Author Topic: Lookstat sells your sales data... (Read 6145 times)

somethingpretentious · « **on:** December 18, 2010, 21:59 »

Did you Lookstat users know that Lookstat sell your sales statistics? And what is your opinion about it?

Accoording to their privacy policy they assume the right to use your sales data (in the form of aggregate data) to sell to whoever they want to - including your competition.

Aggregate data may not sound so bad to you, but you dont have to be very niche before your data likely will be very significant in an analasis....

Maybe you were specialising in ballet pictures and using Lookstat to analyse your results. Lookstat spots that "ballet" is an awesome keyword giving the highest RPI's they have in their database. You are probably one of the few or maybe the only one in Lookstats data pool with that keyword. Lookstat then sells the information to the top contributors that are always looking for new keywords...And suddenly Yuri has 63 images on DT of ballet - and you are doomed....

I'm not saying this actually happens or that I know who lookstat sells the data to, but I dont feel comfortable about this, and would like to know your thoughts on it.

I'd also very much like Lookstats view - who do you sell the data to and in what form?

Cheers

microstockphoto.co.uk · « **Reply #1 on:** December 19, 2010, 04:00 »

no doubt this kind of statistical information is very valuable, and I guess most free sites do something with our data

I never used Lookstat so I don't know, but to me it is acceptable if data are aggregated AND it's clearly stated in TOS that they can use your data this way

Sean Locke Photography · « **Reply #2 on:** December 19, 2010, 08:34 »

Yes, this is one reason I stopped playing with it after a short try out. I told them this as well.

somethingpretentious · « **Reply #3 on:** December 21, 2010, 12:46 »

Thanks for your replies. I'm not implying that Lookstat is doing anything wrong, but I don't think they are clear enough about what they do with this data. When I have no idea what they do with my data, there is absolutely no way I can evaluate if their services will do me more harm than good. Will my best concepts, keywords etc be handed over to my competition on a sliver platter if they are willing to pay for it? I realize they can "hide" under aggregate data, but as I explained, I dont give to much for that.

I would have liked to try Lookstat out, but I will have to stay away from them until they are more clear about this.

somethingpretentious · « **Reply #4 on:** January 12, 2011, 20:11 »

bump aleart!

Normally Rahul from Lookstat is very fast to comment on threads regarding Lookstat, but I started this one just before the holidays so in fairness he never had a chance before it got buried. As I'm really eager to hear a response from lookstat, I thought I would give this thread a bump.

So, Lookstat, your prices are VERY reasonable and I am itching to join and throw 100s of images/month your way. (thats 10.000s of good'n'green USD for Lookstat/year) but I seriously would need to (publically) know what you will do with my sales data?

Cheers!

SNP · « **Reply #5 on:** January 12, 2011, 21:12 »

I've tried them out, and had many conversations with Rahul. he's a very helpful guy and very knowledgeable. however a few things kept me from signing up.

1) the most obvious was $. it's too expensive for my level of income and I don't believe that increasing my RPI has much to do with increasing my income.
2) I didn't find the services available to me added value to what I already determine using my own portfolio:performance analysis
3) for the fee; the site should be far more sophisticated IMO. The model is straight off Google analytics and the GUI is quite simplistic and unintuitive.

I think Lookstat lost a lot of potential interest when SS stopped them from gathering data. Despite that, there could be a lot of value to exclusives at iStock, but that's not a huge pool. FWIW, it didn't bother me that they sold aggregate data.

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Author Topic: Lookstat sells your sales data... (Read 6145 times)

somethingpretentious

microstockphoto.co.uk

Sean Locke Photography

somethingpretentious

somethingpretentious

SNP

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