This article might be interesting in light of discussions of being taken advantage of...

"Platform cooperativism comprises a variety of businesses, ranging from media platforms like Stocksy (a cooperative that provides stock photography) to online marketplaces that hope to offer alternatives to tech-giant Amazon and its ilk. Though many of the businesses emerged independently of one another, they are united by common principles rooted in equality and transparency."

http://inthesetimes.com/article/18970/labor-rights-to-come-for-uber-and-aribnb-employees

Working together with your community can create a beautiful and longterm business where everyone makes reliable money.

Long live stocksy!

No doubt that Stocksy is the best that happened to stock photography in the last years.  Just hope this agency and similar models swallow all those agencies backed by large corporations and investment funds that give a crap about contributors.

Nice publicity for Stocksy, but it's so closed (so few people are accepted) that I'm not sure how what it does applies to any of the open platforms or marketplaces.

There's clearly some very bad things happening to Uber drivers even as customers love the service; and to neighborhoods when Airbnb is effectively operating hotels in residential neighborhoods. I'm hoping that changes will happen there, but I can't make the connection with the Stocksy model as the way to bring it about

Quote from: Jo Ann Snover on March 22, 2016, 15:18
Nice publicity for Stocksy, but it's so closed (so few people are accepted) that I'm not sure how what it does applies to any of the open platforms or marketplaces.

There's clearly some very bad things happening to Uber drivers even as customers love the service; and to neighborhoods when Airbnb is effectively operating hotels in residential neighborhoods. I'm hoping that changes will happen there, but I can't make the connection with the Stocksy model as the way to bring it about

Unfortunately, we need to be protected from each other as well. I don't think there are many other ways to do it than not inviting everyone to the party.

Quote from: cthoman on March 22, 2016, 15:35

Quote from: Jo Ann Snover on March 22, 2016, 15:18
Nice publicity for Stocksy, but it's so closed (so few people are accepted) that I'm not sure how what it does applies to any of the open platforms or marketplaces.

There's clearly some very bad things happening to Uber drivers even as customers love the service; and to neighborhoods when Airbnb is effectively operating hotels in residential neighborhoods. I'm hoping that changes will happen there, but I can't make the connection with the Stocksy model as the way to bring it about

Unfortunately, we need to be protected from each other as well. I don't think there are many other ways to do it than not inviting everyone to the party.

Possibly true, but as someone not invited, I clearly am not much motivated to support approaches that benefit others but leave me out

Quote from: Jo Ann Snover on March 22, 2016, 15:47

Quote from: cthoman on March 22, 2016, 15:35

Quote from: Jo Ann Snover on March 22, 2016, 15:18
Nice publicity for Stocksy, but it's so closed (so few people are accepted) that I'm not sure how what it does applies to any of the open platforms or marketplaces.

There's clearly some very bad things happening to Uber drivers even as customers love the service; and to neighborhoods when Airbnb is effectively operating hotels in residential neighborhoods. I'm hoping that changes will happen there, but I can't make the connection with the Stocksy model as the way to bring it about

Unfortunately, we need to be protected from each other as well. I don't think there are many other ways to do it than not inviting everyone to the party.

Possibly true, but as someone not invited, I clearly am not much motivated to support approaches that benefit others but leave me out

once again,at the risk of being called  sour grapes by these chosen elitists, i have to agree fully
. but these new-age gen seems to enjoy being separatists,
it makes them look cool.

at best, much like those eunuchs in the forbidden city
at worst, much like that dude in ww2 with the charlie chaplin 's moustache
with his chosen few

still, not all grapes are sweet; some of the best wines are made with sour grapes too.
whatever turns them on LOL

Quote from: Jo Ann Snover on March 22, 2016, 15:47

Quote from: cthoman on March 22, 2016, 15:35

Quote from: Jo Ann Snover on March 22, 2016, 15:18
Nice publicity for Stocksy, but it's so closed (so few people are accepted) that I'm not sure how what it does applies to any of the open platforms or marketplaces.

There's clearly some very bad things happening to Uber drivers even as customers love the service; and to neighborhoods when Airbnb is effectively operating hotels in residential neighborhoods. I'm hoping that changes will happen there, but I can't make the connection with the Stocksy model as the way to bring it about

Unfortunately, we need to be protected from each other as well. I don't think there are many other ways to do it than not inviting everyone to the party.

Possibly true, but as someone not invited, I clearly am not much motivated to support approaches that benefit others but leave me out

Yeah, I'm not at the party either.

At the least, though, the article promotes the idea of member based sites.  Which is something that comes up quite often.

I hope that Stocksy inspires other people. There are many flavours of stock and there is plenty of room for other co-ops serving different customers and different markets.
Right now many "traditional" agencies serving only the interests of the owners, shareholders etc. resemble parasites. But Stocksy shows that it doesn't have to be this way.

For the life of me, I can't understand all those "pros" with full-time income feeding the parasites with thousands and thousands of great images in this unsustainable model, instead of getting together and creating a better model, other co-ops, serving different customers with different images. If every agency had different images (image-exclusivity) there would be no need to compete on the price only. Non-exclusivity is the root of our problems.

Quote from: LDV81 on March 22, 2016, 19:54
I hope that Stocksy inspires other people. There are many flavours of stock and there is plenty of room for other co-ops serving different customers and different markets.
Right now many "traditional" agencies serving only the interests of the owners, shareholders etc. resemble parasites. But Stocksy shows that it doesn't have to be this way.

For the life of me, I can't understand all those "pros" with full-time income feeding the parasites with thousands and thousands of great images in this unsustainable model, instead of getting together and creating a better model, other co-ops, serving different customers with different images. If every agency had different images (image-exclusivity) there would be no need to compete on the price only. Non-exclusivity is the root of our problems.

