MicrostockGroup
Agency Based Discussion => CanStockPhoto.com => Topic started by: madelaide on May 03, 2007, 19:52
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We will soon be implementing a new keyword screening system, to help combat keyword spam.
This system will do several keyword checks before submitting an image, one of which will be the limiting of how many keywords you can submit.
You will soon be limited to a maximum of 15 keywords per image.
Any image can be described in 15 keywords. If you find yourself using 15,20, or 30 keywords per image - then you are pushing it. Remember: keywords should only DIRECTLY DESCRIBE your image.
Click here (http://www.canstockphoto.com/forum_read.php?id=3228) for the forum thread.
Regards,
Adelaide
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Yeah, that could get annoying for certain images. Especially, as you said, when they break up keyphrases into keywords. "Golden Gate Bridge" and "San Francisco" should be treated as 2 not 5 and shouldn't suck up 1/3 of one's available keywords.
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Thanks for posting the link Madelaide Good to be aware of these kinds of changes.
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One of these days they'll expell me from CanStockPhoto.
Regards,
Adelaide
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I might be in the minority, but I don't mind the change. Anything that cuts down on keyword spamming is a good thing. Just about all of the sites have started cracking down on spamming so I suppose Can Stock is just following the trend.
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I'm all for it. I spend too much time trying to invent interesting keywords that are clearly on the border of being relevant.
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i would be for it if it was the standard but when the standard is 30 or 50 is creates problems.
If you don't want to create a lot of work for yourself then you would have to give all your images only 15 keywords. This just might encourage me to upload as many images as i can before the keyword cut off starts.
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I think in IS is possible to have 15 keywords only, because of the CV. Synonyms in the end count as just one CV word. "Rio de Janeiro" would not become 3 words.
The problem is not the number of keywords, but the relevance. And the only way to really avoid spamming is having keywords inspected and disabling their edition.
Regards,
Adelaide
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I try to key in the keywords with most relevance first. That way, when there's an agency with limitations, I just delete the last keywords after the system has told me how many to delete.
I think that we'll see more of this. Even with 15 keywords, many photographers with lack of fantasy and/or language knowledge will fill up the last ones with words they think fits, but that don't.
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I have mixed feelings about this change.
On the one hand, anything that deters spam is a good thing. And it's great to see CanStockPhoto taking the lead with developing accurate keywording systems.
On the other hand, there are plenty of sites where phrases aren't always recognized in searches, so individual keywords must be added. I'm just now starting to get used to the whole idea of a CV, and haven't quite figured out how to make it work and still come in under 40 keywords and/or phrases. I'm naturally wordy! ;)
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I agree with Epyxx. I always have the most relevant keywords in the first dozen or so. It saves loads of time on sites like Fotolia, whose search is slanted towards the first few keywords. It will make uploading to CS a piece of cake.
I am all for a keyword limit. The spamming is getting ridiculous, and it must be putting buyers off.
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This is funny. Since I've started using Canstock's keyword helper, the number of keywords I use have grown exponentially. I used to have a hard time coming up with 7-10 keywords. Now, thanks to CS, I have hit the 50 word limit at SS and IS - and they want to put a limit on it.
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epixx,
I always put more relevant keywords first, but I also add all synonyms for these main keywords.
dbvirago,
The Keyword helper was one of the commnets I made at CanStockPhoto. It is indeed nonsense.
Karimala,
I totally agree with fighting keyword spam, but a large number of keywords is not necessarily spam. Some keywords help refine searches. I think they're using a hammer to kill an ant.
Regards,
Adelaide
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Part of the discussion at CanStockPhoto involved descriptions as well as keywords. It was clearly indicated that the search engine takes into account words used in the description as well - which will be the place to include phrases and words that you might not want to include in the keywords. I'm naturally wordy as well, so this will involve a bit of a shift for me. The keyword helper will still assist in suggesting words that might be more relevant than the ones I've thought of.
