MicrostockGroup
Agency Based Discussion => Sites that no longer exist => StockXpert.com => Topic started by: KB on May 28, 2009, 17:42
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Ouch.
So let's see how the last week at StockXpert has gone:
1. After a nearly 100% approval rating, I have about 50% of images rejected for "not interested in this subject".
2. I look and see that revenues this month are going to be down by about 50% over last month (a BME), and will be the worst month of the year so far for me.
3. I was just notified that 22 images were de-activated today for copyright or trademark protection. These were among my very best selling images, so it's unlikely StockXpert's revenues are going to match last month for quite some time for me.
A very bad week on StockXpert. >:(
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Chin up, it's only a bad week.
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I got even more deactivated, stopped uploading in the middle of month because of rejections. I will wait until storm passes by :-)
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Been there for nearly four years (ever since they opened) and I already have my BME this month. I must be doing something "wrong"...
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Cheer up KB. I'm in the StockXpert "zero views" club.
It appears they aren't even going to talk about this any more- what's causing it, why only some submitters are affected. I quit uploading weeks ago. There's a prominent thread on their forum where the question is perpetually ignored.
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Cheer up KB. I'm in the StockXpert "zero views" club.
Thanks, stockastic. No matter how bad things are, there's always someone who's worse off, eh? ;D
Of those that were approved last week, they all have 0 views except for one which has a single view.
I hadn't uploaded before that in a few months, and those are doing fine. So I guess I'm not in the zero views club, but perhaps I'm up for consideration. ;)
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I get zero views for a while but then views pick up on some images and they get sales. I don't see it as a problem. Sales have been strong there the past few months.
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I'm doing good actually. BME this month...
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You think they are rotating favorites ? Why I ask is I too have incredible month and then dead as a ghost town in between . Like some of you too here. Is why I ask.
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My guess is they're being jerked around by Getty people who are cooking up new marketing schemes every week and ordering changes to StockXpert's search algorithms and priorities. Currently there seems to be no exposure of new images. Eventually they may turn up in keyword searches on Photos.com etc.
Getty's brilliant "synergistic" schemes are going to turn the microstock business into a tangled mess, with prices lower than ever. At some point after this acquisition binge they'll wake up with a royal hangover and have to decide which of these companies they're able to keep alive.
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:D
Not a single one deactivated....
Cheers! ;)
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My guess is they're being jerked around by Getty people who are cooking up new marketing schemes every week and ordering changes to StockXpert's search algorithms and priorities. Currently there seems to be no exposure of new images. Eventually they may turn up in keyword searches on Photos.com etc.
Getty's brilliant "synergistic" schemes are going to turn the microstock business into a tangled mess, with prices lower than ever. At some point after this acquisition binge they'll wake up with a royal hangover and have to decide which of these companies they're able to keep alive.
" which of these companies they're able to keep alive...." and which to pull the plug for a GIANT TAX WRITEOFF. The perennial method of wiping out the competition. Very smart. And then pocketing the commissions of those contributors who have not reach payout.
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Where you can see that a file has been deleted and which one?
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Where you can see that a file has been deleted and which one?
You get a sitemail message notifying you of a deactivated image. If you haven't gotten a sitemail, then you haven't had any images deactivated.
If you do get one, the message contains the # of the image deactivated. Just type the # into the search area and the image will be displayed.
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And a little humor to add to the subject of deactivated images. I had this one get the boot.
(http://images.stockxpert.com/pic/m/p/pk/pklinger/27230401_22787026.jpg)
Here's the reason:
US personalities on stamps.
We cannot license images of canceled stamps IF a US personality appears on
the stamp. This is due to descendible personality rights, particularly
relating to where in the United States a person became deceased.
Hey aren't most people on stamps already dead, before they print the stamps? ;D I can also assure you that I checked and this stamp is before the USPS went private and the stamp in not copyrighted, it is PD. Amelia may be? But not because she's dead after the stamp was printed. And she didn't become deceased in the US. (read the reason carefully and laugh)
Hey StockXpert folks, you can reject anything you want or deactivate images. Even if you are wrong about rights. It's your site, so I don't mind. You may want to have someone who speaks English proof read your rejection messages.
As for the unintended relationship to the word for all images of dead people,
v. de·scend·ed, de·scend·ing, de·scends
v.intr.
1. To move from a higher to a lower place; come or go down.
Ironic for Amelia to have this reason for being removed?
Someone was smart enough to know the legal term, descendible, meaning:
- heritable: able to be inherited
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I had several dozen such images de-activated for that reason (US personalities on stamps) (in May, IIRC). Some were of people who had died over 100 years ago (e.g., good ol' Abe Lincoln).
