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Author Topic: Another best match shift 14/4/2011  (Read 39271 times)

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« on: April 14, 2011, 06:36 »
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Another fairly big best match shift today. The "fish" search now features three non-V/A files in the first 50, instead of three in the first 1,000. A handful of ordinary files now appear on each page (but with a ridiculous concentration on jumping goldfish, so it's not really much better).

It seems they've realised that the V/A boost was grossly overdone.


PaulieWalnuts

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« Reply #1 on: April 14, 2011, 07:04 »
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Some of my files' search positioning seem to have improved slightly. A lot of my decent sellers have better placement then my hottest sellers in the same category now which seems kinda strange.

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #2 on: April 14, 2011, 07:21 »
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Still only one non V/A horse in the top 200, more or less dead centre, where it was before.

lagereek

« Reply #3 on: April 14, 2011, 07:49 »
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Odd!  but the Vettas chosen to be at the very top in many searches are not even among the better, just run of the mill stuff. I would have thought they wanted to flaunt the best, but no.

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« Reply #4 on: April 14, 2011, 08:06 »
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where's the difference? I thought they meant dearer=better

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #5 on: April 14, 2011, 08:11 »
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where's the difference? I thought they meant dearer=better
Oh there's a backstory of course. But it's all changed now. All smoke and mirrors.
I've got a high seller (by mystadards!) that I thought would have been good for Vetta as it started out. But at that time Vetta nominations had to have fewer than 100 sales and mine was, at that time, about 125 or so. So now I just have to watch all the newer Vettas pile in on top of mine.

« Reply #6 on: April 14, 2011, 08:27 »
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Odd!  but the Vettas chosen to be at the very top in many searches are not even among the better, just run of the mill stuff. I would have thought they wanted to flaunt the best, but no.

"Better" is subjective. It's not something the best match can determine.

It looks as if the ordinary files have been given a few more points to lift them slightly. In some searches (fish) the top files had enough points already for that to make a difference, in others (horse, monkey) the gap was still too big to pull anything much in among the V/A block.  Perhaps the problem they have is that if they give enough extra points to ordinary files, the real stars in the most popular searches will push V/A completely out of contention, and that's the last thing they want.

lagereek

« Reply #7 on: April 14, 2011, 08:43 »
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Odd!  but the Vettas chosen to be at the very top in many searches are not even among the better, just run of the mill stuff. I would have thought they wanted to flaunt the best, but no.

"Better" is subjective. It's not something the best match can determine.

It looks as if the ordinary files have been given a few more points to lift them slightly. In some searches (fish) the top files had enough points already for that to make a difference, in others (horse, monkey) the gap was still too big to pull anything much in among the V/A block.  Perhaps the problem they have is that if they give enough extra points to ordinary files, the real stars in the most popular searches will push V/A completely out of contention, and that's the last thing they want.


Since last Thursday, Ive had 4 buyers ( presumably bought my shots before) on my private mail telling they cant find the shots in question. Vanished.  I dont even bother to explain about this best match change, I just privately mail them the shots in question and high-res,  they dont even mind the price.

Wonder how many more of us that are experiencing this?

« Reply #8 on: April 14, 2011, 08:56 »
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Still only one non V/A horse in the top 200, more or less dead centre, where it was before.

Horses are one of those subjects with a long tradition and probably which very much favour Vetta and Agency collection work. You would surely have to agree that the results do look really good. Those are some great images.

If you go to a department store the fancy stuff is always in the window. I guess it's like that ?

lagereek

« Reply #9 on: April 14, 2011, 09:10 »
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Still only one non V/A horse in the top 200, more or less dead centre, where it was before.

Horses are one of those subjects with a long tradition and probably which very much favour Vetta and Agency collection work. You would surely have to agree that the results do look really good. Those are some great images.

If you go to a department store the fancy stuff is always in the window. I guess it's like that ?


The horses looks good!  sure!  but I suggest you have a look at Art-Wolfs  gallery of horses, he also makes hundreds available as stock, then perhaps you see what we are up against. He is ofcourse a member of the Getty main core.
Im afraid the Vettas doesnt count for much there.

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #10 on: April 14, 2011, 09:29 »
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The horses looks good!  sure!  but I suggest you have a look at Art-Wolfs  gallery of horses, he also makes hundreds available as stock, then perhaps you see what we are up against. He is ofcourse a member of the Getty main core.
Is AW still selling through Getty? He was one I alluded to in another thread as a Big Name Getty tog who doesn't (appear to be) selling there any more, just through his own site. Maybe I just can't fnd his work there any more.

« Reply #11 on: April 14, 2011, 09:53 »
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What's different today in number of regular images in the first page (200) of photos only (with thanks to a test version of one of Sean's greasemonkey scripts that means I don't have to count these :))

Search term         Reg 4/12   Reg 4/14
      
fish*                         9      11
senior couple            20      30
woman shopping      31      36
tropical beach         12      15
spa treatment         39      44
woman eating         21      31
woman laptop         30      41
man portrait            26      35
doctor                     37      45
swimming pool         13      19
summer outdoors      29      35
child outdoors         36      43
sexy woman             9      12   

* both food and animal meanings

So there is a small difference, but if you aren't a flaming image, you're not on the first page of search results in the "regular" section

« Reply #12 on: April 14, 2011, 10:09 »
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What's different today in number of regular images in the first page (200) of photos only (with thanks to a test version of one of Sean's greasemonkey scripts that means I don't have to count these :))

Search term         Reg 4/12   Reg 4/14
      
fish*                         9      11
senior couple            20      30
woman shopping      31      36
tropical beach         12      15
spa treatment         39      44
woman eating         21      31
woman laptop         30      41
man portrait            26      35
doctor                     37      45
swimming pool         13      19
summer outdoors      29      35
child outdoors         36      43
sexy woman             9      12   

