Author Topic: Can IS make anything right? (Read 5405 times)

Slovenian · « **on:** March 24, 2011, 06:16 »

Everything on IS is falling to pieces after F5 and RC. The latest debacle is with best match, they messed up sales for most contributors, after yesterday's tweak I only got a single DL (I usually get 5-8/day). They even manage to mess up the only thing that's not directly linked to their site; PP. Everything works perfectly on PP sites, but their connector screws up everything, so no files were added to PP sites after September, which is terrible for everyone who uploaded a lot in the last year. Not to mention we get payed at the end of the next month for those sale. If they manage to do that, like they didn't for January's earnings which we got in early March.

I'd be so glad to delete the whole port there if SS offered exclusivity. I've never had so much problems on other sites, if I think about it, nothing went wrong on either of the big 4 (I don't contribute to other sites) in the last year, except for SS working slowly for a couple of months. On IS there are problems every week, instead of fixing the old problems, affecting sales the most, they'd rather go messing around with best match which worked just fine. My sales were on the rise and now they tanked.

fotografer · « **Reply #1 on:** March 24, 2011, 06:26 »

I agree with a lot of what you say but the best match tweak never messes it up for 'most' contributors. Usually as many people benefit from it as lose out over it. Maybe this time non exclusives have lost out more to exclusives but in general some not most people lose out.

Slovenian · « **Reply #2 on:** March 24, 2011, 06:39 »

2007/2008 files are being pushed forward, contributors like sjlocke are reporting sales of files they don't even remember taking, most of the contributors are saying that old files with zero DLs are getting Dled. While all the new content is being pushed to the last pages and what's worst, there are some reports of files not even appearing anywhere in best match. Or that most of the results don't have anything to do with the search terms.

I think the most important to the agencies is new, fresh material. Look at the photos made 3+ years ago and those in 10/11 and you'll see a huge leap forward in quality and originality. But they decided for some reason, that old rubbish should be presented on the first pages. Or they're just so incredibly incompetent to make anything work. Their programmers should stop watching porn and start programming with both hands;).

lagereek · « **Reply #3 on:** March 24, 2011, 06:40 »

yes they can! lets not freak out and call everything bad because it isnt. Its very easy to kick somebody who is alredy on the ground you know. This last best match, is actually better then the last. I find it easier to get a relevant search using phrases for example and let me tell you, I know many buyers and almost all of them use phrases or two words, that is.
My income hasnt changed at all, if anything its slightly up, so it cant be all that bad, besides, we also need new files to see the light of day. Dont we?

Slovenian · « **Reply #4 on:** March 24, 2011, 07:07 »

OK, so what did they do right not lately but in the last 7 months? OK, you like the new best match, some people do, but the vast majority is complaining. Mostly because they CAN'T find relevant files (like you do) as I already wrote. Promoting old stuff can never be good at least not in the long run, since most of the ppl won't upload as much or won't upload at all. Tens of contributors (many diamonds among them) said they're holding off form uploading until this gets resolved. I'm doing the same. I have a lot of new material that did sell very well until the best match change, now I only get sales from old stuff, which is rubbish and it really surprises me that it can sell at all (newbie stock stuff). And not to many, since I wasn't there before 2010. It's really a shame, since this new material also sell great on SS, I had only a week of good sales of it over at IS, sales completely stopped on the 16th.

ShadySue · « **Reply #5 on:** March 24, 2011, 07:18 »

Quote from: lagereek on March 24, 2011, 06:40

. I find it easier to get a relevant search using phrases for example and let me tell you, I know many buyers and almost all of them use phrases or two words, that is.

The phrase thing is totally bizarre. I have five photos all keyworded 'Highland cattle' because that's what they are. Not one shows up on a search for 'highland cattle', which is a CV phrase. It seems that to show up for Highland Cattle, you have to also have spammed Highland in your keywords (OK, it wouldn't be spam if the photo was actually taken in the Highlands).
I've been able to replicate this with several, but not all CV phrases, (including some 'business' phrases) and they're looking into it, as that is penalising clean keywording.
Conversely, I have photos which show on a search for "Limousin Bull" although that isn't in the CV, nor as a phrase in my keywords: I have "Limousin cattle" and bull.

@OP, FWIW, having had poor sales all this year, I had my "best" download day of the year yesterday (after having ONE dl on each of last Thursday and Friday) of 9 (oh for the heady days of 12-15 on a weekday!). These were:
An EL of a previously not downloaded pic uploaded in Nov 09. (I've noticed that my ELs tend to be on low/non downloaded files)
4 brand new editorial pics.
1 photo of ducks which had only been in my port two days. (VERY unusual for me, but they weren't Mallards)
2 dls of a pic uploaded March 2007 with only 5 previous dls.

But only 1 dl overnight and no more so far today.
Update: and still no more by 5 p.m. GMT!
So much for imagining the drought was finally over.

There was a huge shake up over the weekend. Previously all my editorials were at the end of every search, and many new ones were too: now they seem to be mixed through, apparently randomly, and there was anotherbug shake last night, according to my usual best match checks. I guess they're trying different things out to maximise sales and profitability.
I think, as fotographer says, they won't let overall sales shrink. They don't care if "I" or "you" have lower sales. It doesn't even matter whether "old" or "new" images are selling better, only that sales overall are going up. (Oh and they care about profitablity too, which no doubt is why I'm seeing some of my images below wrongly-keyworded images by non-exclusives. :-(

lagereek · « **Reply #6 on:** March 24, 2011, 10:14 »

Hi Sue!

Well to be honest I dfont really know, but in my searches phrases do work.

lisafx · « **Reply #7 on:** March 24, 2011, 14:37 »

Earlier in the week I had a couple of days that were the best I've seen in about a year and a half. Really outstanding sales. Obviously something had gone horribly wrong with Best Match.

Not to worry. They seem to have gotten it under control. Sales are back to dismal again.

Slovenian · « **Reply #8 on:** March 24, 2011, 16:09 »

I'd like to have the same problems u had. Even if they lasted only for two days. Like having an EL every day and something like 20 normal DLs. That would be crazy for me. But probably a real problem for you

elvinstar · « **Reply #9 on:** March 24, 2011, 16:53 »

Quote

Their programmers should stop watching porn and start programming with both hands;).

That's just about the best thing I've ever heard!

ShadySue · « **Reply #10 on:** March 24, 2011, 20:04 »

Quote from: elvinstar on March 24, 2011, 16:53

Quote
Their programmers should stop watching porn and start programming with both hands;).

That's just about the best thing I've ever heard!

LOL!
Still, depsite today's alleged big improvement, far too many 'tell us more' failures when changing sort type. But not reliably replicable.

qwerty · « **Reply #11 on:** March 25, 2011, 01:39 »

to me it looks like the searches aren't as infested with vetta as they were before
I might be right I might be wrong

lagereek · « **Reply #12 on:** March 25, 2011, 01:55 »

They are talking about doing away with this slider? now before it was pointed out, I didnt even know it existed.

ShadySue · « **Reply #13 on:** March 25, 2011, 05:38 »

Quote from: qwerty on March 25, 2011, 01:39

to me it looks like the searches aren't as infested with vetta as they were before
I might be right I might be wrong

You're right!

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Author Topic: Can IS make anything right? (Read 5405 times)

Slovenian

fotografer

Slovenian

lagereek

Slovenian

ShadySue

lagereek

lisafx

Slovenian

elvinstar

ShadySue

qwerty

lagereek

ShadySue

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