Site Info Open forum for the discussion of the S2K International site and organization. If you like what we're doing, post it here. If you don't, post it here too. Get answers to site related questions.

our search sucks?

Thread Tools
 
Old 03-17-2006, 10:01 AM
  #1  
zyr
Registered User
Thread Starter
 
zyr's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Irvine, CA
Posts: 1,155
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default our search sucks?

Is it me or does our search really suck...?

There are no search options like searching specific forums or by user name etc.. and the search works only half the time.

I'm complaining because there are tons of new threads that address issues already posted before... and for a yearly membership fee.. I think we deserve a decent search tool instead of the crappy search that works 50% of the time right now.

I would also complain about the slow loading but I know it wont do anything.
Old 03-17-2006, 10:38 AM
  #2  
Registered User
 
S2000GT's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Chicago (ex London UK)
Posts: 7,776
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by zyr,Mar 17 2006, 01:01 PM
Is it me or does our search really suck...?
must be just you...

look at all the results I found for +SEARCH +SUCKS in this forum alone

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?act=S...te=search+sucks

I know its not the best search function out there, but IMHO people need to quit moaning about it and just learn how to use it more effectively. I have NEVER had an issue finding what I want within two or three clicks.
Old 03-17-2006, 11:00 AM
  #3  

 
duff0000's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Cleveland
Posts: 4,985
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

is there a way to somehow make the most recent matches come up first, other then the most relevant ones?
Old 03-17-2006, 11:08 AM
  #4  
Registered User
 
S2000GT's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Chicago (ex London UK)
Posts: 7,776
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

If you go to the forum *you think* will show the most results - you should be able to figure this out given your subject matter and go to the bottom of the forum lisiting page.

at the bottom right there is a box - "search this forum"

if you do the search in there it will give you the most accurate results (and not pull up a bunch of crap from 4 years ago).
Old 03-17-2006, 12:36 PM
  #5  
zyr
Registered User
Thread Starter
 
zyr's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Irvine, CA
Posts: 1,155
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

[QUOTE=S2000GT,Mar 17 2006, 11:38 AM] must be just you...

look at all the results I found for +SEARCH +SUCKS in this forum alone

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?act=S...te=search+sucks

I know its not the best search function out there, but IMHO people need to quit moaning about it and just learn how to use it more effectively.
Old 03-17-2006, 11:38 PM
  #6  
Administrator


 
cthree's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Toronto, Canada
Posts: 20,274
Likes: 0
Received 4 Likes on 4 Posts
Default

The search works fine. It's the searcher that's not working so well. You need to do some work to find the results you are looking for. If you search for "recent issues" you will fond exactly none. You need to tell search what exactly you are looking for with the most important keywords first and using only keywords that are relevant and statistically unique if possible. You may also need to run your search several times with different keyword combinations until you find what you are looking for.

If you do a search and don't get the results you want it's because you didn't give the search engine the right keys or enough good keys to search through the nearly 7 million posts to pull up that one set of 4 magic ones you are looking for. Garbage in, garbage out.
Old 03-17-2006, 11:40 PM
  #7  
Administrator


 
cthree's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Toronto, Canada
Posts: 20,274
Likes: 0
Received 4 Likes on 4 Posts
Default

The search is not down unless you offer only a single vague keyword like "exhaust" and it has to sort through millions of results. You didn't say what keywords you were trying to use that didn't work.

The load times are comparable to other sites of similar size, maybe better in some cases.
Old 03-18-2006, 12:50 AM
  #8  
Registered User
 
cfcrafting's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Philly
Posts: 105
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

pebkac
Old 03-18-2006, 09:31 AM
  #9  
zyr
Registered User
Thread Starter
 
zyr's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Irvine, CA
Posts: 1,155
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by cthree,Mar 18 2006, 12:38 AM
The search works fine. It's the searcher that's not working so well. You need to do some work to find the results you are looking for. If you search for "recent issues" you will fond exactly none. You need to tell search what exactly you are looking for with the most important keywords first and using only keywords that are relevant and statistically unique if possible. You may also need to run your search several times with different keyword combinations until you find what you are looking for.

If you do a search and don't get the results you want it's because you didn't give the search engine the right keys or enough good keys to search through the nearly 7 million posts to pull up that one set of 4 magic ones you are looking for. Garbage in, garbage out.
I'm not saying our search is bad.. its just worse than most other forum search engines.

I'm talking about basic features like: search entire post OR titles only, search threads started by username, find threads with at least x replies, find posts from specified dates, and searching specific forums instead of the whole site.

for example:
http://www.honda-tech.com/zerosearch
http://www.newcelica.org/forums/search.php?

most car forums I've been to have these basic features built into their search which makes it a lot easier to find a specific thread.
Old 03-18-2006, 12:29 PM
  #10  
Registered User
 
ROGUE3308's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Huntington, WV
Posts: 8,361
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

Leave it alone dude. It does you no good to complain. Your just asking to get flamed. Play around with the search and you will get used to it.


Quick Reply: our search sucks?



All times are GMT -8. The time now is 01:54 PM.