View count decline

[© Tom Cooper]

I have heard a number of people report a steady decline in views on their accounts.  So I decided to do some checking.  Starting back in May, I captured a number of stat values as close to the 15th of the month as was practical.  What I have here is the date and the views per photo for the prior 30 days for my primary account.  Looks like a rather alarming drop to me.

 

Date             View per photo (30 days)

05/15/2013   55.7
06/12/2013   52.9
07/15/2013   44.4
08/15/2013   48.6
09/16/2013   45.2
10/15/2013   39.3

 

Tom

[♠ c0l0gne1 ♣]

Your numbers show the tendency very clearly.
I felt the drop in GE views to be the most significant. Some photos seem to have had no views at all for quite a time, just a few are doing well.
My Panoramio views have also dropped and I suspect they will drop even more once the "classic" Panoramio isn't available any more.
Viewing a gallery in the "new" Panoramio is a pain in the xxx. With a slow internet connection ar a slow PC the slide show gets stuck after a while, clicking from photo to photo on the user pages is extremely cumbersome due to the missing arrows and all that scrolling to see the whole photo or the comments is no joy either.
I suppose everyone not playing the "I like yours, you like mine"-game is going to have to live with declining viewcounts.

[sixten_imgs]

Maybe the quality of views has been better after the new Panoramio was launched? I ain't joking...

It may be possible that especially the portrait size photos are now opened more and more only if the subject and/or quality seems really interesting, worth the comments or the like/fav selections.

Earlier in the "classic" version there was more need to open the thumbnails bigger just to see what there was in the photos.

So it is possible that with the new user interface there is less empty click, click, click "viewing". 

Moreover the Panoramio is not plugged off from the rest of the world. 

Times change. There may be changes in the popularity of the other services, in the devices people use for viewing the photos and countless other things that have their own influence on how the Panoramio is used.

[© Tom Cooper]

This remided me of a possibility that had crossed my mind some time in the past.

 

Is the latest version of Google Earth install shipped with the Panoramio layer turned off by default?  I know it's easy to turn on, but a surprising number of people never do things that are easy to do.

 

Adam, are you reading this?  The popularity of Panoramio might be boosted just by making sure the Panoramio layer is on by default.

 

Tom Cooper

[Galatas ©]

Of course it's impossible to exclude outside influences but personally I'm convinced that I experienced a noticable drop in my views when the "clustering" of photos was introduced and again recently , immediately following the launch of the new Panoramio interface.  Views don't bring me any financial reward just a degree of satisfaction that my uploading hasn't been in vain , so I dislike it when changes affect views.

[Wim Constant]

As for me, I have a big screen, 26.5", 1920 x 1200. Page zoom for Panoramio is set to 150%. "Thumbnails" (well, you can't call them thumbnails anymore now) are often large enough.

The Google Earth views are less, in my opinion, because the number of pictures on GE increases. The total number of views will remain about the same, only it is distributed over more photos, so less views per photo.

Op woensdag 23 oktober 2013 19:52:46 UTC+2 schreef sixten_imgs:

[muba]

I too have noticed a decline in views per day or per picture. The drop has been about 30% since the summer, but the was a slight drop since last winter. This is despite of me posting more pictures,I also agree that haveing my pictures viewed shows that it is not in vain. I did wonder if the way views were counted had changed.

[Hans Sterkendries]

I'm reviving this tread because I did a bit of research myself.

I'm not an avid statistics lover that checks his stats every day but I have noticed the same -30% drop: from about 1,000,000 views per month to 720,000 now.

In the Dutch board was a discussion about the "Recently viewed pictures" that caught my attention. I've got the impression that pictures that are viewed through the Slideshow are no longer showing up in this list. I did some experiments with two browsers and even with two computers. A normal view (individual picture page) will immediatly show up in the list of "Recently viewed pictures" but scrolling in the slideshow will not. The same goes for other people's galleries by the way.

I guess it's a way of preventing people to boost their own stats by letting the slideshow run in the background but it might explain the 30% drop.

[sixten_imgs]

That's interesting. And good if it is true.

No one can honestly say "Hooray, it was another view again! 5000th! Now to the Forum!" if the person who started the slideshow is having coffee in the kitchen and the computer is opening the photos in the other room. All alone.

One additional reason, probably a lot more rare, for the statistics crash:

As far as I know in the Opera browser the new design has not shown the Panoramio world map, its photos and the recent or the most popular photos in two months now.

So, no extra views through the map features for anyone from the Opera users any more...

If I remember right this kind of things were often corrected pretty quickly in the old Panoramio world. Or at least there was some kind of reaction from the team.

Today: a total silence.

[Hans Sterkendries]

I like the fact that it's hard(er) for cheaters to cheat  and that the "false positives" no longer count but I'm also sure a lot of people use the slideshow e.g. to look at a series of newly upload pictures. A series of 25 viewed actually pictures is now counted as 1 (the picture where the slideshow was launched)...

