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Messages - kuriouskat
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426
« on: November 12, 2017, 05:26 »
Thanks Chichikov. I didn't notice that option but will check it out next time I upload.
427
« on: November 12, 2017, 04:37 »
The worst problem I've got with it is that it forces you to remove keywords it doesn't like before you submit. This means that place-names and other stuff that aren't in its "controlled vocab" can't be used.. It rejects Dafna, which is the equivalent of Manhattan for Qatar, and it rejects Qatari, which is the equivalent of American. So people searching on those terms are not going to see my latest images. I doubt if correct scientific binomials for plants and animals will get through, either (e.g Phoenix theophrasti - the Cretan date palm - or Aeshna mixta for the migrant hawker dragonfly). Granted the number of people searching by Linnaean binomials will be minimal, but why prevent accurate descriptions being given?
I've only just tried it a couple of times, but I didn't have a problem with scientific names, etc. You just click on the red word and either select an alternative spelling or confirm that your spelling is correct. It's a little slower than the old click-through used to be, because you have to do it for each word, but I can see the logic of forcing contributors to check their spelling. From what I read here and on the Shutterstock forums, I was expecting a complete nightmare. It actually was OK - just a touch slower than it used to be.
428
« on: November 04, 2017, 05:35 »
...
But there has to be a breaking point, surely? ...
I think it's most likely to be when somewhere is is out-earning SS in the monthly tally (remember when iStock was routinely #1 for many independents?) and they pull some dumb royalty-reducing stunt.
For iStock exclusives, people started to leave after their IS totals dropped enough that the other sites plus reduced indie income from IS made financial sense.
As long as SS is doing much better than the other agencies in terms of monthly totals for contributors, they have a lot of leeway to be asshats and still keep decent content coming. Assuming their search engine keeps the dreck mostly out of buyers' sight, they can boast of collection totals to keep financial watchers happy and accept image spam as ballast - bilge water, you might say 
I guess we have to wait and see how long it will take before Shutterstock get knocked off the podium then. It wasn't so long ago that they were the benchmark 100 in the poll, but now they are at 68, with Adobe starting to snap at their heels. When Shutterstock were a long way ahead, many contributors concentrated solely on uploading to to them and, although not technically exclusive, the result was the same. With contributors experiencing significant drops in income, priorities are changing. I certainly never really bothered with Fotolia or Istock when it was financially advantageous to spend that time producing new content for Shutterstock. These days, I have to upload elsewhere to plug the income gap.
429
« on: November 02, 2017, 08:20 »
Ultimately, it's unsustainable for both in the long term. Contributors will only stay while it is worth it financially. Shutterstock will lose when all their quality contributors bail and they are left with just the holiday snaps and icons.
How long will that take?
Plenty of people upload to lots of sites.
iStock seems to piss off loads of people, but how much has that affected uploads?
So I suspect SS will continue to get good pix for a long time yet.
Even if there are fewer good contributions, remember it does still have 150m images.
Most customers, I suspect, aren't looking for amazing images. They're looking for competent images to fill space. They're much easier to satisfy than contributors.
Getting pricing and payment packages right to retain customers and make them spend more are much more important than worrying about contributors.
Correct. They have already proven that supply is not a strategic gap. Every business must look at those areas that drive revenue that satisfies customer needs. Product extensions such as Offset are one of the several ways they attract a specific customer base. To pull this kind of thing off they must have ample content. They have that. Let's be honest. The only role contributors currently play is how much they can peel back our commissions to boost margins. The reduction of EL royalties is but one example I can provide. In the end, it is what product/service offering can SS leverage to keep winning. They know most contributors have a strong tolerance for royalty hits because the game is either pull everything in protest or not. Most don't, and probably for good reason...personal reasons, but good reasons nonetheless.
But there has to be a breaking point, surely? Eventually, if you pay peanuts, you will only end up with monkeys.
430
« on: November 02, 2017, 02:37 »
It's true that my RPD has increased by roughly this amount. Just a shame that increase doesn't come remotely close to compensating for the 40%+ drop in downloads that many of us have experienced over the last 18 months.
Interesting. The overall number of downloads is up slightly, so that suggests that the number of contributors has increased, so the downloads are spread around among more people.
I'm not disputing that, (although and increase of downloads suggest an increase in purchasers rather than contributors), just pointing out that despite an increase in RPD, a 52% increase in the image collection against a 2% increase in paid downloads can ultimately only translate into a downturn for contributors - hence my 'ouch' comment.
