Contributor Newsletter: August 29, 2013

We always aim to give you the most up to date information in the newsletter and on the forums, but by doing that please know that all of it comes with the caveat that things will change.  So, announcements and plans that we make in June, will likely not all be the exact same plans that we have in August.  Everyday we learn new things about how our customers use the site and the content that they license and everyday we look at our plans to make sure that they still work for the way the content world is evolving. That means that we know for certain that things will change. That can be unsettling. We understand that.  The one thing that never changes, though, is that each day we aim to license more content than we did the day before. Everything we do is in support of that goal.

Collections Update:
We continue to monitor how the changes have impacted our Customers. Our overall approach was to give this new landscape 6 months before we engage in additional major content moves. It's only been about 3 months at this point so please do continue to have patience. 
There are a number of lingering questions about what is going to happen with Non-exclusive content, when will people see files moved to S+, and why certain content is in one collection and not the other. Please understand there are going to be a number of things that will evolve and change over time. This isn't the end state of Collections, but we have reached the end of the actual restructure.

User Interface Changes:
Similar Stockphotos:
We know that one of the main things contributors do on a File Close up Page is to continue their search, however, we also know that many customers leave the site from File Close up Pages. The aim of this project is to reduce this bounce rate and provide customers with another route and way for them to continue their search for the right image. The purpose of this initiative is not to upsell the customer to a more expensive image, nor is it to expose them to lower prices images. It is purely to increase the number of customers who successfully find their right image.

The Similar Images functionality is pretty simple. It works via keyword relevance. Keyword relevancy is based on interactions on keywords related to each specific image. As such, if the keywording of an asset is poor, it is more likely to result in having poor similar image returns from the new feature.

We've seen mention of how newer files are experiencing some weirdness with their similar offerings. This is entirely related to the fact that new uploads feature keywords that haven't acquired any weight or relevancy in search. It should be stated that as newer files have actions performed on them, the keyword weight of the more relevant keywords will increase the relevancy of the similar files that are provided. We are going to put together an updated Keyword Guide this September. In the meantime, we would like to suggest people try and add their most relevant keywords before adding their more general keywords.

Editors' Picks:
The Editors' Picks icon is featured on all our Vetta content and additional files from contributors who consistently provide us with some of our best material. One of our challenges was to review the nearly 15 million assets we have on the site to establish which should be given the EP flag. In a practical sense this was impossible, so our approach struck a balance between holding a very firm line on quality, while not creating an impossible task. Again, we are planning on investing further in EP going forward as we learn more about how customers are using this flag to find the right file for them.

Upcoming Changes:

New Search Filters and Sort Options:
We will be introducing a few new search filters and a new tab to the search page in the ensuing weeks. We don't want to give to much away at this point but you can expect these changes to be in effect mid-Septemeber.

Search Grid:
Did you say you want bigger thumbnails? We do too! In the next few weeks we will be bumping the thumbnail size up on the search grid. We are also going to be making some additional changes that will clean up the grid view.
We will have more news on these upcoming changes nearer to the launch date.

And EP still means absolutely nothing.  It is a graphic flag that says nothing about the file, and is only to reward Getty contributors and favorites, in best match.  I don't believe it doesn't affect that.

I had to read the first paragraph 8 times and I still don't understand a word of what they're saying.

Its a bunch of excuses for broken promises.

And

"IPTC for Vector Submissions:

It's coming. We are really close."

Omg, the technological progress in the microstock world today, it's a-ma-zing!

... That means that we know for certain that things will change. ...

Their analytical skills of reality are stellar. 

Quote: "announcements and plans that we make in June, will likely not all be the exact same plans that we have in August."

My favourite line.

Well, a fault confessed is half redressed, as they say 

Yes, basically they could have wrote it like that:  "We screwed up again, but don't worry we will try fix it in September"

Quote: "announcements and plans that we make in June, will likely not all be the exact same plans that we have in August."

My favourite line.

Similar images is not a bad idea, many agencies have it. But it needs good implementation,for instance from my perspective as a buyer I would want the similar images to be the excact same price point that I selected in the search. I did a few searches and keep seeing extremely expensive images when I then click on the similar files. This would put me off pretty fast.

And like others have said the similar images from the contributor or the series should come first and the placement of the similar files is awkward.

I like the new way you can select best match/NEW/POPULAR. Much better solution.

What I understand least is that they didn�t think about how to categorize files for editors pick or the different price points before???

I mean they had a very efficient market oriented solution where 30 000 eyeballs were looking at their portfolio and moving files around with their experience for a niche. Now this intense attention for the individual file gets replaced by a non visual robot software. I don�t get it.

Real handpicked collections are extremly valuable. Many agencies do it. Why not make the label mean something and task people to choose great content - including the best handshake and tomatoes? Start with new files and bestsellers and gradually work your way around the exclusive files. Even if it takes two years, it would be really valuable to have these labels. They could also get their inspector team to prefilter files with nominations on given subjects and then the editors just look at those prefiltered light boxes.

You would think that being able to choose the best content on the site is a huge marketing advantage over other sites. Like this it just devalues the whole collection and makes Getty look bad if the label is slapped on an image turned sideways or under exposed etc...

Overall for me the changes don�t look that market oriented, even the super cheap files are not done with sensitivity. I just don�t get it. How will they compete against SS like this?

The extreme drop in prices on the main collection will lead to an extreme loss in revenue. How many new customers do they need to attract to balance the loss of income? Do they need to double the number of customers to make up for the loss? Triple them? And by slapping a "forever" label into their marketing, the extreme difference (in credits marketing speak) is here to stay. Leaving them little choices longterm.

Overall it looks as if Getty loves to micromanage everything and hates it when contributors make their own choices. They clearly do not see them as individual entrepreneurs with webshops who are running a business.

But what do I know? Maybe this strategy is brilliant, they will recover etc...

The best news for the contributors on istock is that all these changes will hopefully be accompanied by a large investment in marketing dollars (to attract all those new customers).

I mean, this would be logical wouldn�t it? They are not just going to rely on the cheaper credit price and keep pushing Thinkstock over istock, will they?

"as newer files have actions performed on them" Hahahahahaha.
Whenever. 

I would take that to mean real world actions given the context - ie searches, clicks, buys etc. The point being that in order for the keywords of any file to gain weighting (or perhaps rather for a file to gain weighting for any particular keyword) it has to have been out in the real world being searched, found, clicked and bought.

Since relevance probably or possibly determines keyword order over time this likely makes sense of the advice about ensuring that the most important keywords are at the beginning as a file is uploaded.

A best match in which keyword relevancy is a significant factor is likely to be much more robust with respect to negating irrelevant keywords. So over time only the 'newest' search is likely to significantly feature irrelevantly key word spammed images. And buyers who choose to search by newest do some of the work of ranking that newer content with their clicks and buys. Surely this has the potential to be a win-win .... Since it potentially addresses the concerns both of those who complain about keyword spamming and also of those who complain that a mean inspector has removed some important piece of data. The buyers know best. No ?

The newsletter seems like a digest of recent news + several things which are on the horizon. That's exactly what I would expect from a newsletter. There was stuff in it which I appreciated being told. I don't see what the problem is. I wonder what more people expect.

(And so what if the plans are constantly evolving. So are the markets. The best plans are flexible).

 I love these announcements from iStock, cos I know there'll be much entertainment to be had in these forums in the days following.

Also it would have been good to hear something official about the company's new(ish) General Manager, so we don't have to rely on press releases posted on external sites.