An interesting picture from the Google Trends covering the popularity of top microsotck brands in the Google search and news.

istockphoto: 1.00 shutterstock: 0.66 fotolia: 0.78
dreamstime: 0.20  stockxpert: 0.04

Dreamstime and Stockexpert are stagnating on the bottom but Fotolia competes with two other “micro-monsters” on the top. This is quite interesting because it doesn’t exactly reflects the situation with my sales. Also  according to the regular earnings reports posted by Lee Torrents on Microstock Diaries the picture looks a bit different. You never see the Fotolia in the leaders.  Very good promotion or am I missing something as a contributor?

Imagine you are a micro stock photograph. Also imagine your are not working exclusively for one agency but contributing to the top 5: iStockphoto, Shutterstock, Dreamstime, Fotolia and let’s say… Stockexpert.

Here is where the problem begins: each agency has its own rules, interfaces, submitting channels (HTTP, FTP etc.). Obviously, as the microstock marked is growing, there is a need for additional services and software both for and contributors and buyers.

I also have a couple nice ideas in this area, so  I’ve done a short research on existing microstock API (Application Programming Interface).

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North America – the continent I have never visited before. These were my thoughts at the beginning of 2008. Two months later I was sitting in San Antonio in the Hard Rock Cafe. Now Guanajuato – The Middle of Nowhere – is on my schedule. Is there anybody in our travel department, who can spell this name correctly? I’m very curious about this fact.

There are two continents left before I stop. Still not sure whether it is a statement or a question…