Here's the article (I found it interesting, too) -
http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/02/ff_google_algorithm/

In part it says... "The holy grail of search is to understand what the user wants. Then you are not matching words; you are actually trying to match meaning."

I guess if one of the sites could come up with a search that would read the buyer's minds we'd all be rich.

DT is my second biggest earner after SS, IS is third with big thud. So for me, no; they seem to be waking up!

For me yes and it was wasting time. Deleted my account.

Quote from: cuppacoffee on May 10, 2010, 01:58
Here's the article (I found it interesting, too) -
http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/02/ff_google_algorithm/

In part it says... "The holy grail of search is to understand what the user wants. Then you are not matching words; you are actually trying to match meaning."

I guess if one of the sites could come up with a search that would read the buyer's minds we'd all be rich.

Sounds like a load of total, utter, concentrated, ultimate, freekin BS to me.

Quote from: RH on May 10, 2010, 13:23
For me yes and it was wasting time. Deleted my account.

Agree, although Im doing OK  at DT, it should be 5 times more, so Im thinking of closing account as well. Pity but there you go.

Sounds like a load of total, utter, concentrated, ultimate, freekin BS to me.

Perhaps, but I'd take Google's millions any day.

Quote from: cuppacoffee on May 10, 2010, 16:38
Sounds like a load of total, utter, concentrated, ultimate, freekin BS to me.

Perhaps, but I'd take Google's millions any day.

So do I but Im afraid in this case it doesnt apply, fact is some years back this was actually tested by both RM and RF agencies and it was a flop. Nothing and absoloutely nothing will improve a search unless you spend money on it. Get a few Gurus, hacking-experts or whatever, pay them the money and I bet we have a search beyond belief.

Quote from: lagereek on May 10, 2010, 17:04

Quote from: cuppacoffee on May 10, 2010, 16:38
Sounds like a load of total, utter, concentrated, ultimate, freekin BS to me.

Perhaps, but I'd take Google's millions any day.

So do I but Im afraid in this case it doesnt apply, fact is some years back this was actually tested by both RM and RF agencies and it was a flop. Nothing and absoloutely nothing will improve a search unless you spend money on it. Get a few Gurus, hacking-experts or whatever, pay them the money and I bet we have a search beyond belief.

read the article - the quoted line is the author's summary, not google's method.  what they actually do to hone the search is pretty amazing - and they're doing JUST what you said was needed - spending $, and hiring creative experts.  they also do a LOT of testing actual results against what the user requested.  i doubt any ms agency does similar diligence - they jsut declare their search engne better and never bother to test whether it actually improves searches.

this is where a new agency has a chance to blast past the existing ones -- merely offering higher % or other stuff we've heard from al the wannabes isn't going to makke any headway.  but if google, eg, were to open their own stock agency using their technology it would make an immediate impression.

steve

I started disabling newer images from Dreamstime with a view to going exclusive on IS - basically what I wanted to test was whether the 30% was in fact only newer images or would be in accordance with their signup page which omits any reference to the newer images. Unfortunately in DTs dream-land 8/2133 is greater than 30%, so hit their limit of files that I can disable.

What I did however notice though, after disabling about 4 of my newest images is a *massive* drop in downloads. By massive I mean the week following I had about 40% of the previous weeks downloads, less last week, and this week is starting even worse. For the record the last time I had such low sales in a week that wasn't Christmas was in June 2008 with about 1/3 the number of files online.

It seems clear to me that DT's policy is that if you want to leave, we're going to punish you on the way out, and create as much additional work as possible for you.

I'd be curious to know whether anyone else has had this experience (ie. a large drop in sales) after disabling images? This is obviously also relevant in terms of whether files are disabled instead of going into the free collection.

Yep.  and the more vocal you are the worse it gets.

I've watched my RPD drop from over $1.50 to 87 cents.   And for the current month ... 33 cents!!!

I'm still uploading and really should not complain.  My mouth got me into this mess.   

Quote from: holgs on May 17, 2010, 18:57
...I'd be curious to know whether anyone else has had this experience (ie. a large drop in sales) after disabling images? This is obviously also relevant in terms of whether files are disabled instead of going into the free collection.

I too noticed a large drop in sales when I started disabling for going exclusive. I don't have an exact timeline, but when I had about 400 out of my previous 800 disabled, I guess I wasn't too surprised by that drop. Doesn't the number of images you have online figure into your overall visibility on the site?

I would also expect the reverse to be true...now that I am not going exclusive and I am enabling those images again, can I expect my sales to increase? I have yet to see that happen. 

