Logging into the forum

We fixed the little issue with the forums and once you are signed into the Cutcaster site you are logged into the forums and can post automatically.

The Cutcaster forums can be found here.

Thanks for all your help in fixing the little log-in issues we were having.

Friday Phelps Fun

ORLANDO—Fourteen-time Olympic gold medalist and SeaWorld main attraction Michael Phelps returned to his seven-million-gallon water tank Wednesday to resume his normal schedule of performing in six shows a day for marine park crowds every day of the week.

Phelps, the 6'4", 200-pound aquatic mammal, and the first ever SeaWorld swimmer to be raised in captivity by foster swimmers (Mark Spitz and Dara Torres), was recaptured by trainer Bob Bowman in a hoop net baited with an entire Dutch apple pie following Phelps' final Olympic event last Sunday. Phelps was then tethered to the rudder of a container ship bound for St. Petersburg, guided down local waterways, and introduced back into his home habitat, the tank in SeaWorld's 5,500 seat stadium, known to park officials and visitors alike as "Phelps' Happy Harbor."

"Michael seemed really excited to be back," said Bowman, adding that the male swimmer became playful upon entering his tank, breaching the water and sounding repeatedly. "He just started swimming freestyle and backstroke, and only stopped to slide belly first onto the tank's platform so he could be fed dozens of fried egg sandwiches."

"He fell asleep at the surface of the water around midnight," Bowman added.

Though Bowman plans on continuing the long-running aquatic show "Michael, The Yankee Doodle Swim Team Captain," in which Phelps was performing prior to leaving for Beijing, Bowman said he and Phelps would begin working on an all-new production, which will debut in September with the title "Champion!" Bowman has promised this show would be the most ambitious program in the history of Olympic swimmer sea spectacles.

Bowman says one stunt called the "Flying Medal" will begin with Phelps' 14 gold medals being suspended above the water. Phelps will then enter the stadium butterfly-stroking at full speed, coursing along the surface, and with every breach of the water, placing his head through the hoop of one medal after another. If Phelps is wearing all 14 medals at the end of the stunt, Bowman said, the swimmer will be rewarded with a whole pizza and a pound of cooked enriched pasta.

Bowman confirmed that the routine would also feature the signature aquatic feats that audiences from around the world have come to expect from Phelps, such as his trademark trick of 35 flip turns in 35 seconds, nuzzling a child with his nose, and Bowman himself "surfing" on Phelps' back while the subservient sea creature swims the breaststroke.

"Those seated in the first 14 rows should be prepared to get soaked," Bowman said, admitting that Phelps' powerful dolphin kicks would be added to the new program. "Also, Michael's two friends, [Olympic swimmers] Ryan [Lochte] and Jason [Lezak], will open the show with their humorous beach ball antics."

Beginning with the 1985's "Baby Michael Celebration," Phelps has entertained SeaWorld audiences for over 20 years. Spectators are not only enthralled with Phelps' exploits in the water, but his abnormally large torso, unusually small lower body, double-jointed ankles, gargantuan eating habits, the slurring, almost human methods of vocalization he uses to communicate, and his odd-looking goggle-covered face, all of which combine to make him the most unusual sight in all of Florida.

"I have never seen a stranger yet more majestic-looking creature," said husband and father of three Glenn McKay. "Last year we went to SeaWorld San Diego and saw [Michael's female counterpart] Michelle, and even though the show was a little funnier than this one, nothing compares to watching Michael almost hover over the water after launching his trainer into the air."

"Michelle" is SeaWorld's moniker for the Olympic gold medalist who was born Natalie Coughlin.

"I liked it when he played dead and floated in the water," added McKay's 8-year-old son Brandon, who was clutching a Michael Phelps stuffed doll. "I also liked when he blew water on everyone."

Though spectators—and ticket-sales personnel—are happy that Phelps is back at SeaWorld, members of the World Society for the Conservation of Olympic Swimmers released a statement yesterday saying that these athletic mammals should be released from captivity. The statement claims that there is conclusive scientific proof that confinement in smaller pools of water, as opposed to wide-open, Olympic-sized pools, causes the swimmers sensory depravation and a shorter lifespan.

