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Author Topic: SS Search Surprise!  (Read 15606 times)

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Uncle Pete

  • Great Place by a Great Lake - My Home Port
« on: November 10, 2018, 12:07 »
+3
Search changed in ten minutes, then changed back again. Look at the time of the screen captures. If anyone is looking at any moment, and sees the "Most Relevant" wait... it's going to change. So if anyone here is going to base anything on page placement or what's King Of The Hill for any search, guess what? It changes over and over, nothing is the same. Although I will say, after 20 minutes the search did return to the first capture.

Amazing?




Phadrea

    This user is banned.
« Reply #1 on: November 10, 2018, 12:26 »
+2
Its crap. In my image manager if I choose to display my images in order of sales it still gives me my most recent. Useless garbage of a system.

Uncle Pete

  • Great Place by a Great Lake - My Home Port
« Reply #2 on: November 10, 2018, 12:44 »
+2
Its crap. In my image manager if I choose to display my images in order of sales it still gives me my most recent. Useless garbage of a system.

Sorry that's not the point.

Not about the top performers page, https://submit.shutterstock.com/earnings/top-performers?language=en - which shows by total earnings unless you are the only person in the world who gets them by date upload order? If you mean Catalog Manager, three choices in the drop down box, Best Match, Oldest, Newest. Nothing to do with sales. So tell me where are you looking for "image manager" in order of sales? I'd like to look at that page? Have a link please? I can't see anything that's image manager.

Now back to the search, 549,757 Sliced tomato stock photos just changed back to the bottom search again.  :)

The search changes between two different "Most Relevant" that's strange.

« Reply #3 on: November 10, 2018, 14:29 »
+2
Do you still don't believe in capping system? In reality, they just regulate which and how much of your files the buyers will see. #fact

« Reply #4 on: November 10, 2018, 17:30 »
+5
Its crap. In my image manager if I choose to display my images in order of sales it still gives me my most recent. Useless garbage of a system.

Sorry that's not the point.

Not about the top performers page, https://submit.shutterstock.com/earnings/top-performers?language=en - which shows by total earnings unless you are the only person in the world who gets them by date upload order? If you mean Catalog Manager, three choices in the drop down box, Best Match, Oldest, Newest. Nothing to do with sales. So tell me where are you looking for "image manager" in order of sales? I'd like to look at that page? Have a link please? I can't see anything that's image manager.

Now back to the search, 549,757 Sliced tomato stock photos just changed back to the bottom search again.  :)

The search changes between two different "Most Relevant" that's strange.
With all the different caps applied to different individuals by day, week and month along with the minimum income level that some have set for then clearly the search results will change minute by minute to meet all those competing targets....rather than the one about maximising income. Quite an achievement for an IT team that seem to struggle to actually keep the site stable.

« Reply #5 on: November 10, 2018, 19:19 »
+2
In their defense, they probably aren't the same bunch of people, the ones doing the database magic and the others working on frontend and functionality.

derek

    This user is banned.
« Reply #6 on: November 11, 2018, 02:43 »
0
Its crap. In my image manager if I choose to display my images in order of sales it still gives me my most recent. Useless garbage of a system.

Sorry that's not the point.

Not about the top performers page, https://submit.shutterstock.com/earnings/top-performers?language=en - which shows by total earnings unless you are the only person in the world who gets them by date upload order? If you mean Catalog Manager, three choices in the drop down box, Best Match, Oldest, Newest. Nothing to do with sales. So tell me where are you looking for "image manager" in order of sales? I'd like to look at that page? Have a link please? I can't see anything that's image manager.

Now back to the search, 549,757 Sliced tomato stock photos just changed back to the bottom search again.  :)

The search changes between two different "Most Relevant" that's strange.
With all the different caps applied to different individuals by day, week and month along with the minimum income level that some have set for then clearly the search results will change minute by minute to meet all those competing targets....rather than the one about maximising income. Quite an achievement for an IT team that seem to struggle to actually keep the site stable.

Hahaha!  is that what you think??  as quick as a flick of a switch!  thats what it takes according to Tech firm who used to be with another agency and spilled the beans!...wakey, wakey Paws this is 2018!

« Reply #7 on: November 11, 2018, 03:18 »
0
In their defense, they probably aren't the same bunch of people, the ones doing the database magic and the others working on frontend and functionality.
Being fair to SS a novel idea ;-).

« Reply #8 on: November 11, 2018, 06:46 »
0
the results change anytime, and it has sense in the theory of a monthly or weekly cap for anyone: if one has sold too much in that period of time, his pictures will go down.