Quote from: holgs on May 17, 2010, 18:57
I'd be curious to know whether anyone else has had this experience (ie. a large drop in sales) after disabling images? This is obviously also relevant in terms of whether files are disabled instead of going into the free collection.

I haven't disabled any images recently (other than by not agreeing to the free collection) but my sales there have plummetted too. It's happened very suddenly for no obvious reason and this month my earnings are projected to be barely more than half those of March. I have to go back to 2007 to see the sort of numbers I'm getting now. I've only uploaded there for one month in the last 6 though. I've no idea whether it is due to DT losing market share or whether some contributors are more or less favoured than others for whatever reason.

Welll I am really small stuff there (217 images) but may is already a BME due to two EL's but sales had been picking up for me recently.  What kills me is their review process.  It took me over a year to battle my acceptance rate up to over 60% and now they just rejected 6 in a row that have been accepted and selling well at 4 other sites.   Really am confused over what they want.

c h e e r s
fred

I've commented in this thread a few times about DT being strong for me lately.... BUT... I must not have knocked wood.  In the past few weeks, my earnings at DT have been about half what they were a month ago.  This comes after many months of good, solid growth every month.  Other sites are doing OK this month... why DT has taken a sudden nosedive is beyond me.

for me, DT came out of a coma two months ago, and is actually uttering a few words this month. long term prognosis, doctor?

Quote from: WarrenPrice on May 17, 2010, 19:21
Yep.  and the more vocal you are the worse it gets.

I've watched my RPD drop from over $1.50 to 87 cents.   And for the current month ... 33 cents!!!

I'm still uploading and really should not complain.  My mouth got me into this mess.  

Lately, they have have been returning every single image that I have submitted. Maybe you're right, I thought maybe this thread would make them do that (as a punishment, perhaps). I can't complain about sales, I don't see much of a drop, but lately most of the sales are subscriptions.

EDIT: forget this
I disabled between 800-1000 old images, but i don't see a drop in sales

Quote from: gostwyck on May 17, 2010, 19:27

Quote from: holgs on May 17, 2010, 18:57
I'd be curious to know whether anyone else has had this experience (ie. a large drop in sales) after disabling images? This is obviously also relevant in terms of whether files are disabled instead of going into the free collection.

I haven't disabled any images recently (other than by not agreeing to the free collection) but my sales there have plummetted too. It's happened very suddenly for no obvious reason and this month my earnings are projected to be barely more than half those of March. I have to go back to 2007 to see the sort of numbers I'm getting now. I've only uploaded there for one month in the last 6 though. I've no idea whether it is due to DT losing market share or whether some contributors are more or less favoured than others for whatever reason.

Ok so maybe its not just me then - RPD is at the lowest level since I joined the site, and sales are on track to be at Jan 08 levels. Something's happened - maybe its affecting those who have stopped uploading?

Well, they seem to have time for just about everything else, exept trying to perfect their search-engine. Im getting a few oldies back here with comments on the searc words, so Im disabling these files. Re-adjusting keywords at this late stage has got nothing at all to do with getting a better search,  irrelevant files will still be clogging up the entire system.

I had very good sales ir april, but may is very terible, the worst month ever  
but I deleted about 60 old images, which are 4 years old and I didn't wanted to donate them for free. after that sales droped or is it jus a coincidence...

i'm having my bme at dt...but that's starting from a fairly low benchmark. may is going to be double of april though.

DT was going down since 5 months to me. May is the first who's better than the last month. I think in the long run...5 months going down is on the edge to have a better look on what happens there.
To my surprise, i sold less images in may than in march (so this means furthermore a "down"), but i sold at much higher prices than the months ago - means, more or most pictures at a high ranking and at higher resolution.

No idea what's the meaning of this, i will wait some month more to find out. My gut instinct say: there's something in disorder.

I have slowly had a big decline in the number of sales, but I attribute that to other factors, such as a changing market, and the GFC.

You only really appreciate the benefits of DT after a few years when your photos increase their image level. My sales numbers are down, but my return on the images that sell is right up there.

i don't know why but dt has really bounced back for me. it's almost 3x of april and only a few $ short of is performance this month. it seems dt and ft are picking up the slack for ss and is. this is when you really appreciate the freedom of not being exclusive.

Sales at Dreamstime, with over 10000 photos.

Quote from: devon on May 27, 2010, 21:47
Sales at Dreamstime, with over 10000 photos.

Hey Devon,
Thanks for posting this