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Author Topic: IS Changes best match Algorithm Again!  (Read 34834 times)

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« on: October 18, 2008, 01:11 »
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Well it looks like they changed the algorithm again. This time it heavily favors total number of downloads for a file, then secondly DLs/month.


« Reply #1 on: October 18, 2008, 01:34 »
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Thank goodness, after totally tanking and all my best sellers not being anywhere to be found I have now got better positioning.

« Reply #2 on: October 18, 2008, 02:41 »
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I don't know how I will be effected by the change yet so I don't know if I am happy with it yet 
  sales had been ok for me since the beginning of oct  but sept was awfully slow.
fingers crossed I hope it ill work fine for most of us but I am sure there will still be some  complaining(could be even me ??? )
« Last Edit: October 18, 2008, 03:10 by stokfoto »

« Reply #3 on: October 18, 2008, 03:13 »
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Well it looks like they changed the algorithm again. This time it heavily favors total number of downloads for a file, then secondly DLs/month.

It looks to me like it also *strongly* favors exclusive contributors. Non-exclusives should expect to see a big drop in sales.

bittersweet

« Reply #4 on: October 18, 2008, 03:16 »
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It looks to me like it also *strongly* favors exclusive contributors. Non-exclusives should expect to see a big drop in sales.

Don't they all?  ;)

I had a really good week, including Friday, so I'm not sure exactly when the new match went into effect. I never look at my portfolio sorted that way until there is a big discussion about it. :)

I did notice that my newest files have been pushed way back, and that my vectors (which are a vast majority of my portfolio) appear after nearly all the pages of my photos.

We'll see how it goes, I guess.

« Reply #5 on: October 18, 2008, 03:16 »
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there you go! I can't find neither my popular nor new files >:(

bittersweet

« Reply #6 on: October 18, 2008, 03:20 »
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After 79 pages of discussion about the previous best match, JJRD has locked the thread. There's a new one now. Oh yay.  ;D

jsnover

« Reply #7 on: October 18, 2008, 03:23 »
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Wow! That is a big change - just looking at my own portfolio sorted by best match it's quite different from a week ago. It's not quite as it was before the last change, but that huge bias for newness is gone and there's a much better mix of images in the first few pages.

However there are some real head scratchers on the last few pages too - as an example there's a file with 179 downloads, 4.5 DLs/month that's on page 64 of 66 in my port. The last few pages are disproportionately filled with my vectors (a minority of my portfolio) and there are a very large number of files with over 50 downloads in the last 3 pages.

As you say, it's impossible to say yet what this means for sales, but after a terrible Sept, my first two weeks of October had looked much better...

bittersweet

« Reply #8 on: October 18, 2008, 03:32 »
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The last few pages are disproportionately filled with my vectors (a minority of my portfolio)

It definitely appears that this will work to your favor, especially if the claims that there is a strong boost for exclusives (but they always say that).

When things crapped out a few weeks ago, I was seriously considering giving back the crown, so that I would possibly have time to be able to salvage some of the holiday sales at other sites. I set a date to make my decision and by that time things had recovered. Now it is really too late to consider that option, and by all appearances the floor has just fallen out for those with primarily vector portfolios, during the worst possible time of year.

I have no idea why they decide to make huge sweeping changes to things in October every year. This is what, the third year of this? It used to be that we could look forward to a raise every year. Now we can just imagine what sweet torture October holds in store for us.

« Reply #9 on: October 18, 2008, 03:35 »
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Well it looks like they changed the algorithm again. This time it heavily favors total number of downloads for a file, then secondly DLs/month.

It looks to me like it also *strongly* favors exclusive contributors. Non-exclusives should expect to see a big drop in sales.

Not to this extent. I think the change only just came into effect in the last day or so. I just did a search that used to put a few of my images on the front page of the best match out of about 22000 results - now nowhere to be seen. A much narrower search puts the first of my images on page 15 out of 16.

« Reply #10 on: October 18, 2008, 04:08 »
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My own portfolio looks totally random. 

jsnover

« Reply #11 on: October 18, 2008, 04:29 »
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Sort your portfolio by views (in the detail window) and then by best match. For me, all the oldies that show up in the first few pages - which made no sense at all given the relatively small number of downloads - can be explained by them being in the top few pages for views. But why that has such an impact on best match results is a complete mystery to me.

bittersweet

« Reply #12 on: October 18, 2008, 04:50 »
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Sort your portfolio by views (in the detail window) and then by best match. For me, all the oldies that show up in the first few pages - which made no sense at all given the relatively small number of downloads - can be explained by them being in the top few pages for views. But why that has such an impact on best match results is a complete mystery to me.