"It's clear that Michael doesn't like being at SeaWorld," WSCOS spokesperson Jonathan Haines said. "When he was placed back into his tank, the slightly loose portion of his black swim cap immediately folded over to the right side, a telltale symptom of stress and angst. And you can be certain that, just before he left for Beijing, he didn't bite that little girl's arm off because he was happy."

Cutcaster August Newsletter

Dear Cutcaster Family,

There are a number of episodes that have shocked me lately; The opening ceremonies of the Olympics, the fact that it is the middle of August (where has the summer gone?!), and the way that Cutcaster has quadrupled since the last time I sent out a newsletter just a month and a half ago.

What a crazy and exciting time! A number of our users are now getting sales on the site and also receiving bids from interested buyers. If you haven’t had a sale yet, don’t worry; we are planning a big marketing push for the months of September and October so it is a good time to get more content into the marketplace or organize your old content.

We just passed 44,000 image files uploaded and have had over 21,000 files uploaded since the start of August. That doesn’t even include all the video files we are going to release when we bring back video footage. We announced that our goal was to have 100,000 quality uploads by the end of the year. You can bet on the year-end total amount by submitting what you think will be the year-end tally on our blog (ww.cutcaster.com/blog) to win a cool prize. 100,000 files is a very doable goal and we are well on our way to accomplishing it!

Since the number of files is growing and we are still a small group of people running Cutcaster from behind the scenes, we need everyone’s help titling, describing and keywording their content. Take a quick moment to check out your keywords and make sure that your keywords accurately describe each image. If you need help let us know so we can target your content and organize it better.

Our move over to Amazon’s web services platform is complete and I am happy to say that we have increased the speed of the site so things are running much faster at Cutcaster. You will notice a difference when you check out the homepage, and it will only get faster as we continue to work on more ways to speed it up.

Here are a number of new features that we have rolled out over the last month:

1. We added the ability to “friend” contacts on Cutcaster; send site messages to other people who are members of Cutcaster and post comments to each other’s pages.
2. The Cutcaster Forum is here and ramping up. Go there and say hello and join in the conversation.
3. We added similar image results to the media details pages so you can find similar content without having to go back to the search areas. This should help buyers find a variety of similar images without having to do multiple searches.
4. Public clipfolders are now available on the site and are our version of lightboxes, which you may have seen on other sites. We added a featured clipfolder to the homepage to help get contributors more exposure and sales.
5. We have added free images to the homepage to attract more buyers to the site and get your work more exposure. Free images at Cutcaster
6. Exclusive spotlight on the homepage. We need exclusive content and will pay out more for it. Ask us about it. If you have images that you want to test out on our site make them exclusive, you will earn more for them.

We are always listening, so please keep the feedback coming!

In addition, if you want your images and illustrations to be seen by more people, you should read this little post we wrote about getting more interested traffic .

Also submit/add your studio link to search engines like Google and Yahoo, which is a great idea for getting traffic, or you can link to them from your MySpace, Flickr or personal webpage. Remember to use your referral links as well so you get paid more.


Here are some write-ups on content we want:

Top 14 Best selling categories at Cutcaster

Smaller and Popular categories we need

We have been asked for these types of images.

Desired Content we need


If you need specific content please let us know and we will put out a request for you.

Hope the rest of August goes as slow as possible and you all enjoy the last bits of summer.

Best,

The Cutcaster Team

Seasonal Requests

It's getting to be that busy time of year again and we need to round out some of the images that we have either been asked for or fill a seasonal need for buyers coming to the Cutcaster site. Buyers are working on their holiday issues and advertisers are getting back to work. Time to think about:


* Different religious holidays (Thanksgiving, Kwanzaa, Christmas, Hanukkah, Birthdays, First day of Fall, First day of Winter, etc.)
* New Year's (reveling, partying, celebrating, new beginnings, midnight kiss, party clothes, champagne glasses clinking)
* Shopping/spending money
* Holiday Foods/Cocktails
* Snow
* Sledding
* Skiing
* Warm Travel (like Caribbean where we all want to be ;-))
* New Year's Resolutions (quit smoking, join the gym, being nicer, more family time)
* Home Insulation (construction shots, interiors, warm images)
* Heating Bills
* Oil
* Colds/Getting Sick/Preventing Colds/Natural Remedies