[© Tom Cooper]

Just adding the latest Month's decline:

 

Date            View per photo (30 days)

05/15/2013  55.7
06/12/2013  52.9
07/15/2013  44.4
08/15/2013  48.6
09/16/2013  45.2
10/15/2013  39.3

11/15/2013  35.8

[Evan Rapoport]

Hi everyone,

I'm the Product Manager for Panoramio, so I'm as passionate as you are to make sure your beautiful photos get seen by as many people as possible. I want you to know that I've been been investigating your concerns about decreases in photo views. As with many complex systems, it's sometimes tough to really tease out causation versus correlation. I can't provide too many details, but I at least wanted to let you know that we hear you and we're doing our best to figure this out.

Cheers,
Evan

[MIKA D]

I haven't posted in a long time because the last time I did there was a question about views which I answered.  At that time my views were doing very well considering that I am not a professional photographer. I was happy with the views and it did give me a boost to realize that my work was appreciated by many viewers (some of the comments were from photographers that are very exceptional).  I am sure most of us get that type of comment from time to time... Anyway, no sooner had I mentioned a number of my monthly views when the whole view count went down (way down)... I decided that maybe I had offended someone so enough of commenting. 

 

Now, on the recent decline I have noticed that it is right about the time when Panoramio is making this switch from the old view page to the new stylish one.  It seems to me that it is harder for a person to get the sense of seeing a slideshow (that would then make more views for any photographers work).. Why doesn't Panoramio want to give the photographer the best and easiest connection with the slideshow on every photographers page?  What is Panoramio without the photographers... It is a webpage.  The photographers are the talent... Not Google Earth, Google Maps, API, or Panoramio... They are a forum that benefits from the generosity of peoples from all over the world (Photographers, Artists, and amatuers).  These people have given generously to Pano and Google Earth and really what are they getting back.. Views.... Couldn't this whole forum be made into a ORDER page so that if any viewer would like to he/she could order a print.  Then the photographer, artist, amatuer would be rewarded for his/her efforts.. Pano, GE, GM would get their share for the forum...  The members would get their share for their sold image... Makes more sense to me...

 

This way Pano/GE/GM would be driven to have more views for everyone..

 

For the moment... An easy to use single button on top of the users page that requires ONE click to start the slideshow:

 

 "User _______ Slideshow".

 

Thanks,

 

MIKA

[© Tom Cooper]

One of the thoughts I had about this is that GE may be delivered with the Panoramio layer off by default.  At least one version had it on by default.  As simple as it is to turn on, I know there are people that never will.

Tom

On Tuesday, November 19, 2013 4:55:55 PM UTC-6, Evan Rapoport wrote:

Hi everyone,

I'm the Product Manager for Panoramio, so I'm as passionate as you are to make sure your beautiful photos get seen by as many people as possible. I want you to know that I've been been investigating your concerns about decreases in photo views. As with many complex systems, it's sometimes tough to really tease out causation versus correlation. I can't provide too many details, but I at least wanted to let you know that we hear you and we're doing our best to figure this out.

Cheers,
Evan

On Friday, November 15, 2013 10:40:51 AM UTC-8, © Tom Cooper wrote:

[RoarX]

On Wednesday, November 20, 2013 4:35:58 AM UTC+1, © Tom Cooper wrote:

One of the thoughts I had about this is that GE may be delivered with the Panoramio layer off by default.  At least one version had it on by default.  As simple as it is to turn on, I know there are people that never will.

Tom
I think it's on by default in GE, and have been so for years. Or perhaps, it's off in the latest version. GM have never had the layer on by default. I've talked to people who had no idea it was possible to view "ground" photos in GM. Many people are not curious enough, so they don't click on any menu buttons, missing out on a lot of stuff.

[© Tom Cooper]

Roar,

 

We used to get complaints from time to time about the blue squares covering up the globe in GE.  The complaints generally came from people who did not know they could turn them off.  We no longer get those complaints, so I don't think it is on by default any more.

 

Tom

[hvbemmel]

In GE app´s on mobile devices the photos are shown as in new GM, we all know what that means.

[© Tom Cooper]

Update with two more months of decline.  This marks 6 of the last 7 months of decline in the total views per month.  Since I started remprting this, my views have declined by 42%:

 

Date            Views per photo (30 days)

05/15/2013   55.7
06/12/2013   52.9
07/15/2013   44.4
08/15/2013   48.6
09/16/2013   45.2
10/15/2013   39.3

11/15/2013   35.8

12/17/2013   32.3

 

Tom C.

On Wednesday, October 23, 2013 9:12:23 AM UTC-5, © Tom Cooper wrote:

[Adam Elmquist]

I'm noticing a trend with some of my groups, some members within my groups have left saying that they are posting more to other sites.  I had a handful of people message me saying the new design is hard to understand "things like the blue camera for uploading no words caught a lot people off guard" doesn't look well they left my group(s).  Another factor people are not uploading to Panoramio as much these days its harder on mobile devices, most Apple iOS devices even OSX have direct uploading methods builtin out of box Like iPhoto buttons that goto FaceBook, Flickr, and iCloud, nothing really for Google...

