money to fight the agency lawyers who will try to sue you for defamation.
I don't know ... there's quite a bit of power here on the MSG. Anyone remember Dollar Photo Club?
143
« on: July 09, 2018, 19:28 »
This is an interesting conversation. Over the last few years I've seen a lot of people selling stock photos from their own websites and they seem to be doing quite well. The ones that I've seen, mainly focus on images for creative business owners and women entrepreneurs and they rely heavily on social media marketing to make sales. The owner of TwigyPosts has said that she makes over $100,000 per year.
Here are links to a few of the websites I'm talking about:
https://www.scstockshop.com/
https://twigyposts.com/
https://hautestock.co/
Not impossible to do. How many people work for her? How many total images does she have? Where is she located (in terms of overhead)? Social media can be a part of any marketing plan, but I would bet that she didnt build up that business solely by posting on twitter or any other social media site. Lots of people say they make this huge amount of $$ (a bunch here do the same thing), but if her overhead from that $100,000 is $99,000, then she doesnt really make all that much money, does she. Social media is a small part of a big marketing picture. You cant just post pictures on instagram and expect the cash to roll in. If someone has actually done it that way, I would love to hear, and see proof. Just my opinion, tho, based on 30+ years of self-employment, and 14+ years of microstock.
I agree with you cathyslife. Jana at TwigyPosts doesn't have anyone working for her and says the over $100,000 is what she keeps. Her sales come in large part from Instagram but I'm sure she has a marketing strategy and works hard at it. I struggle with social media marketing but it seems that's where a lot of the younger folks are finding success.
Is all of that financial information on her website? If not, how are you privy to it? I remain suspect.
Well, in reality it sounds like she's probably working pretty * hard to get that $100k ... At least it's hit a point of sustainability. Interesting subscription model and stuff too. I wonder what her average sale is? at the 299 that's only like 334 subscribers. If I could even get 1k/mo out of my crappy images I'd totally be on board again. I think my desire to even try died with Symbio.
144
« on: July 08, 2018, 18:01 »
I never think its a good idea to ask for an opinion if you are going to tell people they are wrong  . What is actually the purpose of your question as you seem to have decided you are going to do it? I think if you have exceptional images and are good at marketing it could work. For "run of the mill" stock photography nope
LOL, I just noticed the OPs responses.
I think the question's purpose was more looking for experiences. But when you throw in an open ended "what do you think?", you're inviting debate, then bickering, then arguing, and then of course all things lead to Trump.
I'm probably over cynical but I'm expecting some kind of product to help with this Social Marketing idea to emerge at some point
There're tons of things to help. IFTT and buffer can do almost all the actual posting for you.
145
« on: July 08, 2018, 17:59 »
I think if I were going to I'd set up something using an API to automatically grab the images from whatever site and push them. Either that or self host..
146
« on: July 06, 2018, 12:31 »
The fact is that, either way, US wireless operators operate under an enormous pile of debt, being far from "making a fortune" these days, let alone making a fortune from photo stealing, as posted above.
That association is preposterous.
Enormous piles of debt do not necessarily mean that you can't make a fortune.
If you need capital, then debt is often the cheapest way of getting it, because of the tax advantages. Much better than asking shareholders to stump up.
The debt is generally there even if they have the capital to pay for it. Mostly for tax breaks but, also to ease temporary cash shortages. Even Apple leverages debt. A good example is something with high seasonal sales ... think ToysRus or something. Just trickles of sales until the holiday season. The need to invest the cash is still there but, the other 9 months of the year still need paid as well. The cash cow walmart has significant amounts of debt.
147
« on: July 04, 2018, 13:24 »
Well, I saw, over the past year, some revenue increase, making it the second highest in the grow of the low earners... Then, I got a careful look at the stats: they are now accepting more or less anything, so the RPI is actually extremely low, the worst of the platforms I'm on... When even 123RF is better, then it's maybe time to consider leaving the boat!
Why does RPI matter?
because it's the main KPI, the one that determines how much I gained per image, and if is it worth for me to spend time uploading pictures on the platform
Only if you stop uploading. It takes exactly the same time to upload a rejected image as an accepted one. So if you have 10,000 images on one site that accepted everything and made 1,000 and 500 images on another that rejected 9,500 images and you made 500 which is better? Income vs time spent working on that site is a better measure...I guess you could include images worked on but not accepted at each site...that would improve it as a measure.
Images online is a much easier measure. Plus, a decent measure of time invested. In your example, the 9,500 rejected images would be indication of loss of investment, or expense ... I suppose ... as far as KPIs and rejections are concerned, you could measure images submitted as the leading measure, and images rejected as the outcome measure. Images submitted and earnings would make a decent amount of sense I suppose. To be honest though, I doubt it matters for Dreamstime now, it is dead. Just figured I'd chime in because I like KPIs n maths n stuff.
148
« on: July 01, 2018, 14:34 »
Thank's pal that really helped.
This is not the first time I'm posting on microstockgroup. I wonder if there are any other people than troll's and elitary cynic's. No, really. This is such a bringdown. I wish microstockers had healthier community.
lol. Guess you didn't need the cozy introduction then. Out of all communities I think MSG is the most toxic that I frequent. It sounds like you've got Shutter, adobe/fotolia ... uhm ... dreamstime but it's dead. DP does ... okay. The 123rf trickle. Really that's about it. I don't do any work with iStock but, I know some of the others do alright. Don't discount Pond5 so quickly either, I had a small burst of life right when they started but, I don't even check it now. It's really just ... the same places as the photogs ... If you already have hosting and such it still doesn't hurt to self host either. I wouldn't dump a ton into marketing or anything but, a little SEO and social activity could end up being a decent return on time. The first year self hosted paid for itself, and then I just quit being active so the second year died and I cancelled it. There's still quite a few hosting their own and doing great. I think Leo still does and .... shoot now I can't remember his name, the mascot vector guy ...
149
« on: June 30, 2018, 16:55 »
Editorial in that aspect could mean using the f logo as an icon depicting f or directing a user to f. Which I'm not sure why anyone pays for ... because they're free (fontawesome makes them embeddable into your html). Most companies offer their branding materials to help spread brand awareness and recognition. One of the better ones about it is probably twitter: https://about.twitter.com/en_us/company/brand-resources.htmlBut, others ... smaller companies will usually have a .pdf usage guide or something and a downloadable .zip file containing all of the needed elements. I'm not sure why you'd sell and profit from other companies and designers but, since it's working ... good job I guess.
150
« on: June 08, 2018, 15:30 »
Looks like he does have other colors, 2,599 pages of near duplicate renders. I really should get back into 3D ... lol
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