Stuff we like to read here at Cutcaster

Strobist

The Big Picture

KenRockwell.com

Joe McNally's blog

DPreview.com

Photoblogs.org

Rob Galbraith.com

Photography Blog

Photo.net

The Luminous Landscape

Photo Request

media_type : STILL PHOTO
project_type : tv
description : We are looking for photos of a 12 year old boy's room,
to use as a background plate for a broadcast spot we are constructing this
week. the timeline is immediate. Thanks!!!!
priority : urgent
deadline : Friday Aug 22, 2008

Extra keywords- Do you use them and are they effective?

On another forum, people are discussing the usefulness of certain types of keywords. I was just wondering as to how useful these keywords actually are. What do you think? Here's the list:

# Insignificant People - For those blurry folks in the background.
# Nobody - To tag a shot with no humans in it.
# Selective Focus - When the foreground is in focus and the background is not, or vice-versa.
# Blurred Background - Specific type of selective focus (above).
# Blurred Foreground - Same as Blurred Background (above).
# Blurred Motion - Long exposure maps to this.
# Full Frame - When composition encompasses entire viewing area.
# Horizontal - Wide format.
# Vertical - Tall format.
# Waist Up - Top half of human subject only.
# Waist Down - Bottom half of human subject only.
# Isolated - Separated object or person done by color or background.
# Isolated objects - Separated object or person done by color or background.
# Clipping path - Isolation includes a path embedded in the file data.
# Isolated on white - Isolated on a white background.
# isolated on black - Isolated on a black background.
# Square - Square format as the name implies.
# Copy Space (Copyspace) - has designated location for copy text.
# Still Life - For example, a vase of flowers is a still life.
# Single Object - When a single subject is the only thing in the frame.
# Concepts - A photo that tells a specific story. Think metaphor.
# Backgrounds - Photo's primary use is a background, incl. patterns, etc.
# Studio shot - Photo taken in a studio or similar controlled environment.
# Portrait - Head and shoulders shot is typical.
# Head On - Straight on (no angles) from lens to subject.
# From Side - Shot taken from a side angle.
# Profile - Same as From Side (above).
# Low/Down Angle - Taken from beneath the subject or there abouts.
# High/Up Angle - Taken from above the subject or there abouts.
# Full Body - Capture entire human form, from head to toe.
# Perspective - Any unusual angle to include Low and High (above).
# Sepia - Photo given a sepia tone process to make it look old.
# B/W (Black and White) - A black and white image.
# Monochromatic - A single color tint, usually black (with white).
# Grayscale - See B/W and Monochromatic above.
# Color Image - Shot in full color.
# Full Frame - Subject comprises entire exposure area.
# Color Image - Shot in full color.
# Single Object - I guess the name says it all.
# Group of Objects - Ditto, but multiplied.

Add Cutcaster to your contact list and address book

Here's how:

Gmail
1. Click Contacts along the left side of any Gmail page.
2. Click Add Contact.
3. In the primary email address box, type newsletter@cutcaster.com and john@cutcaster.com
4. Click Save.

Yahoo!
1. Click the "addresses" button
2. Select "Add Contact"
3. Save the newsletter@cutcaster.com and john@cutcaster.com to your contacts list.

Hotmail
1. Click Options.
2. On the left side of the page, click Mail, and then click Junk E-Mail
Protection.
3. Click Safe List.
4. Type newsletter@cutcaster.com and john@cutcaster.com, and then click Add.

Outlook
1. Right-click on a message from newsletter@cutcaster.com and john@cutcaster.com.
2. Point to Junk E-mail, and click Add Sender to Safe Senders List.

AOL (version 9.0 or higher)
1. Click the Mail menu and select Address Book.
2. In the pop up box, click the Add button.
3. In the "Other E-Mail" field, type newsletter@cutcaster.com and john@cutcaster.com.
4. Make our From address the "Primary E-Mail" address by checking the associated check box.
5. Click the Save button.

