keyword_expert's profile

2.7K Messages

 • 

47K Points

Sunday, May 1st, 2022 7:22 PM

Closed

Solved

IMDb staff: Please fix these issues with "covid-19" keywords

IMDb staff:

The keyword "covid-19-pandemic" currently auto-converts to "covid-19." I disagree with that auto-conversion, since these two keywords are two different things: "covid-19" is the disease itself, while "covid-19-pandemic" is the worldwide crisis that we have all been experiencing the past two years. 

Please undo/decouple this auto-conversion so that contributors can once again add the keyword "covid-19-pandemic" to titles.

And while you are at it, can you please make these keyword changes as well? The mergers and auto-conversions should be made in the direction of the arrows.

Duplicate Keywords Proposed for Permanent Merging and Auto-Conversion

covid (135 titles)  -->  covid-19-movie (4 titles)  -->   covid-2020 (5 titles) -->  covid-19 (21989 titles)

covid-pandemic (16793 titles)  -->  pandemic-2020 (16758 titles)  -->  covid-19-pandemic [new keyword as discussed above

Employee

 • 

17.5K Messages

 • 

313.3K Points

3 years ago

Hi keyword_expert -

Thanks for your feedback.  For the first request I have now combined and mapped the keywords accordingly.

Concerning the second request, I have reached out to our editors to clarify the context behind the auto-conversion of "covid-19-pandemic" into "covid-19", as son as I gather more information I will address your request here.

Thanks for your patience!

2.7K Messages

 • 

47K Points

@Michelle​ Thank you for looking into this. 

8.5K Messages

 • 

176.2K Points

@keyword_expert​ 

? ? Look at later... 🙄

May 6 2022

EDIT 2 hours later

https://www.imdb.com/search/keyword/?keywords=covid                       :      135 titles --> 99 --> 0 

https://www.imdb.com/search/keyword/?keywords=covid-19-movie      :          4 titles -->   2 --> 0 

https://www.imdb.com/search/keyword/?keywords=covid-2020             :           5 titles -->  2 -->  0 

https://www.imdb.com/search/keyword/?keywords=covid-19                 :   21,989 titles --> 22,069  --> 22,152 

https://www.imdb.com/search/keyword/?keywords=covid-pandemic      :  16,793 titles --> 16,796  --> 16,796 

https://www.imdb.com/search/keyword/?keywords=pandemic-2020       :  16,758 titles --> 16,759  --> 16,759 

https://www.imdb.com/search/keyword/?keywords=covid-19-pandemic :          0 titles --> 0 --> 0 

.

(edited)

2.7K Messages

 • 

47K Points

@ACT_1​ To get the true numbers, you would need to do a title search, as opposed to a keyword search. Keyword searches often have lags in the data and the numbers.

For instance, I did title searches to check the numbers shortly after @Michelle's response. At that time, "covid" already showed up with 0 results:

https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?keywords=covid&ref_=fn_kw_kw_1

8.5K Messages

 • 

176.2K Points

@keyword_expert​ 

I just copied your links to my message 😀 (without the &ref....)

Need to look at these next day ??

.

(edited)

2.7K Messages

 • 

47K Points

@ACT_1​ There are two different searches involved: keyword searches and title searches. Title searches are more accurate in a quicker timeframe than keyword searches.

Title search: https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?keywords=covid

Keyword search: https://www.imdb.com/search/keyword/?keywords=covid

2.7K Messages

 • 

47K Points

@ACT_1

Typo: "ovid-pandemic "

8.5K Messages

 • 

176.2K Points

@keyword_expert​ 

ooopppssss!!

Fixed ??

https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?keywords=covid-pandemic      : 16,796 titles

.

2.7K Messages

 • 

47K Points

@Michelle

Any updates on this?

I can't imagine there could be any logical explanation for wanting to convert "covid-pandemic" to "covid-19," given that they are two distinct things.

145 Messages

 • 

3.8K Points

3 years ago

I believe whether you include "covid-19" or covid-19-pandemic", or even "coronavirus", as long the viewer, including the imdb staff know what your referring to, either one of these three alternatives and/or descriptions should be sufficient and/or obvious enough

2.7K Messages

 • 

47K Points

@alfred_chu​ Those are three completely different things, though. 

COVID-19 (aka SARS-CoV-2) is a disease caused by a coronavirus.

