About searching on TOTV

[Talk Host]

From time to time a member (often a new member) will initiate a thread about a topic that has been discussed previously. Invariably someone will reply that they should have used the search function to investigate that topic and that discussing it again is a waste of time.

Some thoughts from this administrator about that:



How is a person to know that it's been discussed and that they should search for it.

If a person is expected to search for a certain topic, then every member should be expected to search for every topic.

Many times there is new information or new ideas to be revealed with the re-initiation of a topic.

If everybody used search every time and found what they were looking for, they would never have to post and this would be a very boring forum.

This is a community of people designed for those people to talk to each other. Insisting that one should use search rather than post is bogus.

I'm guessing that 70% of what's discussed here has been discussed in some form or another in the past.

If one doesn't wish to read a topic that has been discussed previously, then one should pass by it without making the poster think they did something wrong.

Finally, our search function sucks. You are very lucky to find anything by using it.


JLK :spoken:

[wlou]

Thank you for this post because it pains me when someone new initiates a thread only to have someone else make them feel "dumb" about doing it...Very well said, thank you!

[redwitch]

Another who has always disliked the asked and answered, go search response. Thank you for speaking up. I like BillnBrillo's way -- attach links to previous threads. It's helpful without sounding mean.

So, when do you upgrade the search function? It really is awful. lol

[skyguy79]

I'm fairly sure that I read the post that prompted this thread, and as a relatively new user I didn't quite interpet 'the suggestion to use search' to mean that the new thread should not have been started, but rather that it was a "source" of valuable information for the inquireror. I may be wrong or not clear on the responding post at this particular time, but that's just the way I remembered taking it!

[Hal :-)]

From time to time a member (often a new member) will initiate a thread about a topic that has been discussed previously. Invariably someone will reply that they should have used the search function to investigate that topic..........

Agreed on your points. Sometimes, however, people really would like to simply search and, in your words, the forum search sucks. I just wanted to point out that Google searches work well. Limiting the search with the site parameter (site:www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/) and utilizing the Google search syntax can usually get what you're looking for.

[TednRobin]

I thank you for posting regarding the search. I have tried to use the search only to find numerous queries that would take days to go thru and yet to find what I am looking for. It is nice to know, esp when a newbie, that you can post on this forum and not be made to feel vulnerable or under attack. I am glad that the hosts monitor this forum closely.

[ijusluvit]

From time to time a member (often a new member) will initiate a thread about a topic that has been discussed previously. Invariably someone will reply that they should have used the search function to investigate that topic and that discussing it again is a waste of time.

Some thoughts from this administrator about that:



How is a person to know that it's been discussed and that they should search for it.

If a person is expected to search for a certain topic, then every member should be expected to search for every topic.

Many times there is new information or new ideas to be revealed with the re-initiation of a topic.

If everybody used search every time and found what they were looking for, they would never have to post and this would be a very boring forum.

This is a community of people designed for those people to talk to each other. Insisting that one should use search rather than post is bogus.

I'm guessing that 70% of what's discussed here has been discussed in some form or another in the past.

If one doesn't wish to read a topic that has been discussed previously, then one should pass by it without making the poster think they did something wrong.

Finally, our search function sucks. You are very lucky to find anything by using it.


JLK :spoken:

I'm still rolling around laughing at your last statement. one of the funniest ever by an administrator!

Stop and think however. The fact that the search function sucks is what facilitates fresh comments about topics that reappear again and again. You're right; if your engine was Google instead of Thomas the Train nobody would have to talk to each other any more.

For those who are desperate to find something in the archives however, try this recently suggested procedure. Go to google. Type in talkofthevillages/item. 'Item' is the word that best describes or links with the subject you are looking for. Here's what I mean by a link: let's say you want to know what people have written about nearby restaurants. Make your 'item' a popular restaurant like 'Bonefish Grill'. You will get specific threads about that restaurant, but comments about many others as well.

[Hal :-)]

I'm still rolling around laughing at your last statement. one of the funniest ever by an administrator!