AOL 8.0
1. Open this confirmation email.
2. Click Add Address.
3. Verify the sender’s contact information (newsletter@cutcaster.com and john@cutcaster.com).
4. Click Save.

Update to Cutcaster Algorithm

Just wanted to let you guys know that we updated a bunch of the variables to the Cutcaster Algorithm and tweaked it a bit on what we have learned and seen over the last 6 months. The biggest change you will see is the start price that we will determine if you do not select the starting default price for the algorithm. The new prices will start between 8 and 15 dollars, which is based on a number of variables and will take into account how well your files are keyworded, described and titled as well.

You are still able to set the start default price for using the algorithm. The startng price will move up or down from the number that you choose. So if you wanted to choose $40, the algorithm will start to go to work for you from there. If you let us choose it for you, we will look at a number of different variables to determine the starting price and set it for you. You will start to notice the difference today going forward.

In addition, you can still set your own price and it will stay put.

Let us know if you have any questions.

Trends in video-based advertising...

Don't know if anybody caught this recent post on Techcrunch, but according Lehman, online video ad spending will "reach $1.1 billion this year (up 63 percent), and more than double to $2.4 billion over the next two years."

That's a whole lot of growth in 24 months and even if they're 50% off the mark, given the soft state of global economy, finding growth opportunities like this really shouldn't be passed up. Hopefully this will be beneficial to sites (like Cutcaster) that provide web-ready graphics and footage, and make the economics of online video viable for all sort of new and existing online business models.

Check out this new blog on Niche Photography and what you can shoot

The blog is called micro-stock niche photo ideas. Three times a week, the blog will get updated with 10 new niche photo ideas. Thought it may help you guys get some creative ideas and will be a good place to list some ideas you have for future shoots that might help others.

Pitch today after Alan Meckler

Excuse me for the radio silence over the last two days. I am getting ready for a pitch today I am giving to potential investors and entrepreneurs, which I am delivering after Alan Meckler, CEO of Jupitermedia. He is the keynote speaker of this event put on by StartupAlpha.com. Pretty funny. Not sure how relevant he is to starting a new business but when I heard he was speaking I was very interested in going and hearing him nonetheless.

If anyone is in Midtown Manahattan today at 530 and wants to go, let me know. The event is at Midtown Pub.

First beer or soda is on me.

Wish me luck ;-)

John

UPDATE:

The pitch went great last night and thanks for the well wishes. It was short and sweet but I nailed it and was happy to get a chance to practice it and meet some new people.

In addition, I got to meet and had a good conversation with Alan Meckler, who I met right when I got there. I started off by telling him about Cutcaster and how we were getting ready to take over Jupiter. HA. Kidding but we spoke for a while about the future of online video, what Cutcaster was doing, the different web properties that Jupiter owned and how they use them in coordination and also a bit about each others background. Was nice to meet him and put a name to a face now. Someone mentioned that he looked a bit like the dad from Everybody loves Raymond, a sitcom here in the States, which I thought was pretty good.

After I met him, Alan gave a talk on his professional background to the audience and how he got to where he was at Jupiter. He spoke more about his investing background, working with VC's/banks, raising money for different investment funds and which businesses he has invested in to become a billioniare (lasted just 4 months and was only on paper he said), then he did about the image business. He also spoke about building a "vertical" on the Internet and where he saw the Internet going in the future. I can't say I completely agreed with him on everything but it was an interesting story nonetheless and a pleasure to meet him.

Cutcaster site moving faster

We have been working a ton of fixing the sluggishness that the site was experiencing. It is hard work diagnosing these things. Here is what we have done so far so you should notice an improvement in the time it takes to load pages.

Total page size has been reduced significantly by removing the rollovers which we will put back up once we fix this issue. The home page now clocks in at 886,551 bytes - down from 3.5MB - about 1/4 of the page size. I've also added GZIP compression to almost all the files being served by Apache, which also made a significant different.