But the funniest one was for that same reason (US personalities) on a stamp of a German politician. :o
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I had one deactivated which was a yellow and red surf life saving flag. Aparently it is breach of copywrite.
Obvious there is a market for this stuff under editorial, I wish that more agencies offered editorial submissions.
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I had several dozen such images de-activated for that reason (US personalities on stamps) (in May, IIRC). Some were of people who had died over 100 years ago (e.g., good ol' Abe Lincoln).
But the funniest one was for that same reason (US personalities) on a stamp of a German politician. :o
Maybe he died in the US. That's what the reason says? ??? "particularly relating to where in the United States a person became deceased."
Maybe some places in the US you can become deceased and then it's OK to use the image?
I know everyone says, StockXpert will continue and they have no plans to shut down. But why did the affiliate subscription sites change to IS? IS has the premium collection, which is a good marketing point. No matter, I'm not an exclusive, but it's a good plan, which Mother Getty will be drawing people away from StockXpert.
Whatever. It just reduces the micro sites I find most interesting and with the most reliable sales down to three. Soon I'll be a Shutterstock Exclusive for RF. ;D
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Maybe he died in the US. That's what the reason says? ??? "particularly relating to where in the United States a person became deceased."
Nope, he died in Germany, too. ;D And where did Lincoln die (rhetorical question, obviously) that there could be any IP issues still relevant almost 150 years after his death?
I didn't bother complaining about it, because it hasn't proven to be a big seller. I hope you're wrong about StockXpert; it's done well for me. In June it eeked out 4th place, coming in at 11% of revs (same as FT, but earning slightly more actual $), just behind 3rd place DT. I'd really hate to see it disappear. But it wouldn't surprise me. >:(
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Maybe he died in the US. That's what the reason says? ??? "particularly relating to where in the United States a person became deceased."
Nope, he died in Germany, too. ;D And where did Lincoln die (rhetorical question, obviously) that there could be any IP issues still relevant almost 150 years after his death?
I didn't bother complaining about it, because it hasn't proven to be a big seller. I hope you're wrong about StockXpert; it's done well for me. In June it eeked out 4th place, coming in at 11% of revs (same as FT, but earning slightly more actual $), just behind 3rd place DT. I'd really hate to see it disappear. But it wouldn't surprise me. >:(
I wouldn't be surprised but I would be disappointed. StockXpert is one of my more likable sites.
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I wouldn't be surprised but I would be disappointed. StockXpert is one of my more likable sites.
you mean StockXpert (WAS) one of my more likable sites. It's dead, like Amelia, Abe,and all on most stamps .
I too (used to like) StockXpert, what a tragedy to kill one of the best performing sites . The reviewers were the best in my opinion, fast and helpful. that is until JUI, Getty, came to f *** it up and kill it.
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I don't know why you folks assume the death of StockXpert. Don't you continue to get sales and reviews? I do. Did IS deactivate the same stamps?
We don't know what Getty will do to StockXpert, but I am sure it will not just dump an asset shortly after it acquires it.
On the other hand, for all the emails and inquiries I have sent to StockXpert, none has been replied ever since I signed up, even before Getty acquired it. So it's a tradition I assume.
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I don't know why you folks assume the death of StockXpert. Don't you continue to get sales and reviews? I do. Did IS deactivate the same stamps?
We don't know what Getty will do to StockXpert, but I am sure it will not just dump an asset shortly after it acquires it.
On the other hand, for all the emails and inquiries I have sent to StockXpert, none has been replied ever since I signed up, even before Getty acquired it. So it's a tradition I assume.
freedom, someone once aptly compared Getty's family as dysfunctional. So I will play it out in the same family analogy. IS and Vetta have now been launched with Getty telling StockXpert to move their stocks to IS with their subs. StockXpert is more or less the stepchild or worst , the bast##d child. the wedding is bliss with Getty as dad, and IS as the new bride. lol.
In this sort of marriage, the little b#st#rd soon gets ported off to private school, and soon the biological mother is given the Henry VIII's treatment.
check out the film The Other Boleyn Girl, if you're not conversant with the monarchy's history, lol.
I hope the picture is clearer now ?
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On the other hand, for all the emails and inquiries I have sent to StockXpert, none has been replied ever since I signed up, even before Getty acquired it. So it's a tradition I assume.
Not quite really, Freedom. I used to get prompt response from Stockxpert's Support, as well as same day approval . I suspect that the silence is more from the Stockxpert's officials not knowing what's happening themselves. If the same officials are still employed by Getty, my surmise is they feel that it's better not to lie so best not to reply . That's my guess, giving the once very efficient StockXpert staff the benefit of the doubt ;)
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Not only I agree with you that StockXpert may be a stepchild, other people had said a long time ago that IS non exclusives were the children out of the wedlock, too.
