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Message: 5
Date: Tue, 11 Oct 2011 16:22:37 +0100 (BST)
From: Andreas Kolbe <jayen466@yahoo.com>
Subject: [Commons-l] Commons search function vs. Google
To: Wikimedia Commons Discussion List <commons-l@lists.wikimedia.org>
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We are wondering on Meta[1]?what criteria the Commons search function uses to establish the order of search results displayed.

To give some examples, searching for "pearl necklace" in Commons shows a woman with sperm on her neck as the first image result:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special%3ASearch&search=pearl+necklace&fulltext=Search


The same image is way down in a Google search (with safe search off) for pearl necklace on Commons:

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=cucumber+site:commons.wikimedia.org&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&tbm=isch&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&biw=1111&bih=774&uss=1#um=1&hl=en&safe=off&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=pearl+necklace+site:commons.wikimedia.org&oq=pearl+necklace+site:commons.wikimedia.org&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=113279l114967l0l115854l14l11l0l0l0l8l261l2003l0.8.3l11l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=49f703222a617ec&biw=1111&bih=774


Searching for "electric toothbrushes" in Commons shows a woman masturbating with a toothbrush as the second image result:


http://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special%3ASearch&search=electric+toothbrushes&fulltext=Search


The same image turns up in Google as well (with safe search switched off), though not as one of the first results:

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=cucumber+site:commons.wikimedia.org&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&tbm=isch&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&biw=1111&bih=774&uss=1#um=1&hl=en&safe=off&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=electric+toothbrushes+site:commons.wikimedia.org&pbx=1&oq=electric+toothbrushes+site:commons.wikimedia.org&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=341351l344565l0l345961l21l19l0l0l0l13l255l3528l0.11.8l19l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=49f703222a617ec&biw=1111&bih=774


Searching for "cucumber" in Commons shows a woman with a cucumber up her vagina on the first page of search results:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special%3ASearch&search=cucumber&fulltext=Search

Doing a Google search for cucumber on Commons (with safe search off) does not bring this image up among the first hundred or so results:

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=cucumber+site:commons.wikimedia.org&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&tbm=isch&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&biw=1111&bih=774&uss=1


Why is our listing so different from the one in Google, and why are sexual images so much higher up in our listing of search results?


Andreas

[1]?http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Controversial_content/Brainstorming?

I don't know how Google does it, but I'd bet that our search prioritises by word order in the description. So a description that starts Pearl Necklace comes before "A white pearl necklace". If you amend the description them I suspect the search results will change.

WereSpielChequers

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