Play around with it and let me know what you think. I've also started compressing certain files which were fairly large. As an example:

1. The background image bg_top.gif was 80KB - I compressed this to a
jpg

2. I compressed the prototype.js library

3. I compressed the SpryValidationTextField.js

I've looked around the site and many other files / images can be compressed similarly - such as all the images on the My Studio page so I will have my hands full this weekend but you should notice a difference.

If any of you can offer any other suggestions for things that we can do please let me know. This will help everyone especially me. Your expertise is greatly appreciated.

Cutcaster is.....

Cutcaster is a dynamic marketplace to license digital photos, vector illustratons and video online. The platform helps people who have taken a really good photo or captured some amazing video footage to monetize their content through licensing it to someone working in advertising, publishing, filmmaking or graphic design. Most people wouldn’t know how to price their content when approached by an interested buyer and even the most experienced ones have always let the agency dictate the price. In order to help these people determine the price they could charge, Cutcaster helps them learn how to price their content or has an algorithm that helps find the correct and highest market price based on a number of important variables. If the creator is an old pro, they have the option to set their prices as high as they want based on their past experience selling content.

The twist Cutcaster has introduced to licensing is buyers can now license content on demand or they can bid for it by submitting a price to the seller seamlessly over the site, which the seller can accept, decline or resubmit a new offer back to the buyer. In addition, if a publisher from a magazine came to you, they could also bid on extended rights for content like exclusivity in certain markets or over certain periods of time. This bidding platform helps buyers find content within their budget, provides incentives for them to license content at Cutcaster because they can create better deals for themselves than they would find at other sites and highlights for sellers where the demand is at different pricing levels and how to price their content so they don’t lose sales because their content isn’t priced correctly.

Image, keywording and description help

At Cutcaster, the majority of our search results use your title, description and keywords to get your images and videos found. How well you title, describe and keyword your content is how well it will come up in search results on the site and on popular search engines. I really need your help making sure that your content is properly labeled. I know it takes more time but we need this to be concise, clear and relevant so buyers are put off. Since we are in the early stages of our site we have a real opportunity to keep the search results as relevant as possible and keep buyers happy. I had a conversation with 2 potential buyers today and they said they biggest consideration for using a site was search results relevancy so I am going to be stressing this and working to help you guys. We are only so many people here at Cutcaster i.e. not many, so we need all your help.

Here we go.

From the title:

- the subject and the "role" it plays ("boy petting dog," "mother feeding child," "dog barking at squirrel")

- do NOT use punctuation, exclamation or any other marks or weird characters in the titles

From the description: Get as descriptive as you can

- Information about age (newborn, young, old, senior, mature adult, over the hill, child, stone age)
- What is it like? (hot, dry, putrid, wet, yellow, rusty)
- What is the subject wearing? (t-shirt, nude, coat, viser, jean shorts, etc.).
- Name of or type of building or designation? (apartment complex, oil rig, office).
- For animals/plants - scientific name, common name, color (if relevant).
- What time of day, if relevant (sunrise, dawn, dusk, midday, noon, sunset, night).
- Seasons, if relevant (spring, fall, summer, winter).


From the keywords:

- Words that match the subject/concept
- Synonyms (words that mean the same thing, but look different)
- you only need 10-20 keywords at most
- don't over keyword

If you notice content on the site that is spamming on keywords or not categorized right will you please notify us by clicking on this button "Flag this Media" on the media details page. You will be helping us all if you do it and buyers will be more likely to come to the site because results will be relevant.

Need images of the following flags and maps of South America

From a buyer:

need images of the following flags

Argentina
Brazil
Chile
Colombia
Mexico
Peru
Venezuela

If you have images of maps of South America please send those as well.

MORE INFORMATION

The flags need to be the entire image. Most likely the images should all come from the same photographer probably so they all look similar.

The buyer needs them by Friday at the latest. They are going in a banner like the arrangement below।

Thanks a ton guys.

Similar Images now on Media Details page

It was a busy weekend but some of you will notice at the bottom of the media details page that we have created a area for similar media files. Take a look and let us know what you think and if you have any suggestions or different ways we can do this or highlight the images. The similar images will be a collect from all different contributors so it won't be from just one person and should result in more views of your images.

We can also add in a selection of thumbnails for images with the same model or properties if that is something that buyers would use and want.