[Erhard Bernstein]

I think we are experiencing a significant drop in uploads as well as maybe views, I have opend another thread concerning the uploads:
http://www.panoramio.com/forum/view/panoramio-group-__root__?place=msg%2Fpanoramio-misc%2FnxLp476D3P0%2FfsyJL3WosRUJ

[Adam Elmquist]

Here is the correct link to your discussion:  https://groups.google.com/d/msg/panoramio-misc/nxLp476D3P0/fsyJL3WosRUJ

[Lady GooGoo La La]

Wouldnt a drill down of the stats be more informative, relative to punkin pie. GE, GM, and API stats are independent of the great punkin, if overall drop in views not the punkin fault, if only Pano views maybe great punkin to blame.

Hans Sterkendries  said

I'm not an avid statistics lover that checks his stats every day but I have noticed the same -30% drop: from about 1,000,000 views per month to 720,000 now. 

A normal view (individual picture page) will immediatly show up in the list of "Recently viewed pictures" but scrolling in the slideshow will not. The same goes for other people's galleries by the way.

I guess it's a way of preventing people to boost their own stats by letting the slideshow run in the background but it might explain the 30% drop.

So does this explain your 30% drop?

Lady GooGoo LaLa

[© Tom Cooper]

While more detail is always helpful, my intent was to show a long-term trend.  This started long before Pumpkin Pie or Acrylic.

Austin

[Draken]

Tom

You are running the risk of being called "Team lover" or, even worse, "moderator lover" with your long-term opinion.  ;–) 

Remember the forum has become  "believers against pagans" of late. 

[© Tom Cooper]

Well, that would require demonstrating that the long-term trend is a good one.  With only one "up" month in the last seven months, all I'm doing is bringing more bad news.

 

Tom

[Tomros]

40% sounds about right for me too! but in reality it is more than 60%, because the number of my photos increased since the big disaster!

I used to have about 20000 views/month, now it is about 11 -12,000. GE views seemed to drop even more than Pano views. API views are steady, but who cares.

 

I think another reason for the decline my be that recently photos are not shown on the map in you search for city or place. 

On Tuesday, December 17, 2013 12:39:09 PM UTC-5, © Tom Cooper wrote:

Update with two more months of decline.  This marks 6 of the last 7 months of decline in the total views per month.  Since I started remprting this, my views have declined by 42%:

 

Date            Views per photo (30 days)

05/15/2013   55.7
06/12/2013   52.9
07/15/2013   44.4
08/15/2013   48.6
09/16/2013   45.2
10/15/2013   39.3

11/15/2013   35.8

12/17/2013   32.3

 

Tom C.

[Charles Milton (Mika DePagio)]

No longer counts on slideshows might have something to do with it...  you think?  Also, no more slideshows in groups.. think that may affect this?  no more group slideshows seems idiotic to me... what are the groups for then and without the slideshow one has to click hundreds or thousands of times.. ludicrous...  come on Pano... come on!

On Tuesday, November 19, 2013 2:55:55 PM UTC-8, Evan Rapoport wrote:

Hi everyone,

I'm the Product Manager for Panoramio, so I'm as passionate as you are to make sure your beautiful photos get seen by as many people as possible. I want you to know that I've been been investigating your concerns about decreases in photo views. As with many complex systems, it's sometimes tough to really tease out causation versus correlation. I can't provide too many details, but I at least wanted to let you know that we hear you and we're doing our best to figure this out.

Cheers,
Evan

On Friday, November 15, 2013 10:40:51 AM UTC-8, © Tom Cooper wrote:

[Adam Elmquist]

For the group slideshow: you can put a link in the group description area.

Just replace my group ID with your own group ID in this link:  http://www.panoramio.com/photo_explorer#group=63739&photo&position=0&order=date_desc

Then:

I found out putting that link in Group rules and description: wont work correctly I don't know why.  But when you copy the whole updated link, then paste it into bitly.com to shorten it.  The shortened link will work in the Group rules and description as a link..

[hvbemmel]

I found out putting that link in Group rules and description: wont work correctly I don't know why.  

it´s a general link problem, so nothing to do with Panoramio. in HTML an ampersand (&) is a special sign. In a link it will be automatically changed in &amp and then the link will not work any more  

[© Tom Cooper]

I ran into that when the group slideshows first went south.  I tried to find a way to Escape the ampersand, but nothing worked.  I'll have to see if I can getn the bitly.com approach to work in my groups.

 

Tom

[Adam Elmquist]

Check out my group North American Railroaders group.  Right under the Group rules and description I added a link Photo Explorer, Group Slideshow using the shorter url method its working under all methods I can test using an account that I login to Panoramio with, or a browser such as Safari I am not logged into Panoramio with, the shortened link still works..  So far for all of my groups I own I have added the link in the same place under Group rules and description being careful to just change the group ID in each of the urls then shortening them..

[Charles Milton (Mika DePagio)]

That does not solve it for visitors...  People that visit have little or NO idea that a slideshow is even available.  Also, not having the slide show takes away using it to view my own groups with some expediency and enjoyment.... I just checked my group Photo Elimination and find that the slideshow still isn't working...  The slideshow was one of the major drawing points to groups... What is GOING ON?