Coronaviruses are a subfamily of multiple viruses known as Orthocoronavirinae. One of these coronaviruses, a betacoronavirus, causes COVID-19. Coronaviruses have been around long before COVID-19 emerged.

"covid-19-pandemic" is the pandemic involving COVID-19.

Some titles might focus on one of these concepts, but not the others. For example, a news segment might mention that a famous person has been diagnosed with COVID-19. For that title, "covid-19" would be most appropriate.

Another title might focus on coronaviruses generally, including the one that causes COVID-19. Or a title might focus on how the most commonly known coronavirus can be killed with disinfectants. For these titles, "coronavirus" would be most appropriate.

Still another title might focus on overburdened hospitals caused by the current pandemic. For such a title, "covid-19-pandemic" would be most appropriate. 

It makes little sense to merge these keywords when they are not true synonyms or duplicates.

And since COVID-19 will be around with us for the foreseeable future, even while the pandemic will likely recede, it will continue to be important to keep these keywords separated for proper continuity.

145 Messages

 • 

3.8K Points

I understand that but, at the time of my first response, I didn't know you were referring to searching for keywords, I thought you were referring to, for example, the cause of someone's death because I've seen "coronavirus" and complications from COVID-19" have been accepted and approved submissions, since there can be different "coronaviruses" in the past and because we have to include the date of death in the submission and the cause, these two details should be sufficient enough for the viewer including imdb staff to know which illness, your referring to. 

2.7K Messages

 • 

47K Points

2 years ago

@Michelle 

Any updates on when these two tasks will be accomplished?

1. Undo the current auto-conversion of keyword "covid-19-pandemic" to "covid-19"

2. Create the following new merger and auto-conversion:

covid-pandemic (16793 titles)  -->  pandemic-2020 (16758 titles)  -->  covid-19-pandemic [new keyword

(edited)

2.7K Messages

 • 

47K Points

Employee

 • 

17.5K Messages

 • 

313.3K Points

Hi @keyword_expert​ -

These keyword merges and auto-conversions have now been made and the changes should be live on the site shortly.

Cheers!

2.7K Messages

 • 

47K Points

@Michelle​ Thank you!

2.7K Messages

 • 

47K Points

2 years ago

@Michelle 

Sorry to bother you again, but I just learned through this April 2020 post about another coronavirus-related fix that needs to be made:

Currently, the keyword "coronavirus-pandemic" auto-converts to "coronavirus."

That auto-conversion should be decoupled and replaced with the following auto-conversion:

coronavirus-pandemic -->  covid-19-pandemic

(edited)

Employee

 • 

17.5K Messages

 • 

313.3K Points

Hi @keyword_expert​ -

Thanks for catching this additional fix, the auto-conversion has now been adjusted so that 'coronavirus-pandemic' now redirects to 'covid-19-pandemic'

Thanks again!

2.7K Messages

 • 

47K Points

@Michelle​ Thank you again!

2.7K Messages

 • 

47K Points

@Michelle 

Unfortunately, something has gone wrong with these keyword auto-conversions.

The following keywords are currently auto-converting to "covid-19":

covid-pandemic

pandemic-2020

coronavirus-pandemic

covid-19-pandemic

Those keywords should instead auto-convert to "covid-19-pandemic" (not to "covid-19"). 

The good news is that the covid-19-pandemic keyword still exists and has not been merged.

But the four keywords listed above should be freed from their auto-conversions to "covid-19" and should instead be set up for auto-conversion to "covid-19-pandemic."

Can you please check on this?

___

Edit: I think I figured it out. When I try to enter these keywords I get this message:

  • 'coronavirus-pandemic' has been replaced with 'covid-19-pandemic' in accordance with IMDb rules.
  • 'covid-19-pandemic' has been replaced with 'covid-19' in accordance with IMDb rules.

The second bullet point tells us that "covid-19-pandemic" is set up for auto-conversion to "covid-19." I think this can be fixed by simply removing that particular auto-conversion. 

(edited)

Employee

 • 

17.5K Messages

 • 

313.3K Points

Hi @keyword_expert​ -

Apologies for the delay!

I have now resolved the issue and the four keywords you reported should now be correctly mapped to "covid-19-pandemic".

Thanks again!

2.7K Messages

 • 

47K Points

@Michelle​ Thank you!