Author Topic: SS grace period of 6 months (Read 12876 times)

YadaYadaYada · « **Reply #50 on:** October 28, 2016, 11:33 »

Quote from: Microstockphoto on October 10, 2016, 13:12

everybody should quit ss honestly

Except us.

Pauws99 · « **Reply #51 on:** October 28, 2016, 17:19 »

Back to drawing conclusions from some people's experience sales go down sales go up algorithms change luck happens FWIW my sales are up on last October.

Zero Talent · « **Reply #52 on:** October 28, 2016, 18:48 »

Quote from: Minsc on October 11, 2016, 13:16

Quote from: beketoff on October 11, 2016, 02:32
Well, you contradict yourself, by admitting that people have raised this theory before me. If they did that, they had certain grounds for that, be it a math (graph) or just pure intuition based on anything else. So I'm not the only one on here. However, again, I'm not counting how many people are in each camp, just to be clear.

What if my titles and keywords, being indeed important, are already exceptional and of high quality? I spend similar time to keyword my assets as to develop them from RAW knowing this, and still the underlying issue of my OP remains there? Your solution to success doesn't appear to be valid. (By the way, the quality of my keywording wasn't that good during the first 6 months, and still my material enjoyed a greater success, nothing like afterwards, with better quality of assets including better and richer metadata. Just in a span of 1.5 years time. Try figure that out.).

People repeating the same thing over and over again doesn't make it true. The flat Earth theory worked wonders for centuries until someone proved it was spherical. I guess the only way to disprove the 6 month grace period theory is with a chart. This is my SS earnings chart for the last 20 months. The only dip was December, which is the slowest month of the year.

Same here: there was never a 6 months "grace period", never noticed any sales throttling nor any de-prioritization of my files. Years ago, I remember being warned, by "old-timers", about the imminent apocalypse I will be dealing with, after reaching top tier.

I'm still waiting for it.

With normal up and downs, my sales have been growing steadily for the past 4 years or so.
I don't expect a BME, but I'm on track to have an excellent October:

lemonyellow · « **Reply #53 on:** October 29, 2016, 02:22 »

I am unsure whether to complain or rejoice: since my new files - and other people's too, I guess - are completely unseen and unsold, I am actually earning more than ever, with old files selling a lot.

But how long will it last? I don't know what to wish for.

gyllens · « **Reply #54 on:** October 29, 2016, 02:48 »

So the conclusion of it all is that SS is the heavenly saviour of all micro-stock contributors. The only agency in town that rather put money in the pockets of its members rather then fuelling their own. The answer to all prayers so help us God.

Older members with bigger portfolios who are experiencing a drop in earnings and skewed search algorithms are simply imagining this or they have lost their creativity to produce.

Yes its all in our heads

lemonyellow · « **Reply #55 on:** October 29, 2016, 03:14 »

No, I am just telling my experience: my earnings are still growing constantly at SS at present, but less than I would like to. [Edit: the cause is of course what Pauws99 is saying in the next post]

This doesn't mean that I am not worried: the skewed search algorithms and many problems with uploads disappearing from the search or going nowhere (neither approved nor rejected) are real - not in our heads - and a concern for the future performance of my port at SS.

Pauws99 · « **Reply #56 on:** October 29, 2016, 03:15 »

Nope the conclusion is supply growth is outstripping demand growth SS like everyone one else is becoming less attractive for contributors but still making $$$ for itself. No evil criminal mastermind creating hyper complicated strategies to target certain contributors for random reasons required.

YadaYadaYada · « **Reply #57 on:** October 30, 2016, 13:16 »

Quote from: Pauws99 on October 29, 2016, 03:15

Nope the conclusion is supply growth is outstripping demand growth SS like everyone one else is becoming less attractive for contributors but still making $$$ for itself. No evil criminal mastermind creating hyper complicated strategies to target certain contributors for random reasons required.

You are right. 100 million files, 100,000 new a week, most are the same subjects and concepts that are already on every site and being done better many times then old files from 2008. Plus more new every week.

What fun is that when we can have deep dark secret conspiracys and claim that stockholders make this happen, and somehow things aren't fair or we are being cheated.

New users do get a boost. New files get a boost. This is not secret. After some time, the new files drop down. Watch your own new uploads and they are most popular, after a week or two they go to their rightful place. This is for old and new users.

After some time, new users loose the search advantage. It's not because they make less, it's because SS wants to encourage new people by giving them better placement in searchs. Then it goes away and we're all even.

You can't force somebody to buy a file they don't want, just because it's first. How absurd is that for people to claim buyesrs are that foolish and led so easy.

SS doesn't have to cheat or manipulate sales to make more money. They do that every quarter. We are the ones making less every year. Supply is outstripping demand. Old timers were competing against 100 times less competition, 100 times less choice and competition. People made a living from shooting with a P&S in the kitchen window light. Times have changed. It's not going to ever be the way it was, anywhere.

Competition is up, income will go down. Especially when IS will soon be paying .03 for sub download.

PureArt · « **Reply #58 on:** October 30, 2016, 13:31 »

SS pays $0.25 to the newcomers and $0.38 to the old contributors. It is 52% more profitable to sell newbie's pics. Now tell me that there is no reason to show newbie's pics higher in search results.

No, they (at SS) are not "Robin Hoods", they do not pay for nothing from their pockets. (By the way, Robin Hood also did not pay from his pockets, as far as I know British folklore.) They just show newbie's pics to the customers more often so those pics have more chances to be sold.

Pauws99 · « **Reply #59 on:** October 30, 2016, 14:55 »

"You can't force somebody to buy a file they don't want, just because it's first. How absurd is that for people to claim buyesrs are that foolish and led so easy." That is so true not even the mighty Shutterstock can force people to buy a file they don't want. That simple fact seems to be so easily forgotten. If the "newbies" file equally fulfills the buyers needs who can say its "not fair" its at the front of the queue.

gyllens · « **Reply #60 on:** October 31, 2016, 10:08 »

Quote from: YadaYadaYada on October 30, 2016, 13:16

Quote from: Pauws99 on October 29, 2016, 03:15
Nope the conclusion is supply growth is outstripping demand growth SS like everyone one else is becoming less attractive for contributors but still making $$$ for itself. No evil criminal mastermind creating hyper complicated strategies to target certain contributors for random reasons required.

You are right. 100 million files, 100,000 new a week, most are the same subjects and concepts that are already on every site and being done better many times then old files from 2008. Plus more new every week.

What fun is that when we can have deep dark secret conspiracys and claim that stockholders make this happen, and somehow things aren't fair or we are being cheated.

New users do get a boost. New files get a boost. This is not secret. After some time, the new files drop down. Watch your own new uploads and they are most popular, after a week or two they go to their rightful place. This is for old and new users.

After some time, new users loose the search advantage. It's not because they make less, it's because SS wants to encourage new people by giving them better placement in searchs. Then it goes away and we're all even.

You can't force somebody to buy a file they don't want, just because it's first. How absurd is that for people to claim buyesrs are that foolish and led so easy.

SS doesn't have to cheat or manipulate sales to make more money. They do that every quarter. We are the ones making less every year. Supply is outstripping demand. Old timers were competing against 100 times less competition, 100 times less choice and competition. People made a living from shooting with a P&S in the kitchen window light. Times have changed. It's not going to ever be the way it was, anywhere.

Competition is up, income will go down. Especially when IS will soon be paying .03 for sub download.

I heard that! doom and gloom is all we can look foward to. Nice job.