Quote from: Brightontl on September 25, 2017, 12:48

This is an extremely interesting topic, probably the most interesting to be discussed in a microstock forum, because if you understand how the algorithms work, you can organise your activity to maximise your efforts.
Strangely many people in this forum dismiss these discussions as conspiracies, as if agencies where totally neutral in the way they present their catalogs to customers.
By far the most important factor in the success of an agencies is how they propose their images to customers, in fact SS has a very sophisticated algorithm and is by far the best seller in microstock.

Personally I have detected some very evident patterns of behavior (especially in SS). Their priorities seem to be:
- Do not present to customers the same items over time (that is why SS switches between two different modes two-three times per month)
- Try to make as many contributors happy as possible
- Punish contributors that stop uploading
- Punish contributor that spam. I believe that the ratio files in portfolio/sales is extremely important, so people who upload tonnes of repeated material are lowered in rankings

That is very emotive and would be out of character for most businesses let alone algorithms. 
We see patterns in everything a strange human trait and how we try to make sense in the world.
The shutterstock search engine is in contant flux with numerous tests local and global going on tweaking parameters in conjunction with other parameters until it comes up with one which produces more sales, when it will be incorporated in to the main search. 
It is also a self learning beast with no emotions, it is neither happy or sad and cares less if the contributors are.  Why would it try to make a contributor happy if he is uploading crap?
The word punish may be substituted by reward as in if you are contributing more you would improve your search position, but, although I have heard Fotolia may have done this at one time, it is surely a consequence of several parameters like sales over time and new making someone who is uploading rise in the search and someone who isn't go down.  There is no need for a separate parameter for the number of uploads.
If they wanted to punish spam they wouldn't accept them in the first place.  I do agree with your last sentence, but it is not about punishing spam, but a consequence of a normal algorithm.

Try looking at with less emotion and more logic, I'm sure you will come up with something extremely interesting.

I think that Brightontl uses the term "punish" as an example of a factor that reduce popularity of an image, not literally.

Part of SS success is the big number of contributors which guarantee fresh content; so MS business is not just sell and sell without thinking in contributors, if a few of them monopolize first places at searches then there is no motivation for new ones, and this is not happends now, so an algorithm based in a balance between selling and maintaining the adherence of contributors is the most convenient in the long term.

Quote from: Mrblues101 on September 23, 2017, 20:26

Hi Wael

It is difficult to know how really Search Engines work as it code (of course) is secret. We are doomed to speculate and try to observe the behavior of sales as you are doing now.

It looks that sales influence images position in search, and maybe views... but the problem are these other "secret" factors.

totally agree, there is certainly something i don't understand in this so-called" search engine algorithm ". quick example, i searched on Google for my flower macro shots by ( colourful flower close up ), found couple of my images in the first page; one from IS and the other from Alamy, then went to Alamy, repeated the search, found the image in the second page in their ( creative ) section, then went to IS , did it again, couldn't found the image until the 10th page of results. i find this really odd. it's either too complicated so no one can really get how it works, or it's too random so no one can really depend on something like this to have some sort of a " sales predictability "

Of course as ShadySue says, agencies order their searches as they choose; they use different algorithm, and of course, they dont share it.

Anyway you have a big difference in algorithms when you compare whit google, and the difference is that google dont care the sales; it is not a factor for google image search algorithm, but it is key factor for MS search algorithm.

If you are really interested on it you must also know about a two very controversial theories in MS world.

First one is cap theory: in order to give a reasonable profit to "every" contributor your earnings are predetermined by agencies (secretly predetermined), like for example... you will eran about 700 US$ per month... and how well you do it will influence very little.

Based in this theory, and in order to work, search algorithm recalibrates the exposure of your images based on it.

Second one is adjustment of earnings according to your country: similar to the previous and based in the fact that 100 US$ per month is an amazing incoming in poorest countries but 1000 US$ per month is just a low earning in some first world countries, to keep contributors motivated, the profit is adjusted according to what is "a good profit" in your country.

