Quote from: somewhere on March 17, 2022, 09:16
UFOs are "unidentified" by definition. It's clearly commercial, not editorial.
If they were identifiable, they'd be called IFOs.

Great - that definition! 

Quote from: ravens on March 14, 2022, 07:03

Quote from: cathyslife on March 11, 2022, 16:54
Shoot new world order, transhumanism, central banks, social credit systems, loss of personal property. More bioterrorism. Frankenfood made from soy, disappearance of beef. Plant-based food. Big agriculture.

Very good ideas!

Maybe also
People carrying microchips under skin.

The microchip implants (and the nanobots that "slit the bloodstream from the inside"), which some people are convinced of, I never understood anyway.

People are afraid of the total surveillance and control by Bill Gates.

Before they go on demonstration, they have paid their drink with credit card or by electronic cash, so that everybody knows what they have bought. Then they got into their car, which transmits their entire movement profile to the manufacturer. In their pockets, they all have their latest-generation smartphone, with which they monitor their sleep, pulse and blood pressure, with which they share all their data with Mark Zuckerberg and make it available to him, through which they have their chats monitored, allow movement profiles, reveal all their habits, have conversations listened in on, etc.
And which, as far as radiation is concerned, is certainly unhealthier than wearing a mask, which is supposedly so harmful to health.

We live in strange times...

Now I can see the downloads. Most of them for $ 0.216 

Quote from: Wilm on March 11, 2022, 08:20
I just sent an e-mail to 123rf support asking if this is possibly a bug. 10 days in a row without a single download - that is completely impossible from my point of view!

If it stays like this, I will have a test purchase made.

Nothing happened so far. No answer. The bug still exists. No downloads since first day of March - impossible. But at least the payout came in today.

Stop thinking...

This is really a great idea that moves humanity forward. Thank you for this great tip.



We are on the brink of disaster. For all of humanity. Because a few idiots think they have to impose their ego. And so the rest of the people should not think about it.

I like to repeat myself.

The West is certainly not as great as it pretends to be - no question.

For many years, for example, I have been annoyed by the question of why the rating agencies have so much power and why they apparently only exist in the USA. Which, in case of doubt, can decide the economic future of each state on the planet. That is not in order. Because that can lead to fierce abuse.

I'm also not at all convinced that the West always informs its citizens correctly - there are lies in our countries, too.

But in this current situation, one fact should be completely out of the question: Russia attacked Ukraine. Not the other way around. Russia wants war and a subjugated Ukraine. And there is no political, social or economic right to it!!!

There is exclusively a personal interest of Putin, who - for whatever reasons - wants a place in the history books and a satisfaction of his vanity and his personal desire for power. Is that worth a third world war?

Jewish * must be a new species. Until then, I had believed that they were mutually exclusive.

Since, at least as far as mainstream and new media, global information, social media, and the like are concerned, an incredible danger is creeping up, but increasingly so, I would suggest topics such as

- conspiracy theories
- fake news

and their impact on democracy and other political and social development.

As far as the way people and algorithms deal with information via various media channels is concerned, the third world war has actually already begun.

Quote from: Hildegarde on March 11, 2022, 21:32
Many American companies are pulling out of Russia... but stock companies are not. 

I would like to opt out right now.  I have been selling a lot of photos right now that I suspect might be being used, if they are sold in Russia/China, to creating false news to blame Ukraine for things RUssia has done/might do.

Generally I have accepted that I cannot control the use of my images if I sell on stock.  But given the fact that most US companies ARE pulling out of Russia AND that I can see some of my images being misused to accuse Ukraine of war crimes, I am not happy.

I don't want to minimize the fact that the Russian regime may also be using stock photos to misrepresent facts.

But I think we all need to be aware that all our images serve advertising purposes. Advertising generally works in such a way that images are manipulated - in both a positive and negative sense.

I don't want to know how much fraud has already taken place with stock images and how many billions of dollars have ended up in the wrong hands through our images.

