relevant search is supposed to weight the keywords according to previous searches and purchases.

Imagine you search "orange" - leaving out the disambiguation. a most popular search might return a very popular image of a woman in an orange bikini but a relevant search should return an orange. If you spam a picture of something else with orange it shouldn't come up with a relevant search but if it sells a lot it would come up in a most popular type search.

Also for the images that are actually many many images - for example animal silhouette vectors. If you search on "elephant" they would come up on top of a popular search but probably not on top of a relevant search - or at least not as close to the top of the search.

Now as far as bringing up generic looking images or images that aren't yours - well, to some extent that is the luck of the draw. Hopefully over time great images will sift up to the top and crap to the bottom, but I have seen plenty of images that are poor representations of the activity portrayed at the top of searches to have much faith in that. I think buyers are at least partly to blame for this. Also timing and luck.

I do think the sites need to address the spam issue and they need to be draconian with those who are genuine serial spammers.

Quote from: OM on August 08, 2012, 21:28
Four scenarios:

I go to SS search using the normal Firefox browser direct via Google (by entering Shutterstock in the Google search)  and I get the default 'relevance' for whatever keyword I enter.

I go to SS search using the normal Firefox browser but via a Google anonymiser (StartpageHTTPS-AU)  and I get the default 'relevance' for whatever keyword I enter.

I go to SS search using Firefox private browsing direct via Google (by entering Shuuterstock in the Google search)  and I get the default 'relevance' for whatever keyword I enter.

Now I go to SS search again in Firefox private browsing but this time via a Google anonymiser (StartpageHTTPS-AU) and the search default is then 'popular'.

My conclusion would have to be that all previous users of Shutterstock automatically get 'relevant' as the default search whereas only first time users get 'popular'.

That was yesterday! Tonight (01.45 Amsterdam) when I go to Shutterstock (no private browsing and no goog anonymiser) I get popular as the default search! Anyone else care to have a go?

Quote from: OM on August 10, 2012, 00:52
That was yesterday! Tonight (01.45 Amsterdam) when I go to Shutterstock (no private browsing and no goog anonymiser) I get popular as the default search! Anyone else care to have a go?

Yep.  Me too.  Defaults to popular using Firefox 8:10pm EST.  Hopefully they learned what they needed to with their experiment and we can go back to stable searches and restored sales. 

Quote from: lisafx on August 10, 2012, 01:11

Quote from: OM on August 10, 2012, 00:52
That was yesterday! Tonight (01.45 Amsterdam) when I go to Shutterstock (no private browsing and no goog anonymiser) I get popular as the default search! Anyone else care to have a go?

Yep.  Me too.  Defaults to popular using Firefox 8:10pm EST.  Hopefully they learned what they needed to with their experiment and we can go back to stable searches and restored sales. 

Thank goodness. I thought the missus might have put summat in me tea!

Quote from: Lagereek on August 09, 2012, 10:22

Quote from: sharpshot on August 09, 2012, 09:30
They could drop it next week.  I see no need to panic and jump in to istock exclusivity.  It would be a laugh if you did and they immediately switched it back to "popular"

Well thats got nothing to do with jumping into exclusivity. Hell! search changes takes place every month in every singl agency. My reasons were totally differant.

You need to back off that cheap wiskey it's making your brain act funny exclusive thoughts are not normal.

Quote from: Milinz on August 10, 2012, 04:53

Quote from: Lagereek on August 09, 2012, 10:22

Quote from: sharpshot on August 09, 2012, 09:30
They could drop it next week.  I see no need to panic and jump in to istock exclusivity.  It would be a laugh if you did and they immediately switched it back to "popular"

Well thats got nothing to do with jumping into exclusivity. Hell! search changes takes place every month in every singl agency. My reasons were totally differant.

You need to back off that cheap wiskey it's making your brain act funny exclusive thoughts are not normal.

Cheap whiskey!  jeez, Im on the Lagavulin right now, Ehhhhhhhhhhhhrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Quote from: lisafx on August 10, 2012, 01:11

Quote from: OM on August 10, 2012, 00:52
That was yesterday! Tonight (01.45 Amsterdam) when I go to Shutterstock (no private browsing and no goog anonymiser) I get popular as the default search! Anyone else care to have a go?

Yep.  Me too.  Defaults to popular using Firefox 8:10pm EST.  Hopefully they learned what they needed to with their experiment and we can go back to stable searches and restored sales. 

Yeah thank *!  for that!  I was beginning to think nobody wanted my stuff anymore.

Doesn't matter because popular images are all still all wrong according to the way the "Old Popular" was.

Quote from: ruxpriencdiam on August 11, 2012, 03:24
Doesn't matter because popular images are all still all wrong according to the way the "Old Popular" was.

Yea, if they did make a change it sure hasn't help things, for me at least. 

Quote from: Mantis on August 11, 2012, 13:51

Quote from: ruxpriencdiam on August 11, 2012, 03:24
Doesn't matter because popular images are all still all wrong according to the way the "Old Popular" was.

Yea, if they did make a change it sure hasn't help things, for me at least. 

Its the old story, if you do a complete search change,  things will never get back to normal again,  once the mess is done, theres no returning back. Its a matter of just hoping for the best. Its exactly the same, identical pattern, IS, went through a few years back. Jeez, I bet they regret this one. Thought they would have learnt better after all these years.