To me, StockXpert still performs far better than 123rf, BS, PM, SV, FP and many others. Sometimes it does better than DT and FT. We have been supportive to Veer MP but it hasn't even proven itself at all. Why, because psychologically, we don't feel threatened. That is just in our head.
The point is, if we don't support StockXpert and spread the doomsday news, we are just doing our part to send StockXpert to its grave without giving it a chance for redemption.
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In this sort of marriage, the little b#st#rd soon gets ported off to private school, and soon the biological mother is given the Henry VIII's treatment.
check out the film The Other Boleyn Girl, if you're not conversant with the monarchy's history, lol.
I hope the picture is clearer now ?
LOL! Good analogy!
If you liked The Other Boleyn Girl you should also check out The Tudors on Showtime - Dysfunctional family drama at its best ;D
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The point is, if we don't support StockXpert and spread the doomsday news, we are just doing our part to send StockXpert to its grave without giving it a chance for redemption.
I agree about StockXpert sales still outselling 123, BS, etc. but I don't think anything we do or say one way or the other will affect StockXpert's future. They are part of Getty now, not a separate site.
No point in talking about "supporting StockXpert". Supporting StockXpert is supporting Getty and Getty will do whatever they darn well please with them.
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I am not sure I understand why you think this way. Getty only cares about making money. If StockXpert makes money, then it will get sufficient attention from its step parent. I know you are going to say that Getty wants to eliminate competition for IS. But I am sure Getty also knows the concept of diversification of its assets. It is possible that Getty may take StockXpert to a different direction so as to avoid direct competition with IS.
I don't hate Getty because IS is one of my better performers in this industry, so is StockXpert. DT used to be comparable to IS, but now it only generates less than 1/3 of IS's revenue.
Getty didn't start a policy to discriminate non-exclusives. As a matter of fact, Getty does not even ask the photographers to be exclusive, and only asks the contents to be exclusive. IS community is the one which nurtures this culture of self importance and total exclusivity. I hope Getty will do away with it one day and allow exclusive contents as well.
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Getty only cares about making money. If StockXpert makes money, then it will get sufficient attention from its step parent.
I wish this were true. Sadly, Getty's insistence on taking all the (high selling, money making) StockXpert images from independents off Photos.com etc. will result in their losing most of the content from those sites. So in that case, StockXpert was making money and Getty isn't giving it anything like sufficient attention.
On top of that, last month was my best month in a year on StockXpert, and yet nobody can get any customer service. Another example of StockXpert making money and getting insufficient attention.
I know you are going to say that Getty wants to eliminate competition for IS.
I would never say that. I seriously doubt Getty cares any more about istock than any of its other acquisitions.
As you said yourself, they care about making money and that's all. Whichever sites they have to destroy to build their bottom line will go on the chopping block. Istock may be their prize pig for the moment, but that can change real fast.
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with the photos.com etc announcement saying that images were being removed, it said on StockXpert that contributors should be submitting to istock as they are the leader etc. The implication was that StockXpert would be shut down. obvisously noone at StockXpert has confirmed this (I'd doubt if they knew) but it was mentioned in their forums that more big changes were coming including hinting at changes in commission.
I hope they dont close it, and hope that they say that while it is profitable it stays, but who knows some bright spark may say shut it and offer the customers credits at istock where they make more money etc. Dont know but I keep uploading :):)
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ciao freedom, pixelbytes, puravida,
allow me join in the discussion on the dysfunctional fly. I am a big fan of StockXpert for a long time. At least until they went mysteriously out of whack.
freedom, Getty's interest to pacify IStock's exclusives cannot be applied to Stockxpert's independents. Here is the problem and the big difference.
We have our images all over the place, so if Getty loses us, they lose nothing. The images are already with the competition.
Now, with the exclusives at IStock. It's entirely a whole different kettle of fish. You have special vaultage of this inventory. Your buyers were informed of this specialty. If even a small section of exclusive packs up and leaves. There is going to be a gap like your proverbial leak in a dyke. The slow leak can transform into a gushing and disastrous flooding.
Stockxpert is not like that. The loss will only be to us contributors have a once well run agency and losing it. There is no loss to Getty, they can even toss if out the window, write off the loss, or sell it to someone who wants to make some new money with new promises to newbies and all.
This is my input. Not optimistic but quite realistic evaluation of the ghostly situation , or should it be ghastly situation at Stockxpert? You all decide .
I wish we can find redemption with Stockxpert, but as someone else once said , I wouldn't hold my breath.