Quote from: Batman on June 29, 2014, 20:17

Quote from: Shelma1 on June 27, 2014, 10:06

Yet "we" opted out almost 7 million images from DPC. 

Only if you believe that all 7 million are because of DPC, not people leaving or being closed. You have no proof for your claim. What is it now?

The evidence is recorded here¹: http://www.microstockgroup.com/fotolia-com/fotolia-d-day-%28deactivation-day%29-may-1/msg385153/#msg385153, being the difference on the date of the post (almost 7 million) between files on Ft and those on DPC, so clearly the people hadn't left or being closed on Fotolia. Of course, others may have left Fotolia too, some because of DPC.

¹(Oddly, I can't see the number posted on DPC just now, though I could before.)

Best Month Ever = newbie response
Worst Month Ever = veteran response

I've finally come to accept that it's virtually impossible for an ms vet to get past the dreaded wall, and here's why...

If a newbie has a port of 50 images one month, and 100 the next, his/her port size went up 100%.
In that same month, the total images on any given site went up from, say, 25 to 26 million images, an increase of 4%.  As long as the rookie's percentage rate of port increase beats the total image percentage of increase, he/she can see fantastic growth.

But if a veteran has a port of 5000 images one month and 5,100 the next, his/her port size went up  just 2%.  Compared to the 4% monthly growth in total images available on the agencies, the ms vet is going backward, and will see less money each month.

Quote from: gbalex on June 26, 2014, 18:56

Quote from: OM on June 26, 2014, 18:03

Possibly...RSI @70+ is quite high but the market can remain irrational longer than you can remain solvent.

And yes, Insight sold their 1.6 million shares @ nearly $80/share...no doubt someone in wall Street had to buy them in....and WS rarely loses so the stock may still be being distributed to 'suckers' at the present level of $84 before the plug is pulled. Might even go back toward $100 before then. WS loves to make profits and they have to come from someone.

Did I mention that I know nuffin! 

A bit more than 1.6 million shares it is over 7,148,991 shares sold and that is excluding sales by Jon and all other insider executives.

For Insight Venture Partners alone in its various renditions, the total shares sold totals over 7,148,991 shares. There could also be more out there that I've overlooked.

Date    SSTK Sold
6/12/2014   1,754,570
2/27/2014   2,174,421
9/25/2013   3,220,000
5/21/2013   2,170,074
Total Sold   7,148,991

http://www.secform4.com/filings/1549346/000114036114025822.htm
http://www.secform4.com/filings/1549346/000114036113022555.htm
http://www.secform4.com/filings/1549346/000114036114010620.htm
http://www.secform4.com/insider-trading/1549346.htm

WS has even more to distribute then. Could stay higher longer! 

It is almost 7 years I am a part microstock world. In the beginning I was enthusiastic but with years it changed.
Today my relation with sites is closer to hate than love. The problem is that with time I forgot why I don't like agencies... Sometimes when I discuss with people and want to be very factual I lack of arguments.
For example I deleted my portfolio from Fotolia and I think it was related to the event when Bobby Deal was banned. What it was?
The only date I remember is September 2010 and iStock beginning of the end.
Is there any place where we can find this kind information? Different events related to sock agencies?
Thanks
BTW, In the title I put "negative" events as I don't think there were positives ones...

Quote from: dirkr on October 23, 2009, 07:27

Quote from: PaulieWalnuts on October 23, 2009, 06:40

Hmmm. I wonder why would they risk alienating a lot of their existing contributors to go after what appears to be a fairly small group of new contributors?

And the fact that maybe only a small percentage of that small group will bite.

Why the would risk alienating ther existing contributors?
That's simple.
Because they have done time and time again in the past without any noticeable impact on their bottom line. Sure, there will be some ranting and complains in the forums, maybe even a few contributors may leave, but after a few weeks it's back to business as usual...

That's why they'll do it.

SOP for Fotolia is if you complain loudly about the way they treat you as a contributor they delete your account and deny you any further referral earnings even when you still have 2 years of referral earnings left from referring top contributors to them.

Fair and honest treatment of the contributor base has never been part of the company credo. I spent many hours consulting (for free) back and forth with Oleg when he was first launching FT and in my personal opinion in the end as in the beginning he never showed any true concern for anything other then his own profit position in the operation. The contributors are simply a means to an end for him and that end is personal profit. Of course we all get into business with profit as the goal but in the case of FT it would seem to be the only true aspiration of the company. I expect that were I to sit down and extrapolate my potential earnings at FT over the past year had I not been railroaded off the site for standing up for contributor rights that I have lost out on $12,000 or more in royalty and referral earnings that would have come as the result of the elevated ranking which I was denied in the last ranking fiasco. Fotolia has a long and well documented track history of mistreating their contributor base yet the staus quo is maintained there. This change will no doubt go forward as has every other change in the history of the agency. In the end a handful will suffer the closing of their accounts and involuntary deleting of their portfolios and after a short time the roar will quiet and it will be business as usual at Fotolia until they announce their next scheme meant to further trample the rights of their contributor base.

A lot of very Old Images there, Of course thats what is selling. Maybe they want us whiners as jens said...To just go away. They may get there wish sooner than later and lots more will follow unless they start talking and actually saying something. Remember what the recession taught us, Your never to big to fail.

Quote from: JPSDK on June 23, 2014, 10:29

....
Rejections are all about supply and demand, and you folks might be going out of demand, as we all are.

if that's the case they should say so rather than invent bogus 'ighting problems' or 'composition' rejects  or asking for a model release when there are no people in t he picture

Quote from: gbalex on June 21, 2014, 22:41

Contributors are waking up and it is clear for Oringer we are not even an afterthought. He views us simply as a way to make bank. Notice that he never once considers nor mentions what would be best for contributors in this equation to acquire more wealth.

I hate to break it to you, but that's the whole industry. I sold more subs at iStock/Thinkstock last month than I did at Shutterstock. This after leaving IS because I thought it was going to be worse than Shutterstock. Guess what? I was right. I'm selling at even lower RPD there now with a higher volume. Wooyay! I wish there was another way, but it's hard to make a living doing this without all the players.

I'm all for helping out a project that wants to make a difference in the industry, but I'm skeptical that one will form. I think small victories can be won like DPC or that illustrators get 20% again at IS, but those are barely victories in my opinion. There is still so much more out there for contributors to earn. My hope is that one day most contributors will come to see that, but it could be just an illusion based on my own numbers. I hope that is not the case though.