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Author Topic: Shutterstock hiring cheap work-at-home reviewers  (Read 54481 times)

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Hobostocker

    This user is banned.
« Reply #75 on: April 03, 2015, 02:43 »
0
When i say that in India people earn 1US$ per day I based on a personal communication I had with a friend on 2005 (not my personal experience because i never was in Asia before); he told me that people earn about 2 or 3 rupiahs per hour and 25 rupiahs was a dollar, so i calculated 10 hours of work about 1 dollar (1 dollar per day).

Of course as you told this is not the situation of most workers, but maybe of some of them.

By the way, did you know what is the average salary in Taiwan??

yeah but we should remember that India and Nepal are a planet apart, they've a caste system still going on strong, the millions of "Dalit" living on the street are not considered an issue by the higher castes, actually they're told they deserve to be poor since they're born Dalit ! nothing is going to change about this anytime soon.

you will see the highest disparity in wealth distribution in Indian cities and the system is totally stacked against the lower classes, once you're born poor you've no way out, no exit, you'll be stuck in a very small perimeter of action and this is true also for the poorest illiterate farmers in south east asia.

but literacy is not the magic solution, even literate white collars aren't making big money.

no solutions, because the ruling elites are pretty happy the way it is now, their entire industrial complex is based on exploiting and underpaying the lower class workers.


« Reply #76 on: April 03, 2015, 05:56 »
0
Work From Home Vector & Illustration Image Reviewer (Europe)
http://www.shutterstock.com/jobs/listings/2709-work-from-home-vector-illustration-image-reviewer-europe-

so, despite making billions of $ they can't even afford to provide you a cubicle in an office, you're also expected to use your own computer, work during weekend, and pay for your own fast 25Mb+ line ... no mention about salary but you can guess it's on par with grilling burgers at mcdonalds.

this is a new low for photography, skills like image reviewing or  photo editing are basically considered worthless even by the top tier photo agencies like SS.


fully agree that this is yet another 'new low' -- though I would DEFINITELY NOT say SS is a 'top tier photo agency'?!? Firstly, they are only a MICROstock agency but secondly, and what's more, they are an absolute low-cost, no-frills, automated HiTech outfit (who happen to also not be very good at that 'HiTech' stuff, just look at their constant inability to implement proper Download counters, View counters, an FTP upload that's actually working without swallowing uploaded files, and the list goes on and on)...

For that very reason (low cost), they have achieved the highest market share and are kind of 'successful' due to their dumping-price approach, free downloads for everyone in exchange for SEO-upping and free-advertising-providing Bylines left, right, and centre. So actually, SS is your average discount-only or, rather, dont-expect-anything penny-joint. (Probably, that's even the way they want it to be, as SS is in the process of 'separating' their increasingly garbage 'mainstream portion' from 'premium' sections that seem to be all the rage now?) This means, SS will increasingly suffer quality-wise as well (there is a ridiculous amount of idiotic photos and video footage up on SS already, so it isn't actually so great even as we speak)...

Now also adding unqualified robots to review one's much-more-qualified submissions, SS performs another step in that series of obvious acts that confirm a general direction for SS and maybe the entire microstock sector -- or rather deals yet another blow on microstock artists!

This can lead to either of two scenarios: (1) a continued decline of microstock into becoming fully obsolete or (2) an isolated crash of hitherto-dominating SS and clearing the playing field for better competitors (like DT or even small contenders like Pond5 and similar); there could also be room for truly innovative concepts to establish themselves like coinstock.info using Bitcoin and other Crypto coins and offering more than three times the payout of most other agencies to artists (namely 81%), for 500px allowing to set your own rates, or even for 'exotic' ones like ImageChina. Obvioulsy,

I would hope that number (2) is how it's going to go down...

« Last Edit: April 03, 2015, 06:22 by marquixHD »

« Reply #77 on: April 03, 2015, 06:31 »
0
too many red flags :

1 - not a single word is spent about salary, fees, benefits
2 - you're only hired as "freelance", not full time.
3 - no mention about career advancement, bonus packages
4 - no training provided, despite their laundry list of requirements including complex legal things like fraud detection, release, and copyright.
+1

Semmick Photo

« Reply #78 on: April 03, 2015, 06:39 »
+4
too many red flags :

1 - not a single word is spent about salary, fees, benefits
2 - you're only hired as "freelance", not full time.
3 - no mention about career advancement, bonus packages
4 - no training provided, despite their laundry list of requirements including complex legal things like fraud detection, release, and copyright.
+1

To be honest, by the looks of all of it, they are just a freelancers, I am not sure if they are full employee. Which would make sense.

Hobostocker

    This user is banned.
« Reply #79 on: April 03, 2015, 10:08 »
0
though I would DEFINITELY NOT say SS is a 'top tier photo agency'?!?

it's a public company at NYSE and among the top 10 agencies worldwide if we talk about sales so i think we can say it's a "top tier agency" at this point.

for anything else i agree 100% SS is the LIDL/ALDI/Walmart of stock and one of the main root causes for the actual devalueing of stock photography in general.

