I'd be interested in anyone from the MicroStock companies, or someone else in the know giving me a little insight regarding categories.

As an end user at an agency, I always used key words to search. So I wasn't really using the categories.

As a photographer, I find populating the categories to be the most time consuming part of most uploads. Plus, since the MicroStock agencies each have their own system, it's fairly time coinsuming just to figure out what fits.

Here's my question: What function do the categories serve...and is there any reason not to consider getting rid of them? I know some of the MicroStocks don't use them (Lucky Oliver, for example).

I don't find any real disadvantage for the clients searching without categories as long as the key words are there.

Just wondered...

Cheers,

Scott

No one official chimed in so let me give my thoughts....


1. Search engines - Search engines don't really know how to type in a search phrase, so they use the categories to get the robots to "find" they image details pages and index the image. Most website have 10-100 pages. An agency with a million images and thousands of search pages can really bring in the traffic here. (Part of the reason for our image categories page on ImageTrail).

2. The unknown need - I do a lot of design work as well and sometime just browse through images along a certain theme because I don't know what I need. I need something having to with with "construction" for example, but some of the best images are "perfectly related" and won't put construction in their keywords.

I am sure there are other reason, one of which might be to purposely slow down the submission process to make you move selective (If its hard, you might only go through it with the ones you know are good, rather than all of you semi-good images).

Hope this helps

Thanks Mwookie...

I've suspected pretty much what you suggest. Although I wasn't thinking so much about the bots and spiders. That makes sense to me.

I'm actually quite intrigued by how the prime sites manage the whole procees of submissions to sort of slow things down a bit, whereas other sites are making it pretty simple to bring them all on.

In that vein, though a bit off topic, I'm not hearing from anyone in recent memory who made it onto ShutterStock without submitting at least three times. Which makes me wonder if they aren't actually slowing down the whole demo process with an edict to not accept anyone (regardless of their stuff) the first time through. Plus letting some photogs who won't try, try again" fade into the night.

Yes...I am a bit OCD. I do sit up late at night thinking about these kinds of things when reasonable people are sleeping.

Thanks for your insights. they are appreciated.

Scott/creatista