Author Topic: Best weekday to upload? (Read 8537 times)

Monkeyman · « **on:** February 20, 2015, 08:36 »

I'm going back to Shutterstock after a few years as exclusive. Does it still matter when you upload you images or have they changed their search algorithm?

I remember that it was usually a good idea to try and get the images approved in the beginning of a workweek to get the most out of that intitial search boost.

Mantis · « **Reply #1 on:** February 20, 2015, 08:49 »

Not really. New content is buried instantly, so day of upload doesn't matter as a whole. Some are bound to say new content does sell for them and if that's true then there is a game of chance. What I mean by that is you have to predict how long the review will take. Generally if you upload on a Thursday you might have your images approved by early the next week allowing buyers to find them before the weekend. I no longer worry about it. I just upload whenever I have new content.

ruxpriencdiam · « **Reply #2 on:** February 20, 2015, 08:49 »

Just submit because all you will be doing is pissing into the wind.

Uncle Pete · « **Reply #3 on:** February 20, 2015, 09:20 »

Might be the right way to see it Barry.

If there was ever any advantage to somehow timing image uploads so they would appear on Monday morning, that has gone away. Not only that, there's no way to know if your Friday upload (hypothetical) Will get passed through in hours, or sit for two days, or be reviewed at Midnight on Saturday and be buried by Monday morning.

Like so many other things with Microstock, the superstitions refuse to die, and neither do the ways people imagine they can somehow effect the outcome by doing something to trick the system.

We have no control over placement in the search, it's become controlled by some mystery AI device that learns what buyers want. At least that's the theory? And that's why "Popular" isn't anything but some computer generated version of "what the algorithm thinks you want to license" for the buyers.

New images do seem to get a small exposure boost. But because of the number of new images, flooding in, that's not what it once was. It's much shorter than it used to be.

In a slightly more positive tone, I would say just the same as what ruxpriencdiam wrote. Send them up, and see what happens.

Quote from: ruxpriencdiam on February 20, 2015, 08:49

Just submit because all you will be doing is pissing into the wind.

Beppe Grillo · « **Reply #4 on:** February 20, 2015, 09:25 »

From my point of view there are no better days.
But personally I avoid to upload Friday, Saturday and Sunday as weekend inspectors seem to prefer to drink beer and smoke weed with their friends than to do their job correctly… (I mean that you have more chance to get an inconsistent rejection during the weekend than during the week)

skyfish · « **Reply #5 on:** February 20, 2015, 09:41 »

Never paid attention to this. I upload when i have time. For me another concern - will buyers see the images in their search result? I already had several not pleasant cases. Because of this many my new images go to another place.

Red Dove · « **Reply #6 on:** February 20, 2015, 10:28 »

Beppe might be right and I avoid weekends personally....but if I have stuff ready to go I find it hard to wait.

I suspect the people who cast runes and examine chicken entrails in a skillet, have as much success predicting optimum upload times as anyone sweating over spreadsheets and probability models

Rinderart · « **Reply #7 on:** February 20, 2015, 10:55 »

Quote from: Red Dove on February 20, 2015, 10:28

Beppe might be right and I avoid weekends personally....but if I have stuff ready to go I find it hard to wait.

I suspect the people who cast runes and examine chicken entrails in a skillet, have as much success predicting optimum upload times as anyone sweating over spreadsheets and probability models

Agree.

Nikovsk · « **Reply #8 on:** February 20, 2015, 10:59 »

Monday - Optimal day for sales but less exposure time because of more uploads.
Friday - Optimal day for exposure time because of less uploads, but also less sales.

Your choice.

Perry · « **Reply #9 on:** February 20, 2015, 11:12 »

I think it's best to upload whenever the images are ready. Just waiting for a few days might result in missing a few sales.

etudiante_rapide · « **Reply #10 on:** February 20, 2015, 12:26 »

april 1 2015
april 1 2016
april 1 2017...

Beppe Grillo · « **Reply #11 on:** February 20, 2015, 12:33 »

Quote from: etudiante_rapide on February 20, 2015, 12:26

april 1 2015
april 1 2016
april 1 2017...

lol

melastmohican · « **Reply #12 on:** February 20, 2015, 12:52 »

Quote from: etudiante_rapide on February 20, 2015, 12:26

april 1 2015
april 1 2016
april 1 2017...

April 1 2017 will be on weekend

etudiante_rapide · « **Reply #13 on:** February 20, 2015, 19:44 »

Quote from: melastmohican on February 20, 2015, 12:52

Quote from: etudiante_rapide on February 20, 2015, 12:26
april 1 2015
april 1 2016
april 1 2017...

April 1 2017 will be on weekend

last time i tried logging in, it looks like april 1 2017 is here already.
goggle says capcha error

Noedelhap · « **Reply #14 on:** February 20, 2015, 21:54 »

Quote from: etudiante_rapide on February 20, 2015, 12:26

april 1 2017...

