Quote from: etudiante_rapide on August 03, 2017, 15:15

Quote from: sharpshot on August 03, 2017, 01:22

It does seem highly likely that we will end up paying if they can't keep their shareholders happy.  The best case scenario might be for the share price to collapse and Oringer take the business private again.  Things like that never seem to happen to microstock sites.  My fear is that a hedge fund, possibly the same one that owns Getty, might see this as an opportunity.  SS was the one site that kept me motivated with microstock but that clanged when they took over BigStock and cut commissions and then announced their IPO.

yes, 2 scenarios possible ; one good for us, other tragic.
1) Oringer short the stock and waiting for the price to collapse then go back in to buy up everything, then declare SS private
2) Getty also short the stock and wait also for the price to collapse then become the main shareholder and we are all dead ducks ...
as money will not make us happy, because it 's money Getty intends to keep for themselves.

scenario on is unlikely, as Oringer already makes enough money , he does not need to own SS anymore as if already mention, micro is dead, why would he bother to keep ss???

Getty are millions in debt they're buying nothing.

Right Getty can't afford their own debt, and the interest, let alone buy more of the competition.

Jon still owns the company 51% last I looked. He still owns the company.

He gets paid in stock, salary is $1 a year. He doesn't need to spend to buy back anything.

    Revenue increased 8% to $134.0 million
    Income from operations decreased 69% to $3.3 million
    Net income decreased 58% to $3.1 million
    Adjusted EBITDA decreased 19% to $18.3 million
    Diluted EPS decreased 55% to $0.09 per share

Key Operating Metrics             

    Paid downloads decreased 2%
    Revenue per download increased 9%
    Image collection expanded 57% to 144.7 million images
    Video collection expanded 55% to 7.6 million clips

There's that RPD that almost everyone claims means something in Micro?
And there's why our sales are down, competition, 55 and 57% increase in competition. Of course we'll be selling less and making less.

The part SS is missing is trying to win the race to the bottom, by cutting staff, reducing advertising, slowing growth and cutting our commissions. They are investing and diversifying. This is long term growth unlike most of the rest who are just bailing water from their sinking ship, or treading water without a lifeboat in site.

It still points out, how the little ones can stay in business when they have almost no market share. They must be so happy to keep making money and paying salaries from the pittance we get and their larger cut. Otherwise the low earners and middle, would all have shut down years ago.

Quote from: Mantis on June 24, 2017, 19:11

Quote from: Sean Locke Photography on June 24, 2017, 18:03

A four year old return?  No idea.

And you reluctantly paid them, right?

Seriously, I wonder how far they are willing to take something like that if you just say nicely to GFYourselves.

Considering there is no valid contract between me and IS, I'm not even sure why they took the trouble to do it.

Of all people in the world, you have the best reason to ignore them. 

Stop whining already and just quit. We got it by now. MS is dead, your earnings are down 50% and new files don't sell.

He's been writing the same for five years. Might be right, but it's like telling someone that they aren't 18 anymore, when they are 30. We already know that. Just like we know that the whole Micro Market has changed since years ago. Trads are no more. Competition is uploading 1 million new photos a month. Why discuss and argue the obvious with some slant or conspiracy. The market has changed, the competition has changed, the old days are gone for years now, not months.

Worst month for years unless IS rides to the rescue (unlikely).

Which we don't know until September and by then, we have more important things to look at than two month old reports from a snake in the grass.

Secret of trade

But that's the data I gathered for http://www.keyword.io/tool/stock-photo-research into a big database, so it's a matter of minutes to run such queries on.

But where do you get the sales figures? Top sites don't show or release these. Alamy doesn't release this data.

Personally I've found that good accurate specific keywords will get better sales than "more keywords" just for the sake of having more words. Imagine if you are a buyer and wanted a photo of something? What would you search for? That's the words to include, not obscure or random similar or minor details that aren't the main subject.

Too many people think there's some game to making sales, when the answer is honest and straight forward. Good accurate keywords work best. And yes I've tested my own images, against my own images of similar photos. Next time you upload something of a series, make ten with basic words, precise, make ten with many keywords, make ten more with all kinds of obscure and related words. Then wait a month and look at where they appear in the search.

I promise, less words, more accurate, will be ranked highest at most sites. This assumes that the repeating words are the same number of instances, because that has an effect at some sites.

Just voted and I put in my $$ for Adobe stock and it shows no vote after I submitted thus a bug in the survey 

ANd they don't exist in the history as either name.  http://www.microstockgroup.com/index.php?page=PollResults

The upload age doesn't matter as much as what is the image! New and old sell if buyers want them. I have new that sell the first week and old that sell over and over for years. I also have flops that have never sold in years and some that are new that will probably never sell. It's not the age that matters, it's the what is it.

Word on the forum is that it makes no difference. I certainly won't waste my time imagining possible tangential keywords. It's  a stupid invitation to spam. Because of the way their search works, I get enough false hits there already.

Is that five yes to your five answers. I think so.  It's another carrot on a stick mission, from some stock agency.

I honestly felt this survey should of been titled 'how can we make it easier for you to upload content'

They totally asked the wrong questions if they really cared for contributor thoughts


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Because they don't honestly care about contributors, our uploads or our thoughts.

Quote from: Brightontl on July 26, 2017, 13:18

Quote from: Bad Company on July 26, 2017, 13:02

Quote from: Brasilnut on July 26, 2017, 11:54

I love you all, even Cathy   

Isn't it early in the day to be drinking already 

It depends where you are.
Here in England is gin and tonic time

We call that breakfast here in the states.

Bloody Mary's or Screwdrivers, there's nice way to start the day, or maybe a Mimosa? 

Yep, $100.

Yes to both and it's automatic now. Of course it takes a little longer for them to use the abacus, and sharp pencils cost more. But you'll get paid 2-3 months after you actually earn the money.

There are several of mine. Will report it to ss when i get home.


EDIT.
I just filed a complaint with DT. SS is next.

Everyone who has anything he stole, file a complaint. Shut this down.

Some new thief with 300 vegetable isolations, faked model releases and they will soon be gone. I doubt that this one will get many downloads and the agency doesn't profit for a few misguided people. Account closed. If you have an image in this group, it means your work is outstanding.

Pick your best seller from the group, don't say what it is. How many DLs do you get a month on that image? The thief won't beat you in the search or sales, but how many do you estimate you lost on this one month crook? I always wonder how these people have no morals and think they can make payout when we find them and they are closed down.

But how much do you lose on one of these one month idiots?

53 dollars.

Lowest 0.02 to 5.73. Feels like over 90% is below 1 dollar.

I haven�t uploaded in months, doubt it is worth the hassle now.

Even the so called low earners can now give better results than istock.

Yes I feel so happy that it only took them two months to send me the dismal sales report. 

As a pleasing note the 2c and 14c commissions seem to have vanished. But 15% of crap is still crap. Can't decide if I want to go on with them. I suspect that's their plan all along. Get rid of the low earning independent people. Maybe not a bad plan, I'm happy to take my photos and leave. I make much more on other sites, both commission and money.

I stopped uploading new files last year. I don't see a future at IS. Just waiting for the next exciting contributor news, which has never been anything but ways to cut our cut.