More here:
http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_messages.php?threadid=343053&page=1

Yeah, I just got an email about that. Not surprising about the logos.

but I'd rather enjoy life than spend time poring over numbers or doing statistical analysis.

I use a Fun-O-Meter to measure that.  

Seriously though, I agree. I try to balance it all by doing images that are fun for me. I don't think I'd make it very far if I didn't. There are a lot better selling subjects than mine, but they are incredibly boring to me.

They've been around for awhile:

http://www.microstockgroup.com/theartofbusinesscards-com/my-portfolio-at-the-art-of-business-cards/

http://www.microstockgroup.com/theartofbusinesscards-com/new-forum-area-for-pod/

I thought someone was spamming some role playing game site. (no really, I did!) 

Nope, just me making stupid jokes about the cartoons I watched as a kid. That, and wondering why companies rename themselves to strange and obscure things.

A nice ULT, when the unicorn is nice and lean... (lip smack)

Mmm... that does sound good. And here I was just thinking about making magical glue out of it.

It depends on what you are looking for. Running your own site is a lot more work than just submitting to agencies. It can be rewarding, but you have to wear more hats (content creator, copywriter, businessman, accountant, designer, programmer, help desk, marketer, etc.).

I really enjoy running my own site. I find it rewarding (both professionally and financially), but I think cutting my teeth at the agencies helped. It took the knowledge of submitting and having successes and failures at different agencies to really understand what I wanted to do with my own site. I wouldn't have been ready to do it several years ago.

That said, it never hurts to try and see what happens. 

I know I'm reviving an old thread, but I was thinking about this today. After reviewing my numbers over the last year, I'm wondering what SF really brings to the table. For me, It's just low sales volume and a really low RPD. It's kind of how I felt about Crestock when I left there. I just didn't see the point in staying.

Quote from: mtkang on April 12, 2012, 12:06

if you have a 1200 similar vectors, I think at least US$300 if you are able to upload to all the major sites..

don�t know a thing about vectors but if they are as good as some say here it would be a lot more money

Shhh... don't tell everybody. 

I am ready to toss the graphic pad out of my window! I was told to put my mouse away for one full week to give the graphic pad & pen a real fair chance...

I think the real test for me was when I started a freelance project with my tablet. I quickly realized what I'd produced with it was garbage, then plugged in my mouse and finished the project. I think the lesson learned was that if you already have a good workflow with one tool, it's hard to replace it with another.

Are these all vectors? The gears look auto-traced, but I can't see enough of the stones or city to get a feel for the technique. The Earth ones don't really look like what iStock is looking for. They seem to like distinctive and developed illustration styles.

I got my 1099-K from Paypal today. Fortunately, I already filed my taxes, but what a nonsensical waste of paper. Thanks government for sending me an extra 1099 that reports income I already have on other 1099s. Maybe, my bank should send me a 1099 too. That way I have everything triple reported and can try to untangle it come tax time. Complete nonsense.

It would take an unrealistic amount of good-RPD sales to make up for the volume that most people see at places like SS. istock offers a good RPD, especially if you're exclusive. But even then, the price of the images would have to be so high to match the high-volume agencies that no one would buy there at all anymore. Same with GL and all of the other agencies with good RPD. And I'll always participate in those agencies, hoping that volume picks up someday.

But realistically, that's unlikely to happen to the point where I make most of my living getting good money for each sale. This is a volume business, driven mostly by SS, it has been since I started in 2007 and I think it will remain so for the foreseeable future, I think.

I've said it before in this forum, I think RPD is a sucker's statistic in microstock. I know that sounds harsh, but I think its true. RPD can make a crappy agency look like a good one. It's how any of these small agencies survive. They have to pay well, it's all they have going for them. But the sales volume just isn't there.

It's how istock survives as well. Look at any discussion about why people stay exclusive and inevitably you'll see lots of comments about how they make great money on each sale. And it's true. RPD at istock is great. The volume doesn't exist, though, and I don't care if they're paying me $10 per sale, it doesn't matter. They don't have enough site activity to make up for the huge volume of sales at SS. None of the high-RPD agencies do.

High RPD is great in theory. But it doesn't pay the bills. High volume does, regardless of RPD.

SS got passed by Clipartof last month for me, so I don't think it's unrealistic at all. My own site regularly places in my top 4 too. It's just a shame that there aren't more good selling/fair paying agencies. The options are pretty limited for most contributors.

You are absolutely right about depending on where you live.  I lived in Miami for 16 years prior to moving here.  Even though Miami is almost 300 miles further south than we are, their climate is much milder.  Being on the Atlantic coast, rather than the Gulf, gives a much cooler ocean breeze.  Also, being on the tip of the peninsula, there is a great cross breeze all the time.  Even the hottest summer months, Miami is much more temperate than Tampa.

The people in Tampa area are much friendlier though, and there is a lot less crime where we live here.  So there are always tradeoffs.  If you decide to come to Florida in the heat of summer, though, I suggest the Atlantic coast.  

I thought the weather was pretty much the same in the Tampa area and in the Miami area. It gets a little cooler in Tampa during the "winter", but not much. For the most part, you get beautiful weather from October to April. Then, a hot, muggy summer from May through September.