Forget it, microstock is dead by then. Nowhere to upload to

Semmick Photo · « **Reply #15 on:** February 21, 2015, 09:48 »

The images getting buried argument is very relative IMO. It all depends on your niche. I spoke about this image of mine before. It still isnt buried after 6 months because its the only shot of that building they have. But I submitted a photo of a church once and it was buried to page 9 within 24 hours (mostly by spam). If you shoot lifestyle or food you have a lot of competition and get buried fast. If you shoot diamond cutting, you have nothing to worry about.

At some point I was aiming for weekend reviews because I noticed rejections were much less on weekends. But you can only do that when you know the review time is between 24-48 hours. Once the review time was 2-3 weeks and you couldnt plan much on that. I liked to get my image online just around Sunday evening Monday morning but I never noticed a significant advantage.

Basically, there are too many factors, as always, to rely on someone else's strategy for best results. You need to find the best results based on your own portfolio and experience. Keep tweaking your process and you will get the best results for you.

Uncle Pete · « **Reply #16 on:** February 21, 2015, 10:51 »

I used to think this was one of the Microstock Myths. "Avoid Weekend Reviews they are random and seem to be full of rogue reviewers"

Until I had two recent weekends where I uploaded on Friday and they got reviewed on Sunday and had the strange, alternating rejections. One would be "overused of sharpening" the next, "soft at full size", then back to the first, Etc.

These were all shot in the same sequence, same settings, same day, same camera, same editing process. And PS I almost never sharpen anything, except if it's some lettering or tiny part of a design that I want to bring up. Never a whole image!

So I'm a believer now and I won't every upload on Friday again. The images sit for two days and get rejected on Sunday. Weekdays the same type and images, pass 100% (except when I screw up and do send one that's bad. I accept those rejections as advise, and the photos hit the trash)

If there are really 1000 reviewers and probably a turnover. And they are required to work some weekends (as the job application says) What we appear to have is people who work more on weekends, and the regular reviewers might be staff in NY who work mostly weekdays.

It's too bad that there's no way for us to send a message to whoever monitors the reviewers, when these random rejections come though in a suspicious batch, or when the rogue reviewer is apparently just making some quick money blasting a batch.

These reviewers cause double the work for us and cost the company money as the same images must be sent through a second time, with editing or with a note from above.

I don't mind an honest rejection. Even when it's a close call or some nit picking. But I find it terrible that many of us are finding these batch rejections, with inconsistent reasons and sometimes apparently random technical issues.

Who reviews the reviewers?

Quote from: Beppe Grillo on February 20, 2015, 09:25

From my point of view there are no better days.
But personally I avoid to upload Friday, Saturday and Sunday as weekend inspectors seem to prefer to drink beer and smoke weed with their friends than to do their job correctly… (I mean that you have more chance to get an inconsistent rejection during the weekend than during the week)

ruxpriencdiam · « **Reply #17 on:** February 21, 2015, 11:11 »

On a recent Shuttertalk live they said they have 200 reviewers.

Quote from: Uncle Pete on February 21, 2015, 10:51

I used to think this was one of the Microstock Myths. "Avoid Weekend Reviews they are random and seem to be full of rogue reviewers"

Until I had two recent weekends where I uploaded on Friday and they got reviewed on Sunday and had the strange, alternating rejections. One would be "overused of sharpening" the next, "soft at full size", then back to the first, Etc.

These were all shot in the same sequence, same settings, same day, same camera, same editing process. And PS I almost never sharpen anything, except if it's some lettering or tiny part of a design that I want to bring up. Never a whole image!

So I'm a believer now and I won't every upload on Friday again. The images sit for two days and get rejected on Sunday. Weekdays the same type and images, pass 100% (except when I screw up and do send one that's bad. I accept those rejections as advise, and the photos hit the trash)

If there are really 1000 reviewers and probably a turnover. And they are required to work some weekends (as the job application says) What we appear to have is people who work more on weekends, and the regular reviewers might be staff in NY who work mostly weekdays.

It's too bad that there's no way for us to send a message to whoever monitors the reviewers, when these random rejections come though in a suspicious batch, or when the rogue reviewer is apparently just making some quick money blasting a batch.

These reviewers cause double the work for us and cost the company money as the same images must be sent through a second time, with editing or with a note from above.

I don't mind an honest rejection. Even when it's a close call or some nit picking. But I find it terrible that many of us are finding these batch rejections, with inconsistent reasons and sometimes apparently random technical issues.

Who reviews the reviewers?

