How to Know If Your New Keyword Might be a Bad Keyword

How do you know if your newly created keyword might be a bad keyword?

Well, one red flag is if your keyword does not yet apply to any other titles, and you either can't think of any other titles to apply it to, or you don't even take the time to try to think about that. A second red flag is if your keyword is super long and/or describes more than one thing in a single keyword. And a dead giveaway is if your keyword is, truth be told, just an unnecessary spinoff of a much more popular and perfectly suitable existing keyword. Under these conditions, your keyword is probably a bad keyword.

Case in point. First, consider the popular keyword that would probably work for most, if not all, of these titles:

damsel-in-distress (5170 titles)

Now consider the newly created bad keywords:

damsel-in-distress-more-than-four-times (1 title)
damsel-in-distress-multiple-times (1 title)

baby-damsel-in-distress (2 titles)
fake-damsel-in-distress (1 title)
old-damsel-in-distress (1 title)
nude-damsel-in-distress (1 title)
dog-damsel-in-distress (1 title)
irate-damsel-in-distress (1 title)
damsel-in-disdress (1 title)
mansel-in-distress (1 title)
distressed-damsel (13 titles)
more-than-one-damsel-in-distress (2 titles)

tough-little-damsel-in-distress (1 title)
devious-damsel-in-distress (1 title)

distressed-damsel's-uncle-in-distress (1 title)
distressed-damsel-is-a-man (1 title)

depressed-distressed-damsel (3 titles)
highly-distressd-damsel (2 titles)
baby-distressed-damsel (1 title)
two-distressed-damsels (1 title)
distressed-damsel-rescused (1 title)
distressed-damsel-undressed (1 title)
damsel-in-dire-straits (1 title)
distressed-damsel-in-tight-shirt (1 title)
distressed-damsel-in-tight-pants (1 title)
distressed-damsel-gets-more-distressed (2 titles)

death-of-distressed-damsel's-father (7 titles)
death-of-distressed-damsel (7 titles)
distressed-damsel's-father-kidnapped (3 titles)
father-of-distressed-damsel-kidnapped (3 titles)
distressed-damsel-bound-and-gagged (2 titles)
death-of-one-of-the-distressed-damsels (2 titles)
abduction-of-distressed-damsel (2 titles)
multiple-distressed-damsels (2 titles)
distressed-damsel-abducted (2 titles)
death-of-distressed-damsel's-brother (2 titles)
two-distressed-damsels-garroted (1 title)
distressed-damsel-double-crossed (1 title)
picture-of-distressed-damsel's-mother (1 title)
treachery-by-blonde-distressed-damsel (1 title)
distressed-damsel-shoots-villain (1 title)
distressed-damsel-rescues-hero (1 title)
distressed-damsel-undressing (1 title)
distressed-damsel-gets-angry (1 title)
murder-attempt-on-distressed-damsel (1 title)
death-of-two-distressed-damsels (1 title)
funeral-for-distressed-damsel's-father (1 title)
elephant-rescues-distressed-damsel (1 title)
kidnapping-distressed-damsel (1 title)
death-of-distressed-damsel's-sister (1 title)
distressed-damsel's-cat-fight (1 title)
distressed-damsel's-dress-is-wet (1 title)
distressed-damsel-sentenced-to-jail (1 title)
distressed-damsel-leaves-town (1 title)
distressed-damsel-falls-into-lake (1 title)
cowboy-spanks--distressed-damsel (1 title)
pregnant-distressed-damsel (1 title)
dog-defends-distressed-damsel (1 title)
more-than-one-distressed-damsel (6 titles)
more-than-two-distressed-damsels (1 title)
more-than-four-distressed-damsels (1 title)
more-than-five-distressed-damsels (1 title)
distressed-damsel-saved-from-drowning (2 titles)
distressed-damsel-searching-for-lost-brother (1 title)
horny-henchman-calls-on-distressed-damsel (1 title)
distressed-damsel-engaged-to-german-spy (1 title)
distressed-damsel-has-a-crooked-uncle (1 title)
distressed-damsel-has-a-crooked-brother (1 title)
more-than-twenty-distressed-damsels (1 title)
damsel-distressed-more-than-three-times (3 titles)
damsel-distressed-more-than-four-times (1 title)
distressed-damsel-rescued-from-burning-house (1 title)

These are the sorts of keywords that I spend a lot of time cleaning up through manual editing. Unlike our resident keyword-fighting warrior @bradley_kent, I do not have the mental stamina or sufficient free time to churn through thousands of keyword edits in a single sitting. But I do end up spending a fair amount of time cleaning up smaller keyword messes like this.

I just thought I'd share this particular one, because the problem is laugh-out-loud obvious. Whomever is adding these keywords does not seem to understand the purpose of IMDb keywords!

Responses

Accepted Solution

Michelle

Employee

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17.5K Messages

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313.3K Points

3 years ago

Hi keyword_expert & bradley_kent -

Thanks for the report and comments regarding these identified keywords. I will start going through the list to clean-up any remaining keywords from the above list, I have also identified the contributor and will send a direct outreach regarding our current Keyword criteria.

