Author Topic: It's not just best match, the whole shebang is going belly up. (Read 3766 times)

ShadySue · « **on:** January 10, 2013, 07:27 »

I did a search for Metropolitan Museum of Art and whether it's best match or New, the results are horrendous.
Turns out if someone keyworded Metropolitan, they get a choice of 'City' or 'Metropolitan Museum of Art (Upper East Side Manhattan)'. Recent acceptances presumably haven't botherd to DA 'city' and that hasn't been picked up on acceptance (where is Keywordzilla - one person has 20+ recent images of Singapore badly DAd so all of their images show up in a search for the MMA and for 'Central Scotland'; and older images have fallen foul of theKeywords team adding MMA long after the file was accepted just with 'Metropolitan'.

There was a while back when they were adding new words, mainly concerned with editorial, but in other areas too, and putting them at the top of the keywords forum, but they haven't done it for a while. Is it reasonable in any case for people to have to keep checking in case there's been a DA change on a keyword they may have uploaded five or more years ago and forgotten about? I am a BIG fan of the CV

In another search I looked for "Dune 45" in quotes, as it's not in the CV. It seems to turn up photos with 'sand dune' and '45-50 as an age. (easier seen on a best match search; age seems not as bad). Just like SS or Alamy. That is something I've never noticed on iStock before - surely putting quotes round Dune 45 should prevent Dune from being taken from 'sand dune' and 45 being taken from '45-50'?

I have a photo of an endangered species called Diademed Sifaka. Surprisingly to me, Diademed Sifaka is in the CV, but searching for Diademed Sifaka gives no results ( I have checked my keywords, that keyword is there [as are diademed and Sifaka] and AFAIK has been since I uploaded it. This confounded by the DA mapping Sifaka to Lemur, so if you search Sifaka you get a choice of Verreaux's Sifaka only, or continuing just on Sifaka takes you to all the lemurs (sifaka is a subset of lemur, but if a person knew enough to make a search on Sifaka, they don't want to see all lemurs, any more than someone who searched on 'apple' wants to see all fruits.

I know people will think 'who cares about these obscure searches?', but in the past when I've found issues like this on specific searches, the issue has applied to a much wider selection of keywords. A few days ago I read someone say some of his photos keyworded young and female didn't show up on a search for young female. Again, whether most searchers would search 'young worman' rather than young female is irrelevant, as it's symptomatic of things not working.

And yeah, I know I should contact Team Keywords directly but I can't.
I have a CR ticket about a different CV issue which I have asked them to forward to team Keywords, but it's still in my 'open tickets' since 31st Dec.

fotoVoyager · « **Reply #1 on:** January 10, 2013, 07:58 »

Quote from: ShadySue on January 10, 2013, 07:27

Recent acceptances presumably haven't chosen only 'city' and that hasn't been picked up on acceptance (where is Keywordzilla - one person has 20+ recent images of Singapore badly DAd so all of their images show up in a search for the MMA and for 'Central Scotland'; and older images have fallen foul of theKeywords team adding MMA long after the file was accepted just with 'Metropolitan'.

As someone who uploads pictures of Scotland and Singapore, I'm betting that's an incorrect disambiguation of Central or Central Business District or CBD - as the skyscraper downtown area in Singapore is called. Probably not deliberate keyword spamming, just a mistaken ticking.

(It wasn't me by the way!)

Phil · « **Reply #2 on:** January 10, 2013, 07:59 »

there are plenty were the search falls apart, try outer space or even stethoscope. Been like that a long time.

Stethoscope is also a good one to show the favourite contributors stuff both on istock and thinkstock how many on the first page are from the same person. Similarly for space nebula two people make up most the last dozen or so images on page 44 (with mostly red and blue flames images!)
I looked for some of my farm images on thinkstock my 6 photos were all within the last twelve images on the last page.

enstoker · « **Reply #3 on:** January 10, 2013, 08:00 »

Quote from: ShadySue on January 10, 2013, 07:27

I did a search for Metropolitan Museum of Art and whether it's best match or New, the results are horrendous.
Turns out if someone keyworded Metropolitan, they get a choice of 'City' or 'Metropolitan City of Art (Upper East Side Manhattan)'. Recent acceptances presumably haven't chosen only 'city' and that hasn't been picked up on acceptance (where is Keywordzilla - one person has 20+ recent images of Singapore badly DAd so all of their images show up in a search for the MMA and for 'Central Scotland'; and older images have fallen foul of theKeywords team adding MMA long after the file was accepted just with 'Metropolitan'.