We are also going to be making your keywords, links, so that buyers will be able to click on them and see search results based on those keywords. We have a lot of improvements coming out shortly with regards to the search process and also how we describe our files. I will as always keep you updated.

Extended Licenses for 30c! Please end the race to the bottom

What a start to the weekend for Jupiter and way to recruit new members.

First, we have been reading about the troubling news brewing at Jupiter's Stockxpert and Photos.com with regards to their planned move of photos on Stockxpert to Photos.com site and potential new site terms that they will announce on Monday but are mum about the details beforehand. There was a serious uproar over the first take on the site terms Jupiter was forcing Stockxpert users to accept. I guess Jupiter was very adamant about keeping the 30 cent Extended Licenses which in our opinion is highway robbery and something that is a slippery slope down and will complete the race to the bottom for photographers who want to sell their images for next to nothing. I hope they will not accept this and make their voices heard as it is a scary trend to start. Cutcaster has been trying to head off this "race to the bottom" by allowing users to set their own price or use an algorithm to find the correct market price or buyers can buy content or bid on it directly with a seller. Here is the coverage over at Microstockgroup and some more done by Lee Torrens of Microstockdiaries.


UPDATE:
We read this over at Stockphototalk and thought we would share.

"SXP sent out some e-mail today to contributors about their new deal with images being sold via Photos.com. Buried in the 3rd paragraph was this:
"As we move forward with more of these programs, we need to deliver the highest quality and most consistent product to customers and business partners. This means that as of July 30 we will no longer offer opt-in/out, and as of August 4 all SXP images will be included in our PPD, partner and licensing, extended licensing, and subscription efforts."
I had opted out of subscriptions at SXP a while back. Now I have to exit altogether or put up with subscriptions. Nothing in the text says they´re planning to limit the sizes sold via subscription [...].
The terms for contributors seem to be trending unfavorably - perhaps sites are feeling the economic pinch and trying to squeeze out all the revenue they can."
Jo Ann Snover/Yahoo MP group.

It's impressive to see the strength of community and photographers at SXP how they are banding together to get change and making their voices heard. Let's see how this plays out but bravo for not stepping down to 30c downloads for your hard work.

Getting the perfect white background

Have an image that's almost on a white background but needs a little help? Cheapshooter has a quick fix in Adobe Photoshop to make that image pop. Here is a god instructional video and write up on how to get the perfect white background.

Thanks to cheapshooter for the help. If you know any other good tips throw them below to help others.

Smaller and popular categories we need

Urban & rural scenes – suburbs, playing streetball, playing basketball, mowing lawns playing in the grass, rural scenes

Arts & entertainment – music, taking photos, painting a picture, playing in a rock band

Lifestyle & relationships – families, gatherings, parent/child shots

Arts & entertainment – dancing, out drinking, listening to music with headphones

Industry & work – factories, production facilties

People – mature adults, seniors

Health & beauty – people working out, at a spa, relaxing at the beach, skiing, putting on makeup

Education – any categories you can think of. we are weak in this and need it for upcoming season

Social issues – environment, marches, etc

People – especially of newborns, babies and kids under 5

Illustrations & vector graphics – we are getting ready to have this on the live site so get readddyyy to rummblleeeeee.

Business – any types. can be in office setting, at a business lunch, work at home, call center etc.

Celebrations – weddings, birthdays, Halloween, opening presents

Top 14 Selling Categories for last two months

I don't like top 10 lists. So I decided to put together a top 14 list. Just for fun and to help you. Here is some of the info that we learned over the last two months that can help you guys. I did my best to organize the numbers and then put them into categories for you. I hope this helps everyone.

Top 14 Categories with the Most Total Downloads in June

1. people- kids, young adults and babies
2. people- adults, mature adults, senior citizens
3. nature- flowers, plants and trees
4. business-business tools and concepts
5. objects on white background
6. nature- scenery and landscapes
7. signs & symbols
8. business people
9. emotions and moods- concept stuff
10. vector graphics and illustrations
11. objects- still life
12. travel- transportation
13. architecture & interiors-building exteriors
14. sports related

Photo forums, blogs and other resources

Forums
MicrostockGroup - the most active microstock photography forum on the Internet with a lot of very insightful posts and information to help you sell your photos.

