I haven't contributed to any sites in at least 2 years due to home foreclosure and health problems. I was never a top seller and even less so now yet, my sales at iStock stayed consistent and in the past year increased on the old images that remain which spoke volumes to me. Unlike other sites where it seems my images were not even being promoted iStock kept me in the loop.
I don't know how the sites run these days but, I will always be grateful for the increased sales I made with iStock during one of the worst years of my life. I lived in a tent for 6 mos. $100 every couple of mos. was a God send. I no longer worry about changes I just accept and stick.

I looked at the other thread and can tell you with all the iStock bits removed my latest model images were accepted with the fixed MR by all agencies accept DT.

I remember a year or so ago a top vector artist created a stylized Christmas tree that sold like hotcakes. I even saw it used on a billboard in France. It wasn't long before 'similar' but not 'exactly' alike trees started appearing. Everytime I would see one I'd just shake my head. I didn't see these people as thieves only people without ideas of their own.
Except for highly technical and detailed work vectors are easily copied especially those that are created with brushes.
Many of the designs you see that look so much alike are copied ideas. There's no crime in this. It's an ethics question and all do not see things the same way. As someone once said...money is the root of all evil. LOL

As for the icons shown here. They are generic and have been done over and over again. They're always going to look similar. I mean just how many ways can you draw a clock or a briefcase?

The tree on the other hand looks like a straight copycat.

There is no way to stop this, not really, accept after the fact. With all the files that reviewers have to look at there is no way they can keep track of them all.

From Albumo's upload agreement...

Member also forfeits the right to remove submitted and approved for sale Content for 400 days since the date of initial upload.  Albumo.com has sole right to remove such content if necessary.  After 400 days has passed, member can remove the Content at any time for any reason at all by request to our Support.

Quote from: leaf on December 22, 2007, 01:48

Quote from: ManicBlu on December 21, 2007, 22:10
June 2005 and although I enjoy it at times more often than not I find it boring.

hey there, i just looked at your shutterstock portfolio and realized you were the photographer with that man picture that got caught up in the istock kerfluffel and that edited picture putting the man in a strip club.  did anything ever come of that discussion or did it just slow down to a stop?

Yes, it caused quite a stir. I look back at it as a real mistake on the part of the person who allowed the design to go through in the first place. I think the thread must hold a record as it grew to over 300 replies in 24 hrs. But, it also hurt me. That little old man sells for me everywhere and will no doubt continue to do so over the years. My removal of him from my iStock port was symbolic only. The thread was finally locked after iStocks legal response wasn't being accepted by many of the photographers.

When I do the occasional people photography now I make sure to tell them although they do have some protection via the microstock contract I cannot assure them positively of the way their image might be used especially as we're dealing with the internet.

iStock remains my favorite micro and again I look at it as a slipup that might not have happened if someone else with more insight had reviewed the design.

At 911 images I began to get rejections and shortly thereafter they stopped the 100 club. I wrote support about this but got no answer. You don't go from total image acceptance to total rejection and I am pissed about it. If I read the TOS correctly they can keep my files for 400 days. I haven't read it lately but it seems it was something like this. I'm not bothered by this if they do the marketing and I see some profit but right now it looks like they won't have to pay the $25 bait money.

The only reason I'm bothered by them keeping my files is the way things are going on all the sites I am more and more enticed by exclusivity.

SS is dead in the water for me as well but I rarely upload there anymore. My port of 680 images continue to make me a few sales each month and for now I will leave it at that. Time is money and as the inspectors seem to think my new images aren't needed there I don't waste my time.
At the rate things are going I will be exclusive at iStock by the end of 2008 if only by default. I have more fun there anyway.

June 2005 and although I enjoy it at times more often than not I find it boring.

Without question it would be iStock.

I still disagree with your thoughts, Tom, although I do agree that it would be a better world if they were true.

Whether they're trying to make a dollar or a euro most people (I believe) rather than the handfull you see on forums see this issue as one of "All's fair in love and war" rather than an issue of integrity.

This doesn't mean it's right but it's the way of things. People will scam, spam, manipulate, cajole, pretend, lie, use and abuse the system and other people in order to get their files to the top of the pile. Why? Because they are trying to make money and in many cases they know their files will be buried otherwise.

I'm all for integrity and do have my own standards that I live by but I also believe site owners, administrator and inspectors should have integrity as well. If a person believes they are being abused by the system and they are powerless to stop it they will either quit the game because of their integrity or do battle in whatever way they can.

I am not arguing with you. My view of the world and it's inhabitants is just very different.

Quote from: a.k.a.-tom on December 05, 2007, 22:13

Not to offend.........but...

Do we not rob the corner deli............  for fear of being caught?
Do we not do 75 in a 25 zone .......... for fear of being caught?
Do we not  write cheat notes up and down our arms for the final exam... for fear of being caught?
Do we not punch out our boss .... for fear of being caught?
Do we not shoot the person we hate most ... for fear of being caught?
Do we not bomb the the offices of any organization we think is satan personified.... ... for fear of  being caught?
Do we not pay our taxes ............for fear of being caught?