 

 7:53:49 PM UTC-8, Adam Elmquist wrote:

For the group slideshow: you can put a link in the group description area.

Just replace my group ID with your own group ID in this link:  http://www.panoramio.com/photo_explorer#group=63739&photo&position=0&order=date_desc

Then:

I found out putting that link in Group rules and description: wont work correctly I don't know why.  But when you copy the whole updated link, then paste it into bitly.com to shorten it.  The shortened link will work in the Group rules and description as a link..

On Thursday, January 9, 2014 10:39:09 PM UTC-5, Charles Milton (Mika DePagio) wrote:

[Draken]

Mr. DePagio

Please be aware of the threads by Adam Lasnik (Community Manager): https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/panoramio-questions-support/_qEYmVaDDwk  and  https://groups.google.com/forum/?hl=es#!topic/panoramio-questions-support/3IfSM-E9hKY

Please don't use capital letters. Thanks in advance for your understanding and cooperation. Have a nice day.

Draken, Volunteer Forum Moderator

[df3vi]

The recent statement by Adam Lasnik does not sound as if they will bring the slide show back:

• Groups:  We are prioritizing fixing things that completely prevent members and managers from basic use of Groups.  We have no plans to add additional functionality.

He does not say anything about restoring lost functionality :-(

The only thing you can do is add a link to the slide show at a prominent position in your group description. The link generally looks like this (replace the group number at the end with your own)

http://www.panoramio.com/photo_explorer#view=photo&order=date_desc&group=64706

but it cannot be added as a link due to the ampersand sign cannot be handled correctly in the description. So you have to use a link shortening service like goo.gl or tinyurl.com instead:

To the Group slide show please follow this link:
>
[Slide show](http://tinyurl.com/ns8rm8x)

Note that adding a link in the group summary text is not possible at all !

[Draken]

The topic of this thread is "View count decline". There are several threads dealing with Groups and their functionalities in the "Support & Feedback" forum.

Can we please stick to the topic and discuss about Groups in those threads?

Thanks

[Adam Elmquist]

Taking away functions such as the slideshow for groups and having things broken or not working is helping to contribute to the decline especially for the everyman.  Those of us who can successfully install workarounds in the groups to restore some functions can help the people in our groups who just know the basics.  I have now seen a handful of accounts of who deleted their photos and said they are switching to other photo sites.  In my groups I've had a handful of members leave I was able to type in the user IDs that left, to find out the accounts have been deleted entirely.

Another thing I find annoying is how poorly Panoramio still behaves on mobile devices I have an iPad Mini and exclusively use Chrome also a Google Nexus phone again exclusively use Chrome, when I try to message or invite someone to a group the messaging window keeps shifting.  I have to play cat and mouse with the messaging window when using mobile and usually loose I can't hit the submit button, most of the time I wait until I get back to my computer to get things to work.  Only one problem unless I write myself a reminder with the account I may forget when I get back home my full thoughts of what I was going to say in the message.  I have reported my issues in the Support and Feedback, issues such as I pointed out from my perspective are helping to contribute to the decline of views since people are getting frustrated.

[Charles Milton (Mika DePagio)]

seems pretty obvious that Pano/GE doesn't want to fix the slideshow for the users or the groups.... then what do they want... we are reporting that was important to us.... are they doing to listen or not?  mika

 

On Saturday, January 11, 2014 4:35:28 AM UTC-8, df3vi wrote:

The recent statement by Adam Lasnik does not sound as if they will bring the slide show back:

• Groups:  We are prioritizing fixing things that completely prevent members and managers from basic use of Groups.  We have no plans to add additional functionality.

He does not say anything about restoring lost functionality :-(

The only thing you can do is add a link to the slide show at a prominent position in your group description. The link generally looks like this (replace the group number at the end with your own)

http://www.panoramio.com/photo_explorer#view=photo&order=date_desc&group=64706

but it cannot be added as a link due to the ampersand sign cannot be handled correctly in the description. So you have to use a link shortening service like goo.gl or tinyurl.com instead:

To the Group slide show please follow this link:
>
[Slide show](http://tinyurl.com/ns8rm8x)

Note that adding a link in the group summary text is not possible at all !

Am Samstag, 11. Januar 2014 12:46:55 UTC+1 schrieb Charles Milton (Mika DePagio):

[Draken]

Please stay on topic. The issue here is "view counts decline", not the slideshow. There are several threads dealing with the Groups and the slideshows.

Answer to your question here: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/panoramio-questions-support/3IfSM-E9hKY

 Thanks

 

[Wim Constant]

I think I see a little rise in the view counts. Not much, but they are rising

[© Tom Cooper]

Update with another month of data.  Small uptick this month, but I suspect this is because I have been promoting my gallery.

 

Date           Views per photo (30 days)

05/15/2013   55.7
06/12/2013   52.9
07/15/2013   44.4
08/15/2013   48.6
09/16/2013   45.2
10/15/2013   39.3

11/15/2013   35.8

12/17/2013   32.3

01/15/2013   33.6

 

Tom

[© Tom Cooper]

Another update with another month of bad news.  When I started tracking this back in May, I was expecting to reach 3 million views on about March 15 of this year.  Based on the most recent month's views, I won't reach 3 million before August of 2014.  In the last 9 months, my views per photo has dropped by more than 50%.  I invite everyone to draw their own conclusions.