TalkMicro - This is another photo forum where a lot of microstock contributors will post.

MicrostockForum - one of the few places that you can discuss and promote stock photography no matter what agency or site you are using.

Cutcaster Cooler Forum - Still just a newborn forum but get to know your neighbors and post up interesting information or questions you have over there.


Blogs
Microstock Diaries - I am a huge fan of Lee Torrens and HIGHLY recommend you checking out his site! He is very open about his experience and writes some very insightful commentary on the photo industry.


Dan Heller's Blog- Great source of business questions and answers for selling your images. What I like to call a maverick in the industry and very smart.


Photopreneur - One of my favs and another must read. Dean is very smart and writes highly entertaining and interesting posts.

StockPhotoTalk - Andy Goetze keeps this blog updated and its one of the best ways to track down official announcements, press releases and any relevant news from the stock world world (including job opportunities).

PhotoStockBlog - Not a bad blog. Take a look.

About the Image - Provides some interesting news in the Photo world.

MicroStockHowto - This is a blog for all beginners and advanced photographers. I like it a lot.

MicroStockPhoto - Blog about news and reviews in microstock.

Microstock Insider

NiltoMil.com - a Microstock Journey

Microstock Secrets

Microstock Experiment

Microstock News & Views

SimpleFoto

Selling Your Photos


Resources

PDN Online - Nuff said.

StockPhotoPress - a great place to find and share stories and news from the Microstock market. It looks a lot like Digg if you use that service.


Henrik Lehrner Resource list- Good list of helpful resources.

PhotographyVoter - the community can submit and vote on photography related articles, tutorials and resources. I just found it.

StockPhotoTalk

If you want to be added and have your own blog or microstock business, please let us know so I can add you to the listing.

Cutcaster Year-end Goal - Your Help Needed

100k Images. It's a nice round number and a lofty goal to set from where we are. In the spirit of openness, I want you all to know by the end of 2008, we are aiming to have at least 100,000 quality images on Cutcaster. We don't mind sharing and being very open about our Goals. Today, I am proud to say that we have over 29,000 unique and quality images and over 4500 video clips which are not on the live site but will be very soon. Already, we have had numerous sales which is due to the high quality of our contributors images. I AM ECSTATIC and so should you be, as you are the reason for this early success. If you haven't had a sale yet, keep your chin up because we are still young. We are moving in the right direction and I can feel the momentum building. Thank you all very much for your contributions and support of Cutcaster.

So our Goal:

With Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec. left in the 2008, we have to average around 14,200 accepted images a month. This should be doable.

What you can do?
1. Keep the uploads coming and let me know if there are files you want to get on the homepage. I'm all about getting you as many views as possible and publicizing your work. We are about to add a "similar image" feature on the media details page which will help get you more views as well. Here is some extra help you can use when uploading your images or photos to Cutcaster and I have extra directions for using the different FTP clients. Just email upload AT cutcaster DOT com.

2. Very important. We need people's help recruiting other photographers, graphic designers, illustrators and potential buyers who can join our community and benefit from our new platform. Here are details on the Cutcaster referral program.

Please use your referral links and the "invite a friend" capabilities. We promise to make you look good and you can make some money at the same time. Some of you are already benefiting from referring people who have had sales or had buyers purchase other members' files. Referring people can be done through your studio under the Referral tab, using the link next to the settings and logout button, on the left hand side of your studio page at the way bottom of the page or by word of mouth. If you know of other ways we can get the word out and give you guys credit for it, please let us know.


This is our Goal. I am making this public for everyone to see because this is yours future as much as it is Cutcaster's. Let's see the strength of our community to get things done. I think this is very possible with everyones' help and look forward to seeing how we do at the end of 08.

Let's play a little game below.

1. What do you think Cutcaster will have in terms of total files uploaded at the end of the year? Post your answer in the comments below. One answer per person.

The 2 people who get the closest to the final number at the end of the year will receive a LIMITED edition Cutcaster T-shirt for founding members. Check it out here.