Yeah, let's band together and form a viewing gang.  ::) ??? >:(

j2k

« Reply #13 on: October 18, 2008, 05:32 »
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The placement of my popular files is definetely much better now than a couple of days ago. Previous best match change left me with 2-3 downloads a day which was a severe drop.  I'm hoping for the best for the upcoming week.

Re vectors - don't you think that if somebody is looking for vectors then they will tick vector box only? So it shouldn't matter if the vectors are being placed after photos, as long as the sorting within all the vectors works properly.

bittersweet

« Reply #14 on: October 18, 2008, 05:50 »
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Re vectors - don't you think that if somebody is looking for vectors then they will tick vector box only? So it shouldn't matter if the vectors are being placed after photos, as long as the sorting within all the vectors works properly.

Let me guess. You're not a designer.

« Reply #15 on: October 18, 2008, 05:57 »
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I think this is one o the worst things about microstock such changes (at least for me) makes it so unpredictable what to expect from micro in terms of earning since earnings is getting more heavily depended on the search engines (as well as quality) but no matter how good your work is they less likely to sell well  unless they don't t get a good place in the search.may be libraries is already over loaded  and already  too much competitions in the industry I don't know

eta:
btw I noticed a change in FT as welli first two weeks of the month was good but then suddenly started to slow down I got the impression they do something every two weeks .Oh well,you never know!
« Last Edit: October 18, 2008, 05:58 by stokfoto »

bittersweet

« Reply #16 on: October 18, 2008, 06:18 »
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Re vectors - don't you think that if somebody is looking for vectors then they will tick vector box only? So it shouldn't matter if the vectors are being placed after photos, as long as the sorting within all the vectors works properly.

If that were the case, then what do you think might be the reason that they bothered to weight the files at all (as the obviously have)? Clearly your theory is flawed.

PaulieWalnuts

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« Reply #17 on: October 18, 2008, 07:16 »
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Arrrrgh.

The previous best match was working fairly well for me. This last new best match knocked my best sellers from the first couple of pages into oblivion, but, it put some of my newer images on the first few pages. So, my sales actually increased from the last best match.

This latest best match seems to have pushed quite a few of my new and good selling images back overall. We'll just have to wait this out again and see what happens.

PaulieWalnuts

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« Reply #18 on: October 18, 2008, 07:37 »
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It looks to me like it also *strongly* favors exclusive contributors.

It probably does after all of the posts on IS about exclusives seeing huge income drops and turning in crowns.

« Reply #19 on: October 18, 2008, 07:49 »
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If you own a store, you'll put your best selling products in the shelves that are on eye level, and you'll put the un-popular products way down below, so customers have to kneel.
If you keep re-aranging the shelves all the time, customers have to search all over again, they become annoyed and go to another store!

But hey, that's just the opinion of an unsignificant un-exclusive contributor!  ;D

« Reply #20 on: October 18, 2008, 08:06 »
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i don't think any of us will ever figure out istock... ???

« Reply #21 on: October 18, 2008, 08:39 »
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Re vectors - don't you think that if somebody is looking for vectors then they will tick vector box only? So it shouldn't matter if the vectors are being placed after photos, as long as the sorting within all the vectors works properly.

Let me guess. You're not a designer.

I don't get this blanket statement, does this mean that you think all designers think the same?  Certainly where I work the general look of a project is decided before we search for images, an illustrative or photographic approach is one of the first things discussed with a client.

« Reply #22 on: October 18, 2008, 08:46 »
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They might as well return images randomly in the Best Match.  This way nobody is given any preference at all.

PaulieWalnuts

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« Reply #23 on: October 18, 2008, 09:00 »
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They might as well return images randomly in the Best Match.  This way nobody is given any preference at all.
Then it wouldn't be a best match.

Maybe they should add a Random option. It may give a boost to some decent images that are excluded from all the other search options. Kind of like a treasure hunt. You may find a bunch of junk but there may be some lost gems too. Not sure if buyers would have enough time or patience for that though.

vonkara

« Reply #24 on: October 18, 2008, 09:14 »
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HA! That's perfect... It's only back to what it was before for those who didn't understand that Istock listened to our concern! Thanks Istock
« Last Edit: October 18, 2008, 09:20 by Vonkara »


 

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