 

Date          Views per photo (30 days)

05/15/2013   55.7
06/12/2013   52.9
07/15/2013   44.4
08/15/2013   48.6
09/16/2013   45.2
10/15/2013   39.3

11/15/2013   35.8

12/17/2013   32.3

01/15/2014   33.6

02/14/2014   27.3  <<== Views down 51% since 5/15/2013.

 

Tom

[Adam Elmquist]

A lot of people are mad at Google as a whole right now they are switching from Gmail, and using search engines other than Google.  Features in Panoramio weren't the only thing to go, but lots of functionality in Google Maps have gone too, people are switching to Bing Maps, or Mapquest resulting in those users who would have used Google Maps who possibly had Panoramio photo layer enabled..  Even Android isn't perfect, Google Maps & Earth on Android Mobile was really easy for pulling up Panoramio photos not anymore, neither is navigation.  On some Android phones the default updated Google Maps App has gotten sort of dangerous to use while commuting, unlike before it was easy.  These are some issues mentioned that are making users switch navigation apps and sites not using Google anymore which again hurts us, those other navigation Apps don't have a Panoramio layer..

[QuentinUK]

If you do a Google Image search and find a Panoramio image, Google first shows the small image. If you click on this you see a medium size image, the same size as on a Panoramio page for one image. There is no need to visit Panoramio. Next to the medium image are two options "Visit page" and "View image".  "View image" goes to the image alone allowing you to download it without visiting Panoramio. Sometimes this is a "large" image so appears larger than on the Panoramio page. So Google search is better than Panoramio, but views are not counted.

So Google Search users will be less likely to visit Panoramio.

ps Ampersands in links problem can be solved using SansAmp

[Slideshow](http://QuentinUK.github.io/sansamp?

http://www.panoramio.com/photo_explorer#view=photo&position=1799&with_photo_id=74892040&order=date&user=2419040)

[© Tom Cooper]

Another month of decline.

 

Date              Views per photo (30 days)

05/15/2013    55.7
06/12/2013    52.9
07/15/2013    44.4
08/15/2013    48.6
09/16/2013    45.2
10/15/2013    39.3

11/15/2013    35.8

12/17/2013    32.3

01/15/2014    33.6

02/14/2014    27.3 <<== Views down 51% since 5/15/2013.

03/14/2014    25.3

[© Tom Cooper]

And another month of decline:

Date              Views per photo (30 days)

05/15/2013   55.7
06/12/2013   52.9
07/15/2013   44.4
08/15/2013   48.6
09/16/2013   45.2
10/15/2013   39.3

11/15/2013   35.8

12/17/2013   32.3

01/15/2014   33.6

02/14/2014   27.3 <<== Views down 51% since 5/15/2013.

03/14/2014   25.3

04/15/2014   24.9

[© Tom Cooper]

Small uptick this month, and last month's decline was very small.  I'm wondering if this means we've hit the floor?

 

Date             Views per photo (30 days)

05/15/2013   55.7
06/12/2013   52.9
07/15/2013   44.4
08/15/2013   48.6
09/16/2013   45.2
10/15/2013   39.3

11/15/2013   35.8

12/17/2013   32.3

01/15/2014   33.6

02/14/2014   27.3 <<== Views down 51% since 5/15/2013.

03/14/2014   25.3

04/15/2014   24.9

05/15/2014   26.6

 

On Wednesday, October 23, 2013 9:12:23 AM UTC-5, © Tom Cooper wrote:

I have heard a number of people report a steady decline in views on their accounts.  So I decided to do some checking.  Starting back in May, I captured a number of stat values as close to the 15th of the month as was practical.  What I have here is the date and the views per photo for the prior 30 days for my primary account.  Looks like a rather alarming drop to me.

 

Date             View per photo (30 days)

05/15/2013   55.7
06/12/2013   52.9
07/15/2013   44.4
08/15/2013   48.6
09/16/2013   45.2
10/15/2013   39.3

 

Tom

[Draken]

Tom

Considering 15 days may not be enough to show a tendency, please see the figures in this thread.

The OP there thought his views were dropping dramatically. Were they, in fact?

DAY	Last 30 days	OVERALL	PANORAMIO	GE	GM	Total photos
28-abr	5071	40615	2298	2368	4	403
29-abr	5119	40767	2327	2386	5	409
30-abr	5248	40941	2388	2454	5	409
01-may	5262	41048	2361	2495	5	409
02-may	5129	41159	2234	2489	5	409
03-may	5139	41246	2239	2493	6	409
04-may	5634	41850	2663	2562	8	409
05-may	5753	42090	2669	2583	9	409
06-may	5731	42218	2617	2614	8	414
07-may	5745	42334	2608	2637	8	416
08-may	5608	42486	2533	2616	9	416
09-may	5662	42621	2535	2667	10	418
10-may	5597	42740	2502	2634	11	418
11-may	5185	42813	2475	2608	11	418
12-may	5195	42917	2492	2601	11	419

[© Tom Cooper]

The way I read that is that for every single column, the May 12 numbers are larger than the April 28 numbers, so no, in my opinion, his view counts are increasing (or more likely, just random variations with possibly a slight upward trend).

