SEARCH Function - Why is Google searching this forum?

Dead-Nuts-Zero · September 5, 2006, 04:03 PM

I try to use the search function today (FireLine Forum) and everytime it goes into Google giving forum search results.

Never had this problem before. What am I doing wrong?

TheBluesMan · September 5, 2006, 04:18 PM

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/...d.php?t=220289

**tyme** · September 7, 2006, 10:59 PM

Okay,

I am painfully aware that google is not ideal. In particular, searching for words that occur in a single post is difficult if not impossible, since most google results are threads, and keywords are matched anywhere in the thread. However, that can usually be mitigated by using more specific search terms.

I think that a lot of people who find google search unusable are not giving it a fair chance, or are simply not used to using web search engines.

Google has at least one extremely useful feature that vbulletin doesn't: quoted phrases. You can search for "war on terror," and you won't have to wade through posts where those words are only used separately.

vBulletin search may seem better from your perspective, but how much is that worth to you? Is it worth the forums being perhaps twice as slow (or worse) on average? Is it worth posts and post edits taking dozens of seconds whenever someone else is simultaneously doing an unwise search (like for "gun" or "rifle")?

That's one thing you'll notice about google. It's never slow, and it always works.

Dead-Nuts-Zero · September 8, 2006, 04:45 PM

I use the forum search often, and one thing I liked is reading the many interesting post that I came upon while searching. Now when I search, I leave the forum completly. It's not that I can't use Google, I have used it since day one and use it several times every day for searching something I am looking for.

I think it's a matter of enjoying the searching within our own community and not mixing with the 4997664 trillion-billion search bits that Google banks. I agree the forum search is far from the best way to do efficient searching, but I learned to use it and found it more to my liking as it was "our" search in "our" forum.
Change is difficult for some of us.

Geoff Timm · September 15, 2006, 02:25 PM

There is enough traffic here, that following my own posts is impossible without the detailed search function, which allowed me to quickly find my recent postings.

Therefore, there is no sense in posting. I can't follow up.

Geoff
Who can't justify expending time on TFL without being able to find, quickly and efficiently, my previous posts.

**Mal H** · September 15, 2006, 03:06 PM

Geoff - left click on your name in your post above, a menu should pop up. Select "Find More Posts by ...". Or go to your profile at any time by clicking on your own name in "Currently Active Users" at the bottom of the forum index page and select "Find all posts by ..."

pax · September 16, 2006, 06:19 AM

tyme,

Does that rant mean you're not working on a way to get the vBulletin search working again?

pax

TheBluesMan · September 16, 2006, 12:40 PM

Pax - A decision will be made and a solution implemented within a day or so.

Thanks for your patience.

-Dave

**tyme** · September 16, 2006, 01:01 PM

No. I intend to see vbulletin's search fixed (somehow) and re-enabled. I just can't enable it for everyone right now because it'll slow the forums down too much. The consensus is that we're going to try re-enabling it for registered users early tomorrow. It may take a while to re-index everything, but the search page should be accessible during that process.

Rich is getting back from vacation soon. Things will be sorted out one way or another at that point. Not quite a day, but not too much longer.

dZ · September 16, 2006, 08:00 PM

does this mean the data going back to 1999 is still there?

i just went looking for some legacy posts on Clinton and the wide search yielded 30 posts and a search for older than a year yielded nothing

dats not good

pax · September 16, 2006, 08:04 PM

Excellent. Forgive me if I sounded pushy when asking -- just wondered what the status was.

pax

Geoff Timm · September 20, 2006, 04:18 PM

MalH advised, "Geoff - left click on your name in your post above, a menu should pop up. Select "Find More Posts by ...". Or go to your profile at any time by clicking on your own name in "Currently Active Users" at the bottom of the forum index page and select "Find all posts by ...""

Works! Thanks!

Now where's that fine manual I failed to read?

Geoff
Who is embarrassed

pax · September 24, 2006, 05:24 PM

tyme ~

Forgive me if you guys have already thought of this, but seems to me that you might do some good simply by changing the default search pattern from "everything" to "past two weeks" -- including the search pattern from the drop-down menu -- and let people opt out if they need more inclusive results.