Quote from: Beppe Grillo on February 20, 2015, 09:25
From my point of view there are no better days.
But personally I avoid to upload Friday, Saturday and Sunday as weekend inspectors seem to prefer to drink beer and smoke weed with their friends than to do their job correctly… (I mean that you have more chance to get an inconsistent rejection during the weekend than during the week)

Uncle Pete · « **Reply #18 on:** February 21, 2015, 11:16 »

Thanks Barry, conflicting information, or faulty memory. I'll believe that it's 200 much easier than the mistaken 1000.

So now we just need to figure out which one it is that works mostly Sundays? $:-\$

Rinderart · « **Reply #19 on:** February 22, 2015, 12:03 »

Reviewers are Nocturnal, They have sleep Issues and or they are folks who prefer working in there pajamas.It's an Incredibly Boring Low Paying Job and they have to get through as many as they can as fast as they can to make it worthwhile sadly to say. I've always said it is one of "THE" most Important Jobs at any site. and should be "Salary/Clocked in Time" Based and not Piece meal.I averaged 30,000 Images a month when I did it. The stuff you see is Mind Blowing at the best of times and turnover is quite high due to Burnout.And I believe the main reasons of inconsistency Issues that, and not being Informed well.

etudiante_rapide · « **Reply #20 on:** February 22, 2015, 12:37 »

Quote from: Uncle Pete on February 21, 2015, 10:51

I used to think this was one of the Microstock Myths. "Avoid Weekend Reviews they are random and seem to be full of rogue reviewers"

Until I had two recent weekends where I uploaded on Friday and they got reviewed on Sunday and had the strange, alternating rejections. One would be "overused of sharpening" the next, "soft at full size", then back to the first, Etc.

These were all shot in the same sequence, same settings, same day, same camera, same editing process. And PS I almost never sharpen anything, except if it's some lettering or tiny part of a design that I want to bring up. Never a whole image!

conflicting rejection reasons

which once again prove myth or not, there is no guideline to reviewers , in ss these days.
sort of reminscent of is during the times when exclusives were given carte blanc to review non exclusive ( cough cough...conflict of interest ).

you see further illusions and mirages too. like after your batch is rejected, the next newly approved shoot is almost identical to the shoot you got rejected. did the reviewer went out to shoot the same idea after rejecting yours??? u tell me, as me??? i am only complaining as always

Uncle Pete · « **Reply #21 on:** February 22, 2015, 21:06 »

Complain all you want and I'll wonder that it might be truthful and accurate.

I didn't say a similar shoot. It was the same day, same camera, same lighting, same lens, same event, standing in the same spot... The only difference was that I sorted the shots by Car Number, not different times. So as they pass, I shot a photo. Yes some are good some are bad, many got rejected before I even started editing.

But since you will understand controlled variables and the one factor that changed from the Weekend uploads to the Weekday uploads, was the date they were reviewed, and day of the week, they were reviewed. AND that I uploaded 30-40 each batch from the same event and like magic, they pass during the week and get strange, seemingly inappropriate rejections on Sundays, pass the next batches during the week. I can only come to one personal conclusion.

Something isn't right, over the weekends. Different staff? Weekday regulars are doing light duty? Some people work more on weekends as a second job? People who work weekends are grumpy because they have to be reviewing seven days a week?

There's something flawed with the system. I don't know why or how, but I'd never believe I'd be the one saying. Weekend reviews are not the same as weekdays. And SS needs to know this is not just some superstitious tale, passed on because of some coincidence.

Quote from: etudiante_rapide on February 22, 2015, 12:37

Quote from: Uncle Pete on February 21, 2015, 10:51
I used to think this was one of the Microstock Myths. "Avoid Weekend Reviews they are random and seem to be full of rogue reviewers"

Until I had two recent weekends where I uploaded on Friday and they got reviewed on Sunday and had the strange, alternating rejections. One would be "overused of sharpening" the next, "soft at full size", then back to the first, Etc.

These were all shot in the same sequence, same settings, same day, same camera, same editing process. And PS I almost never sharpen anything, except if it's some lettering or tiny part of a design that I want to bring up. Never a whole image!

conflicting rejection reasons
which once again prove myth or not, there is no guideline to reviewers , in ss these days.
sort of reminscent of is during the times when exclusives were given carte blanc to review non exclusive ( cough cough...conflict of interest ).

you see further illusions and mirages too. like after your batch is rejected, the next newly approved shoot is almost identical to the shoot you got rejected. did the reviewer went out to shoot the same idea after rejecting yours??? u tell me, as me??? i am only complaining as always

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Author Topic: Best weekday to upload? (Read 8537 times)

Monkeyman

Mantis

ruxpriencdiam

Uncle Pete

Beppe Grillo

skyfish

Red Dove

Rinderart

Nikovsk

Perry

etudiante_rapide

Beppe Grillo

melastmohican

etudiante_rapide

Noedelhap

Semmick Photo

Uncle Pete

ruxpriencdiam

Uncle Pete

Rinderart

etudiante_rapide

Uncle Pete

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