Tom

[© Tom Cooper]

I knew it would happen eventually.  My view counts have finally reached zero. =8-O

 

Tom

[davidbroad]

My interpretation is the increasing number of photos on Panoramio means that the opportunity to view is being diluted. When I first posted in 2008 there were 13 million photos on Panoramio, today over 107 million. Last year this time it was around 70 million so an increase of 50% in 12 months. That means less chance your photos will be clicked! Does that make sense? The effect is actually increased around easy to visit places as the database gets overloaded with photo choices. Uploading photos taken in remote locations rarely visited by the masses tends to yield better results! Any thoughts or comments?

[© Tom Cooper]

I have no doubt that the total number of photos is part of the problem.  I have always tried to find my own subject s to photograph in seldom-visited locations.  Since doing that, I find more and more me-too photographs popping up in those locations.  That means I have to work harder and harder to find interesting places to photograph where I ma not competing.

 

One would think that more users means more views, but today's ego-centric populations are far more interested in being seen (whether they deserve it or not) than in seeing the work of others, so I believe that while larger numbers does mean more views, that more and more of those doing the uploading are not looking at anyone else's photos.

 

Tom

[df3vi]

My own statistics seem to support the idea that the total number of views on GE and Pano is quite constant, but the more photos there are, the less views per photo. The number of my photos doubled in the last two years, but the total number of views per month have hardly changed. However the more recent photos have dramatically less views in relation to the time they are online, i.e. it's mainly the older photos that keep up the total numbers.

New photos in crowded places have almost no chance to be seen more than randomly, but photos in remote places will not be seen either because these places are - remote from general interest...

[Adam Elmquist]

Got to find that in between place!  :-)

[d.stahl]

Yeah. I'm very small potatoes with respect to photos-and-views, but my most popular photos are of places that seem significant but under-photographed. Of my eight most popular phtotos, two are of notable whitewater rapids on the Deschutes River, one is of a major glacier in the Oregon wilderness, and a couple more are views of off-trail spots in the Oregon Cascades. One is an utterly unexceptional photo of a somewhat obscure waterfall...? Jeez. Of course, total number of views depends somewhat on the length of time the pic has been posted, so these are some of my older pics.

Yes, best might be pics taken in under-photographed places, but also places that a fair number of people will browse to on Googlie Urth.

[© Tom Cooper]

Adding three more months of decline.

 

Date             Views per photo (30 days)

05/15/2013   55.7

06/12/2013   52.9

07/15/2013   44.4

08/15/2013   48.6

09/16/2013   45.2

10/15/2013   39.3

11/15/2013   35.8

12/17/2013   32.3

01/15/2014   33.6

02/14/2014   27.3 <<== Views down 51% since 5/15/2013.

03/14/2014   25.3

04/15/2014   24.9

05/15/2014   26.6

06/16/2014   25.3

07/15/2014   23.2

08/16/2014   21.7 <<== Views down 61% since 5/15/2013.

 

One thing I have specifically identified is that my Google Earth views using the Panoramio layer do not get counted.  I have a secondary account (http://www.panoramio.com/user/2963971) that I use for my church photos, with a limited number of photos.  I can, in a matter of 20 minutes, go through 100% of the gallery using Google Earth.  In order to prove that my GE views are not getting counted, I have done that 5 times in the last month, and you can see from the statistics on that account that not once did those views show up in the Google Earth view count.

 

I have tried it several ways:

• by simply opening the photo (using the Panoramio layer)
• opening the photo (using the Panoramio layer), then clicking to open it in the GE browser
• opening the photo (using the Panoramio layer), then clicking to open it in the GE browser, then opening it in Chrome (this registers a Panoramio view, but not a GE view).  Those times are the spikes you see in the Panoramio count.
• Opening the photo using the KML.

In the past I have also made sure I was not logged in, logged in to my church account, and logged in to my main account.  During this months' testing, I have probably generated 300-350 GE views on that account.  During that time, GE recorded a total of 110 views.

 

Tom

[InstinctImages]

To me it's not just the total number of views has dropped off dramatically but so have other interactions such as comments on images. I'm to the point where I've given up on Panoramio and haven't uploaded a new shot since December of 2013. Why take the time and effort to shoot, edit, and upload images if no one will see them?

What I find interesting is that there are still some members that get a TON of views and hundreds, if not thousands, of comments on their images in a relatively short period of time even when the image itself is unremarkable. I'm not quite sure what drives that level of interaction. Any guesses or ideas?

On Wednesday, October 23, 2013 7:12:23 AM UTC-7, © Tom Cooper wrote:

I have heard a number of people report a steady decline in views on their accounts.  So I decided to do some checking.  Starting back in May, I captured a number of stat values as close to the 15th of the month as was practical.  What I have here is the date and the views per photo for the prior 30 days for my primary account.  Looks like a rather alarming drop to me.

