@csproductions, that's hilarious!

Quote from: sjlocke on August 02, 2011, 07:49

Borderline images always can go either way.  People aren't robots.

They were in the same batch so unless this reviewer has a serious case of dimentia, it has nothing to do with being 'borderline'.  Either both images have poor lighting or both don't.

One reviewer thinks it has poor lighting, the other doesn't. It's so often just luck of the draw and not just with ss.

My portfolio is quite small.  I seldom participate in the earnings thread ... BUT... had an interesting July.  Dreamstime was the top earner for the first time ever.  Way to go DT.  I would post a BME note in your forum but I've been banned.   

I've never heard of anyone being banned from DT's forum. I'm starting to think very highly of you now. 

Bruce Livingstone founded istock, the first microstock site and that's the reason we're all here.    (positive?)

Quote from: holgs on July 31, 2011, 05:08

... with SS, the influx is so great that its a constant job of "feeding the beast".

I know 'feeding the beast' is often quoted as a complaint at SS but in my experience it is simply not true. I haven't uploaded anything to SS for several months and yet I'm enjoying my highest earnings ever for the last quarter. There has been a spectacular growth in PPD sales over the last couple of years and if anything that is still accelerating. If your images are good enough to gain high sort order placement at SS then they just go on earning. SS don't keep messing about with the sort algorithm so earnings tend to be comparatively stable.

Honestly, the worst site in my view for needing to 'feed the beast' ... is actually IS. Right now the best match is rewarding new images hugely which is why those (like Sean and others) who upload lots of images per month are just about able to maintain earnings. However if you take your foot off the throttle at IS then you will soon pay a heavy price in your earnings.

I've never noticed this feeding the beast scenario with shutterstock, although I think it may have existed before I started, which was April 2009. This year I've averaged 3.42 images new images online a month at ss. That's not even a snack. My downloads and income keep on increasing at a greater proportion than the effort I put in on getting new images online. The last 3 months which have been the highest for downloads, I've only added 9 images, which is even lower than my already low average. This a graph of my ss downloads so far this year. I think the beast is happy enough and we are being fed by it.

'1.  If someone is only with one agency it's difficult to be balanced because you don't have a basis for comparison,
2. If you're an exclusive and can't be positive then why would you be an exclusive?'

You didn't ask for 'balanced'.  You asked for positive. 

And if you're looking for 'positive' and you believe #2, then you would want to hear from exclusives, definitely.

A better title might be 'Are any independents having any positive thoughts about IS'.

+1 

Although with the title as it is now the comment "Really aimed at non-exclusives as less likely to be institutionalised...." should be removed. A positive comment is a positive comment no matter who it comes from. I would like this thread to be as positive as possible. I don't want contributors to stop becoming exclusives on IS, I just want the buyers to buy from elsewhere (and I think they are starting to) and I'm guessing this forum is read mostly by contributors.

Over the past several months I keep reading on this forum and also on DT's forum (although on DT they mention as 'another major site' etc) people saying that they were former IS exclusives and it's really starting to annoy me    . For anyone reading this, who is thinking about becoming an exclusive with an agency, Microstock Posts highly recommends iStockphoto. And look I even recommend them without putting in a referral link, I'm sure IS loves me. 
   

Quote from: Microstock Posts on July 29, 2011, 14:23

I've been called many things before, but that's the first time I've been called American. U can check my DT link if u want to know where I'm from.

Sorry for calling you american, I could only deduct from you defending them or better said making a comment about me being positive about them for once and your English, which seems perfect to me. Actually they aren't all that good in grammar and often can't write properly; for instance your instead of you're, there instead of their etc.

Just because native English speakers make grammatical mistakes, it doesn't mean they don't know it. You gave 2 common errors people make, often when they are typing in a hurry. I know I sometimes make these mistakes too, but I know the grammar, well most of the time, although probably not as well as a Scandinavian for example. By the way the word American is with a capital A, the same like S for Slovenian. I know you know that and I know that you probably don't want to type a capital A for American, in the same way as I don't type a capital S in istock. It's often small things which reveal a lot about people, although you are pretty direct enough for people to notice you have a small thing. Sorry if that didn't come out quite right, sometimes my English isn't so perfect.

Quote from: Microstock Posts on July 29, 2011, 12:38

Quote from: Slovenian on July 29, 2011, 12:26

The only version of sport that you managed to make better is basketball. I don't watch it, but if I were watching it, I'd watch NBA every time over European league (or however it's called). Bad defending really makes it interesting and more spectacular.

I never knew you had it in you. You actually managed to praise something American. By the way didn't Basketball originate in the States, so if the Europeans have their own league and you prefer the American version, then didn't the Europeans manage to make it worse? Another by the way, I was just reading up that Basketball was originally played with a football (soccer ball).

I might be wrong about the origins, it's not a sport a know much about (I do know all the rules etc). Of course I managed. You make lots of things well, especially show business. But this thread was unfortunately derailed by some ignorant yanks that needed to interject with posts about american football and to make it worse they usually don't read sarcasm to well and are easily offended. That's why I sometimes have trouble communicating with you (americans). I tried to put it back on topic a couple of times, but I was not successful. At the end I could add that I was being poky or provocative as usually, but that's just my style. My intention is not to fight but to either joke around or get into an argumented debate (having different opinions sure is more interesting than always agreeing).

I've been called many things before, but that's the first time I've been called American. U can check my DT link if u want to know where I'm from.

IMHO DT is making a big mistake by alienating their suppliers with these absurd and nonsensical rejections.

Yeah but policies only change if it hits them not if it hits us. Look at IS now, suddenly they are upping their referral payments to contributors. Why? Because they have been hit. And when the agencies are hit that's when they act. We are hit all the time, but usually it's no skin off their nose.

I love football and a big Liverpool fan. Looking forward to the season starting again and been looking forward to Liverpool getting back on top. I'm still hopeful. 

Here's a blog for you Slovenian.

http://www.microstockposts.com/i-love-photography-but-im-mad-about-football/

With the seriously long review times, PM are clearly stretched. I think my files are reviewed on average after about 3 weeks. Still this doesn't mean that they should delete files in the unfinished section. I think PM regard themselves as a bigger agency than they actually are. Anyway as always, the ball is never in our court and agencies just do whatever they want. But if they piss people off people won't come back to them nor are they likely to say positive things about them, which does have a knock on effect.

MS agencies are trained in torturing us. 

Usually, every time before the end of the month deadline on ss, I miss the $75 mark by a few cents. 

Oh come on mate. It's fun having you around.