Author Topic: Does This "Microstock Poll Results" Section On The Right Reflect Reality? (Read 3937 times)

Activesocial · « **on:** January 08, 2021, 14:52 »

Is it the real thing? The reason I ask, as a vector illustrator, I want to make sure which sites are the big shots, worthwhile of uploading vectors to.

Thanks.

ShadySue · « **Reply #1 on:** January 08, 2021, 17:40 »

Quote from: Activesocial on January 08, 2021, 14:52

Is it the real thing? The reason I ask, as a vector illustrator, I want to make sure which sites are the big shots, worthwhile of uploading vectors to.

Thanks.

Only people who want to do the poll fill it in, so it only represents a small subsection of contributors. E.g. it could be argued that the 'big hitters' don't waste time on forums. However, if you hover over each agency name, you can see how many people polled (fewer than 100 in each case).
You don't know how many people are telling the truth. At least one person in the past said he lied in the poll. Why would they? I can't speak for that person, but I guess if you put in consistently extremely low figures, it might put off potential competition.
You don't know which medium or media people submit in, so it would be impossible to tell from the poll how good any agency was specifically for vectors. So for example if someone supplied mostly video, they would be expected to earn more from each sale than a vector or still producer, on average. For example, Pond5 shows as a 'middle tier' agency, but it is said to be useless for stills and I don't know if it even accepts vectors.
It all depends on your port, and crucially, how the algorithm ranks your files in the search order, which can be different depending on when you upload. For example, if when you upload, the algorithm is favouring new files, you're in luck. If it's favouring older files, your files may never get traction.

kall3bu · « **Reply #2 on:** January 09, 2021, 02:25 »

# It all depends on your port, and crucially, how the algorithm ranks your files in the search order, which can be different depending on when you upload. For example, if when you upload, the algorithm is favouring new files, you're in luck. If it's favouring older files, your files may never get traction. #

And how can we know, which one the algorithm rank favouring at the moment? new or old files?

ShadySue · « **Reply #3 on:** January 09, 2021, 07:46 »

Quote from: kall3bu on January 09, 2021, 02:25

# It all depends on your port, and crucially, how the algorithm ranks your files in the search order, which can be different depending on when you upload. For example, if when you upload, the algorithm is favouring new files, you're in luck. If it's favouring older files, your files may never get traction. #

And how can we know, which one the algorithm rank favouring at the moment? new or old files?

Experimentally, but it could change at any moment.

Uncle Pete · « **Reply #4 on:** January 09, 2021, 15:45 »

Quote from: ShadySue on January 09, 2021, 07:46

Quote from: kall3bu on January 09, 2021, 02:25
# It all depends on your port, and crucially, how the algorithm ranks your files in the search order, which can be different depending on when you upload. For example, if when you upload, the algorithm is favouring new files, you're in luck. If it's favouring older files, your files may never get traction. #

And how can we know, which one the algorithm rank favouring at the moment? new or old files?
Experimentally, but it could change at any moment.

Let me translate that. We don't know. We don't even know if it's as simple as new or old, or 20 other variables.

The point of search changes, isn't about us or individuals, which some people seem to think. The search is tailored towards trends and buyers. This isn't about us, or you, anyone else, or me or anything to do with that, it's all about making things appear that buyers want.

Just like years ago when people would say, oh my sales are down, they moved everything down. That means (if anyone is logical) other people had to be moved up. You can't just move things down, without someone else going up. Simple enough, for every image that just went down pages, other moved up pages.

It's not personal and it's not about us.

Just like Sue says, it's a poll of people who decided to take the poll. There are no checks or balances. I see it as general indicator of relative position between the agencies. Not any indication of what anyone should personally expect to earn.

Clair Voyant · « **Reply #5 on:** January 09, 2021, 17:57 »

I guess that depends on your reality.

cascoly · « **Reply #6 on:** January 09, 2021, 18:34 »

Quote from: ShadySue on January 08, 2021, 17:40

Quote from: Activesocial on January 08, 2021, 14:52
Is it the real thing? The reason I ask, as a vector illustrator, I want to make sure which sites are the big shots, worthwhile of uploading vectors to.

Thanks.

You don't know how many people are telling the truth. At least one person in the past said he lied in the poll. Why would they? I can't speak for that person, but I guess if you put in consistently extremely low figures, it might put off potential competition.

another factor may be people submitting low # for agencies they don't like, or larger for those they do. with the low #s voting tyhat could affect the results

Uncle Pete · « **Reply #7 on:** January 10, 2021, 11:20 »

Quote from: cascoly on January 09, 2021, 18:34

Quote from: ShadySue on January 08, 2021, 17:40
Quote from: Activesocial on January 08, 2021, 14:52
Is it the real thing? The reason I ask, as a vector illustrator, I want to make sure which sites are the big shots, worthwhile of uploading vectors to.

Thanks.

You don't know how many people are telling the truth. At least one person in the past said he lied in the poll. Why would they? I can't speak for that person, but I guess if you put in consistently extremely low figures, it might put off potential competition.

another factor may be people submitting low # for agencies they don't like, or larger for those they do. with the low #s voting tyhat could affect the results

Yup, like people who left SS, still voting 0 just to bring them down, or voting inflated numbers to push others up.

Sue pointed out a major question about polls and being valid and I have said the same many times before. Any time the poll is a choice that individuals make, whether to participate or not, the chance that the results are a fair reflection of anything are slim. That's why polls try to be random or select a mixed population.

So I'll stick with, the numbers are relative, at best, and nothing more. For certain they don't reflect what anyone can expect as earnings.

Here's some history, it takes 50 votes to show on the poll.

ShadySue · « **Reply #8 on:** January 10, 2021, 12:26 »

And note that as well as Pond5, Alamy is not a good place (relatively) to sell vectors. Unless those who produce presumably editorial-type vectors there don't post anywhere, which is perfectly possible.

(Aside, irrelevant to OP, but might be of interest to lurkers): an example of a problem with the poll is that if I, as an exclusive-RF seller on iStock, poll my Alamy-RM sales, the way the poll works would change my iS-exclusive poll to iS-indie, so an inbuilt inaccuracy there, as I and others often point out. So I don't put in my Alamy (still photos) sales. Don't know if that would pull the Alamy poll score up or down!

Shuttershock · « **Reply #9 on:** January 10, 2021, 14:17 »

Not for me it doesn’t....non-exclusive iStock always pays me the most out of the big 5 (same amount of images on each)

mj007 · « **Reply #10 on:** January 10, 2021, 17:50 »

I have never filled out the poll but it is pretty much spot on for my sales. I have viewed it for years and it has been pretty much correct for my sales for many years. So yes at least for me it is very much reality.

cascoly · « **Reply #11 on:** January 10, 2021, 23:22 »

i used to enter the poll but havent for more than a year - as said, the results show the relative earnings from different sites, but have never tracked well w my sales. SS is down but still my best earner, w canva a steady income - 2 or 3 times 3rd place adobe, then 123,DT,pond & alamy

i have high % editorial, so my adobe sales suffer while DT,123 & pond take them (and w/o any extra processing! if they don't like them as commercial they automatically look at them for editorial)