If you want to exclude this, you have to give up the stock business in general and look for another field of activity.

Quote from: Anyka on March 11, 2022, 10:52
I contacted support.  This is their (very quick) reply :


Hello,
 
Thank you for contacting us.

We have noted that the record of downloads/sales have not been updated since 4th March. We have notified the IT Team to check for a fix.

We apologize for the inconvenience caused in the meanwhile. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you need any further assistance.
 
Thank you.

   

[size=0pt]Theresa [/size][/color] [/color]Contributor Support Executive[/color] [/t]  [/color][/url][/color]

Thank you for this information, Anyka!

I just sent an e-mail to 123rf support asking if this is possibly a bug. 10 days in a row without a single download - that is completely impossible from my point of view!

If it stays like this, I will have a test purchase made.

The day before yesterday I had the first decent day of the month on shutterstock in terms of revenue. There it was $85. The download volume is relatively normal. Nevertheless, AS is still ahead in March.

Yes, that is really strange. I had exactly 2 downloads on March 1 - nothing since then. I never had that before!

Quote from: Wilm on March 07, 2022, 22:16

Quote from: Zero Talent on March 07, 2022, 21:39
https://blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2022/03/04/adobe-stops-all-new-sales-in-russia

Great move by Adobe, since their products are very likely to be heavily used by Putin's state controlled media (i.e. all russian media), propaganda and fake news machine.

This is a good and consistent decision.

Whatever happened in history: We live in the here and now. It is legitimate to refer to crimes - including those committed by the West - in the past. But there is no justification for what is currently happening in Ukraine. That's why I think this step by Adobe is very good.

And, to be clear, I interpret this as a decision of AS against the Russian regime, not against Russian contributors!

Quote from: Zero Talent on March 07, 2022, 21:39
https://blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2022/03/04/adobe-stops-all-new-sales-in-russia

Great move by Adobe, since their products are very likely to be heavily used by Putin's state controlled media (i.e. all russian media), propaganda and fake news machine.

This is a good and consistent decision.

Whatever happened in history: We live in the here and now. It is legitimate to refer to crimes - including those committed by the West - in the past. But there is no justification for what is currently happening in Ukraine. That's why I think this step by Adobe is very good.

Quote from: TonyD on March 07, 2022, 21:52

Quote from: everest on March 03, 2022, 20:07
That you had good months with Istock might mean something or nothing at all. Depends on if you sell dozens o thousands of images every 30 days. I sell over 1000 images per month at Istock and just a few weeks ago I made a 15000$ market freeze sale. Does it mean iStock is doing good. No, not at all. They are slowly sinking for different reasons. Debt that is dragging them down is a big issue and that is the reason that they have to go public again so investors can pump in money that they don't have now for their expansion plans. Let's see how this pans out.
Adobe on the other side is a huge player. Their stock value is 222 billion. Shutterstock Mkt is only 3.2billion. So who do you think is going to be the last man standing in just a couple of years. We surely will find out. I made my bet. It will be surely be interesting. I for once hope that SS sinks . They surely deserve it   

Can someone sell more on istock than SSTK for the same images?

Maybe I don't understand your question exactly. But for me, I have 778 images online at istock and 1312 at shutterstock. In relation to the portfolio size, the download quantities and the revenues are a little higher than at shutterstock.

Quote from: komikmiha on March 06, 2022, 20:53

Quote from: everest on March 06, 2022, 17:08
Bombarding civil population . War crimes committed by him and his generals are already being recognized by Europe and US. He will be soon on the list of war criminals, like Milosevic was. His corner is everyday smaller. It is already too late for him to back out of this mess. He is a miserable dictator that will pay sooner than later for his crimes.

Quote from: komikmiha on March 06, 2022, 16:45
Except only in Ukraine they are killing civilians. 13.000 of them. Your evidence of the genocide? Let's say he is guilty of: Native Americans genocide, Aborigines genocide, Colonialism, WW1, WW2, atomic bombs, Vietnam, slavery. Are you good now?

