Search system works strange again

+1

Devs, please take a look at this issue, or at least offer some official statement/explanation.

You would think if this is a new search they are working on, it could be tested with fake data first before being brought to the live site. Maybe it is a real tech issue they are just having a problem with, but an official statement would be nice.

When reading trough this thread, it sounds like this search engine and algorhythms need to be developed sometime in the future, but hey….. they already exist out there

Hey guys,

As you’ve all noticed we have changed the search algorithm across the Marketplaces that have changed how some results are weighted when searching. We really want to make it clear from the get go that we don’t make decisions like this blindly or lightly. We considered how the changes would affect the way things work carefully prior to making any changes. And now we’re carefully monitoring those changes in the live environment since they have been deployed and will continue to do so, making changes and iterating on the algorithm based on that data.

So far we’ve been pleased with the results and sales are remaining strong across the board. These changes have also laid the groundwork for faceted search which we’re aiming to push out across the Marketplaces later this year (very exciting!).

To get an idea of what these changes are helping to facilitate and to see an early concept of the type of search platform we’re working towards, take a look at Jason’s post on the forums from last year:

We’re extremely focused on getting this right. As I said before we’re monitoring the data very carefully. We can’t make changes to the search algorithm daily though as we need a solid set of data over time to get an indication of the effect that the changes had, prior to making a decision as to whether or not it was successful. If we found that the changes had resulted in poorer outcomes then we would assess that and rollback/tweak as required. So again, we’re committed to getting this right.

I want to assure you that we do monitor these threads and we are very carefully monitoring the data. Everything is and will continue to be well-considered and data-driven. Overall we’re trying to make a fair system from an author perspective while delivering the new UI for end-users (faceted search) in the future which we’re aiming for late year.

Again, you should check out this post: http://themeforest.net/forums/thread/search-box-suggestion/52964?page=1#485341 to see an early concept of where we’re headed for search!

The poor outcome is going to be every author naming their track with 1 – 2 generic keywords in order to appear high in results. Sometimes songs don’t even appear in results because they don’t have the keyword in the title but do have the keyword in the description and or tags. The title of the song should hold nearly 0 weight in the search algorithm. Tags and description along with sales ratio should ideally have the highest weight.

I believe almost everyone here is strongly against this change so please please consider our opinions on this! The only real data you should need is the opinions of the buyers and authors.

Hello Jordan

While we all sure appreciate your hard work and aim to create a great new search engine, there is definetely some things to think about when reading trough this thread.

You said, the overall sales did not decrease. Sure not in a short period of time, because buyers will still buy from AJ if they need music. Probably they stick with their subscribed authors or checking out the top selling items page and top authors list.

You also said, you are monitoring all the data and the whole change will bring some great benefits. This sounds to me like my boss would tell me: ” We will pay you less for your job for the next few months, because we have implemented some new workflow which will bring some benefits for our company.”

You have to understand that the authors here which have a more or less steady income are relying on this money (some more, some less). So, it is a real problem if the sales drop drasticaly because of a system change. Even if it’s probably fair for new authors on AJ, it’s hard for the established aufhors to be happy with that.

If you say: “we are working towards some brand new search engine which will be implemented late this year.” This sounds not very promising, that sales will be “back to normal” anytime soon. Maybe one or another author will think about, how to compensate the loss of income on AJ.

Please do understand, the we are not unthankful for your hard work and developements, but if it results in drop of sales for so many loyal authors, there will be some unbappy people out there posting their thoughts about this situation.

I’m very disappointed, and I can say with confidence that this innovation will change my attitude towards AJ, as a priority market, where I work exclusively ..

Last week – no sales. Interesting, its becouse search engine working another?

And another question. What I have to focus on, when create new file? On title (its the main criteria for now), on description (is description take part in search results?) or on tags (its working only when I click tag in some item, but not when I search via “Start searching…” in the header of site)?

Hey, Jordan, thanks for the reply (finally! )

Jordan_M said
Again, you should check out this post: http://themeforest.net/forums/thread/search-box-suggestion/52964?page=1#485341 to see an early concept of where we’re headed for search!

This early concept definitely looks promising, as it suggests that it DOES include tags and descriptions in search. But it’s early concept, so tell us: is it really going to work like that, or is it just a mock-up?

I mean, choosing tags for me takes a lot of time, sometimes even as much as the time to prepare a sound effect. I took it seriously and I always take my time to choose the appropriate tags that will help buyers find what they need (which means I never tried to cheat with tags and keywords), and help me bring more exposure to my item. And now all of the hard work is just pointles…

Also, “later this year” can also mean in December… Or at least in 6 months… I don’t like the idea of dropping sales for 6 months or more because of the search-experiment. Like it’s not hard enough already to earn some money with sound effects in the Jungle.

Of course, I have to point out that I’m not unthankful for what you’re doing. I’m sure you do monitor everything as you said and I appreciate the hard work, but drastic transitional moves like this shouldn’t last for that long (until “late this year”).