 

Date             View per photo (30 days)

05/15/2013   55.7
06/12/2013   52.9
07/15/2013   44.4
08/15/2013   48.6
09/16/2013   45.2
10/15/2013   39.3

 

Tom

[Matthew Walters]

Lots of friends?

I get more views on my RedBubble site now - my recent photos of Moseley Rd baths have about 100 views there but 3 or 4 views each (since July) on panoramio - even those selected for GE.

[Lady GooGoo La La]

Lots of friends is the correct answer, popularity is directly related to your level of interaction, picture quality not near so important, Google want a "sticky" social site with lots of interaction not a photo site, photos are merely the bait, hence the reason for acquiring Panoramio in the first place!

[© Tom Cooper]

Google wants anything that results in advertising revenue.  It is not important that it be social media related.  That's just a side line.

 

Tom

[Amelia Royan]

Google Earth is saturated with photos, and, as everyone now  finds digital photography, editing etc. so easy, regardless of equipment, view counts are inevitably going to dwindle even more.  Recent but excellent photos are buried deep in the Google Earth layers, and are unlikely to achieve the number of views they deserve.  

Of course there are still the copy and paste people, who add  50+ L&F comments every day.  They have got loads of return views, and consequently high view counts.  I  never  visit the galleries of   people who post meaningless copy and paste comments, but many people are flattered and automatically return the exact same 'L&F' comment.   So, it's not quality that's important now, it's quantity.  Such a pity.  Panoramio used to be a fantastic site.  Now all we  worry about are  view counts, statistics, graphs etc.   Incidentally, Google Map counts no longer seem to be registering on the graphs.  :)

Someone in this thread mentioned that to find  an area where no-one else has been is the way forward, but of course, if no-one has been there, it is unlikely that anyone wants to go there. 

I don't have the motivation to analyse the drop in views per photo over the last 30 days.   All I know is that it's happening dramatically.   I used to wait until at least  one of the photos on my front page had 100+ views.  These days I'd rarely  post another photo!   However, I still love posting photos of places that I find interesting, beautiful or simply quirky, so I'll press on regardless until I get no views at all, then I'll give it all up.   

[d.stahl]

"...it's unlikely that anyone wants to go there..." Well, not necessarily. For those of us who are back-country hikers or wilderness enthusiasts (a minor user-group, certainly), there's interest in remote places where few people go. Of course they need some point of interest -- a lake, a waterfall, a peak. I don't do the social stuff much, I just post pics, and one of the more noticed images was of a small lake well off any trails in the Red Buttes Wilderness. I sometimes scan areas in my hiking range to see if anyone has posted images of places I've never been or read about. But your mileage may vary.

[Amelia Royan]

"...it's unlikely that anyone wants to go there..."

The above comment was somewhat tongue in cheek, and I'm so pleased to have been challenged.  :)

Of course I agree with you entirely.  I love going to deserted places, in the hope that I am the first 'Panoramian' to go there with a camera.  In fact, when we relocated to Norway for 5 years, there was precisely 2 photos on Google Earth of the area where we stayed.  I proceeded to post lots of photos, often of mediocre quality.  I can't bear to look at them now.

[© Tom Cooper]

Last update.  It is ironic that the last entry before the collapse is an increase in view count rate.

 

Date             Views per photo (30 days)
05/15/2013   55.7

06/12/2013   52.9

07/15/2013   44.4

08/15/2013   48.6

09/16/2013   45.2

10/15/2013   39.3

11/15/2013   35.8

12/17/2013   32.3

01/15/2014   33.6

02/14/2014   27.3 <<== Views down 51% since 5/15/2013.

03/14/2014   25.3

04/15/2014   24.9

05/15/2014   26.6

06/16/2014   25.3

07/15/2014   23.2

08/16/2014   21.7 <<== Views down 61% since 5/15/2013.

09/16/2014   22.0

Tom

[Kaiser]

I'm very disapointed about closing Panoramio, as I put in a lot of hours uploading and tagging photos and I put in lots of hours also creating Panorank....

really angry now

El dimecres 17 de setembre de 2014 14:11:29 UTC-4, © Tom Cooper va escriure:

[Wim Constant]

In my case it's just the other way around.

In my best time I had over 3,000 views per day.

On sept 17 I had 823!

The numbers are declining. Only on sept 14 I had a spike of 3736

Op woensdag 17 september 2014 20:11:29 UTC+2 schreef © Tom Cooper not going to Views:

[Nicola Manini]

It's not just the global view count.  It's the individual picture views counts which are clearly screwed up.

For example, this picture (not mine) has currently "105 views 67 favorites 152 like".  Less view then likes?!?!?!

Same for this other picture (mine): 1 like, 2 comments, but 0 views!!


They have a very serious bug here.  I just hope that @google they do a better job at programming android...

