Quote from: vphoto on August 09, 2008, 17:16

Quote from: ichiro17 on August 09, 2008, 17:11

STOP WASTING YOUR TIME PEOPLE!

I say this every time someone posts this nonsense.  You are doing nothing to further yourself financially because these new sites aren't going to make it.  If Lucky Oliver didn't make it, these sites won't either.

Give it up, go macro if you want another source of income

 

I agree that microsprouts are there exclusively for oafs.

which macro sites would you recommend ?

I can't say that I can recommend any, mainly because I'm just trying out Alamy now and hopefully working my way to something bigger soon.

I hope that doesn't sound too vague, but I've given up on "new" sites and I'm diversifying by different business model, not by companies within the same model

Quote from: vphoto on August 03, 2008, 19:24

are you clairvoyant enough to guess mine ?

164 usd

Last 5 days my portfolio and new sales have dropped to single figures. Quite frightening.

SS is way too trigger-happy with deleting portfolios. Even in cases where someone stole an image, their action is too harsh. All it takes is an allegation of theft, of even one single image, and they immediately yank entire portfolios. So in theory, if you don't like someone, don't want them as competition, etc., all you need to do is write in and say that they stole an image, and poof, their portfolio is gone.

I reported someone who copied one single image. One lapse of judgement in what was otherwise a good, original portfolio. I figured that SS would delete that image. Instead, they immediately deleted the entire portfolio. The guy didn't deserve that, and ultimately got his portfolio reinstated, but SS's action was far too severe and didn't even allow the guy any chance to delete the image himself or even defend himself. I thought by reporting an infringement that I was doing the right thing, but now I question whether or not I'd ever do it again. If it was a portfolio entirely made up of stolen images, then obviously I'd report it. But a single image? Not sure anymore.

Of course I'm not saying that this is such a case, and it seems like the OP is the victim of an error or false accusation. If it is a false accusation, though, this would only further support the idea that SS is too quick with the "delete" button.

The StockXpert concession is a temporary fix. It's a quick reactive solution to prevent mass attrition.

Reverse the roles. What would you do if every time you wanted to make a business change you had contributors threatening to yank portfolios?

My guess is they're already talking about implementing a new policy or removing functionality to prevent mass deletion of portfolios.

If so, what then?

I was in business for many years. I dealt with suppliers (which is what we are to StockXpert et al). I made the suppliers offers and the suppliers behaved in a business-like manner. I wonder what Wal-Mart or Macy's would do to suppliers who sent them emails such as the posts here and on StockXpert's forum?

The 'technical' aspects of StockXpert's and SS's offer aside (because no one knows for certain how little or how much money will be or would have been made from them): If I were StockXpert I would have locked that thread and kicked out the bawling babies who threatened to leave, and tell them to go peddle their snapshots somewhere else and never come back.

That is probably what IS would have done, although I doubt that many photographers would have dared take the tone toward IS which they did to StockXpert.

StockXpert made their suppliers an offer; their suppliers, or at least many of them, responded like hysterical ninnies. They did the same thing to SS back when SS offered them a raise they didn't deem large enough. I would say that I am amused, but I am actually rather appalled.

While I appreciate Steve's effort to communite, Bobby is right. Why do we need to pretend that subscription works in the contributor's favor?