I have a double backup 2 hard drives, switching them every week - software used :  Mirrorfolder. This protects me against crashes, but also against my own stupid mistakes like deleting files by accident.  Mirrorfolders makes a simple COPY of the files.  But local backup does not protect against theft or fire, so I also have a Backblaze subscription.  I have about 9 Tb so the initial backup to Backblaze took about a month, but you don't even notice that, it's all automatic (and very cheap, a LOT cheaper than hard drives).

Quote from: Anyka on June 22, 2022, 10:44

Just checking!  I usually have sales every day at 123rf, but not on 16+17+18+19+20 June.  What about you?  I had a sale again on the 21st, so it could just be bad luck.  Or has the sales reporting stalled again those 5 days (in that case, I'll write to support again).

I have sales reported every day between June 16-21, except for Sunday the 19th.

OK thanks, so I was just having a bad week at 123rf then!

Remove the logos in the simplest/dirtiest way possible. Why bother for pennies? I usually just paint with color over the logos (much faster than cloning) and the agencies accept the photos

Well said :  why bother for pennies!

When I shoot images of a big port, with the cargo of the ships (= lots of containers) in view, I painstakingly remove every ship name and every logo/brandname from the containers.  That is such a boring job that I don't have many "industrial" images in my portfolio.  But yesterday I was browsing the Adobe library and I found lots of images of big ports, flooded with brand names.  Like hundreds of containers with the MSC logo on it.  And yes, these were commercial licenses, not editorial. 
Did I miss something?  OK, these logos are small, because it's hundreds of containers in 1 image, but still, it is possible to read the logos as they are not blurred at all.
So what do you do with your industrial photos full of small logos?  Just NOT shoot them, spend HOURS/DAYS removing logos, or just submit as they are and keep your fingers crossed?

At this point in time, I wouldn't worry about any images being taken off a microstock site for whatever reason, least of all dreamstime. The puny rewards you get for keeping images on a port just don't make it worth stressing about.

I'm not worried at all, at least not about my images or my income from Dreamstime.  I should rather worry about the state of mind of people who think it's necessary to delete a mother/daughter image because of a loving thank-you-kiss ...

Email: [email protected]
Live Chat: http://bit.ly/123RF-live-chat
Phone; 1 866 655 3733 ( Toll Free )

and also :   [email protected]

Also seeing refunds of 2011, 2013, 2016 etc. for more than 6 days now - and hardly any new sales.  What is going on there?  Are they "cleaning up" old stuff and make us pay for it?

Welcome to the club (pensioners). Sounds all right.
Bruges is my favorite city in Belgium. I mainly know the other cities because I drive on to France, Spain.
We want to go to Ghent or Antwerp for a few more days. Just wait and see.

If you go to Ghent, spend the night there, because Ghent is FABULOUS at night - they even won a Unesco prize with their evening lighting of the historical buildings ...  (but don't forget to bring your tripod!)

Take a look if you have a moment and check out the winter call for content, creative briefs, curator collections and more.
Mat Hayward

At his moment I'm not very inclined to create more winter content, as there is a big lag between the uploading/submitting moment and the moment that the files can actually be found in the search.  My latest Christmas upload was approved on 15th November and only appeared in the search yesterday = 9 days ?!    What's the cause of such a lag ?

In principle, I have a problem with those who expect others (read government) to take care of their business, instead of taking similar actions. Maybe if all of us should flood Etsy with DMCAs, before we ask for the government intervention.
In my opinion, governments should hunt down these thieves directly, instead of delegating their responsibilities to commercial companies.

You make a point, but I think the new law FORCES those companies to do something.  At this moment, if Etsy does NOT react when we report a theft, there's little we can do.  If Etsy did the right thing with your DMCA's, it's because they WANTED to, not because the are legally OBLIGED to. 
I won't go so far as to expect Etsy to pay for the damages, but I would welcome a law that enforces them to react.

I am a small seller on Etsy (selling my own digital backgrounds for baby photographers) ...  I just got the e-mail message below from Etsy, urging me to sign their petition against the new EU rules ...
I am sooooo NOT signing this petition!

Defend the rights of European small business owners
You may be aware that the European Commission has proposed legislation called the Digital Services Act (DSA).
The DSA includes new rules for how digital platforms like Etsy operate. As part of our ongoing commitment to running a safe and fair marketplace, we�ve been working with EU policymakers as the DSA is being drafted and negotiated.

 Unfortunately, some members of the European Parliament have recently proposed additional rules for the DSA that threaten to harm our marketplace and sellers� businesses. Some of these new rules would result in:
�           A slower, more bureaucratic process for creating a new shop or updating your account information. Marketplaces would have to verify that all information provided by the seller is correct before allowing them to sell, and also verify any future changes.
�           Your listings are more likely to be blocked or removed. Because the new rules would hold marketplaces strictly liable for items sold on their platforms, there�s a greater chance that legitimate listings might be removed. This would also divert marketplace resources away from where they�re actually needed�fighting bad actors trying to harm consumers.
�           Less choice for sellers and consumers would also result from the proposed rules, as many sellers are likely to be discouraged from the increased complexity of selling online. For example, marketplaces like Etsy would have to check every listing for full compliance with labelling and certification requirements before the listing could even be posted.

 Etsy's CEO, Josh Silverman, has been speaking up against these unnecessary and misguided rules with EU policymakers because he knows they would harm the creative business of every seller who wishes to sell online in Europe. But the reality is lawmakers won�t protect small business owners unless they hear from you�their constituents�directly.
Will you join us in urging EU policymakers to stop adding these harmful burdens on small businesses like yours?
Sign the petition

As I "officially" retired on 1st September, I plan to start selling my studio props.  But before selling, I will photograph each item, isolated and not isolated, for stock.  Which means I'll be "milking the cows" before I sell them haha