Contributor forum deceased?

[OM]

Has SS discontinued the contributor forum as it was? Now only 'Contributor Blog' in the dropdown menu and all the old forums have disappeared.

[For Real]

https://forums.submit.shutterstock.com/

[k_t_g]

Probably temporarily out of service/ out of sight and or hacked. But technically its still there.  Meh..what ever.

[Firn]

It's still there, but Shutterstock removed the link.
They probably don't have any interest in continuing it /moderating it as there has not been any SS staff around for months already and it's full of spam. Communication with and between contributors is not desired by SS apparently.

[thijsdegraaf]

Hello everyone. I just joined this forum, because the forum Shutterstock https://forums.submit.shutterstock.com/topic/124096-forum-option-disappeared/?tab=comments#comment-1917851 is supposedly disappearing. I will miss the fellow forum members.
Sadly, Shutterstock makes no effort at all to explain their intentions.
Despite everything, I still earn more at Shutterstock than I do at Alamy and AS. Otherwise I would stop with Shutterstock
Alamy is going the same way with their price cuts. In that respect AS seems to be the most reliable of the three, where I upload photos. Also with their output, what they're doing,
Regards from the Netherlands, Thijs

[OM]

Thanks @For Real for the link.

Me wonders whether SS isn't being prepared for a sell off to an 'investment' group. When you're not prepared to invest in a couple of people to manage/moderate a forum it will get out of hand (sort of Godwin's Law-light). An unmoderated forum with all its adverse comments is going to be bad for business/stock price if your main interest is to get the stock price up so that all the senior management can cash out at the top.

Those guys are the insiders and must have a good idea of how the company is 'progressing' since the new rates for contributors were implemented. What if there's a trend by the major image factories to not give their new model-released work to SS because they can no longer make any money at SS? Then you know that in time your image base will become stale and that it's time to boost the stock price before you cash out. Any indications that the peasants are revolting must be quelled, otherwise a potential investor might be a little worried by the unrest among the natives/suppliers found on the forums.

Pure speculation on my part and only time will tell.

[thijsdegraaf]

Shutterstock's stock is still going strong when I see some of the charts sent to the Shutterstock forum.
The forum is no longer an advertisement for Shutterstock after the price drop in June last year. At the same time, most admins have already disappeared. Kate remained, but was not approachable and only sent some impersonal messages and is now gone too.
The bad advertising will indeed play a part, although you also see criticism on their Facebook page. The founder of Shutterstock was himself an admin on the forum. I think the new rulers find the forum and us completely uninteresting.
The forum is still there, but unfortunately not for long, although I hope not.

[Suspect]

Has SS discontinued the contributor forum as it was? Now only 'Contributor Blog' in the dropdown menu and all the old forums have disappeared.

It's still there and functioning but can only be accessed via a search...

[For Real]

the sad part is that we are severely censored on the forum. Say anything they don't like any your banished!

[Mantis]

the sad part is that we are severely censored on the forum. Say anything they don't like any your banished!

I was banished 11 years ago for 6 months. I am still banished.  If you rightfully call anyone out or identify clear "do as I say, not as I do" you will get warned and then banned.  SS could have been the MS company to remain contributor friendly and find ways to better partner with us, but once they went public, game over.  We are a provider of commodity as very few assets are "unique" enough to make any difference when they are buried in piles of pot images, or whatever.

[k_t_g]

You can still access the "a" link by going to the support center. Just scroll all the way down and you see a tiny link. But then who knows they may get rid of the whole thing eventually cause why not. "We have social media"

[Noedelhap]

It makes sense for Shutterstock to disable the forum: the commission cuts, the subscription model for video resulted in backlash and negative feedback. At first angry contributors were silenced with an account ban, but the backlash is getting out of hand.

So they do what any dishonest and corporate entity would do: shut down all communication channels and making the system less transparent. Either you fall in line, accept the changes and stay silent, or you quit, or get banned.

[Firn]

It makes sense for Shutterstock to disable the forum: the commission cuts, the subscription model for video resulted in backlash and negative feedback. At first angry contributors were silenced with an account ban, but the backlash is getting out of hand.

So they do what any dishonest and corporate entity would do: shut down all communication channels and making the system less transparent. Either you fall in line, accept the changes and stay silent, or you quit, or get banned.

Or you move to other places like here where Shutterstock has zero control over posts, can't delete posts or ban people.
Not sure that's really what they are after.
I think they mostly want to do what they always do: Cut costs on the back of the contributors. They don't really care about contributors, they have an over-supply anyways, they have no support to contact left for contributors and no desire to communicate with them, so why bother paying for staff that moderates a forum?

[Zero Talent]

the sad part is that we are severely censored on the forum. Say anything they don't like any your banished!

SS is a private company and they have the right to control what's being shouted in their home. I am sure that you too would not tolerate being insulted in your own home.
If you don't like it move elsewhere. It's that simple.
Just to be clear, I am not defending them, I am defending a principle.