Ciao,
Nick

[Christa1004]

I noticed the same: my photos uploaded in July have only 15 views, and this since one month!! Average after one month is normally around 100.
And not only my own pictures are concerned, I saw it also in a lot of other galleries.
My impression is actually that the Panoramio statistics are screwed up - or their counters have a big bug-;)
Nobody seems to "worry" about... Or do they have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo??
Does anyone know something more?
Best regards,
Christa

[© Tom Cooper]

I am not worried about it, because it is like a car that is abandoned on the side of the road.  After a while, you hardly notice it any more, and there isn't anything we can do about it anyway.  Sure, someone should have the car towed, but those in authority do not talk to us (for almost a year), so there isn't anything any of us can do about it.

 

The statistics were never particularly accurate (but probably more accurate than on Views or Google+).  To me, they were OK for spotting trends and for entertainment, and that was about it.

 

Tom

[Christa1004]

Hello Tom,

of course, you are right, there is nothing to worry about.
I just noticed it and thought it's a pity, as it's always interesting to see the spotting trends...
Thanks for your feedback.
Best regards,
Christa

[ZIPP]

CONGRATULATIONS GOOGLE: for the first time (at least to my knowledge) we see 10 out 30 days with missing stats, a failure rate of 33.3 percent!  (caution: this is meant to be ironic)

It is not only a problem with the 30-day graph.
The view counters for individual pictures did also not get updated.
Unusual spikes seem to follow the gaps.
Modifications on tags that I made on one of those days did get lost.

While some users suggest to shut up and get used to the facts, I disagree.
Documenting this lousy performance in the forum is the only log-mechanism we have, as the gaps in the 30-day graph will disappear within a few days.
I'm not ready yet for Ludwig Wittgenstein's Proposition 7 (even though I'm not much of a communicator).

[Draken]

Zipp

It seems to me in the past we did have 10 days without sats. They were fixed. But those were the days when we have a Product Manager (Gerard Sanz, if my memory serves me well).

[ZIPP]

For the record: as of today: stats missing for 13 days out of 30! What a shame!

So, what's going on?
Is Google intentionally trying to alienate Pano users?
Or just plain sloppiness taking over?
Or whoever is in charge is too busy with Facebook to get the job done?
... or walked away to play somewhere else,
... or rather surfs 10 foot waves, or paddles a Hawaian Canoe to Franklin Island?

Draken: 10 days missing must have been before I signed up in 2011.
Well, I might have been off-line for several months in between...

[Draken]

Indeed. I joined in 2005. Look at my ID number. And I have good memory, besides being a forum moderator. ;–) 

[ZIPP]

For the record, as of today: stats missing for 14 days out of 30 !  
That's a 47% failure rate.
Is this becoming the new standard for Google's services and products (e.g. self driving car)?

[ZIPP]

For the record, as of today: stats missing for 15 days out of 30, reaching 50% failure.

GOOGLE's idea of software quality: one time it works, next time it fails…

[ZIPP]

For the record: stats missing for 17 days out of 30:  57% failure.
What a miserable show...

[ZIPP]

For the record: stats missing for 16 days out of 30:
casino-style stats: sometimes correct, sometimes missing, sometimes ... who knows?

[ZIPP]

For the record: stats missing for 17 days out of 30 days (Jan.12 to Feb.10):
Jan. 12 14 15 20 21 25 26 27 28 29 31, Feb. 1 2 3 5 9 10

[Wim Constant]

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/panoramio-questions-support/43uCJz527LQ

Op vrijdag 12 februari 2016 08:21:40 UTC+1 schreef ZIPP:

[ZIPP]

For the record:

2016-02-14: stats missing for 17 out of 30 days (Jan.14 to Feb.12): Jan.14 15 / 20 21 / 25 26 27 28 29, 31 / Feb.1 2 3, 5, 9 10 / 12

2016-02-15: stats missing for 16 out of 30 days (Jan.15 to Feb.13): Jan.15 / 20 21 / 25 26 27 28 29 / 31 / Feb1 2 3 / 5 / 9 10 / 12 (naked Jan.14 flushed out)

2016-02-16: stats missing for 15 out of 30 days (Jan.16 to Feb.14): Jan.20 21 / 25 26 27 28 29 / Jan.31 Feb.1 2 3 / 5 / 9 10 / 12 (naked Jan.15 flushed out)

2016-02-17: stats missing for 16 out of 30 days (Jan.16 to Feb.14): Jan.20 21 / 25 26 27 28 29 / Jan.31 Feb.1 2 3 / 5 / 9 10 / 12 / 15
(Jan.15: new naked arrival)

[Wim Constant]

Thanks, Now we know what stats are missing!

If you hadn't mentioned it, nobody would have known.

But from now on we all can read it with our own eyes.

So please stop this superfluous reports.

Op zondag 14 februari 2016 10:19:07 UTC+1 schreef ZIPP:

[Sleipnir's Master]

Wim you can unsubscribe from the thread so you no longer see Zipps comments or get emails. Personally I don't mind, he's not harming anyone. :)

[Wim Constant]

Of course he's harming no one.

But don't you think it's pure nonsense to mention something every day, which is clearly to see for everybody?

Every user, who is a little interested in the stats, sees which days are missing.

That's why I called it superfluous.

And a little sarcasm has never hurt anybody!

Op dinsdag 23 februari 2016 22:50:07 UTC+1 schreef Sleipnir's Master: