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Story by
CustomerCare
Published on October 8, 2007 in Etsy News |
Photo by everyjotandtittle |
Hi everyone!
We have great news. Etsy has responded to the community need for an improved search by developing some tools that will allow us to correct or remove tags that either don't qualify or that confuse the search engine.
Searching on Etsy will now be more efficient due to Admins' ability to crack down on tags.
We receive a huge volume of emails about items that have been flagged because they are tagged incorrectly. We understand that most mistagging is a mistake and that when you are tagging your items that you are attempting to get the widest exposure possible for your item. There is no fault in that line of thinking.
However, mistagging items, albeit accidentally, is making it difficult for buyers to search for things. For example, an item tagged as "stocking stuffer" (that is actually a bar of soap) makes the search for handmade stockings impossible. The buyer looking for a stocking finds soap and gets exasperated — and they might leave and not come back.
Due to the extraordinary volume of mistagging, Etsy will be correcting tags without email notification, but we are happy to assist you in any way if you have questions. Simply email support@etsy.com. We will email you if there is a problem.
As we improve this system, we should be able to provide resources that help people learn how to tag. Best of all, we are all going to see a highly improved search function just in time for the holidays.
Further Resources:
| Tags | CustomerCare, Customer Care Alerts, Help, mistagging, search, tagging |
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25 comments Login to add your own!
lavenderlizard
HeyMichelle
I have noticed that the categories have been looking much cleaner already...hurray for Support!
JennyBunny
deeshomegoods
cool beans....now, can we work on the tags that we have to choose from when we are tagging our merchandise? I don't think nursing covers or pads go in with soap!
---and yes, I do fill in a lot of my tags by myself as most of them seem to have been deleted from the lists!
DomesticGoddess1211
Yay!! I agree though that the seller should be notified so they know the mistakes and don't make them again... then it's less work for admin :)
CreativeSundries
Yes, please send the seller a quick email to let them know their tags have been changed. :-)
gillie
I do have a problem with the analogy given for improperly tagged work. A person looking for "stocking stuffers" isn't looking for a pair of stockings; the buyer is searching for something small and giftable that would fit in a Christmas stocking or would otherwise work as a thoughtful but not terribly personal gift. In this case, I feel that the soap would be correctly tagged as a "stocking stuffer."
emilybidwell
We don't have the ability to send out an email notification yet, but we plan on finding a way to do this. Remember - there are over 60,000 sellers on the site, and 6 Support staff members. If it was a remote possibility at this time, we would definitely do it. Our aim is to train people how to Tag properly, but it will take more development. For now, we have launched what is really the beta version of our new Tagging correction system. It will help us get started.
We have also added a red message when you add Tags that lets a seller know that un-fit Tags will be edited by Etsy. Fair warning.
Sorry we can't offer more at this time, but I think it will help the Search function as we go into heavy shopping season.
*If there is a serious problem in your shop, we will definitely email you. Email notification will be suspended in the only cases of basic editing. We won't just close shops for Tag abuse without any contact.
magickalrealism
I'm on a couple email lists for etsy sellers and they're pretty universally confused/frustrated by the Storque communication format, and aflurry about this new tagging situation.
I get it - I went to the workshop and everything - and I really appreciate all you guys are trying to do. However, your user base is not getting it if these lists I'm on are any evidence. Please reconsider the admin sticky forum; your users don't care that other sites do it too, and Internet user studies have demonstrated that they by themselves resolve nearly all these communication complaints you're still fielding.
GuidingLightCandles
I love this beta version of tag correction, it's a huge step in the right direction. I do, however, have a question about Street team tags. Are they still going to be allowed?
faerwear
um.... this may cause an issue given that many street teams use certain tags to help customers search for our items (for instance, "EAST" is used as a tag by the EAST - Earthpath Artisans Street Team)...
can you address?
lupin
It would be nice to be able to see which tags had been removed/edited (cos how will we learn?) - what would REALLY be great though is a monthly email from the Storque giving a round-up of all the news, with links to relevant articles. That way sellers who are muddled by the Storque format / don't have the time or inclination to check it would still get a heads up about important info like billing and tags and things like that. There are lots of changes happening at the moment, it would be nice not to have to worry about missing them! :)
Gwinna
I really think it's necessary to be informed if a tag is corrected. And by corrected do you mean that tags won't just be deleted, but will be changed? That might lead to mistagging by etsy admins who don't understand the product as well as the crafts person who made it, and knows the vocabulary of their craft.