There was a while back when they were adding new words, mainly concerned with editorial, but in other areas too, and putting them at the top of the keywords forum, but they haven't done it for a while. Is it reasonable in any case for people to have to keep checking in case there's been a DA change on a keyword they may have uploaded five or more years ago and forgotten about? I am a BIG fan of the CV

In another search I looked for "Dune 45" in quotes, as it's not in the CV. It seems to turn up photos with 'sand dune' and '45-50 as an age. (easier seen on a best match search; age seems not as bad). Just like SS or Alamy. That is something I've never noticed on iStock before - surely putting quotes round Dune 45 should prevent Dune from being taken from 'sand dune' and 45 being taken from '45-50'?

I have a photo of an endangered species called Diademed Sifaka. Surprisingly to me, Diademed Sifaka is in the CV, but searching for Diademed Sifaka gives no results ( I have checked my keywords, that keyword is there [as are diademed and Sifaka] and AFAIK has been since I uploaded it. This confounded by the DA mapping Sifaka to Lemur, so if you search Sifaka you get a choice of Verreaux's Sifaka only, or continuing just on Sifaka takes you to all the lemurs (sifaka is a subset of lemur, but if a person knew enough to make a search on Sifaka, they don't want to see all lemurs, any more than someone who searched on 'apple' wants to see all fruits.

I know people will think 'who cares about these obscure searches?', but in the past when I've found issues like this on specific searches, the issue has applied to a much wider selection of keywords. A few days ago I read someone say some of his photos keyworded young and female didn't show up on a search for young female. Again, whether most searchers would search 'young worman' rather than young female is irrelevant, as it's symptomatic of things not working.

And yeah, I know I should contact Team Keywords directly but I can't.
I have a CR ticket about a different CV issue which I have asked them to forward to team Keywords, but it's still in my 'open tickets' since 31st Dec.

Not true. You are 100 % correct, also this is important and this is only a small stone in IS bull sh... mosaic.

ShadySue · « **Reply #4 on:** January 10, 2013, 08:21 »

Quote from: fotoVoyager on January 10, 2013, 07:58

Quote from: ShadySue on January 10, 2013, 07:27
Recent acceptances presumably haven't chosen only 'city' and that hasn't been picked up on acceptance (where is Keywordzilla - one person has 20+ recent images of Singapore badly DAd so all of their images show up in a search for the MMA and for 'Central Scotland'; and older images have fallen foul of theKeywords team adding MMA long after the file was accepted just with 'Metropolitan'.

As someone who uploads pictures of Scotland and Singapore, I'm betting that's an incorrect disambiguation of Central or Central Business District or CBD - as the skyscraper downtown area in Singapore is called. Probably not deliberate keyword spamming, just a mistaken ticking.

(It wasn't me by the way!)

Agreed (Central only offers Centre or 'Central Scotland' [the latter being an amibiguous phrase anyway]), but how can someone not notice in over 20 uploads?

One inspector might have been half-asleep, but they are spread out a bit in the Age search, and I bet at least two inspectors saw these but didn't flag them up.

Where is Keywordzilla, the one who takes horizontal out of horizontal images, Europe out of photos taken in Europe, (where it's geographically relevant, not just some random studio with random models), or growth out of a photo of a plantation, etc., etc.

ShadySue · « **Reply #5 on:** January 10, 2013, 08:36 »

Quote from: Phil on January 10, 2013, 07:59

there are plenty were the search falls apart, try outer space or even stethoscope. Been like that a long time.
Stethoscope is also a good one to show the favourite contributors stuff both on istock and thinkstock how many on the first page are from the same person.

Oh, our searches must be totally different for best match stethoscope. My stethoscope best match search shows images from a lot of different people.
There must be a big geographical difference in what people looking for 'stethoscope' want. Allegedly.

