DT's new search

michaelmill · #1 (**permalink**) 05-16-2007, 12:15 AM

I haven't been active here in a while so I stopped in to see what everybody had to say about DT's new search. I was surprised to not find a single thread about it.
My first impression was that it would be a great improvement but I'm beginning to think it is going to hurt the little guys like myself. Since it's introduction my sales at DT have slowed way down. Still too early to tell, may just be a coincidence but sales seem to be chugging along as normal at the other sites. Hope I'm wrong because DT has been my best seller thus far.

Karimala · #2 (**permalink**) 05-16-2007, 01:29 AM

I just posted this on another forum about five minutes ago. It was to a guy complaining about the fairness of the new search:

Quote:

I'm actually quite impressed with the search. Just did one on "chicken sandwich." I use those terms because I have a variety of images using those two keywords and can accurately judge their placement.

All of my chicken sandwich photos showed up on pages one and two. Then, all of my photos of a grilled cheese sandwich with chicken noodle soup showed up around page five, just as they should. And then my last photo, a restaurant neon sign that says "Wings, Subs, Burgers, Deli Sandwiches," very appropriately shows up as the very last photo on page seven. That's exactly how I had hoped they would appear.

My earnings this month are back on par with my BME in March after losing two percentage points in April.

Honestly, it's too early to tell whether it will work or not, and just like IS, I'm sure DT isn't finished tweaking it yet. Sales will probably be bouncing around for a while, plus we're heading into the summer months when downward trends tend to happen.

ajn · #3 (**permalink**) 05-18-2007, 04:18 PM

It may be a coincidence, but my sales are way down on DT compared with last week.

I believe most sites are giving more exposure to their top contributors (that are selling for around 3 years now and were already the top sellers also). Being almost 2 years behind makes it hard to keep up.

It's going to be harder and harder for newcomers to get good results, unless they already have a significant portfolio at start.

Those who sold more will sell even more, those who were building a portfolio from scratch will have a hard time.

I really hope I'm wrong!

sharpshot · #4 (**permalink**) 05-18-2007, 04:27 PM

I was thinking the opposite, that the new search helps newer contributors. My sales with DT have increased recently. I have uploaded lots the past two weeks. Still not as good as I want but it is nice to see an improvement. My sales halved when istock changed their best match search in March.

mattb · #5 (**permalink**) 05-18-2007, 05:44 PM

My downloads seem to be about the same. I have noticed the downloads of my two referrals have really taken a downturn for the worst.

scamp · #6 (**permalink**) 05-18-2007, 11:23 PM

I'm loving the new search on DT. Not am I only selling more, I'm selling old ones that haven't sold much in a while there.

CJPHoto · #7 (**permalink**) 05-22-2007, 03:17 PM

My sales are up slightly but the $/DL is a low lower. Subsriptions sales must be on the increase.