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keyword_expert

2.7K Messages

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47K Points

@Michelle

Just to clarify, I have already cleaned up the vast majority of the keywords related to "damsel-in-distress" shown in my post.

However, most of this contributor's keywords related to "more-than-one" remain. You can see many of those here.

And there are also still the "no-abnormal" keywords, which you can see here.

(edited)

3 years ago

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keyword_expert

2.7K Messages

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47K Points

3 years ago

BTW, the same person also came up with these master-level keywords. (I am being sarcastic here.)

Keywords

no-abnormal-relationships (1 title)
no-abnormal-male-female-relationship (6 titles)
no-abnormal-mother-son-relationship (3 titles)
no-abnormal-father-son-relationship (3 titles)
no-abnormal-male-male-relationship (3 titles)
no-abnormal-man-dog-relationship (1 title)
no-abnormal-male-female-relationships (1 title)
no-abnormal-brother-brother-relationship (1 title)
no-abnormal-cowboy-cowboy-relationship (1 title)
abnormal-mother-son-relationship (1 title)
no-abnormal-cowboy-cowgirl-relationship (1 title)
no-abnormal-cowboy-horse-relationship (14 titles)
no-abnormal-brother-sister-relationship (8 titles)
no-abnormal-father-daughter-relationship (4 titles)
no-abnormal-mother-daughter-relationship (3 titles)
no-abnormal-husband-wife-relationship (3 titles)
no-abnormal-fiance-fiancee-relationship (1 title)
no-abnormal-boyfriend-girlfriend-relationship (1 title)
no-abnormal-horse-with-saddle-relationship (1 title)
no-abnormal-ghost-henchman-relationship (1 title)
no-abnnormal-cowboy-cowboy-relationship (6 titles)
abnormal-brother-sister-relationship (1 title)

Huh?

(edited)

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bradley_kent

1.3K Messages

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23.4K Points

3 years ago

I am really trying to curtail my contributions to IMDb, but I feel that I must respond to this posting. The keywords in question (which, I agree, are bad keywords) are apparently the work on a longtime, early and valued contributor who is ONE of the world's, if not THE world's, expert on American films of the teens, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and early 70s, specially grindhouse and "b" movies. Out of respect and courtesy, the IMDb staff should contact this contributor about these and other questionable keywords. (If you would like, e-mail me, and I can help you identify this contributor with other specific and unique keywords that are a part of his contributions.)

I would also like to know If

keyword_expert

is a staff member, or has this person just appointed himself/herself as THE keyword expert. This person is making a lot of definitive statements and directives that, I feel, are best left to the staff.

I also request that he/she stop using me as a "whipping boy" for keyword issues.

I need to devote more time to health issues, kids and grandkids and my "bucket list."

Thank you.

(edited)

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keyword_expert

2.7K Messages

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47K Points

@bradley_kent

I am sorry that you feel I have treated you as a "whipping boy." I am honestly not sure exactly what you mean by that. Perhaps you thought I was being sarcastic in referring to you as a keyword-fighting warrior. I assure you that I was not being sarcastic. I am genuinely in awe of your unparalled ability to edit thousands of keywords at a time. And I am very appreciative of your work. I do truly view you as a warrior - indeed, IMDb's most formidable warrior - in the fight against bad keywords. No disrespect was intended.

I would support notifying the contributor responsible for these keywords that these are bad keywords. I first spotted these keywords months ago; I am not sure if there are still new ones being created.

As for my identity, I am sorry, but I cannot reveal details about myself. But like any other person on this board, I have the right to discuss keywords and keyword policies. And I am committed to being respectful when doing so.

(edited)

3 years ago

bradley_kent

1.3K Messages

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23.4K Points

3 years ago

Just to note. "damsel-in-distress" was acknowledged as a valid keyword in the past, although I have always preferred then more modern and less prosaic "woman-in-jeopardy." I can see where "damsel-in-distress" can be quite useful for fairy tales, and certain action, adventure, sci-fi, western, serials, etc. titles, especially older ones.

(edited)

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bradley_kent

1.3K Messages

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23.4K Points

3 years ago

P.S. You should also communicate with this valued contributor about his keywords that begin with "more-than-" and "no-." I have visions of him painstakingly counting for the "more-than-" keywords, and the "no-" keywords seem absolutely unnecessary (except for keywords like "no-opening-credits)." The "more-than-" keywords seem like a way to "get around" the guidelines for keywords to usually be singular rather than plural. (There's another contributor who likes to use "multiple-" and "-many-times," who should also be notified.)

These unnecessary keywords could lead to absurd situations like: for Ben-Hur, "no-spaceships," and, instead of "army," using "more-than-one-soldier," "more-than-twenty-soldiers," "more-than-three-hundred-soldiers," "more-than-four-thousand-soldiers,"etc.

And, of course, his subjective judgements as to what is "normal" or "abnormal."

(edited)

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