Might it help?

pax

pax · October 2, 2006, 09:12 AM

tyme ~

THANK YOU!

I really appreciate your hard work behind the scenes ...

pax

**Mike Irwin** · October 2, 2006, 10:25 AM

OK, search is working again...

But...

I just searched on some parameters, and I got 5 recent hits and a bunch of hits from 2002 and back.

Nothing at all between 2002 and the beginning of September.

Please don't tell me that we lost almost 4 years of databased messages...

TheBluesMan · October 2, 2006, 11:34 AM

We've not yet re-indexed the forums. That is a very long process that we try to schedule during a slow time.

Your continued patience is appreciated.

-Dave

September 5, 2006, 04:03 PM	#1
Dead-Nuts-Zero Senior Member Join Date: August 26, 2004 Posts: 579	SEARCH Function - Why is Google searching this forum? I try to use the search function today (FireLine Forum) and everytime it goes into Google giving forum search results. Never had this problem before. What am I doing wrong? __________________ . . BANG------------ >>> !

September 7, 2006, 10:59 PM	#3
tyme Staff Join Date: October 13, 2001 Posts: 3,355	Okay, I am painfully aware that google is not ideal. In particular, searching for words that occur in a single post is difficult if not impossible, since most google results are threads, and keywords are matched anywhere in the thread. However, that can usually be mitigated by using more specific search terms. I think that a lot of people who find google search unusable are not giving it a fair chance, or are simply not used to using web search engines. Google has at least one extremely useful feature that vbulletin doesn't: quoted phrases. You can search for "war on terror," and you won't have to wade through posts where those words are only used separately. vBulletin search may seem better from your perspective, but how much is that worth to you? Is it worth the forums being perhaps twice as slow (or worse) on average? Is it worth posts and post edits taking dozens of seconds whenever someone else is simultaneously doing an unwise search (like for "gun" or "rifle")? That's one thing you'll notice about google. It's never slow, and it always works. __________________ “The egg hatched...” “...the egg hatched... and a hundred baby spiders came out...” (blade runner) “Who are you?” “A friend. I'm here to prevent you from making a mistake.” “You have no idea what I'm doing here, friend.” “In specific terms, no, but I swore an oath to protect the world...” (continuum) “It's a goal you won't understand until later. Your job is to make sure he doesn't achieve the goal.” (bsg)

September 8, 2006, 04:45 PM	#4
Dead-Nuts-Zero Senior Member Join Date: August 26, 2004 Posts: 579	I use the forum search often, and one thing I liked is reading the many interesting post that I came upon while searching. Now when I search, I leave the forum completly. It's not that I can't use Google, I have used it since day one and use it several times every day for searching something I am looking for. I think it's a matter of enjoying the searching within our own community and not mixing with the 4997664 trillion-billion search bits that Google banks. I agree the forum search is far from the best way to do efficient searching, but I learned to use it and found it more to my liking as it was "our" search in "our" forum. Change is difficult for some of us. __________________ . . BANG------------ >>> !

September 16, 2006, 06:19 AM	#7
pax Senior Member Join Date: May 16, 2000 Location: In a state of flux Posts: 7,520	tyme, Does that rant mean you're not working on a way to get the vBulletin search working again? pax __________________ Kathy Jackson My personal website: Cornered Cat

September 16, 2006, 01:01 PM	#9
tyme Staff Join Date: October 13, 2001 Posts: 3,355	No. I intend to see vbulletin's search fixed (somehow) and re-enabled. I just can't enable it for everyone right now because it'll slow the forums down too much. The consensus is that we're going to try re-enabling it for registered users early tomorrow. It may take a while to re-index everything, but the search page should be accessible during that process. Rich is getting back from vacation soon. Things will be sorted out one way or another at that point. Not quite a day, but not too much longer. __________________ “The egg hatched...” “...the egg hatched... and a hundred baby spiders came out...” (blade runner) “Who are you?” “A friend. I'm here to prevent you from making a mistake.” “You have no idea what I'm doing here, friend.” “In specific terms, no, but I swore an oath to protect the world...” (continuum) “It's a goal you won't understand until later. Your job is to make sure he doesn't achieve the goal.” (bsg)