I think Canstock's search engine may also have suggestions for other similar search terms when a search is accomplished - which could be helpful to the buyer.
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In principle I am not against the limitation of 15 keywords. Problem is that I prepare my images principally for the top earning sites and embed my keyword in the IPTC data - invariably more than 15 keywords. With images ready and keyworded I do occasionally upload to CanStockPhoto because it does not take a lot of time. However, if this now implies that I will have to reduce my keywords especially for CanStockPhoto I am afraid it is bye, bye CanStockPhoto. It will simply not be worth the time and effort for a site with such meager sales.
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Deleted!
Apologies for the duplicate post.
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I'm all for limits on key words, and have been ranting against spamming for a long time. If you're searching for a "leaf" you won't search "green" and the word green can always be included in the description. Right now, searches on most of the sites turn up about 50% irrelevant on each page. Pretty frustrating. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but a thousand words doesn't make a picture.
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In principle I am not against the limitation of 15 keywords. Problem is that I prepare my images principally for the top earning sites and embed my keyword in the IPTC data - invariably more than 15 keywords. With images ready and keyworded I do occasionally upload to CanStockPhoto because it does not take a lot of time. However, if this now implies that I will have to reduce my keywords especially for CanStockPhoto I am afraid it is bye, bye CanStockPhoto. It will simply not be worth the time and effort for a site with such meager sales.
Agreed - if I have to change my workflow to get images uploaded to CanStockPhoto then I am afraid that no more images will be uploaded there. I am just too busy to justify the extra time to do this given expected revenue from CanStockPhoto.
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Karimala,
I totally agree with fighting keyword spam, but a large number of keywords is not necessarily spam. Some keywords help refine searches. I think they're using a hammer to kill an ant.
Regards,
Adelaide
Exactly. And often times keywording is driven by the photo itself. I have a series of Italian food still life shots in my portfolio that include 10 or more different types of food per shot. A limit of 15 keywords will only hurt the sales potential of this series, and I can't even begin to imagine how I would keyword such complex images with 15 words or less. There won't be any room to describe the atmosphere, the background and foreground, specifics about the food (green bell pepper instead of pepper or grated mozzarella cheese instead of cheese, for example), etc.
(http://thumb2.shutterstock.com/photos/display_pic_with_logo/52593/52593,1169966927,1.jpg)
I can always write a lengthy description, but most sites don't recognize them in the search, and some even limit the description size (like SS). So...I'm with Phil and Nico on this one. I'll stop contributing to a site before I change my workflow, especially when it's already an under-performer.
With that said, I might...and that's a big might...change my mind, if those 15 keywords are included with additional words suggested by the keyword helper, so more keywords are available. If that's the case, then CanStockPhoto could become a part of my overall workflow. I'd have to try it out first and see if it's worth the time to copy/paste the new keywords into my IPTC data, and then continue uploading to the remaining sites.
What I would love to see instead of limits on contributors is for the sites to develop ways for their reviewers to eliminate spam on the spot (and even add a few suggested keywords). As a reviewer on one of the sites, I can tell you that all reviewers recognize spam immediately and it's a huge topic of discussion behind the scenes. A large portion of the problem comes from contributors who have limited English skills, so it would be great if we could assist them and the sites somehow without resorting to outright rejections or limitations.
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I have been running into difficulties submitting to CanStockPhoto for related reasons, oh the-meta-data~!?
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You’re resurrecting a 13 year old thread?
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They were turds then and are still turds now
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They were turds then and are still turds now
For a time I would say they were actually the best of the small agencies with fast and consistent inspections and reasonable if unspectacular sales even the occasional "Big Fish" I had $73 once...then it went horribly pear shaped.
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Is CanStockPhoto still alive? I requested a payout on Jan 7, 2020, until now still no news, submitted ticket on Jan 24, 2020, also no reply at all, very disappointed with CanStockPhoto.