Originally posted by Cee Cee I've given up trying to understand, predict or care, I have some shots that have been in "explore" but IMO I have better shots that have not, and although I see many very excellent & worthy shots I also constantly see photos that I regard (IMO) as nothing more than casual snap shots. Its nice when you get there but I don't see it to be a judgement on my shots, its sort of meaningless.
Sums it up pretty well. I'd add that the boost in views and faves for an explored image is also mostly empty, in my experience. What I mean is that the boost is almost entirely ephemeral, and usually results in no meaningful comments, no perceptible uptick in views of my other photos, and no new followers either way (i.e., I rarely pick up a new follower, and I rarely discover a new photographer I want to follow, because of Explore). My hunch is that the vast majority of the extra traffic, faves, and even comments are automated, driven by users who simply want to get faves and followers in return. That said, my explored images are usually pretty low down in the showcase, and there may be more real activity at the top, so YMMV.