Putin enjoys since his plan is working. Nobody will beat Russia. Never.

I wasn't alive then, but I'm very very sure that's exactly what the Germans believed when they attacked Poland in 1939, starting World War II.

You know how that turned out. You also know how the Romans, Alexander the Great, Napoleon Bonaparte and countless others fared.

But there is a striking difference. Back then, there was one losing nation. Today, because of nuclear weapons, it can hit all of humanity and wipe it out. You and me included.

I do not see a reason to celebrate!

Quote from: komikmiha on March 06, 2022, 20:43

Quote from: everest on March 06, 2022, 17:02
Putin already knows he is a politically dead man. A russian Kim Jong-un. You may like it or not. It is what it is . Digging his own grave in front of the whole world.What a mastermind(sic). If at some point people or military turn on him and slap his face he might always ask for asylum in Eritrea.

Quote from: komikmiha on March 04, 2022, 19:58
The only hate comes from the West that just keeps executing violence and bullying to many regions in the world. You are so funny. Since you know the future, can you tell me Jackpot numbers? Russia knew what it was doing even before it went to war. However, it can be arranged as follows: the USA sets up bases in Ukraine, and Russia in Cuba and Mexico. Not a bad idea, right?

LOL, this is so funny. I never thought this forum could be THAT funny. Putin is rising oil price and he is getting rich. He knows what he is doing.

Yes, that may be. And perhaps this is precisely the problem.

There is a glaring social injustice all over the world. The richest one percent of all people on this planet own more than the poor half. And this status quo is continuously changing in favor of these extremely rich.

This is the case in the West and it is no different in the East.

Capitalism rules in the West and socialism in the East - if you put it in an exaggeratedly simple way. And these two systems are vying against each other for dominance of the planet.

Meanwhile, I don't really understand the differences anymore. Because in both systems, the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer.

When I look at the definition of socialism: " "Socialism refers to ideologies that propagate the overcoming of capitalism and the liberation of the working class from poverty and oppression (social question) in favor of a social order oriented to equality, solidarity and emancipation", then your statement degenerates into pure mockery.

Yes, it may be that Putin will become rich, and possibly a few oligarchs and our former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, but is that a cause for joy for someone from the people, as you presumably are?

What about your freedom of speech, about oppression, if you want to change your mind at some point?

The question is whether Putin is waging war for his people, or rather so that he and his friends can rake in even more billions. And in this war no oligarchs die, there die people from the normal and lower social class. On both sides.

Quote from: Lizard on March 06, 2022, 12:05

Quote from: Wilm on March 06, 2022, 11:28

Quote from: Lizard on March 06, 2022, 10:27

Quote from: Firn on March 06, 2022, 10:07
Lizard, I am not sure I am understanding what you are trying to say? That, in a democracy, whenever the elected government is making a decision for the country, the whole country was "forced" into that decision whenever there was no referendum? You don't seem to understand that referendums, while they are part of democracy, are extrenmely rare and just because there was no referendum about an issue (so in 99,99% cases) it doesn't mean a whole country was  "forced" into anything when a government that was rightfully elected by the people and given the authorities to make decisions for the people, actually makes a decision without asking every single person for their agreement.

Do you also understand what constitution of a country is ? If constitution says referendum has to be held when entering international unions and +50% turnover is needed something to be valid, than 43% is a referendum that did not pass. Changing rules after to fix the result is a criminal act.

This is not correct. The turnout for the referendum was only 43% (= only 43% of eligible voters took part in the referendum - for whatever reason). This 43% of the participating population voted 67% in favor of joining the EU.

TRUE!!!

Exactly what I said, and for a referendum to be valid more than 50% of voters should take part.

Article 6 or Clanak 6 in Croatian:

Na državnom referendumu odlučuje se većinom birača koji su glasovali, uz uvjet da je referendumu pristupila većina od ukupnog broja birača upisanih u popis birača Republike Hrvatske.

or...

The state referendum is decided by a majority of the voters who voted, under the term that the referendum was attended by a majority of the total number of voters registered in the voter list of the Republic of Croatia.