As a business model, this is unsustainable, so it's going to be interesting to see what their next strategy will be, (assuming they have one). I'm struggling to decide whether they are looking at the long game or are just fighting fires.
Unsustainable to who though? Sadly it works for SS
Correct! we keep hearing the same old bull every quarter while contributors are just getting poorer. There used to be about 100 members keeping that site alive now theyre all gone or moved on and there is nobody courageous enough to point out that many of us built that site.
Ultimately, it's unsustainable for both in the long term. Contributors will only stay while it is worth it financially. Shutterstock will lose when all their quality contributors bail and they are left with just the holiday snaps and icons.
431
« on: November 01, 2017, 07:16 »
It's true that my RPD has increased by roughly this amount. Just a shame that increase doesn't come remotely close to compensating for the 40%+ drop in downloads that many of us have experienced over the last 18 months.
Interesting. The overall number of downloads is up slightly, so that suggests that the number of contributors has increased, so the downloads are spread around among more people.
I'm not disputing that, (although and increase of downloads suggest an increase in purchasers rather than contributors), just pointing out that despite an increase in RPD, a 52% increase in the image collection against a 2% increase in paid downloads can ultimately only translate into a downturn for contributors - hence my 'ouch' comment. As a business model, this is unsustainable, so it's going to be interesting to see what their next strategy will be, (assuming they have one). I'm struggling to decide whether they are looking at the long game or are just fighting fires.
433
« on: October 31, 2017, 06:10 »
434
« on: October 19, 2017, 02:04 »
Yes, generic releases too.
Thanks, Gillian.
435
« on: October 19, 2017, 01:43 »
I am heading out to a model shoot later today and want to submit the images to beef up my application since I don't have many images with people. Do they only accept their model release from their site or can I submit with Easy Release from the app on my phone? I have had an agency in the past who wouldn't accept a digital signature too.
yes, they accept Easy Release.
And generic releases? I Uploaded a few people shots in my application, and used the release I had on file. I can easily get another if needed, but it's good to know for reference.
436
« on: October 18, 2017, 11:23 »
I asked and they got a ton of response and are actively going through and evaluating many a day. So it is moving along. Just a lot to get through and still a small team.
Thanks for the update, Sean. Trying to be patient 
437
« on: October 14, 2017, 15:39 »
Hi,
I just wanted to check that I understood correctly... Is it ok to apply with images that are already accepted at other sites (shutterstock/istock/Adobe) so long as they are removed if accepted at Stocksy?
Also, how does one go about deactivating images from istock if successful? I think you can remove images from shutterstock and Adobe manually in your account but I wasn't sure if this was the case for istock...?
Thanks
You have to ask Istock to remove them and hope that they oblige. I have uploaded mostly new images for the application but for the few I already have on istock, if it comes to it I will close my account.
438
« on: October 14, 2017, 10:44 »
for BC:
A statement that the liability of the members or investment shareholders is limited in accordance with the Act.
https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/693.nsf/eng/h_00073.html#faq
Thanks, Nica. I also checked the Parliamentary Bill, which also confirms Limited Liability for shareholders in section 3 Part C:http://publications.gc.ca/Collection-R/LoPBdP/LS/361/c5-e.htm I didn't think there was an issue, but it's always good to read it in black and white.
439
« on: October 14, 2017, 09:37 »
Sorry if this had already been covered.
I'm reading the legal agreements. As far as I understand stocksy is a cooperative with contributors applying for membership with Stakeholder Group C.
What I like to know is how much / how far contributors are held liable. If there were any financial problems or bankrupt are Stakeholders Group C held responsible for liablity of the cooperative?
Generally, (in most countries), being a shareholder in a Cooperative means liability is limited to the value of your shares and, as you would only own one share, it would be very limited, and certainly not cost-effective for anyone to pursue you anyway. In the event of the holding company going bankrupt, your share would be worthless , so liability = zero.
I'd be glad if Stocksy could confirm my understanding here to be correct?
Yes at least in Germany this is true for a "stock company" (Aktiengesellschaft). Concerning a cooperative german rules are different. Normally all members of a cooperative are liable with their personal assets unless there is a written agreement that they are not made responsible. I'm not a native english speaker, if this passage appears somewhere at stocksys legal agreements I'd appreciate someone ponting me to them.
Anyway it's a good idea if Stocksy can clarify on this.