Again search algorithm recalibrates the exposure of your images based on it (to give you as many sales to reach your predetermined income).

So, these theories are very speculative are are so controversial in this comunity, so i hope no one gets angry with me for considering and commenting on them.

P.S. some agencies (or at least one) recognized limiting the exposure of images based on giving a fairer profit to all contributors (as was commented by some forum user in previous post related to these theories).

Are anybody able to send content??

Who send it? I mean, email address?

Hi,

I would like some honest responses to this.

I'm a professional photographer, 20 years shooting still, video and film.  Recently, I opened a Shutterstock account with the intention of uploading 100+ videos to them. I opened an account and when I was unable to log in, I thought that maybe their site had not registered me properly. So, I attempted to open an account with them again. What might have happened is that I opened a general account and when I attempted to upload my video it seemed maybe I needed to open a contributor account also. Anyway today I received the following email from them; -

A warning has been added to your account by a Shutterstock administrator:
You are receiving a warning for attempting to open a second Shutterstock account.
Your conduct is a violation of Paragraph 4 of Shutterstock's Submitter Terms of Service,
which states: "You may not have more than one active submitter account at any time without the written consent of Shutterstock in each instance.If this behavior continues, it may result in the termination of your Shutterstock account. We have disabled your other account.


You currently have 2 warning(s).

Regards,
Shutterstock

'A WARNING HAS BEEN ADDED TO YOUR ACCOUNT,' 'YOUR CONDUCT IS A VIOLATION,' YOU CURRENTLY HAVE TWO WARNINGS.'

I REALLY NEED TO ASK YOU ALL, AM I OVER SENSITIVE OR IS THIS A DISGUSTING WAY TO TREAT A PROFESSIONAL WHO INTENDED TO SEND THEM THOUSANDS OF IMAGES AND 100+ VIDEOS TO THEIR SITE?

I HAVE NEVER RECEIVED SUCH AN OBNOXIOUS EMAIL LIKE THIS IN MY ENTIRE LIFE AND NOW I DO NOT WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH THEM.

It is just an automatic sending mail, message is unfriendly; specially if you are honest person that make some mistake during creating account; but it is not rude.

Think that, usually; people who do this is trying to scam system somehow...

Dont worry to much about it, try to contact them to explain how mistake was and keep with your amazing work

What about vectors?

Thank you so much for your reply Cider Apple, i will try these softwares

Yes, me too, important decrease in sales in last months... so... the end is close...

i was a very bad day also for me, less that 5 dollars incoming

Maybe you have a "rat" on your computer, a compex kind of virus who send info remotely... you can format harddrive and reinstall OS.

I Upload some pics last night to send today, it shows 11 images "not yet sumitted" but when i click on it: "Nothing here!"

Somebody else?

Quote from: Mrblues101 on May 08, 2017, 16:04

Quote from: sarah2 on May 08, 2017, 02:15

Well - after months with 100% acceptance, and years of 80% plus, I've just had 2 batches 100% rejected for under exposure! What the heck? They are NOT under exposed. I KNOW this! Assorted pics from assorted places in different light situations.
Maybe they have a newbie reviewer with a dodgy screen or something? Or a glitch on their auto software? MEGA irritating. And to really rub salt, each rejection came not once but 4 times!
It's a shambles.
The sales are barely worth submitting - let alone resubmitting.
Grrrrrr
Happy Monday!
Grrrrrr

Thre review process is not perfect due to crazy reviews criteria or reviewers just clicking (acepting/rejecting) randomly after some times... it is not SS falut at all, because if they really want to process (review) the big number of images they are processing now the quality of review process will be poor...

Reupload the images, i promise you it will be accepted

"It is not SS fault at all"

Of course it is they opened the flood gates to all sorts of rubbish they reduced the entry criteria to allow any chimp with a camera to submit

So yes it is entirely their fault they did not put in place the resources to cope with the unending sea of cr-ap that they allowed in.

Well, i just work in information processing and i know how difficult is to non-automaticatly process this big volume of infromation without losing quality in the process, it is almost imposible...

I have no intention of defending them...