Author Topic: iStock is making a change to Best Match tonight. (Read 20439 times)

contrastaddict · « **on:** December 10, 2012, 23:42 »

Posted in the best match thread about 20 mins ago by Search Fairy.

I have an update on Best Match.

The search team spent last week trying to figure out how Best Match might have changed. We are still trying toget to the bottom of that, but over the weekend turned our attention instead to how to make it better from where it is right now.

To that end, we are going to turn some dials, increasing the impact that downloads have in search result sorting, and decreasing the impact of file age. After the change, in general you should see more images that have downloads on the first few pages, and an increase in relevance because of that.

The change is scheduled to happen overnight, tonight.

Typically we would test changes like this with a small percentage of customers to make sure there are not unintended consequences, but given the urgency of the situation we think it is worth the risk to push it out to all customers.

Let us know what you think of the adjustment.

Thank you for all of the examples, they were very helpful in exploring what is going on.

tee · « **Reply #1 on:** December 11, 2012, 00:01 »

Good sign, and I'm grateful for the basic needs of the site finally being addressed. Let's hope this helps some, and when the flip is switched, that the entire site doesn't go down.

KB · « **Reply #2 on:** December 11, 2012, 00:15 »

The search team spent last week trying to figure out how Best Match might have changed. We are still trying toget to the bottom of that, but over the weekend turned our attention instead to how to make it better from where it is right now.

To that end, we are going to turn some dials, increasing the impact that downloads have in search result sorting, and decreasing the impact of file age.

To me that just sounds like: "We have no idea at all how this code works, so we're just going to change some things and hope that helps."

Really, really disillusioning.

nullplus · « **Reply #3 on:** December 11, 2012, 01:47 »

> To me that just sounds like: "We have no idea at all how this code works,
> so we're just going to change some things and hope that helps."

totally. however, at least they're doing something, which means they have moved away from their "everything is fine, you morons" position.

JPSDK · « **Reply #4 on:** December 11, 2012, 02:33 »

Hide and search

They know exactly how it works.
They had turned it into a hide machine, to hide files so they could save money.

All they have done during the last 2 years smells of financial trouble. They said it themselves: "unsustainable".
So they introduced RD and raised the prices so they could be sure the contributors would have a falling share.
Som when contributors complain about falling sales and dropping RD levels, its just a sign of sustainability, exactly as they planned for.
If only the shouting was not so loud and if only the communication was more civilized and not like watching a carcrash.

gillian vann · « **Reply #5 on:** December 11, 2012, 02:36 »

Quote from: tee on December 11, 2012, 00:01

Let's hope this helps some, and when the flip is switched, that the entire site doesn't go down.

! let's hope not, although it would be hilarious.

sharpshot · « **Reply #6 on:** December 11, 2012, 03:42 »

I had an image that peaked at 100 downloads a month but it sold zero times in October and 2 XSmall's in November. I can understand a slow fall off in sales but this one just got killed. Until that picks up again, I'll be skeptical about their search.

rubyroo · « **Reply #7 on:** December 11, 2012, 04:00 »

I hope this works for those who have seen big drops. I'm a bit concerned that it sounds like a few tweaks rather than the return to BM2 that so many have recommended. Also that it's not being tested with buyers at all before it's rolled out (that's a bit bizarre innit?) - but fingers crossed.

As for me - I've strangely been doing OK on the recent best match, so this may not work so well for me - but nevertheless I'm hopeful that others will recover some of their losses.

ClaridgeJ · « **Reply #8 on:** December 11, 2012, 04:13 »

So far, it looks like total disaster for independants. Blue and red flames are just fading into oblivioun. See this is what I cant understand? there are categories where the exclusives simply can not deliver the best possible files, yet others are pushed way back behind the crowns.

Im afraid if they really truly want to increase revenues for both company and contributors, FOR ONCE! they simply have to mix the crowns with the indies. period!

This is about saving a company, not segregation between exclusives and non exclusives. having in mind that the non-excl, outnumbers the exclusives by 10-1.