I believe that in Canada, the Shareholder Liability is the same for a Cooperative as it is for a Limited Liability Company. I don't think you are at any risk if you are approved as a contributor.
440
« on: October 14, 2017, 07:11 »
Sorry if this had already been covered.
I'm reading the legal agreements. As far as I understand stocksy is a cooperative with contributors applying for membership with Stakeholder Group C.
What I like to know is how much / how far contributors are held liable. If there were any financial problems or bankrupt are Stakeholders Group C held responsible for liablity of the cooperative?
Generally, (in most countries), being a shareholder in a Cooperative means liability is limited to the value of your shares and, as you would only own one share, it would be very limited, and certainly not cost-effective for anyone to pursue you anyway. In the event of the holding company going bankrupt, your share would be worthless , so liability = zero. I'd be glad if Stocksy could confirm my understanding here to be correct?
441
« on: October 13, 2017, 04:50 »
6 months? That's a long time to be holding stuff back from other sites, so I hope the wait is worth it.
I thought Sean said a week or two back that they were already starting to contact contributors, or is that just wishful thinking on my part?
Edit: I just checked back this thread and can't see the post I was referring to. I'm sure I didn't imagine it, so maybe it was on a different thread somewhere?
You didn't imagine it. It's on page 4 of this topic.
Thanks @m00n, I missed it when I looked back.
From what is says, no news is good news, so I guess that's some consolation to hold onto.
@yanjf, sorry you weren't successful but do you mind sharing the time frame from submission to rejection email, just to give a rough idea?
First image was uploaded on Sept. 14, but the day before yesterday I started to upload those images to Shutterstock, approved and one of them been sold immeditately, because it is easy to delete them if stocksy approve my application. This morning, rejection email received...
Thanks @yanjf Sorry you didn't get accepted, but I hope the images work well for you elsewhere
442
« on: October 13, 2017, 02:11 »
6 months? That's a long time to be holding stuff back from other sites, so I hope the wait is worth it.
I thought Sean said a week or two back that they were already starting to contact contributors, or is that just wishful thinking on my part?
Edit: I just checked back this thread and can't see the post I was referring to. I'm sure I didn't imagine it, so maybe it was on a different thread somewhere?
You didn't imagine it. It's on page 4 of this topic.
Thanks @m00n, I missed it when I looked back. From what is says, no news is good news, so I guess that's some consolation to hold onto. @yanjf, sorry you weren't successful but do you mind sharing the time frame from submission to rejection email, just to give a rough idea?
443
« on: October 12, 2017, 14:15 »
6 months? That's a long time to be holding stuff back from other sites, so I hope the wait is worth it.
I thought Sean said a week or two back that they were already starting to contact contributors, or is that just wishful thinking on my part?
Edit: I just checked back this thread and can't see the post I was referring to. I'm sure I didn't imagine it, so maybe it was on a different thread somewhere?
444
« on: October 12, 2017, 13:02 »
Interesting, but didn't really return what I asked for, which was tomato on left, cucumber on right and text space in the middle. That didn't feel like a complex request, and some of the returns did fit the bill, however most didn't. From the first 12 images, 6 didn't have cucumber, 3 didn't have any copy space and 1 didn't have tomatoes or cucumber, (and wasn't keyworded incorrectly), although it did have space for text.
I guess it will be a while before the kinks are ironed out.
445
« on: October 10, 2017, 13:39 »
I wanted to upload some more images today, (email said I could upload up to 100), but I don't appear to be able to submit anything. Is there a problem?
False alarm - it's working again now.
446
« on: October 10, 2017, 11:32 »
I wanted to upload some more images today, (email said I could upload up to 100), but I don't appear to be able to submit anything. Is there a problem?
447
« on: October 09, 2017, 08:08 »
Anyone heard back yet? Do we have any idea how long it will take to hear whether a contributor is approved or not? A week? A month? Three months?
It would be good to have a rough timescale.
448
« on: October 03, 2017, 12:55 »
Try www.picworkflow.comThey are really good, (at least they were, and hopefully still are - I haven't looked in quite a while) if you are looking for just keywording or, for a price, a complete uploading solution. Great if time is pressing or English is not your first language. The chap who runs it, Bob Davies, has always been very professional with this venture.
449
« on: September 27, 2017, 13:54 »
Thank you, Sean.
450
« on: September 27, 2017, 12:30 »
If images are approved, is there a facility to edit keywords/descriptions at a later date if you notice an error or something missing?
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