September 5, 2006, 04:18 PM	#2
TheBluesMan Moderator Emeritus Join Date: June 15, 1999 Location: Ohio Posts: 7,558	http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/...d.php?t=220289

September 15, 2006, 02:25 PM	#5
Geoff Timm Senior Member Join Date: May 18, 2004 Location: Florida Posts: 472	There is enough traffic here, that following my own posts is impossible without the detailed search function, which allowed me to quickly find my recent postings. Therefore, there is no sense in posting. I can't follow up. Geoff Who can't justify expending time on TFL without being able to find, quickly and efficiently, my previous posts.

September 15, 2006, 03:06 PM	#6
Mal H Staff Join Date: March 20, 1999 Location: Somewhere in the woods of Northern Virginia Posts: 16,955	Geoff - left click on your name in your post above, a menu should pop up. Select "Find More Posts by ...". Or go to your profile at any time by clicking on your own name in "Currently Active Users" at the bottom of the forum index page and select "Find all posts by ..."

September 16, 2006, 12:40 PM	#8
TheBluesMan Moderator Emeritus Join Date: June 15, 1999 Location: Ohio Posts: 7,558	Pax - A decision will be made and a solution implemented within a day or so. Thanks for your patience. -Dave

September 16, 2006, 08:00 PM	#10
dZ Senior Member Join Date: May 31, 1999 Location: Exiled, Fetid Swamp, DC Posts: 7,548	does this mean the data going back to 1999 is still there? i just went looking for some legacy posts on Clinton and the wide search yielded 30 posts and a search for older than a year yielded nothing dats not good __________________ "O tell the Lacedomecians to damn the torpedoes." BOTR, Chapter V: Some Monsters

September 16, 2006, 08:04 PM	#11
pax Senior Member Join Date: May 16, 2000 Location: In a state of flux Posts: 7,520	Excellent. Forgive me if I sounded pushy when asking -- just wondered what the status was. pax __________________ Kathy Jackson My personal website: Cornered Cat

September 20, 2006, 04:18 PM	#12
Geoff Timm Senior Member Join Date: May 18, 2004 Location: Florida Posts: 472	MalH advised, "Geoff - left click on your name in your post above, a menu should pop up. Select "Find More Posts by ...". Or go to your profile at any time by clicking on your own name in "Currently Active Users" at the bottom of the forum index page and select "Find all posts by ..."" Works! Thanks! Now where's that fine manual I failed to read? Geoff Who is embarrassed

September 24, 2006, 05:24 PM	#13
pax Senior Member Join Date: May 16, 2000 Location: In a state of flux Posts: 7,520	tyme ~ Forgive me if you guys have already thought of this, but seems to me that you might do some good simply by changing the default search pattern from "everything" to "past two weeks" -- including the search pattern from the drop-down menu -- and let people opt out if they need more inclusive results. Might it help? pax __________________ Kathy Jackson My personal website: Cornered Cat

October 2, 2006, 09:12 AM	#14
pax Senior Member Join Date: May 16, 2000 Location: In a state of flux Posts: 7,520	tyme ~ *THANK YOU!* I really appreciate your hard work behind the scenes ... pax __________________ Kathy Jackson My personal website: Cornered Cat

October 2, 2006, 10:25 AM	#15
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,390	OK, search is working again... But... I just searched on some parameters, and I got 5 recent hits and a bunch of hits from 2002 and back. Nothing at all between 2002 and the beginning of September. Please don't tell me that we lost almost 4 years of databased messages... __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower. Last edited by Mike Irwin; October 3, 2006 at 12:37 AM.

October 2, 2006, 11:34 AM	#16
TheBluesMan Moderator Emeritus Join Date: June 15, 1999 Location: Ohio Posts: 7,558	We've not yet re-indexed the forums. That is a very long process that we try to schedule during a slow time. Your continued patience is appreciated. -Dave