Some of us have tried. It's not easy running things, getting everybody to cooperate and making it all work.

Quote from: Jo Ann Snover on March 22, 2016, 15:47

Quote from: cthoman on March 22, 2016, 15:35

Quote from: Jo Ann Snover on March 22, 2016, 15:18
Nice publicity for Stocksy, but it's so closed (so few people are accepted) that I'm not sure how what it does applies to any of the open platforms or marketplaces.

There's clearly some very bad things happening to Uber drivers even as customers love the service; and to neighborhoods when Airbnb is effectively operating hotels in residential neighborhoods. I'm hoping that changes will happen there, but I can't make the connection with the Stocksy model as the way to bring it about

Unfortunately, we need to be protected from each other as well. I don't think there are many other ways to do it than not inviting everyone to the party.

Possibly true, but as someone not invited, I clearly am not much motivated to support approaches that benefit others but leave me out

I fully understand your feelings and would feel the same. I'm still in full support of Stocksy but on a very personal level my financial results has been rather poor. People think they miss out big time but if you don't fit naturally in their concept your results will probably not be that great and their rejections will hit you very hard. Shutterstock and the devil (Getty) are still by far my financial backbone. That said I would never promote SS or Getty but do promote Stocksy on all levels on a nearly daily basis, hopefully there will be other fair trade outlets with such a great community like Stocksy so every contributor find a fair site in which he fits naturally style and concept wise.

I would like to see a stocksy-ish site created for us plebs. 

Quote from: trek on March 22, 2016, 20:31
I would like to see a stocksy-ish site created for us plebs.

I wouldn't join any elite club that would have me as a member

Quote from: 50% on March 22, 2016, 20:19
I fully understand your feelings and would feel the same. I'm still in full support of Stocksy but on a very personal level my financial results has been rather poor. People think they miss out big time but if you don't fit naturally in their concept your results will probably not be that great and their rejections will hit you very hard. Shutterstock and the devil (Getty) are still by far my financial backbone. That said I would never promote SS or Getty but do promote Stocksy on all levels on a nearly daily basis, hopefully there will be other fair trade outlets with such a great community like Stocksy so every contributor find a fair site in which he fits naturally style and concept wise.

Feel free to PM me if you want to talk about sales ( not that I have much effect on things )

Quote from: 50% on March 22, 2016, 20:19
I fully understand your feelings and would feel the same. I'm still in full support of Stocksy but on a very personal level my financial results has been rather poor. People think they miss out big time but if you don't fit naturally in their concept your results will probably not be that great and their rejections will hit you very hard.Shutterstock and the devil (Getty) are still by far my financial backbone. That said I would never promote SS or Getty but do promote Stocksy on all levels on a nearly daily basis, hopefully there will be other fair trade outlets with such a great community like Stocksy so every contributor find a fair site in which he fits naturally style and concept wise.

as an outsider, i sort of expected that (remark in red)...
much like an agency that would promote mobile photos as the flavour of the decade.
alamy is pretty close to be the non-elitist stocksy,
and although their 58.7 outdid istock
it is still a handful who makes money with them too, i am sure.

love or hate , ss and the big G are the only ones every one makes money...
so, i would support these two,
since i am the contrarian of kelly...(to me, money is everything)
and ss and getty talk with money

Quote from: heywoody on March 22, 2016, 22:44

Quote from: trek on March 22, 2016, 20:31
I would like to see a stocksy-ish site created for us plebs.

I wouldn't join any elite club that would have me as a member

A very appropriate sentiment, given your username.

Quote from: michaeldb on March 23, 2016, 00:10

Quote from: heywoody on March 22, 2016, 22:44

Quote from: trek on March 22, 2016, 20:31
I would like to see a stocksy-ish site created for us plebs.

I wouldn't join any elite club that would have me as a member

A very appropriate sentiment, given your username.

When was Groucho Marx a character named Woody? http://quoteinvestigator.com/2011/04/18/groucho-resigns/

Quote from: YadaYadaYada on March 23, 2016, 19:12

Quote from: michaeldb on March 23, 2016, 00:10

Quote from: heywoody on March 22, 2016, 22:44

Quote from: trek on March 22, 2016, 20:31
I would like to see a stocksy-ish site created for us plebs.

I wouldn't join any elite club that would have me as a member

A very appropriate sentiment, given your username.

When was Groucho Marx a character named Woody? http://quoteinvestigator.com/2011/04/18/groucho-resigns/

I think it's a play on the word 'member' and the username of the poster.

Quote from: Monty-m-gue on March 23, 2016, 23:12

Quote from: YadaYadaYada on March 23, 2016, 19:12

Quote from: michaeldb on March 23, 2016, 00:10

Quote from: heywoody on March 22, 2016, 22:44

Quote from: trek on March 22, 2016, 20:31
I would like to see a stocksy-ish site created for us plebs.

I wouldn't join any elite club that would have me as a member

A very appropriate sentiment, given your username.

When was Groucho Marx a character named Woody? http://quoteinvestigator.com/2011/04/18/groucho-resigns/

I think it's a play on the word 'member' and the username of the poster.

yes, Groucho was a man of his word,
he could poke you like a woodpecker 

Etudiante_rapide said it better. 

Here's a really good article on how things work : http://www.shareable.net/blog/interviewed-stocksys-brianna-wettlaufer-and-nuno-silva-on-building-a-cooperative-stock-photo

Good article.  Any idea if or when they'll be reopening their call to artists?

Very positive article on the NY Times : http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/07/21/business/smallbusiness/a-new-wrinkle-in-the-gig-economy-workers-get-most-of-the-money.html