I notice a cap only for pictures, not video, I'm earning the same amount of money (for pictures) every month for 1 year and a half, with a slight difference of 10% ... uploading 300/400 new pics every month constantly.

I wonder what will happen if I stop to upload for some months, but I'm afraid to test :)




Uncle Pete

  • Great Place by a Great Lake - My Home Port
« Reply #9 on: November 11, 2018, 08:41 »
+3
Apparently the cap has the tin foil patrol missing the point. What's new. The search results changed, and change back. There are at least two, alternating Most Relevant pages for this search. Remember the A-B testing? Somewhere someone at SS is saying, lets test this page, against that page, they are testing the algorithm to see which one gets the most downloads, A (lets say the top one) or B, the second one.

Nothing to do with capping, regulated income, limited downloads, blackouts, hiding our work from buyers, or any of that imaginary conspiracy theories. Just that there are at least two versions of Most Relevant and different images, get moved up or down the page.

ps None of these are mine, but I'm running out to the store after football, because if there are 550K sliced tomato images, it must be a best seller. I need to get into that market.  ;)

Here's today, see the change again? Hey look and illustration jumped in there too. Everyone talks about the changes, there are many more now, unlike the past where a page stayed the same for a month or more.



« Reply #10 on: November 11, 2018, 19:38 »
0
try to do some more test changing the IP of Chrome with this app:
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/touch-vpn/bihmplhobchoageeokmgbdihknkjbknd

and deleting the cookies before.

SS could show different results in different countries

I see little different results from Italy for "sliced tomatoes"



« Reply #11 on: November 11, 2018, 21:41 »
+1
Do you still don't believe in capping system? In reality, they just regulate which and how much of your files the buyers will see. #fact

"Capping" contributors' revenue and "regulating" what buyers see are two totally different concepts.

One is false the other one is true.

farbled

« Reply #12 on: November 11, 2018, 21:54 »
+6
Why are you guys so upset that some contributors have different results than you do that makes them think there is something affecting their sales other than randomness?

Sheesh. Between the name calling and the other attacks all over the forums, small wonder discussions are generally limited to the usual suspects.



« Reply #13 on: November 11, 2018, 23:55 »
+2
Why are you guys so upset that some contributors have different results than you do that makes them think there is something affecting their sales other than randomness?

Sheesh. Between the name calling and the other attacks all over the forums, small wonder discussions are generally limited to the usual suspects.

Because, I'm sure you know it, there are many other valid reasons for poor sales performance, instead of conspiracies.

Sheesh!

« Reply #14 on: November 12, 2018, 00:34 »
+1
Do you still don't believe in capping system? In reality, they just regulate which and how much of your files the buyers will see. #fact

#fakenews

« Reply #15 on: November 12, 2018, 02:38 »
0
Do you still don't believe in capping system? In reality, they just regulate which and how much of your files the buyers will see. #fact

#fakenews
When someone says fact on the internet 95% of the time it isn't. Its an opinion  ::)

derek

    This user is banned.
« Reply #16 on: November 12, 2018, 02:47 »
0
Zero Talent!!  EXACTLY!!! spot on!...this is what we have been trying to tell people for years!  What WE SEE are totally different from the search that the buyers will see. A registered buyer will perhaps find your picture in question on page 15 where as we will see that same picture on page 2......this is to let us think we are high up in the search!

basically and again the searches are BS and for us of no use at all!


« Reply #17 on: November 12, 2018, 02:58 »
+1
Zero Talent!!  EXACTLY!!! spot on!...this is what we have been trying to tell people for years!  What WE SEE are totally different from the search that the buyers will see. A registered buyer will perhaps find your picture in question on page 15 where as we will see that same picture on page 2......this is to let us think we are high up in the search!

basically and again the searches are BS and for us of no use at all!
Are you being ironic?

derek

    This user is banned.
« Reply #18 on: November 12, 2018, 03:47 »
0
Zero Talent!!  EXACTLY!!! spot on!...this is what we have been trying to tell people for years!  What WE SEE are totally different from the search that the buyers will see. A registered buyer will perhaps find your picture in question on page 15 where as we will see that same picture on page 2......this is to let us think we are high up in the search!

basically and again the searches are BS and for us of no use at all!
Are you being ironic?

Good morning Paws!  lovely morning, sun and blue sky!  what a day for a search! :D

« Reply #19 on: November 12, 2018, 04:04 »
+3
Zero Talent!!  EXACTLY!!! spot on!...this is what we have been trying to tell people for years!  What WE SEE are totally different from the search that the buyers will see. A registered buyer will perhaps find your picture in question on page 15 where as we will see that same picture on page 2......this is to let us think we are high up in the search!

basically and again the searches are BS and for us of no use at all!
Are you being ironic?



