can anybody explain, really what this is all about and why it should be beneficial?  or have I missed something?

Each pseudonym has a separate rank, a pseudo's rank will improve due to sales and zooms,  and each new pseudonym starts out with an average "middle of the road" rank, so it's good to keep that in mind when assigning pseudo to new images or when considering changing an image's pseudo - if you use more than one.

Quote from: ann on November 14, 2010, 21:37

Each pseudonym has a separate rank, a pseudo's rank will improve due to sales and zooms,  and each new pseudonym starts out with an average "middle of the road" rank, so it's good to keep that in mind when assigning pseudo to new images or when considering changing an image's pseudo - if you use more than one.

I didn't realize that. I wondered what the purpose of that was and I only have one. So would it be beneficial for me to go back and create a new one and separate my RM from the RF with the pseudonym? I can go back and chance those can't I?

Im still a bit bewildered!  so what they mean is, you can only separate the RF from RM?? is that it? or?  I still cant see how it can increase sales?

cheers

If you decide to have more than one pseudo, you can split images up any way you want. I started with one for RF and one for RM. Now I have one for images that must be Editorial, and two that can be used commercially -  mainly RM, but some RF. One person with large port posted on A forum about having around 14 pseudos, as I remember.

It would probably be worth taking note of pseudos that are strongest in sales and zooms - since once the periodic re-ranking takes place, those pseudos are more valuable real-estate than your others -  so you'd want to think twice before moving all images out of them so they're empty, or putting in a vast quantities of similar or iffy images.

I'm not remotely an expert on handling pseudos, though, so I hope those with big ports and more experience will also share advice.  

You can also try out two different strategies.

You could have one pseudonym that is a spray and pray strategy where you upload a ton of shots and hope some of them sell, not worrying about the poor images brining down your search ranking, then have another pseudonym where you just upload your very best and hope for a good search ranking.

Your search rank is different for each pseudonym.

You could have one pseudonym that is a spray and pray strategy where you upload a ton of shots and hope some of them sell, not worrying about the poor images brining down your search ranking, then have another pseudonym where you just upload your very best and hope for a good search ranking.

This is a really interesting strategy.  Very clever use of pseudonyms! 

So far I just have my own name - the same one I use on the micros.  Once I have built a good size portfolio of images that aren't on the micros I plan to separate them under a different pseudonym.

Thanks for the advice. I'm going to go and separate them while the port is fresh. Personally I'm going to separate them by royalty free, editorial, and RM. That way when people click on that Pseudonyms for more like that, they won't have to dig through a massive portfolio to find them.

sounds like good plan 

BTW...

Create Lightboxes for clients and Assign Pseudos based on maximizing Alamy Rank and separate identity trails to images different in meaningful way.

When signed in, one finds Lightbox feature at bottom of Home-My Alamy:  
https://secure.alamy.com/my-account.asp

Not counting agencies, many pseudos I remember seem to be person's name or something along lines of "Dash" or "Green Images" or "Black Tie" (not real pseudos, as far as I know).

You might want to do searches leading to images somewhat related in subject, style to yours, to see how others deal with it, as a jumping off point.

(I'm not all that sure about mine, since I have conflicted feelings about using ones related VS unrelated to my name.)  

Also, if I recall, too many images with similar keywords will bring down your search ranking, so you split these images up between pseudos in order to to have a smaller number of similar keyworded images affecting your rankings since ranking is pseudo independent.

I doubt that, and someone with some proof would be interesting reading. Keywords that match are most important in a search, not magic. I have about 1488 images with many identical keywords, since I shoot topical editorial. I'm first in the search, and have many spots on the first page. If similar keywords between images, hurt rank (which actually has nothing to do with RANK) or hurt search position, I'd be way back, instead of first. 9 out of 30 on the first page, are not mine, which means 21 are...

What happens is the diversity on searches, where everyone gets an equal shot at the front pages, until it's down to all the people who have more images than the rest. At that point you would have whole pages of your shots. Also if the search works on photographer and not pseudonyms, then it does nothing.

Yes, I have mine in three sections, Editorial, RF and RM, each with it's own pseudonym.

Keep in mind the pseudonym is what will appear on the credits for the photo. So if you make up some name that's subject oriented (and it doesn't help for people who are more interested in gaming the search than making sales with good shots) the credit will be "Pseudonym": ALAMY which kind of makes you anonymous and odd looking if you make up something?

Also: the whole thing about deleting a pseudo and all the images disappear has been stopped. What some people were doing was a shortcut to waiting for images to age off the site. They would make a pseudo, change images to that name, wait a day and delete the pseudo. Which would immediately remove the images. Alamy figured that out pretty fast and now it won't let you delete a pseudo with images that haven't served their waiting period to be deleted. It that was as clear as mud, ask. I'll try again.