Got a funny feeling though they will do the same mistake yet again?

CarlssonInc · « **Reply #9 on:** December 11, 2012, 04:17 »

Looks like the change has happened - regular searches I perform now looks "normal" and a fairer representation of ALL images.

cybernesco · « **Reply #10 on:** December 11, 2012, 04:43 »

Interestingly, my blue and red flames images came back closer to the top when putting in a couple of their keywords.

ClaridgeJ · « **Reply #11 on:** December 11, 2012, 05:02 »

Quote from: CarlssonInc. Stock Imagery Production on December 11, 2012, 04:17

Looks like the change has happened - regular searches I perform now looks "normal" and a fairer representation of ALL images.

Hi Martin! yes they do. Big improvement actually. Just did a few searches myself within my own fields and it looks much better. Lets hope it carries on.

best.

PaulieWalnuts · « **Reply #12 on:** December 11, 2012, 05:06 »

Yep, big change. Will be interesting to see responses. What some people see as an improvement probably just screwed a bunch of other people. There's no way of making everybody happy.

emblem · « **Reply #13 on:** December 11, 2012, 05:12 »

Yes same here...definite improvement. How hard was that!!

ShadySue · « **Reply #14 on:** December 11, 2012, 05:33 »

Not impressed.
On my phone, it defaulted to 'audio only', and each time I tried a new search, it went back to 'audio only'
Doesn't do that on the desktop, but although the best match are definitely 'different', pushing downloads doesn't always improve keyword relevancy.
Also, when you use two search terms, I'm seeing a lot more of the '0 downloads, same contributor' scenario than I was before, on my search terms.
Vetta being promoted heavily in some searches (Added: in some searches, not at all in others); E+ STILL being shafted. Some photo only searches are still dominated by ingested Vetta raster drawings, with 'extremely variable' quality,
Must be the old geographical difference thing again.
OTOH, as before, the pattern isn't the same with all search terms: i.e. different 'factors' are weighing more heavily than others in different searches.

rubyroo · « **Reply #15 on:** December 11, 2012, 05:51 »

Certainly my flames are now front page, top rows in their categories... but I'm still hunting for my newer stuff.

ShadySue · « **Reply #16 on:** December 11, 2012, 06:54 »

There has been a big change, but are we sure the change they indicated has started?
On every search I've tried, just having two words, not a search phrase, (e.g girl toy) brings all the new 0dl files to the top.
That particular search (girl toy) in my geographical, non-buyer profile has:
9 0dl Agency files, 7 of these from Images_Bazaar
1 video
1 vector
3 0dl Agency files, 2 from Images_bazaar
The next 34 after that are dominated by 0dl Vetta raster illustration images from CSA_Images, most of which are 'fashion dolls' (no girl, unless you count the doll as a girl).
(NB, that's a search I have no personal interest in, but it's more 'general' than my usual personal interest searches)
http://www.lizworld.com/BeM.jpg
That's exactly what people were reporting before.
Do other people's current results look like this?

cybernesco · « **Reply #17 on:** December 11, 2012, 07:20 »

Quote from: ShadySue on December 11, 2012, 06:54

There has been a big change, but are we sure the change they indicated has started?
On every search I've tried, just having two words, not a search phrase, (e.g girl toy) brings all the new 0dl files to the top.
That particular search (girl toy) in my geographical, non-buyer profile has:
9 0dl Agency files, 7 of these from Images_Bazaar
1 video
1 vector
3 0dl Agency files, 2 from Images_bazaar
The next 34 after that are dominated by 0dl Vetta raster illustration images from CSA_Images, most of which are 'fashion dolls' (no girl, unless you count the doll as a girl).
(NB, that's a search I have no personal interest in, but it's more 'general' than my usual personal interest searches)
http://www.lizworld.com/BeM.jpg
That's exactly what people were reporting before.
Do other people's current results look like this?

Could it be because changes take a little while to propagate throughout the net?