Yeah....  not quite the same as keyword spamming.....

Exactly

But the principle is the same!!!


Don't holler at me. If you were talking to me in person would you shout like this?.

Most of us living on the planet don't do those things because they are
socially, legally or morally wrong!!!  We do not do it simply because the person in authority has asked us not to... thus we have opportunity to show our level of integrity to our fellow humans.

<<snip>>

[[/quote]

Sounds good but sadly it ain't the truth in the world or in microstock land.

I can't imagine when I would use one word to find an image. This is just asking for thousands of non-related images.

Those that know how to use a search engine aren't having a hard time finding what they're looking for. On occasion you will see someone post to a micro forum about having a hard time finding an image and usually it's due to them not keying in the proper words to find the image.

Quote from: madelaide on November 15, 2007, 16:32

Quote from: sharply_done on November 15, 2007, 14:55
It's a safe bet that 90%+ of the people that upload there don't make anywhere near $50 per month.

A MONTH?  I have been there for over an year and I still have only US$13.25! 

With the high level of rejections, I have only 66 images there and stopped uploading long ago.  The almost subs-only sales I get don't incentivate me to resume uploading.

Regards,
Adelaide

You're running neck and neck with me.

Because I both buy and sell images I spend a lot of time going through new uploads especially at iStock and what I see is some real pro work coming through especially in the past few months.

It's no doubt that some of these guys and gals are joining up with microstock. Some of the old trad photographers work is no better than what can be had at the micros and I'm sure that hurts. But, there are the pros and then there are the pros and you can tell the difference. The real pro work will kick some of us where it hurts, myself included.

The trads will continue to lose money but some of the trad photographers won't. They will continue to kick ass with their stunning work.

Well goodness I'm glad to see I'm not the only one. As I said in another thread I'm getting lots of rejects there. I've been there since 2005 in fact I started with them. I have some really old crappy images there but I don't delete them because they continue to sell. Not long ago I did delete almost 80 old images but wish now I hadn't because they aren't accepting my new and much better work.

Hey I love kitties! It must of been fun shooting this. LOL

I rated you and left a comment.

I'd be interested in knowing if anyone actually feels this has helped them with sales.

Keyword spamming continues to go on for the very reason that is proven here. It gets your image seen with a better chance of sales.

How many of you would be doing the same if you weren't worried about getting caught and your account disabled?

With sites controlling what is seen and not seen you can be sure that many are going to spam in order to make sales. These are the hustlers and they'll make money before they are caught. Then they will just open a new account and begin again.

Personally, I'm more concerned about sites controlling image rank and placement than I am about how someone else sells their work.

And, if the site is making good sales off the image do you really think they care?

I no longer upload to StockXpert either and haven't for awhile. I will test a couple of images every now and then just to see if things have changed but so far it's reject reject reject. They're happy to take isolated objects or illustrations but don't want the work I enjoy doing. So when I do shoot a boring object shot or an illustration I might give it to them but then again maybe not.

iStock is actually my favorite site to upload to in spite of how angry I get with them from time to time. They seem to judge my work on it's technical aspect rather than "oh it's a flower and we don't want it" and my acceptance rate is good there. I'm not one of their best sellers but they at least let me build my port with what I like and give it a chance.

Nice seeing how everyone is doing on different sites. I won't even bother giving mine since I haven't uploaded anything new in awhile and don't plan on doing so anytime soon.

Quote from: dbvirago on August 23, 2007, 12:09

They're willing to spend up to $25,000 just to get images - I have to assume, they intend some serious marketing to recoup their losses.

I agree. I have almost 800 images there with no sales yet but I'm hopeful about this site unlike other new startups.

I love monochrome as well and keep a lightbox of these images at iStock. As beautiful as they are they're a hard sell.

It's a good time to get the Christmas images out there.

I don't hate iStock but I do have a bit of resentment, I must admit, due to new users getting preferred treatment over those of us who have been supporting the site for much longer regardless of whether we're exclusive or not. They were once the site I uploaded to first. Now I only upload a few of my images there while concentrating on other sites where my files get the same chance as anyone elses.

No one stays on top forever. That's just reality. There will be others that move up the ladder in time. My images will be at all of those that I think have future potential. Well, maybe not all of them.

Super idea and I really like the banner.

Here are my 5. Thanks very much!

http://www.istockphoto.com/file_closeup/object/3869468_lavander.php?id=3869468

http://www.istockphoto.com/file_closeup/object/3673665_summer_figs.php?id=3673665

http://www.istockphoto.com/file_closeup/plant_life/specific_flowers/birds_of_paradise/3278156_plant_abstract.php?id=3278156

http://www.istockphoto.com/file_closeup/plant_life/cacti/cactus/3073681_agave_abstract.php?id=3073681

http://www.istockphoto.com/file_closeup/flora/plant_life/trees/2342049_barren_winter.php?id=2342049

This is great news! I really like BigStock and my sales are are up there as well.

BigStock ranks with Fotolia for me as well. 123 is at the bottom of the heap. The only thing that keeps me from ending my account with them as I did CanStock is that I do make an occasional sale.