Author Topic: The 4/3/11 Istockphoto Best Match Change (Read 54800 times)

thesentinel · « **Reply #175 on:** April 06, 2011, 12:19 »

Quote from: ShadySue on April 06, 2011, 11:47

-snip-
I wonder how many other files are being 'lost' during searches like this. In both of my cases: Highland Cattle and Grand Central Station, they're invisible on their main keyword phrase.

I have a a small herds worth of Highland Cattle missing in action too :-(

ShadySue · « **Reply #176 on:** April 06, 2011, 12:21 »

Quote from: ShadySue on April 06, 2011, 11:47

(Grand Cental Station)

Follow-up: the problems was confirmed and I was advised to take out a Support ticket and have done so.

SNP · « **Reply #177 on:** April 06, 2011, 12:46 »

Quote from: thesentinel on April 06, 2011, 12:19

Quote from: ShadySue on April 06, 2011, 11:47
-snip-
I wonder how many other files are being 'lost' during searches like this. In both of my cases: Highland Cattle and Grand Central Station, they're invisible on their main keyword phrase.

I have a a small herds worth of Highland Cattle missing in action too :-(

poor cows...

gostwyck · « **Reply #178 on:** April 06, 2011, 13:01 »

Quote from: SNP on April 06, 2011, 11:47

... even though this best match shift has my dls up by a good 15%.

I think the initial ~~cock-up~~ change to the best match hugely favoured newish images so anyone who had significantly increased their portfolio over the last year or so (like you) should have benefited.

It does seem however now that the latest incarnation of the best match (i.e. since yesterday) is now a nice balance of both new images and older best sellers. For example I have over 100 flamed images in my port but yesterday only 4 of them were in the first 400 images in my port, sorted by best match. In contrast today I have 21 flames in the first 100 images, sorted by best match.

Sales do indeed appear to be picking up for me today so hopefully they'll stop messing about with the best match. So far this month IS are generating just 25% of my microstock income compared to over 34% last April.

PaulieWalnuts · « **Reply #179 on:** April 06, 2011, 13:05 »

Is it just me or does it look like they rolled back this latest best match? The slider is back and the Vetta/Agency domination is ~~gone~~ scaled back

SNP · « **Reply #180 on:** April 06, 2011, 13:17 »

Quote from: PaulieWalnuts on April 06, 2011, 13:05

Is it just me or does it look like they rolled back this latest best match? The slider is back and the Vetta/Agency domination is ~~gone~~ scaled back

Andrew said they were going to do this temporarily today. it's in the sticky on the best match thread.

@ gostwyck: I think your best match analysis is correct. it did seems to heavily favour new, and now seems to have settled into a mix. today notwithstanding as it's weird again right now.

bunhill · « **Reply #181 on:** April 06, 2011, 13:31 »

Quote from: SNP on April 06, 2011, 13:17

today notwithstanding as it's weird again right now.

Truth about best match is that we like it when it pleases us and think there is definitely something wrong when it doesn't.

lagereek · « **Reply #182 on:** April 06, 2011, 14:08 »

Quote from: Elenathewise on April 06, 2011, 11:47

About 40% drop for me.
Fotolia and Shutterstock are kicking ass though, even Dreamstime is doing better than usual... - it does look like buyers are moving over.

Exactly! best weeks ever with SS, DT and FT, each one up at least 30% brillant!

cathyslife · « **Reply #183 on:** April 06, 2011, 14:17 »

Quote from: lagereek on April 06, 2011, 14:08

Quote from: Elenathewise on April 06, 2011, 11:47
About 40% drop for me.
Fotolia and Shutterstock are kicking ass though, even Dreamstime is doing better than usual... - it does look like buyers are moving over.

Exactly! best weeks ever with Shutterstock, Dreamstime and Fotolia, each one up at least 30% brillant!

As long as the losses at istock are made up somewhere else, it doesn't really matter to me where the bucks come from. I suspect that over the next few years, we might see the tide shift some other way at some point, too. I guess microstock really is all about ebb and flow.

Jo Ann Snover · « **Reply #184 on:** April 06, 2011, 14:45 »

Quote from: bunhill on April 06, 2011, 13:31

Quote from: SNP on April 06, 2011, 13:17
today notwithstanding as it's weird again right now.

Truth about best match is that we like it when it pleases us and think there is definitely something wrong when it doesn't.

That's only part of the truth. After you've been selling somewhere for a number of years, and if you have a medium to large-ish portfolio, you get a sense of a typical sales level and monthly peaks and valleys through the year. When things are like the weekends during the week, but only on some days of the week (and there's no holiday to explain that) it's reasonable to say that there's something odd going on.

It's true that sometimes you can take advantage of some weirdness - in 2008 there was a patch where new files dominated the search results, so I uploaded some images from a prior trip that I hadn't processed as fast as I could to take advantage of that. I didn't complain when it stopped as it was obviously not the ideal way to present things to the buyer. Nothing stays the same long enough, at the moment, for us even to attempt anything of that sort.

It is also true that people with more years represented in their portfolio can occasionally see some good from these best match train wrecks - an old image gets sales because it temporarily gets some exposure.

What I like is some sort of consistency and predictability.

lagereek · « **Reply #185 on:** April 06, 2011, 14:54 »

Quote from: jsnover on April 06, 2011, 14:45

Quote from: bunhill on April 06, 2011, 13:31
Quote from: SNP on April 06, 2011, 13:17
today notwithstanding as it's weird again right now.