43% turnaround is not majority of registered voters.



And here is the full law on official government site.



https://www.zakon.hr/z/359/Zakon-o-referendumu-i-drugim-oblicima-osobnog-sudjelovanja-u-obavljanju-dr%C5%BEavne-vlasti-i-lokalne-i-podru%C4%8Dne-%28regionalne%29-samouprave


So what I stated is absolutely true, and by Croatian law that referendum was not valid.

If we wanted to exit EU and we had a new referendum with 49% turnaround with 100% of votes for the exit , the referendum would not be valid and we would have to stay in EU.

I can't find that. The only thing I can find is this from the Croatian Constitution - Article 6:


Članak 6. Osnivanje političkih stranaka je slobodno.
Unutarnje ustrojstvo političkih stranaka mora biti sukladno temeljnim ustavnim demokratskim načelima.

Stranke moraju javno polagati račun o porijeklu svojih sredstava i imovine.
Protuustavne su političke stranke koje svojim programom ili nasilnim djelovanjem smjeraju podrivanju slobodnoga demokrat­skog poretka ili ugrožavaju opstojnost Republike Hrvatske. O protu-ustavnosti odlučuje Ustavni sud Republike Hrvatske.

Zakonom se uređuje položaj i financiranje političkih stranaka."

Quote from: Lizard on March 06, 2022, 10:27

Quote from: Firn on March 06, 2022, 10:07
Lizard, I am not sure I am understanding what you are trying to say? That, in a democracy, whenever the elected government is making a decision for the country, the whole country was "forced" into that decision whenever there was no referendum? You don't seem to understand that referendums, while they are part of democracy, are extrenmely rare and just because there was no referendum about an issue (so in 99,99% cases) it doesn't mean a whole country was  "forced" into anything when a government that was rightfully elected by the people and given the authorities to make decisions for the people, actually makes a decision without asking every single person for their agreement.

Do you also understand what constitution of a country is ? If constitution says referendum has to be held when entering international unions and +50% turnover is needed something to be valid, than 43% is a referendum that did not pass. Changing rules after to fix the result is a criminal act.

This is not correct. The turnout for the referendum was only 43% (= only 43% of eligible voters took part in the referendum - for whatever reason). This 43% of the participating population voted 67% in favor of joining the EU.

Perhaps it is time to reflect on the following:

In 1939, Germany launched the attack on Poland, thus triggering the Second World War. Hitler felt invulnerable, thought Germany was infinitely strong. And Poland - for whatever reason - for a country that was a thorn in his side.

We all know how it all turned out from the history books. The way Germany justified this attack on Poland is extremely reminiscent of what Putin is doing now in Ukraine and how he justifies it. It's not only reminiscent - it's almost identical.

Likewise, we all know from the history books how this ended for Germany and Hitler.

It is a pity that quite obviously nothing was learned from the history book and the darkest period of the history of mankind - so far.

And it is foreseeable how also this chapter will end. If all of us on this planet are lucky enough that no one presses the red button - and I think we all hope that this won't happen - it is absolutely clear how this "project" will end for Putin in the medium to long term. In a catastrophe. Pride comes before a fall. Hitler learned that and did not survive - Putin will also learn that and ...

And it cannot be suppressed by switching off the information channels. The plurality of information was also suppressed by the *. But they could not suppress the end of the Nazi terror dictatorship.

Putin will eventually annex Ukraine, maybe even more - but he will never create peace and a unified Russian feeling. There has never been such a thing in the history of mankind, and there never will be. There will never be peace in the empire he wants. The bigger it becomes, the more ethnic groups, cultures, religions and customs are included in it, the less peace is possible. This is how it was with the former Ottoman Empire, with the former Yugoslavia, with the former USSR and countless other examples.

If Flemings and Walloons, if Spaniards and Catalans, if Irish and Northern Irish cannot manage to get along with each other without reservations, how does Putin envision Ukraine? A short, big victory from the Russian point of view? Perhaps. A great empire for Tsar Putin? In the medium and long term? Never ever!