« Reply #80 on: April 03, 2015, 11:26 »
+2
though I would DEFINITELY NOT say SS is a 'top tier photo agency'?!?

it's a public company at NYSE and among the top 10 agencies worldwide if we talk about sales so i think we can say it's a "top tier agency" at this point.

for anything else i agree 100% SS is the LIDL/ALDI/Walmart of stock and one of the main root causes for the actual devalueing of stock photography in general.

+1 Their business strategy of keeping prices ultra low for 10 years with the objective of capturing market share is one of the main reasons we are seeing a massive devaluing of our assets.

The rest of the sites have no option but to follow their lead and it is surprising that more contributors do not see this. Shutterstocks business strategy has taken its toll on microstock as a whole.

« Reply #81 on: April 03, 2015, 11:40 »
-1
though I would DEFINITELY NOT say SS is a 'top tier photo agency'?!?

it's a public company at NYSE and among the top 10 agencies worldwide if we talk about sales so i think we can say it's a "top tier agency" at this point.

for anything else i agree 100% SS is the LIDL/ALDI/Walmart of stock and one of the main root causes for the actual devalueing of stock photography in general.

+1 Their business strategy of keeping prices ultra low for 10 years with the objective of capturing market share is one of the main reasons we are seeing a massive devaluing of our assets.

The rest of the sites have no option but to follow their lead and it is surprising that more contributors do not see this. Shutterstocks business strategy has taken its toll on microstock as a whole.

or the big golden M of microstock . worse still, the bargain store like those dollar mart, etc...
where everyone packs in there to pick up everything for a buck. in ss case , pennies.
would be wonderful if in fact ss gives away our work for a minimum of a buck, though... wouldn't it
???

Shelma1

  • stockcoalition.org
« Reply #82 on: April 03, 2015, 11:44 »
+9
Subs (Shutterstock) took a toll on microstock -> microstock (iStock) took a toll on macrostock -> macrostock took a toll on custom photography -> photography took a toll on painting

The global marketplace has taken a toll on workers in wealthier nations, as their work is outsourced to countries where workers can get by on lower pay.

Microstock opened up new markets. Before that, small companies and individuals couldn't afford stock, and you had to know someone to get representation as a photographer or illustrator. Microstock allowed unknowns to get their work represented and made their work affordable to a broader market.

I'm not sure what the answer is, except to keep your eye on the ball and change with the times and be flexible and look for new opportunities as they arise. (And if other micro sites have no choice other than following SS's lead, they'd better get cracking and find a way to crack the large enterprise market.)

« Reply #83 on: April 03, 2015, 12:18 »
+1
if other micro sites have no choice other than following SS's lead, they'd better get cracking and find a way to crack the large enterprise market.)

good point... because it's pretty obvious it is not working for the other sites to just follow ss. look to the right, after so many years they are all still in single digit ... and those in the big 4 and middle tier are not doing anything.  it reminds me of all those stores and fast foods  following walmart and mcdonalds.
there has to be something different in stock photography , in the way that high price restaurants and custom stores  survive in spite of mcdonalds and walmart.
i would say exclusive image higher price instead of exclusive contributors would be the way to go.
not the offset stocksy elitist mentality, but something more in line with dreamstime of exclusive image only that dreamstime failed because the exclusive image were just no different from the usual micro images available on ss.
istock tried something like that too before they crashed and burnt with getty killing them. how ironic ... gettysburg  :D

« Reply #84 on: April 03, 2015, 14:26 »
0
if other micro sites have no choice other than following SS's lead, they'd better get cracking and find a way to crack the large enterprise market.)

good point... because it's pretty obvious it is not working for the other sites to just follow ss. look to the right, after so many years they are all still in single digit ... and those in the big 4 and middle tier are not doing anything.  it reminds me of all those stores and fast foods  following walmart and mcdonalds.
there has to be something different in stock photography , in the way that high price restaurants and custom stores  survive in spite of mcdonalds and walmart.
i would say exclusive image higher price instead of exclusive contributors would be the way to go.
not the offset stocksy elitist mentality, but something more in line with dreamstime of exclusive image only that dreamstime failed because the exclusive image were just no different from the usual micro images available on ss.
istock tried something like that too before they crashed and burnt with getty killing them. how ironic ... gettysburg  :D

+1 for coining the term GETTYsburg. ;D

« Reply #85 on: April 04, 2015, 16:02 »
+2
ALL agency do the same!

Some even offer English lessons to their curators! Go figure!  :o
https://jobs.lever.co/pond5/7bb489f3-7d74-4dfd-929b-7eee8d51131e
Based in Eastern Europe = paid peanuts.

https://www.facebook.com/pond5/photos/a.10152767445834777.1073741835.29824144776/10152767448689777/?type=3&theater

 :-X

indeed, doesn't look good :(


 

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