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01.11.2010 

 

On November 17, 2010, Photo Archive News published a highly instructive interview with Kevin Townsend, CEO of Keedup, a keywording company with premises in New Zealand. 

http://www.photoarchivenews.com/interviews.html

I do recommend the close lecture of it. It gives us down to earth information 
about the daily routine in the keywording business and hits the mark, 
in particular because it illustrates the trickiness in first-class keywording.  

To come to the point: Two examples are given us for so-called ’badly’ keyworded images. The paragraph in question reads as follows:  

  “The worst keyworded images are those without any, or those 
   which seem to refer to a completely different image. We’ve had
   trouble digging out really interesting examples, although we did 
   find these great captions which were sent to us by a company 
   whose first language wasn’t English. Meet “the smiling cows”, 
   and “the eggs that cuddled”.   

 

"The smiling cows"   

Is the keywording “bad" ? It depends. 
Yes, the keywording is very bad, 
given that the research technology at
hand does not recognize single words
but only phrases. Then, simply for
technical reasons, the given images
shall be untraceable, unless someone
is to meet the precise wording - which 
is very very very unlikely indeed. 

Yes, the keywording is bad since no additional “descriptors” or “keywords” 
(e.g. “outdoors”, “pasture”, “close-up” respectively “three”, “brown” 
or “white background”) go with them. Its very economical of words.   

Thus the selling of both images, be it the delicate cows or be it the precious eggs won’t prosper at all. There’s no denying, both keywording miss the point. On the one hand.

 

"The eggs that cuddled"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Having said that ...

No, the keywording is not bad, given that the research technology is fit to pinpoint the single word within the phrase. Then the keyword “smiling” and the keyword “cuddled” won’t do any harm due to the fact that the picture buyer is not a bit interested in buying the words attached to the picture but in the picture alone. 

Let them smile. Let them cuddle.  

 

I should like to point out that the following argument is crucial for the understanding of the subtleties of advanced keywording. Given that the research technology is fit to distinguish between phrases and keywords 
you always pinpoint “the cows” and “the eggs”. Hit rate: hundred percent.  

Heads up! Eggs and cows in a nutshell. 

All of a sudden cows and eggs form up in line with the key knowledge of 
Kevin Townsend, which reads as follows:

    “Getting the essence of the image, and what makes it different 
     from other ones, is the key”.   

Let me put it this way: “cows” and “eggs” are essential facts, true “key words” but hidden in a clumsy phrase. The indispensables so to speak.   

But even more: reconsidered as “catch phrases” both samples prove to be highly illuminating. As a matter of fact they are well qualified to captivate
the picture buyer, to arouse interest and to make a point.   

Kevin Townsend himself did not conceal the troubles of digging out really interesting examples of “bad keywording” (see above) and right he was.   

Leaving aside the quality of the simple images themselves - both samples 
provide us with laughable but useful concepts. They could illustrate 
campaigns on “organic farming”, “ethical husbandry” respectively promote "fellowship", “togetherness”, “closeness”, "evolution" or the like. 

We learn: a fitting catch phrase is a trustworthy door opener into greater stories, a magical code word to break into new markets. Open Sesame!   

In this context: don't underrate the magic of humor.

To keyword an image always includes to spot its hidden resources, to concentrate on the relevance, to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Like in cookery I'd like to call this practice "reduction" and that stands for betterment or rather upgrading. 

Since excellent keywording not only covers “archive research” but also “market research” it is bound to increase the market value of pictures. 

Its all about sales.   

Keywording is no bed of roses but tricky labor and thus I consider it
high time for our sleepy eggs and idle cows to look for work.

Nasty Trojan Horses they proved to be.  

Having said this -  lets break an egg to make an omelette.    



                                                             © Bernd Wohlert, Dokfünf Keywording, Dezember 2010