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Messages - PowerDroid
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201
« on: January 30, 2010, 17:38 »
I'm seeing a really nice upswing in sales at StockXpert, after a few months in which they seemed to be really going downhill. I'm now able to request a payment about once a week. Well on the way back to where my sales were last October.
202
« on: January 29, 2010, 13:02 »
I started this thread in mid November when I saw a significant spike in sales at BigStock. Two months later, and things have gone in the other direction.
Odd how certain agencies will buck current trends. January overall is my BME by a long shot, with fantastic earnings at SS, IS, DT, FT, and relatively speaking, StockXpert and CanStockPhoto. The others I actively submit to: BigStock and 123, are either flat or down.
203
« on: January 29, 2010, 12:54 »
As cool as an image may look with those kinds of effects added to it, it can only hurt your sales. A good designer is looking for a decent source image to start with and he/she already has in mind what kind of effects he/she would like to apply for the intended end result. By putting an altered image out there to start with, you're significantly cutting the number of people who might want it.
204
« on: January 28, 2010, 17:00 »
what will happen if you drop a laptop, netbook, or anything else on the floor. You just gotta be careful 
I've got 4 kids under 10 at home. Believe me, anything that CAN fall on the floor WILL fall on the floor. My old white polycarbonate iBook has taken several spills... aside from a chunk now missing from one of the corners, it's still working fine. My newer titanium MacBook Pro has taken a few falls... I worry more about my hardwood floors when that thing hits. But an iPad whose entire face is a sheet of glass? We'll probably crack it within a month, with or without a silicon sleeve around the edges.
205
« on: January 28, 2010, 14:25 »
I went home last night with the argument for buying an iPad well rehearsed, with all my bullet points ready... it would be my wife's new computer, easy to do all the things she wants, hook up to the main computer to sync all the latest photos, music and movies, only $500, etc. Then she asked, "What happens when we drop it on the floor... you know we'll be doing that A LOT."
I pictured that big glass screen cracking, and $500 going down the toilet. I've seen too many pictures of cracked iPhone screens. I have an iPod Touch that I've managed to keep safe for 2 1/2 years, but I think it will be a much bigger challenge to protect such a bigger device. This may be a deal-breaker.
206
« on: January 27, 2010, 15:20 »
I'll be ordering one for my wife... the low end one, wireless with no data plan. Our old iBook laptop is just about dead, so $500 to replace it, since it's perfect for light browsing and email which is all she does... that's a no-brainer. I've entered my email to be notified when Apple is ready to take pre-orders. If you're even thinking about getting one, I think you'll want to put a pre-order in as soon as you can.
207
« on: January 27, 2010, 14:40 »
From the BBC news;
"Apple revealed that more than 3bn apps have been downloaded from its App store."
Three BILLION! Makes microstock sales volume seem pretty insignificant.
I actually looked into what it would take to build an iPhone app, and quickly realized I wouldn't have the stomach for it. An app developer has no way of knowing until the app is submitted to Apple to review whether it will be approved and allowed into the store. Think of it in terms of microstock... you spend an entire year perfecting an image you feel is a masterpiece... you submit it to the microstock agency (assume there's only one), and it is rejected with little or no explanation. I don't think I could deal with that kind of uncertainty. I give big kudos to developers who can work under terms like that and be a success at it. The successful ones deserve every dollar they make. (And don't forget there are many more who aren't successful... like microstock, the App Store has quickly become flooded and unless your app is best in class, it may never get noticed and bought.)
208
« on: January 27, 2010, 14:23 »
HOLY CRAP!
Pretty amazing device, starting at just $499 with a dirt-cheap data plan?
Forget what I said about this being a potential flop. This is a game-changer.
209
« on: January 27, 2010, 06:41 »
You should follow Gizmodo AND watch Leo. Leo and crew will undoubtedly be reading Gizmodo and other sites right along with you, and they'll be commenting on each new tidbit as the sites post them. I watched the last few Apple announcements this way, and it feels like you're experiencing the whole thing with a group of friends reacting around you rather than reading it alone in a vacuum.
210
« on: January 27, 2010, 06:27 »
I'll be following this as I work today... probably not being very productive in the process. Everyone should watch Leo LaPorte at http://live.twit.tv/... He said he'll be covering it live for about 5 hours straight. Of course, this is only if you're an Apple freak, which I'm guessing many in this forum are. Myself, I'm excited but also a bit skeptical. If the device is what everyone is speculating, I imagine it will make us Apple fans line up and sales will be great for the first few weeks, but it ultimately won't necessarily change the world, which for Apple would make it a flop. But the Steve has created magic before, and he very well may do it again!
211
« on: January 27, 2010, 06:20 »
I think I put out some good karma by starting this thread yesterday... ended up with another 19.80 sale topping off an already strong day at CanStockPhoto. It convinces me that the theory is correct... very good things are happening at CanStockPhoto, and I'm hoping they can continue this trend for a while.
212
« on: January 26, 2010, 17:18 »
I think we should also keep in mind that the red bars are an indicator of our own performance there and not a sign of how well the sites themselves are doing. I believe the pie is getting bigger while everyone's individual slices are getting smaller due to increased competition.
213
« on: January 26, 2010, 16:58 »
It's about SS not DT or IS.
True, but I'm betting that most if not everyone is submitting the same content (general subject matter) to SS as they do to DT or IS.