Good morning Paws!  lovely morning, sun and blue sky!  what a day for a search! :D
I'm avoiding keywording as usual by engaging in pointless discussion. If its a nice day I might go out and shoot some random crap for SS they like that ;-).

derek

    This user is banned.
« Reply #20 on: November 12, 2018, 05:42 »
0
Zero Talent!!  EXACTLY!!! spot on!...this is what we have been trying to tell people for years!  What WE SEE are totally different from the search that the buyers will see. A registered buyer will perhaps find your picture in question on page 15 where as we will see that same picture on page 2......this is to let us think we are high up in the search!

basically and again the searches are BS and for us of no use at all!
Are you being ironic?



Good morning Paws!  lovely morning, sun and blue sky!  what a day for a search! :D
I'm avoiding keywording as usual by engaging in pointless discussion. If its a nice day I might go out and shoot some random crap for SS they like that ;-).

on that score you are absolutely right!  " random crap" good expression!

farbled

« Reply #21 on: November 12, 2018, 09:08 »
+2
Why are you guys so upset that some contributors have different results than you do that makes them think there is something affecting their sales other than randomness?

Sheesh. Between the name calling and the other attacks all over the forums, small wonder discussions are generally limited to the usual suspects.

Because, I'm sure you know it, there are many other valid reasons for poor sales performance, instead of conspiracies.

Sheesh!

Who said anything about poor performance? I didn't. I am just tired of seeing something different than some of you and being labeled as either stupid or a liar. That's what is being inferred. But hey, I guess if it doesn't happen to you specifically, then it must not exist.

And I agree, argued to death, but I should point out that there are a lot of posters who bring it up in a lot of threads derisively. So again, why is this such a problem for some of you? The vehement overreaction but some is worrisome.

« Reply #22 on: November 12, 2018, 09:22 »
+1
There are at least two different servers used to record earnings and if they get out of sync then the sales tally changes as we view it. We've seen that in practice in the past. So it's quite possible that there are different servers producing the tomato "best match" and they aren't in sync, particularly if there has been a recent change. Which one you hit when you make a search would probably be quite random.
My point is that there could be a lot of factors we don't know about, which makes obsessing about one interpretation/conspiracy theory or another quite pointless.

« Reply #23 on: November 12, 2018, 09:25 »
0
Just a thought, maybe they've changed the algorythm and it now works a bit like Alamy, based on views (in search results), clicks (zoomed view of the image) and sales. The more views, clicks and sales, the more it goes up in ranking, but if you've got lots of views and no clicks or sales, then you go down in ranking, so photos in the first results are actually the ones that buyers want.   ::)

Uncle Pete

  • Great Place by a Great Lake - My Home Port
« Reply #24 on: November 12, 2018, 10:17 »
0
Just a thought, maybe they've changed the algorythm and it now works a bit like Alamy, based on views (in search results), clicks (zoomed view of the image) and sales. The more views, clicks and sales, the more it goes up in ranking, but if you've got lots of views and no clicks or sales, then you go down in ranking, so photos in the first results are actually the ones that buyers want.   ::)

I'll try to explain my point better, again?  :)

The search is always changing, daily if not every ten minutes, cycling. I'm not saying anything about sales, capping, restrictions, regulating, hiding or any manipulation. This is about the search.

Here's what I've seen in the past days: If you don't like the search, wait a few minutes, it will change.



I am a registered buyer, no I didn't clear the cookies. But I get different results in minutes and then hours and then the next day. What seems to be going on now is, presenting an every changing selection of images, mixed in with some total crap. Almost like (oops conjecture) they are making the better images interwoven with plain boring junk, to make the better ones IMHO stand out.

Whatever it is, the search is constantly changing, so next time someone says, they changed the search, my sales are down, please remember, the search is constantly changing for all of us, all the time.

My test search for a specific keyword, I'm still four of the top ten on the first page, as they have been since about 2010. Another subject - page one, I'm the first 43 results. Another subject, two pages, no one but me... hmm, I need more of those?  8) Yes I get downloads, no I'm not going to retire, these are common subjects, but they don't have mass demand.

When I look tomorrow, the images will be in a different order.

What did I say? The search is constantly changing for all of us, all the time. The days of, "they changed the search, my sales are down", should be recognized as, the search is never the same anymore.

That's all, this is about the search and some obvious observations. I don't know how it effects your sales or mine, just that it's happening.


 

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