* both food and animal meanings

So there is a small difference, but if you aren't a flaming image, you're not on the first page of search results in the "regular" section

Sean is seriously Superman! thats pretty cool

« Reply #13 on: April 14, 2011, 10:26 »
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What's different today in number of regular images in the first page (200) of photos only (with thanks to a test version of one of Sean's greasemonkey scripts that means I don't have to count these :))

Search term         Reg 4/12   Reg 4/14
      
fish*                         9      11
senior couple            20      30
woman shopping      31      36
tropical beach         12      15
spa treatment         39      44
woman eating         21      31
woman laptop         30      41
man portrait            26      35
doctor                     37      45
swimming pool         13      19
summer outdoors      29      35
child outdoors         36      43
sexy woman             9      12   

* both food and animal meanings

So there is a small difference, but if you aren't a flaming image, you're not on the first page of search results in the "regular" section

when you say "regular" that means non vetta and agency only or is it also non-exlusive plus? 

SNP

  • Canadian Photographer
« Reply #14 on: April 14, 2011, 11:01 »
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Still only one non V/A horse in the top 200, more or less dead centre, where it was before.

Horses are one of those subjects with a long tradition and probably which very much favour Vetta and Agency collection work. You would surely have to agree that the results do look really good. Those are some great images.

If you go to a department store the fancy stuff is always in the window. I guess it's like that ?

I agree with this, nicely said.

« Reply #15 on: April 14, 2011, 11:20 »
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when you say "regular" that means non vetta and agency only or is it also non-exlusive plus? 

regular = not (Vetta or Agency). So regular would include all independent, E+, exclusive.

« Reply #16 on: April 14, 2011, 12:15 »
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Looks like there's also a heavy "new file" weight too, judging by my results, much more so than last week.

« Reply #17 on: April 14, 2011, 12:48 »
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"(with thanks to a test version of one of Sean's greasemonkey scripts that means I don't have to count these"

Ah, an evil use I hadn't thought of!  ;)

« Reply #18 on: April 14, 2011, 13:36 »
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If you go to a department store the fancy stuff is always in the window. I guess it's like that ?

I agree with this, nicely said.
Yes but in a department store it is usually easy to find the cheaper stuff if that is what you want.

« Reply #19 on: April 14, 2011, 14:34 »
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If you go to a department store the fancy stuff is always in the window. I guess it's like that ?

I agree with this, nicely said.
Yes but in a department store it is usually easy to find the cheaper stuff if that is what you want.

Lots of times stores will put sale stuff in the windows to entice people to come in and buy the more expensive stuff.

« Reply #20 on: April 14, 2011, 14:43 »
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Yes but in a department store it is usually easy to find the cheaper stuff if that is what you want.

They maybe need a few more signs, but it's not hard at iStock.

Lots of times stores will put sale stuff in the windows to entice people to come in and buy the more expensive stuff.

Destination stores always want the windows and entrances to look fantastic. Think of the big stores in any capital city.

Or think of the Apple website for that matter. You really have to hunt to find the refurb stuff. It's there if you search.

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #21 on: April 14, 2011, 14:55 »
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Yes but in a department store it is usually easy to find the cheaper stuff if that is what you want.
Lots of times stores will put sale stuff in the windows to entice people to come in and buy the more expensive stuff.
Very true, but if iStock tried that, they'd be accused of bait and swtich, or similar.

« Reply #22 on: April 14, 2011, 15:30 »
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If you go to a department store the fancy stuff is always in the window. I guess it's like that ?

Not sure that department store is a good analogy - isn't the average age of a department store customer over 65? I can't remember the last time I set foot in a department store except to walk through one if it was at a mall and that was the way from my car to wherever. But even when I did shop in them, they put eye-catching stuff in the window, and that could be seasonal merchandise, sale merchandise or something they hoped might get you to walk in the door instead of walking by.

Department stores don't typically cover the ground from Neiman Marcus to Wal-Mart with Macy's in the middle, which is what IS is more like now, with Agency through the Dollar Bin.

If you look at amazon.com (to cite but one example of this sort of search interface in an online store), when you look at home theatre systems, there are search panels on the left that let you search by brand, by watts, by price (with a list of set ranges and then a from and to text entry field where you specify your price range), rating, etc.. I'm not sure why this successful business model for online shopping is one that Getty/iStock disdain. It seems to be working pretty well for amazon.

This isn't the 1920s where we're trying to appeal to the carriage trade and keep out the riff raff. Have a premium collections landing page (in addition to photos, illos, video, etc.) so that the high end buyers can be directed to start there and never have to see those of us who don't play in that rarefied atmosphere; put a full range of on off switches (and let preferences be saved) so buyers can search as their needs dictate.

I am truly convinced that they can still flog the high price stuff successfully even if they allow buyers to chose not to look at it. It seems like insanity not to let buyers choose and have them take their business elsewhere out of frustration.

« Reply #23 on: April 14, 2011, 15:44 »
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Maybe department store has a different meaning to you. I think of say Selfridges or the Galleries Laffayette or even Brown Thomas. Often you go in for the atmosphere but just buy a coffee or a tee shirt.

Not to labour the point.

« Reply #24 on: April 14, 2011, 15:55 »
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I think a pretty important point is often forgotten: the vast majority of buyers does NOT read the forums or newsletters.
Awhile ago i bumped into someone who works on the design department of a rather big company here that spends over $2500/month on stock. He said they recently moved over from istock to shutterstock because istock suddenly tenfolded their prices and became very, very expensive. Don't overestimate buyers, plenty of them are clueless about the different collections and will just turn elsewhere if the expensive ones dominate the search results.


 

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