Having said that bad people have been also banned from this forum.
That's normal, welcome, and needed to keep this place as clean as possible of abusers and extreme toxicity.

[Zero Talent]

the sad part is that we are severely censored on the forum. Say anything they don't like any your banished!

SS is a private company and they have the right to control what's being shouted in their home. I am sure that you too would not tolerate being insulted in your own home.

They invited us in and we helped build that house.

Nah.
That's no different than any other contract in the business world between independent entities.

When you freely sign that contract, you didn't sign it to build their house, but to build yours. You never thought about helping SS build some house, you only thought of your own interest.

Or, if you want, you helped build their house as much as they helped build yours. 

Because when it's not convenient to you anymore, you can simply walk away. As long as you stay, it means SS is helping you build your own house. 

[pancaketom]

the sad part is that we are severely censored on the forum. Say anything they don't like any your banished!

SS is a private company and they have the right to control what's being shouted in their home. I am sure that you too would not tolerate being insulted in your own home.

They invited us in and we helped build that house.

Nah.
That's no different than any other contract in the business world between independent entities.

When you freely sign that contract, you didn't sign it to build their house, but to build yours. You never thought about helping SS build some house, you only thought of your own interest.

Or, if you want, you helped build their house as much as they helped build yours. 

Because when it's not convenient to you anymore, you can simply walk away. As long as you stay, it means SS is helping you build your own house. 

but only one side keeps changing the contract

[Zero Talent]

the sad part is that we are severely censored on the forum. Say anything they don't like any your banished!

SS is a private company and they have the right to control what's being shouted in their home. I am sure that you too would not tolerate being insulted in your own home.

They invited us in and we helped build that house.

Nah.
That's no different than any other contract in the business world between independent entities.

When you freely sign that contract, you didn't sign it to build their house, but to build yours. You never thought about helping SS build some house, you only thought of your own interest.

Or, if you want, you helped build their house as much as they helped build yours. 

Because when it's not convenient to you anymore, you can simply walk away. As long as you stay, it means SS is helping you build your own house. 

but only one side keeps changing the contract

And each time you had the option to walk away.

If you didn't, it means that you are still OK with the contract.
In @Noedelhap words, SS is still helping you build your house. 😉

[For Real]

the sad part is that we are severely censored on the forum. Say anything they don't like any your banished!

SS is a private company and they have the right to control what's being shouted in their home. I am sure that you too would not tolerate being insulted in your own home.

They invited us in and we helped build that house.

Nah.
That's no different than any other contract in the business world between independent entities.

When you freely sign that contract, you didn't sign it to build their house, but to build yours. You never thought about helping SS build some house, you only thought of your own interest.

Or, if you want, you helped build their house as much as they helped build yours. 

Because when it's not convenient to you anymore, you can simply walk away. As long as you stay, it means SS is helping you build your own house. 

but only one side keeps changing the contract

And each time you had the option to walk away.

If you didn't, it means that you are still OK with the contract.
In @Noedelhap words, SS is still helping you build your house. 😉

It's a mighty small house I live in     

[pancaketom]

the sad part is that we are severely censored on the forum. Say anything they don't like any your banished!

SS is a private company and they have the right to control what's being shouted in their home. I am sure that you too would not tolerate being insulted in your own home.

They invited us in and we helped build that house.

Nah.
That's no different than any other contract in the business world between independent entities.

When you freely sign that contract, you didn't sign it to build their house, but to build yours. You never thought about helping SS build some house, you only thought of your own interest.

Or, if you want, you helped build their house as much as they helped build yours. 

Because when it's not convenient to you anymore, you can simply walk away. As long as you stay, it means SS is helping you build your own house. 

but only one side keeps changing the contract

And each time you had the option to walk away.

If you didn't, it means that you are still OK with the contract.
In @Noedelhap words, SS is still helping you build your house. 😉

they made one too many changes and I walked.

[Zero Talent]

they made one too many changes and I walked.

Respect! Everything else is just noise.

[marthamarks]

they made one too many changes and I walked.

Same here, and I still haven't regretted it.

[thijsdegraaf]

And each time you had the option to walk away.

If you didn't, it means that you are still OK with the contract.
In @Noedelhap words, SS is still helping you build your house. 😉
[/quote]

Just like in the real world (the Netherlands has a large housing shortage and houses are too expensive), there are few alternatives.
There are few good stock contractors out there who will build me a better house. So I just stay in my shabby little house.
No kidding, as long as I like photography and don't have a better alternative for my hobby (also upload to AS and Alamy, but Alamy also goes the wrong way.) I'll stay on SS too. But that still gives me the right to grumble.

[Zero Talent]

But that still gives me the right to grumble.

Of course, you have the right to grumble! Grumble away!

At the same time SS has the right to grumble back and stop you from grumbling too loud, in their house, on their money.

Grumble in their house at your own risk, but better grumble here, on Leaf's money.

It's simple, really