RacePhoto. This was a topic a few years ago on the Alamy forums, when Alamy changed their system and required essential keyword, main keywords and comprehensive keywords, and it was a big deal back then. There was a ranking penalty for Pseudonyms that had many similar keyworded images. Many people who specialized in one particular type of content were very frustrated and the tip, as it were, at the time was to divide these large collections of similar keyworded images up into a number of Pseudonyms. I don't follow this type of stuff too much, I spend more time shooting then keywording, so maybe that has changed. But, it was a few years ago something that Alamy discussed, not speculation on my part.

One skeptic, now almost convinced. Thanks for the background.

Keep in mind that someone on the Alamy forums also claimed that he had single image rejections, when the rest of us get the one fail all fail standard. He also claims to have personally toured the review area of Alamy, and the same person still claims that a crop camera makes a 200mm into a 320mmmm lens. (do you believe in magic or physics and optics?)

The whole Alamy Rank thing becomes less of an issue with the new search system and diversity, but people are still worried that an errant view by some location word or their name, will somehow harm them. But all of us have the same errant view potential, so no one loses. Do the same people who worry about bad views also add obscure keywords? Kind of odd when I think about that?

Now about similar keywords. Since I shoot auto racing, I obviously have about 1500 images that all include the keywords, "Auto Racing", and some others like automobile, car, race, Etc. I can't really leave them out. I already have three spellings of my name, (one RF, One Editorial, One RM) and unless I create pseudonyms that remove my identity and I don't care if my identity is connected with images, I suppose I could get a better ranking by playing with the system. I personally will give up the hypothetical better placement of images, for recognition in the marketplace. I don't see any way for someone who shoots an entire weekend of the same subjects to break up material, and the same goes for the competition, so like the name searches, we're all in the same boat.

If you caught the little bit of image stacking, it's obvious that you are correct and Alamy does have a way of looking for similar images, via keywords. I didn't investigate it further, because it was such a screw-up that Alamy removed it pretty fast. I had some events grouped together in a stack and some escaped to other stacks. I thought that it had something to do with upload date as well? It was very strange. Talk about reducing exposure of images. One random shot from a group, who knows if it was the best shot, and the rest all hidden from view, under it. That was horrible!

Anyway, back to the question. People do use Pseudos to group images, and some to break up better images or maybe better stated, slip off less desirable images to the closet. All of it has to do with Alamy rank, views, zooms and some general paranoia that an image doesn't get sold by quality or content, but instead, by where it is in the search. Just like people who include obscure keywords and fractured keywords which are horribly marginal, in order to get views, "in case" the buyer wants something they aren't looking for, and decide to buy it? Logically, why would I search for one subject, and then buy something else?

So I use limited keywords, which I try to match very carefully to what's predominant in the image, and hope that the buyers have a clue how to type in what they are really looking for, not just stumbling around looking at pretty pictures with some horribly flawed search.  In effect that means I will have many duplicate keywords in my collection? Kind of strange that Alamy would penalize a shooter for specializing and potentially being better and more likely to have what the buyer wants. But we did get stacking, so anything is possible!

How does one know what their rank is? Is it determined by views, downloads and zooms? I assume downloads have to do with it.

can anybody explain, really what this is all about and why it should be beneficial?  or have I missed something?

Hey look, we can move over here and there's already a thread on the subject and you started it!  

Ah, Ann's blog post has it. Here's the link:  http://annparryny.blogspot.com/2011/03/meeting-alamy-ceo-james-west-in.html

Alamy may be changing how Alamy Rank works and affects search results, so that it is based on specific image rank, rather than pseudonym rank

I strongly relate to wanting name in credit line something that indicates it's my image, and yours is first post anywhere I've noticed dealing with that - thanks!

Because back when I started with them, I read all the details and didn't get it, so I asked. It's somewhere in all those pages of How To. I had some very strange pseudos just to spread things out. Changed that fast.

Easiest way to get an answer without digging and being insane like me, is just go to the Alamy Forum and ask. There are many more people there who have read all the materials and understand nuances better than I do.

You'll get some strange answers there sometimes, but the old timers there won't hesitate to set things straight.

Quote from: RacePhoto on March 13, 2011, 02:40

Quote from: lagereek on November 14, 2010, 17:22

can anybody explain, really what this is all about and why it should be beneficial?  or have I missed something?

Hey look, we can move over here and there's already a thread on the subject and you started it!  

I can't find the note from James (the big one) saying that they were working on making the rank based on individual images, not pseudonym. There's the re-start. ask away.

Quote from: ann on December 01, 2010, 14:26

I strongly relate to wanting name in credit line something that indicates it's my image, and yours is first post anywhere I've noticed dealing with that - thanks!

Because back when I started with them, I read all the details and didn't get it, so I asked. It's somewhere in all those pages of How To. I had some very strange pseudos just to spread things out. Changed that fast.

Easiest way to get an answer without digging and being insane like me, is just go to the Alamy Forum and ask. There are many more people there who have read all the materials and understand nuances better than I do.

OK!  will do.

Cheers  Christian