ShadySue · « **Reply #18 on:** December 11, 2012, 08:04 »

Quote from: cybernesco on December 11, 2012, 07:20

Quote from: ShadySue on December 11, 2012, 06:54
There has been a big change, but are we sure the change they indicated has started?
On every search I've tried, just having two words, not a search phrase, (e.g girl toy) brings all the new 0dl files to the top.
That particular search (girl toy) in my geographical, non-buyer profile has:
9 0dl Agency files, 7 of these from Images_Bazaar
1 video
1 vector
3 0dl Agency files, 2 from Images_bazaar
The next 34 after that are dominated by 0dl Vetta raster illustration images from CSA_Images, most of which are 'fashion dolls' (no girl, unless you count the doll as a girl).
(NB, that's a search I have no personal interest in, but it's more 'general' than my usual personal interest searches)
http://www.lizworld.com/BeM.jpg
That's exactly what people were reporting before.
Do other people's current results look like this?

Could it be because changes take a little while to propagate throughout the net?

Perhaps, but there has definitely been a change in my personal interest one-word/phrase best match.

ClaridgeJ · « **Reply #19 on:** December 11, 2012, 13:03 »

Quote from: ShadySue on December 11, 2012, 08:04

Quote from: cybernesco on December 11, 2012, 07:20
Quote from: ShadySue on December 11, 2012, 06:54
There has been a big change, but are we sure the change they indicated has started?
On every search I've tried, just having two words, not a search phrase, (e.g girl toy) brings all the new 0dl files to the top.
That particular search (girl toy) in my geographical, non-buyer profile has:
9 0dl Agency files, 7 of these from Images_Bazaar
1 video
1 vector
3 0dl Agency files, 2 from Images_bazaar
The next 34 after that are dominated by 0dl Vetta raster illustration images from CSA_Images, most of which are 'fashion dolls' (no girl, unless you count the doll as a girl).
(NB, that's a search I have no personal interest in, but it's more 'general' than my usual personal interest searches)
http://www.lizworld.com/BeM.jpg
That's exactly what people were reporting before.
Do other people's current results look like this?

Could it be because changes take a little while to propagate throughout the net?

Perhaps, but there has definitely been a change in my personal interest one-word/phrase best match.

Well it must have changed drastically. Ive just made 90 quid in the last two hours, the sales are pouring in!

Jo Ann Snover · « **Reply #20 on:** December 11, 2012, 13:10 »

I have had 0 sales today - that doesn't happen, even on weekends. Feast and famine - enjoy it while it lasts

Edited to add that 3 have shown up, but that's still a big drop from even the new "normal-lite"

Elenathewise · « **Reply #21 on:** December 11, 2012, 13:14 »

Doesn't this mean new files have little chance to be found?

ShadySue · « **Reply #22 on:** December 11, 2012, 13:23 »

Quote from: jsnover on December 11, 2012, 13:10

I have had 0 sales today - that doesn't happen, even on weekends. Feast and famine - enjoy it while it lasts

Yup, 1 M today.

lisafx · « **Reply #23 on:** December 11, 2012, 13:46 »

So far not so good for me either. Not 0 sales, but about 50% down from the past week or two (which already wasn't good).

Maybe they increased the exclusive bias a bit more, to throw a bone to exclusives with flaming files? It would be a sensible thing to do to appease their top sellers...

PaulieWalnuts · « **Reply #24 on:** December 11, 2012, 13:50 »

Like I said above, there's no way of making everybody happy. Some will do better, some will do worse. The next monthly sales thread will likely be just a slightly different list of people complaining their sales have tanked.

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Author Topic: iStock is making a change to Best Match tonight. (Read 20439 times)

contrastaddict

tee

KB

nullplus

JPSDK

gillian vann

sharpshot

rubyroo

ClaridgeJ

CarlssonInc

cybernesco

ClaridgeJ

PaulieWalnuts

emblem

ShadySue

rubyroo

ShadySue

cybernesco

ShadySue

ClaridgeJ

Jo Ann Snover

Elenathewise

ShadySue

lisafx

PaulieWalnuts

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