when do you think is the best time to upload xmas files?

For macro have them uploaded by July. In December, don't even bother. All the big publications were done months before that.

For micro, peak for me was late Sept thru early December. If you have something good though, it can sell anytime. I have been selling Halloween imgs right along too.

I do know one of the major providers is trying out a cap system in Texas, or at least was planning the cap trial. They are mainly after those people who sit and DL video & stuff 24 hrs a day.

I believe Cricket Broadband has something in the fine print of their terms. But from what I remember when reading it, you'd have to be * bandwidth all the time for them to restrict you. For Cricket, it's really a judgment call on their end. Have a couple of reasoably heavy usage days, no prob. Do it all the time and they'll restrict you.

Even if you upload 1000 imgs a week caps they are proposing would have little to no effect on a stock uploader.

Directly from the BigStock website, as part of the check off list you agree to each time you upload.

This is a binding legal agreement. I understand that:

Photo MUST be taken by YOU, or artwork created by you personally! You must be the legal owner of copyright to the uploaded file. This is very important.

So even if you had a signed, witnessed, and notarized transfer of copyright agreement, you still would violate the Terms of the Agency

Anyone know what's going on?  If they're having problems, why the secrecy and the forum paranoia?

It's just the way they are over there. It's been going on for a long time. I call it Eastern Bloc Paranoia. What a bunch of crap. People will as ask a valid question, and if it causes the DT halo to be viewed as askew, they can it.  I don't visit the forum there any more, nor do I do their stupid blog thing, which is a bunch of nonsense as it is in no way useful. The only purpose the blog thing serves is to enhance their own web architecture. All of the image buyers I know don't have time for silly self serving image pimping posts.

I'm having a BME there. Had a few print ELs which is nice. So the buyers are there and active.

If it was chat bout photography at SS, at least you'd learn something. But it's always crap like this, or the SHow Me threads

http://submit.shutterstock.com/forum/abt58465.html

Tirng - I don't go there much anymore.

Big has a small but loyal following. The timeframe has nothing to do with it. Offer what the market wants, and it will sell. The above post by Karimala above holds truth as well.

Both are owned by Fadner Media which is a legitimate player in advertising etc. If you re new to the biz and have mainly been involved with micro, that's likely why you have not heard of them.

SSI has some top illustrators on board, such as this guy

http://www.stockillustrationsource.com/artist/alexander-kosolapov/

As you can see, much more than the usual micro swirlies and curlies.

Be sure to read any terms, conditions, or contracts carefully. They likely will not accept any stuff that appears on micro as they cater to a different market.

SS threads are crazy. Some posters there have 3-4000 posts. I wonder when they make pictures.

My thoughts exactly. I especially like the newbie whine threads about no sales where the photog joined last month but has 700 posts. I have for the most part stopped looking there.

I found this interesting. Wonder if there are photo thieves on here as well? More likely a warez and music site I think.

Giant server seized in raid on file-sharing site
Swedish police find computer with 65 terabytes of files

From AP - updated 9:00 a.m. ET, Sat., March. 7, 2009

STOCKHOLM - Police have made a major crackdown on illegal file-sharing by seizing a giant computer server during an apartment raid in a Stockholm suburb, an official said Saturday.

Henrik Ponten, a spokesman at the Swedish Anti-Piracy Bureau, said the server contained about 65 terabytes of files, corresponding to around 16,000 full-length movies.

"The size of the works are gigantic," he said, noting it was one of the biggest pirate server confiscations ever in Sweden.

Police raided the apartment in Brandbergen, in southern Stockholm, in the beginning of February after the anti-piracy bureau filed a report about it, he said.
 
More here at the source link

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29566891/

Quote from: jim_h on February 26, 2009, 14:53

I think I'll try IStockphoto again, in the future. Right now it just doesn't make sense for me.  I would rather spend the time taking more photos for sites that want them, rather hammering on Istockphoto for future sales that might never happen.

Well then just do it and quit whining. Crikey  There are more than enough of these threads.

 And 3 pages of it. Now pushing Ignore button.

I should spank myself for even looking at this again.

And so goes the old debate, micro vs macro, etc. I don't know how I missed this from Feb 23.

One quote from the PDN people

It will be interesting to see if Veer Marketplace takes off... and if it does, how much it cannibalizes the rest of Veer's business.

http://www.pdnpulse.com/2009/02/veer-marketplace-goes-live-will-it-succeed.html

I really don't have much of an opinion to offer about this scenario. Being a mere speck in the micro photo universe, I don't have much to say about what business deals the company principals make.

A new girl I know went EXC at DT without researching first. She's now very sorry she did. In over a year, she has just finally reached $100 in sales.  I think it's hard to get out of EXC there. So a year of testing the waters and learning all you can is great advice.

Her low sales are a result of other factors too, poor titling and keywording etc, plus not know in how to network. Now she's paying more attention and doing better.