ClaridgeJ · « **Reply #6 on:** January 10, 2013, 09:53 »

Not just IS. All search engines are geared towards short term profits, hence they are ofcourse useless. Many use relevancy, which is totally in the hands of spamming and bad keywording.

Phil · « **Reply #7 on:** January 10, 2013, 18:58 »

Quote from: ShadySue on January 10, 2013, 08:36

Quote from: Phil on January 10, 2013, 07:59
there are plenty were the search falls apart, try outer space or even stethoscope. Been like that a long time.
Stethoscope is also a good one to show the favourite contributors stuff both on istock and thinkstock how many on the first page are from the same person.
Oh, our searches must be totally different for best match stethoscope. My stethoscope best match search shows images from a lot of different people.
There must be a big geographical difference in what people looking for 'stethoscope' want. Allegedly.

interesting. I get a stethoscope on a cardiogram then 4 images of nurse by sturti (no stethoscope), then 5 by sturti of the same nurse with a stethoscope around her neck. An isolated stethoscope then rest of page is doctors and nurses, most with stethoscopes.

sturti has 19 images of the same nurse on the first page and looking closer today, she is asian, and I'm currently in penang

changing to stethoscope on white or stethoscope isolated on white gets me 50 people shots

ShadySue · « **Reply #8 on:** January 10, 2013, 19:10 »

Hmmm, here are mine when logged in:

and when logged out:

Sturti has a lot of files which are at the top on an Age search:

Hers have an Asian relevance, but it's interesting that neither of my best match searches have many people at the top.

Added: that young woman is captioned as a pharmacist. Is it normal in Asia for pharmacists to have a stethoscope round their neck and a watch pinned to their top?

Quote from: Phil on January 10, 2013, 18:58

Quote from: ShadySue on January 10, 2013, 08:36
Quote from: Phil on January 10, 2013, 07:59
there are plenty were the search falls apart, try outer space or even stethoscope. Been like that a long time.
Stethoscope is also a good one to show the favourite contributors stuff both on istock and thinkstock how many on the first page are from the same person.

Oh, our searches must be totally different for best match stethoscope. My stethoscope best match search shows images from a lot of different people.
There must be a big geographical difference in what people looking for 'stethoscope' want. Allegedly.

interesting. I get a stethoscope on a cardiogram then 4 images of nurse by sturti (no stethoscope), then 5 by sturti of the same nurse with a stethoscope around her neck. An isolated stethoscope then rest of page is doctors and nurses, most with stethoscopes.

sturti has 19 images of the same nurse on the first page and looking closer today, she is asian, and I'm currently in penang

changing to stethoscope on white or stethoscope isolated on white gets me 50 people shots

Phil · « **Reply #9 on:** January 10, 2013, 20:29 »

Yep sorry, just made a fool of myself

it was set by file age LOL. Outer space also looks good now too

wonder how long its been set to that (I dont search very often)

ShadySue · « **Reply #10 on:** January 10, 2013, 20:33 »

Quote from: Phil on January 10, 2013, 20:29

Yep sorry, just made a fool of myself it was set by file age LOL. Outer space also looks good now too wonder how long its been set to that (I dont search very often)

I think they're better now at giving you the last search you've used, even if you switch off your computer between times. I think you used to always get best match. OTOH, they're back to removing display preferences so you have to tick them again every day when you get logged out.
Hard to keep track of what's working and what isn't! Not foolish at all.

Jeffrey · « **Reply #11 on:** January 10, 2013, 23:15 »

This giving away files for FREE is making me angry. But still I should not let emotions dictate my moves.

I'll wait for iS to get their act together, or if not, I will wait for a new better owner.

I already relinquished my Photographer Exclusive crown, next would be Exclusive Illustrator, but may take months or years before I do this, depending on what I mentioned above.

I sell on my website, and when the sales becomes really good, I may remove my files at iStock.

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Author Topic: It's not just best match, the whole shebang is going belly up. (Read 3766 times)

ShadySue

fotoVoyager

Phil

enstoker

ShadySue

ShadySue

ClaridgeJ

Phil

ShadySue

Phil

ShadySue

Jeffrey

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