Quote from: komikmiha on March 04, 2022, 19:35
...And this...

As for the "invention" of weapons of mass destruction/atomic weapons in Iraq, I agree with you completely. Tony Blair and George W. Bush were clearly lying about that.

Otherwise, it would be good if you would check the sources you are basing your information on. This applies to the coronavirus as well as to other topics. Does the term "fake news" mean anything to you? Whether Donald Trump invented it, I don't know. But he's a big fan of Fake News. In that regard, he's very comparable to Putin - and not only in this respect.

That's not "Bernie Gores," that's Jordie Jordan - a YouTuber with his own channel.

Quote from: komikmiha on March 04, 2022, 07:56

Quote from: BelieveInStock on March 02, 2022, 16:13
Dear Russian friends, I know there is a significant stock photographers community, so I have an appeal to you.

Please do not believe in your Russian media propaganda saying that terrible war is some kind of "special action". It is regular war against Ukrainian civils. Putin is cannon firing kindergartens, hospitals and civilian areas. Your Russian dictator is not better that Hitler or Kim Jong-un. He started the worst kind of war in the middle of Europe so no one can feel safe now.

I am asking you to inform and spread the true information wherever you can in your country. Putin already cut you off from most foreign media, so all ways to reach you are good.

Thanks!

BTW, I am not Ukrainian, but I have so much sympathy to their people that I had to post it, hope it won't be removed. If is reaches even one unaware Russian, my message makes sense. The only way to bring peace back to Europe is to make Russian aware and ready to avert from their ruler.

Dear users, do not believe this person and the lies he is spreading on this forum. He makes no sense, he has no proof, he is biased. The West is spreading lies, the same lies when they showing us pictures of dead bodies when coronavirus strike. Nobody is innocent in war. It's always two sides. But in this case, we can all see that West has gone too far.

That's one of the many reasons why I love my home country - even if not everything here always works out the way I think it should.

But at least here I have the opportunity to inform myself on a wide variety of channels and form my own opinion. In certain countries, that's no longer possible.

By the way: The pictures of dead people caused by the virus are not an invention of the West. Russia and China are also hellishly afraid of Corona. Especially Putin. And I assume that he is better informed about the threat of Corona than you are.

Quote from: SpaceStockFootage on March 04, 2022, 07:55

Quote from: everest on March 03, 2022, 06:33
You are the one that is delusional. The same thing happened to Getty/Istock they were the absolute leaders in selling stock when SS was just I tiny blob in the radar. They have fallen to 3 position...

Please tell me you're not basing the financial performance of stock companies on a monthly poll, on a forum (that while containing about 50,000 members, probably less than 10% are active) that some people fill in, some people never fill in and some people fill in intermittently?

Perhaps the survey results are not entirely accurate because too few contributors are participating. And because no one can say for sure whether all contributors enter correct numbers there.

But: In the past shutterstock was always on position 1. Now AS is on position 1. I assume that at least this position swap is correct and realistic.

It applies to me anyway. For years shutterstock was ahead, now it is AS. And that's not because AS has improved so much, but because shutterstock has deteriorated so much.

The screenshot shows the problem in direct comparison. There are too few large SODs coming in at shutterstock. And they are just not enough to take in what is coming in at AS. I have more downloads at shutterstock than at AS, but they don't bring in anything.

€ 3,30 vs. € 21,90 for the last 20 sales.

Quote from: everest on March 04, 2022, 07:53
No the sale was 15000$ for me 3000$

I have never has a 75000 sale anywhere. For me the biggest sale of all time was 23000$ also in Getty when RM still existed and I got 40% of that.Ahhhh the good old days 

Quote from: Wilm on March 04, 2022, 07:50
$75000 is an enormous price for the exclusive use of a single image for only two years. 

Okay, sorry, I had misinterpreted that.

$75000 is an enormous price for the exclusive use of a single image for only two years.