Truth about best match is that we like it when it pleases us and think there is definitely something wrong when it doesn't.

That's only part of the truth. After you've been selling somewhere for a number of years, and if you have a medium to large-ish portfolio, you get a sense of a typical sales level and monthly peaks and valleys through the year. When things are like the weekends during the week, but only on some days of the week (and there's no holiday to explain that) it's reasonable to say that there's something odd going on.

It's true that sometimes you can take advantage of some weirdness - in 2008 there was a patch where new files dominated the search results, so I uploaded some images from a prior trip that I hadn't processed as fast as I could to take advantage of that. I didn't complain when it stopped as it was obviously not the ideal way to present things to the buyer. Nothing stays the same long enough, at the moment, for us even to attempt anything of that sort.

It is also true that people with more years represented in their portfolio can occasionally see some good from these best match train wrecks - an old image gets sales because it temporarily gets some exposure.

What I like is some sort of consistency and predictability.

Consistency adds security! far more worth then anything.

Difydave · « **Reply #186 on:** April 06, 2011, 14:58 »

Another vote for "consistancy and predictability" here.
We could do with it.

pancaketom · « **Reply #187 on:** April 06, 2011, 17:05 »

My IS sales still appear nearly random these days (and down a lot). Some other sites appear to be doing well.

to go back to earlier discussions. I think sending buyers to somewhere that gives a better % is good for everyone but exclusives. I don't know that it makes much difference though. If it really did, it would make IS rethink their strategy, and that would be good for all I believe. What would be nuts is for contributors to send buyers to a place that didn't make sense, and at the moment that place is IS - the search is horrible, the prices are high, and the percentage is the lowest in the industry, why would an independent send people there?

I had some other witty/snarky comments to things said a few pages back, but I'll just hold my fingers.

Sean Locke Photography · « **Reply #188 on:** April 06, 2011, 20:16 »

Downloads this week are down about 15% from anything in the last 3 months.

jen · « **Reply #189 on:** April 07, 2011, 10:37 »

I'm noticing this week that I'm getting a lot of 1st sales on older files that I uploaded thinking they could be decent sellers but they faded into oblivion instead. And less sales on my usual best sellers.
But it's hard to tell.

lagereek · « **Reply #190 on:** April 07, 2011, 10:45 »

Im beginnin g to suspect we see differant BMs!! there are reports of seeing only new files, then only old files, dls of only new files and dls of only old files?

?

whats going on?? all my sales yesterday and today are old great sellers!

Are we seeing the same best match on a global scale?

thesentinel · « **Reply #191 on:** April 07, 2011, 10:49 »

Whatever the customers are seeing, wherever they are, they sure aint seeing my files today, again :-(

VB inc · « **Reply #192 on:** April 07, 2011, 10:54 »

Just taking a look at my portfolio, it seems like newer files are being shown more prominently in this recent best match tweak. good news for my recent files.

It also seems like they pushed the vectors back a little further with this tweak. my portfolio is 2/3rd vectors and i am seeing more photos i uploaded last year at the front of my portfolio.

SNP · « **Reply #193 on:** April 07, 2011, 11:19 »

I'm having strange sales today. older files I haven't seen in a while.

ShadySue · « **Reply #194 on:** April 07, 2011, 11:25 »

[Double post]

ShadySue · « **Reply #195 on:** April 07, 2011, 11:27 »

Quote from: ShadySue on April 07, 2011, 11:25

I've had nothing since an overnight (UK time) XSm.
best match strangeness: one of my 'usual' searches, the top is Vetta with 3Ds (very large file size) and a lot of Vectors thrown in, and my flamer is about position 60.
Another search, where there are only 2 Vettas, it's all new or seldom-downloaded files at the top and my flamer is around position 150.
I still haven't voted, and will do so tomorrow night when I see how the full week has gone. Last week was dreadful, this week, until today, was looking at least a bit better.

bunhill · « **Reply #196 on:** April 07, 2011, 11:38 »

My sales have more or less died for the moment too*. I wonder if this is all part of the something coming which people seem to have been hinting at for a while.

My iStockphoto income has been fairly predictable and relatively steady through previous BMs for ages.

* seem well down anyhow

bunhill · « **Reply #197 on:** April 07, 2011, 11:55 »

Actually scratch that. No significantly discernible trend. More like a feeling

SNP · « **Reply #198 on:** April 07, 2011, 12:06 »

Quote from: bunhill on April 07, 2011, 11:55

Actually scratch that. No significantly discernible trend. More like a feeling

yeah, like you said in an earlier post, when it works out it's great and when it doesn't, it's broken

bunhill · « **Reply #199 on:** April 07, 2011, 12:13 »

exactamundo

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How has the 4/3/11 Best Match change affected your sales?

Author Topic: The 4/3/11 Istockphoto Best Match Change (Read 54800 times)

thesentinel

ShadySue

SNP

gostwyck

PaulieWalnuts

SNP

bunhill

lagereek

cathyslife

Jo Ann Snover

lagereek

Difydave

pancaketom

Sean Locke Photography

jen

lagereek

thesentinel

VB inc

SNP

ShadySue

ShadySue

bunhill

bunhill

SNP

bunhill

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