Thread to talk with Jon - without name-calling :)

[ichiro17]

Hi Jon,

I appreciate that you have come over to the forum to discuss things with us.  I personally do hope that you stay around and discuss more with us because those that can be civil can probably offer some information that can be helpful to you in terms of making the site better for those who use it.

I'd like to just make one reference back to the last posting where you kept referring to photographers as clients - it could definitely be just me in that I don't think the description of 'client' is a good word for the photographer - but more along the lines of supplier or something like that.  Regardless of how you look at it, you obviously realize that the relationship with us is important and I'm happy to see you reaching out.  I hope that no one blows the opportunity.

In my opinion, SS is great because it makes me money (this month not so much  ) but I think that there can be some additions that can be of use.

One that I would like would be a way to categorize my photos for personal use where the photos can be linked together by particular shoot, giving the photographer an idea of how much that particular shoot has been able to make over time instead of going through and calculating manually.  I'm not a programmer, so I dunno the logistics of it.

I can't think of anything else, but if you're still on here, I'd love to get a constructive thread going.

[ss123]

Thanks for the suggestion -
We have an internal suggestion/improvement list.. and this will be added.
Jon

[michaeldb]

I want to call Jon a name: Santa!

Thanks for the gift of a 20% raise, SS. It will come in real handy this Christmas season, when I expect to get even more downloads at SS than I am now.

[yingyang0]

Thanks for the gift of a 20% raise, SS. It will come in real handy this Christmas season, when I expect to get even more downloads at SS than I am now.

I was kind of disappointed. Not at the raise amount but the fact that you need 2,000 downloads (or the equivalent in extended licenses) to qualified for the raise. I don't understand only giving a raise to certain people when they're not exclusive and the price for the buyers went up across the board. I still like SS, just disappointed.

[sharply_done]

I think $500 is a fairly easy bar to clear. If you've been at SS a while and haven't made $500, this might be a good time to pause and figure out why.

[Bateleur]

I think $500 is a fairly easy bar to clear. If you've been at SS a while and haven't made $500, this might be a good time to pause and figure out why.

Agreed. It's easily achievable, in a matter of months, by anyone who's serious.

Judging from my experience with referred photographers, there must be thousands upon thousands of contributors who are casual about it, with minute portfolios they never add to.

I have referred quite a number of people and, of the ones who have been accepted, not one has been serious about building a portfolio. Most put up 10-20 images, and then seem to lose interest. I have tried encouraging them (to boost my 3c bonus  ) but no luck.

Why should the casual submitters, or those who have lost interest, benefit from the raise?

[michaeldb]

I think $500 is a fairly easy bar to clear. If you've been at SS a while and haven't made $500, this might be a good time to pause and figure out why.

Agreed. It's easily achievable, in a matter of months, by anyone who's serious.

Judging from my experience with referred photographers, there must be thousands upon thousands of contributors who are casual about it, with minute portfolios they never add to.

I have referred quite a number of people and, of the ones who have been accepted, not one has been serious about building a portfolio. Most put up 10-20 images, and then seem to lose interest. I have tried encouraging them (to boost my 3c bonus  ) but no luck.

Why should the casual submitters, or those who have lost interest, benefit from the raise?

Interesting. Maybe SS is trying to discourage the 10-20-image galleries. But one good thing about those, from SS's perspective, is that they are unlikely to ever reach the threshhold for getting paid, and so have submitted for free, really. But maybe the casual submitters are more trouble than they are worth?

I suppose it is asking too much that Jon might share SS's overall thoughts on the new distinction? Are more perks for the 'serious' submitters in the works?

[sharply_done]

I think that once a portfolio passes a 'critical mass', it may become more advantageous to go exclusive rather than continue posting on multiple sites. Given that SS doesn't offer this, I can see myself considering the jump to IS once I hit the 25k DL mark, when my commisssion will double. I've got acres of time to think about - my business plan puts me there in early fall of 2008.

[yingyang0]

Why should the casual submitters, or those who have lost interest, benefit from the raise?

I don't see the logical connection. The raise is mainly dependent on how long you've been there. A person that joined in 2003 or 2004 and completely stopped uploading in 2005 or 2006 would probably be benefiting from the raise.

[sharply_done]

... The raise is mainly dependent on how long you've been there. A person that joined in 2003 or 2004 and completely stopped uploading in 2005 or 2006 would probably be benefiting from the raise.

I think he means that people who garnish only a small sum and then give up, and those that are content getting $20/month should not be rewarded with an increased commission.

Also, how long you've been there is inconsequential. It is possible for someone earn $500 within his/her first month of joining. What matters is that you have contributed to the success of the business by being a supplier commercially viable images, not how long you've been doing it.

[Bateleur]

... The raise is mainly dependent on how long you've been there. A person that joined in 2003 or 2004 and completely stopped uploading in 2005 or 2006 would probably be benefiting from the raise.

I think he means that people who garnish only a small sum and then give up,

Thanks Sharply. That's exactly what I meant.

If my 'referrals' experience is anything to go by there are loads of them. Some statistics:

Of the 9 people who have been accepted after my referral, and have been with SS for over 6 months, the average size of their portfolio is 82 images.

This average is skewed by one contributor who has 443 images online. The majority of the others have between 9 and 19 images in their portfolio.

9 images uploaded after 6 months! Is it worth paying that contributor extra? What sort of enthusiasm does 9 images show?

Of course SS like these people too because every now and again one of their images sells. Even so, why pay them extra? How long is it going to take to sell 400 images with only 9 online? They'll probably never reach their $100 anyway, so it's pretty academic  :-)

[sharply_done]

There is also a sharp division in this industry between those who make their living at it (like me, grin) and those who use it to supplement their income. Some of these people are professional photographers, but most are hobbyists.

Personally, I prefer shooting microstock because it allows me the freedom to shoot what I want, when I want, and how I want. Exactly the approach most take to amateur photography, but you get paid for it. What more can you ask for?

[litifeta]

I guess we are all pretty happy about SS from the point of view that we make stacks of sales there.

They may be fussy, but what ever they accept sells and sells like crazy for me.

I was ready to quit a few months ago until I got accepted there, now they have spurned my interest in getting better.

[hospitalera]

Just a quick reply: I find it very valuable that site admin/ owners/ reps participate in this forum. It gives us, the contributors, the chance to see "the other site of the business". Welcome Jon, and hope you will post here for many years to come. SY

[sharply_done]

...
They may be fussy, but what ever they accept sells and sells like crazy for me.
...

I find that SS is the least fussy of the sites I contribute to - my acceptance rate is 90%+ there, and I haven't had a rejection in my past 60 submissions!

... glad to hear that you're making money!

[michaeldb]

...
They may be fussy, but what ever they accept sells and sells like crazy for me.
...

I find that SS is the least fussy of the sites I contribute to - my acceptance rate is 90%+ there, and I haven't had a rejection in my past 60 submissions!

... glad to hear that you're making money!

Yes, everything you say is the same for me, except I have had a couple of rejects in my last dozen batches or so, no problem though. I am glad to get the 90%+ up and earning!