I want to know that what I put in my shop is what I put there, not what someone else thought was appropriate and changed without notifying me as the shop owner. How can I be responsible for my words, if they might not be my words?
loosewirestudio
I understand that during large growth, intermediate changes like this do need to happen. Thanks to you for your attempts at rectifying this huge problem. I think of the hundreds of thousands of listings x 14 tags and my mind stammers.
An additional way to help buyers help themselves will be when there is a more powerful search option. Allowing quotations would solve the "stocking stuffer" issue. I look forward to this change, which will not put any more pressure on the Etsy staff to police.
Thanks for all of your hard work. :-)
stopsandstarts
gillie, I think that people looking for small items to fill stockings overwhelmingly use search terms that relate to the particular small item they have in mind. The majority of shoppers understand that searching the term "stocking stuffer" would be as useful as searching the term "large gift" or something equally vague.
wonderamy
Good points raised here. The Etsy Team (or "Street Team") tags are not going to be affected - the Etsy Team coordinators, Sarawearsskirts and I - will make sure up-to-date lists of Etsy Team tags are in the hands of the Support Team. Tag away, Etsy Teamers!
soap
i agree 100% with gillie's post above. if people didn't use the tag "stocking stuffer", why not eliminate it. if people looking for "stocking" are pulling "stocking stuffer" tagged items, that seems to be an issue with how "stocking" is defined and not the use of "stocking stuffer" as a separate and legitimate tag. if searching "stocking" alwasy will pull up "stocking stuffer," then NOTHING should be allowed to be tagged "stocking stuffer" (except stockings. and that doesn't seem like a viable option since the xmas buying season will be starting soon.
i too think an email to the seller to let them know which tag/item # would be useful to educate so people aren't repeatedly making the same errors. also if the tool is able to automatically remove a tag, it would seem also easy to generate an automated email from that info (tag, user id, listing #), no?
*waving to anda and michelle
emilybidwell
We have definitely considered an automated email, since the volume of Tag corrections is too much for our staff handle by hand. An automated email is not yet a possibility, but it's our goal. We want people to learn how tagging works.
Thanks for your patience while we try this out!
ErinHaldrup
Hi!
I want to clarify about the stocking stuffer example. If someone is looking for stocking stuffers, and they search "stocking stuffer" then they will have an array of items tagged stocking stuffer to choose from. A-okay right?
Not quite. Not for the buyer who searches for a stocking, and can't find one because they are brought to pages and pages of random items tagged stocking stuffer.
This is only one example and it isn't even the biggest tagging issue we face - just easy to explain. There are many more.
WendyLousNaturalBath
So, for those of us who will be selling items suitable as stocking stuffers (which includes soap!) you're basically telling us we can't use that term??
Customers will only find actual stockings when they type in stocking stuffer right?! Because we all know that if you want to find an actual stocking to hang, you would type in stocking stuffer! Argh!
AbbieRoad
ahhh THAnK YOU! I did actually search for handmade stockings not too long ago, and just totally gave up.....I can understand how "stocking stuffer" is a totally appropriate tag in some circumstances, but man it was a killer weeding through that whole bit!
zbella
Please consider my proposal for aiding sellers in using the correct tags. It's not too difficult to implement, and I think it will save a TON of work in the long run:
Lizzypops
Can we revitalize this thread, or have an '08 edition, please?
Tagging is rather out of hand, and I think sellers need a refresher course :)
mrsbeccijo
I agree Lizzypops, lots of supplies having tags under homemade!
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It would be great if sellers can get a quick note through email saying which tag has been removed. That way they learn how to tag properly and not depend on admins to fix it for them.