214
« on: January 26, 2010, 16:49 »
If your Sales score is higher than your Uploads score, you're probably on the right track.
Clarification... iIf your Sales score is higher (a lower number) than your Uploads score, you're probably on the right track.
215
« on: January 26, 2010, 16:48 »
100,000+ images in one week eh? I wonder how may of them....
- involved subject matter people actually buy
To me, that's the big question. Why people spend so much time and effort uploading subject matter that either doesn't sell or is so oversaturated that it won't get a chance to sell, is beyond me. Everyone should check their IS and DT gauges right in this forum as an indicator of whether you're uploading subjects that sell or don't sell. If your Sales score is higher than your Uploads score, you're probably on the right track. If not, you may be contributing to the oversupply problem.
216
« on: January 26, 2010, 16:35 »
I bet all the major agencies are doing just fine. We've all heard the anecdotal evidence that when budgets are tightened, people who need art will turn to inexpensive sources like microstock to stretch their dollars further. Some contributors might have a sense that sales for the agencies are down across the board, but keep in mind that the red arrows to the right are votes from individual contributors. It may just be that the increase in uploads to the agencies is outpacing the increase in sales at the agencies, which is certainly not an indicator of their financial health. The pie may still be growing while your own slice of it is shrinking due to increased competition. I think the big boys are by and large doing well, but it's the small players (such as Crestock) that could fold any time.
217
« on: January 26, 2010, 16:18 »
I was actually thinking about pause uploads there. Nothing happened for couple months. Members of this forum are statistically insignificant group that's why few votes can change direction of the arrow.
Well that's one vote for my good luck there being an isolated case. But I'm still thinking it can't just be me... anyone else seeing a rise? My improved sales there have been consistent throughout the month to suggest more than just a statistically insignificant blip... I think I'm seeing a trend emerge, and I can't be the only one.
218
« on: January 26, 2010, 16:10 »
Anyone else having an unusually good month at CanStock? Typically they're a real sleeper for me, with a few .25 or .50 commissions here and there and every so often a big 19.80 or 29.55 sale. But this month, my sales there are on a consistent, steady rise. Factoring out the big "Fotosearch Regular" sales which really skew the picture, my daily average for January is about four times my daily average for December. I'm wondering if they've been very aggressive in marketing, or if this is just organic growth that could continue long term?
219
« on: January 26, 2010, 10:00 »
The problem was fixed some time Sunday evening (EST), and everything has been reporting as normal since then... at least for me anyway.
220
« on: January 25, 2010, 13:09 »
My way to deal with 123RF rejections? I don't care. They just don't generate enough money for me to spend the brain power worrying about it. I don't even know what my acceptance ratio is. They've been in my upload rotation since the beginning, and it's easy to upload there, so I keep doing it. I make just enough money there to make it worthwhile, but I frankly don't care if my ratio is 100, 50 or 25 percent.
On the flip side, however, my revenue there has been pretty flat for several months, while I'm having BMEs on the sites that matter. THAT'S what will make me seriously consider dropping 123RF from my rotation. If things continue to stagnate or even go down, I'll drop them, whether they're accepting all my work or not.
221
« on: January 22, 2010, 15:22 »
Anyone else not seeing their sales registered on Dreamstime today?
I've been watching my grand total number in the upper right of the screen grow throughout the day, but none of those sales are showing up in the Earnings page.
I'm used to there being a lag time... I often catch the revenue number in the upper right getting bigger before the most recent sales post on the Earnings page... but that lag is typically just a matter of minutes. Today, however, I have not seen a sale register in the detailed Earnings page, but I know there have been sales all throughout the day from watching the number.
Anyone else having this problem today?
222
« on: January 22, 2010, 09:28 »
The true recipe for success on SS or any other site is this: less focus on quantity, more on quality and uniqueness. The "feed the beast" approach should be the icing on the cake to give you an extra boost rather than the core of your strategy. Focus on underserved subjects and keep your portfolio diverse. Develop a unique style. If you're afraid the only way a buyer will see your image is if it places highly in the "most recent" upload search results, you're admitting that you're just adding more of the same and there's nothing that makes you stand out. Be unique. Keyword wisely. Do your homework to discover what buyers want vs. what isn't well represented at the agencies. Feeding the beast, and focusing on quantity over quality, is what will kill microstock.
223
« on: January 22, 2010, 09:11 »
Answers seem to be all over the map.
Count me in the "things look great" column. Jan will be my BME. The agencies that matter (SS, IS, DT, FT, StockXpert) all posting significant gains over Dec, while the underperformers (123, BigStock, CanStockPhoto) seem stuck in a rut.
224
« on: January 21, 2010, 10:11 »
Who really cares about portfolio exposure? That doesn't line my pockets. The more interesting statistic is downloads per image. That's what really tells you if you're doing a good job or not. You can have a million images in your port, but if they don't sell, you've failed. Or you can have a hundred that are popular sellers and do very nicely. My downloads per image stat is 4.1. How about you?
225
« on: January 21, 2010, 06:56 »
Maybe I am the exception, but StockXpert continues to perform well for me. A year ago, they were my #5 agency in terms of sales, and that holds true today. New uploads are getting views and sales. Haven't noticed any .25 commissions... rather, I still get the .30, .50, 1.00, 2.50 and 5.00 commissions I've always seen. As long as they continue to perform this way, I don't need to be told what their plans are to keep uploading... the proof is in the results.
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