Stop and think however. The fact that the search function sucks is what facilitates fresh comments about topics that reappear again and again. You're right; if your engine was Google instead of Thomas the Train nobody would have to talk to each other any more.

For those who are desperate to find something in the archives however, try this recently suggested procedure. Go to google. Type in talkofthevillages/item. 'Item' is the word that best describes or links with the subject you are looking for. Here's what I mean by a link: let's say you want to know what people have written about nearby restaurants. Make your 'item' a popular restaurant like 'Bonefish Grill'. You will get specific threads about that restaurant, but comments about many others as well.

Narrow it to just the forum with "site:" http://goo.gl/Df5NM

[Talk Host]

I'm fairly sure that I read the post that prompted this thread, and as a relatively new user I didn't quite interpet 'the suggestion to use search' to mean that the new thread should not have been started, but rather that it was a "source" of valuable information for the inquireror. I may be wrong or not clear on the responding post at this particular time, but that's just the way I remembered taking it!


No one post prompted my comments. It has been ongoing for some time, and is not peculiar to Talk of The Villages.

JLK

[Talk Host]

Narrow it to just the forum with "site:" http://goo.gl/Df5NM

Gee that sounds great, but I have no idea what this search criteria means. Could you please explain for us what goo/gl/D
f5NM means? Is that all we have to enter in Google, ever?

[HawkeyeBarb]

JLK...I now know why you are The Nice Administrator! As a fairly new TOTV poster, I am always nervous about posting...don't want to make any errors or "faux pas" on this forum and annoy any possible future neighbors or friends!
Your post and explanation makes me feel better...and more confident with my posts!
Thanks!

[scrapple]

Thanks for being a nice, caring, nurturing host administrator.

[Hal :-)]

Gee that sounds great, but I have no idea what this search criteria means. Could you please explain for us what goo/gl/D
f5NM means? Is that all we have to enter in Google, ever?
Sorry, that's just a shortened link to a Google search as an example of using the "site:" selection parameter. Just click on it.

[skyguy79]

No one post prompted my comments. It has been ongoing for some time, and is not peculiar to Talk of The Villages.

JLKhttp://www.homesteadingtoday.com/images/smack.jpg Thanks for the clearification. The posting I found fit the bill to a T and it's now obvious to me that the posting I read just hours before was coincidental!

[Skip2MySue]

From time to time a member (often a new member) will initiate a thread about a topic that has been discussed previously. Invariably someone will reply that they should have used the search function to investigate that topic and that discussing it again is a waste of time.

Some thoughts from this administrator about that:



How is a person to know that it's been discussed and that they should search for it.

If a person is expected to search for a certain topic, then every member should be expected to search for every topic.

Many times there is new information or new ideas to be revealed with the re-initiation of a topic.

If everybody used search every time and found what they were looking for, they would never have to post and this would be a very boring forum.

This is a community of people designed for those people to talk to each other. Insisting that one should use search rather than post is bogus.

I'm guessing that 70% of what's discussed here has been discussed in some form or another in the past.

If one doesn't wish to read a topic that has been discussed previously, then one should pass by it without making the poster think they did something wrong.

Finally, our search function sucks. You are very lucky to find anything by using it.


JLK :spoken:

Rather then having numerous people try and use the search feature I wanted to provide the answer to the many people that wrote regarding the over/under toilet paper issue. Over the top won handily.:a040: I hope everyone can rest a little easier;)
Skip 2

[ijusluvit]

Sorry, that's just a shortened link to a Google search as an example of using the "site:" selection parameter. Just click on it.

I'm sure it's just me, but this answer is geometrically more confusing than your first answer.

[grandma-annie]

If I just want to ask something fresh without going to that particular topic in the general forum.... how do I do that?

[ajbrown]

I'm sure it's just me, but this answer is geometrically more confusing than your first answer.

If you click on the link Hal provided in post #8 it takes you to google and shows the search he performed. Hal, what is the /forums in the search after talkofthevillages.com?

Here is the link again:

http://goo.gl/Df5NM

It is a funny looking link as Hal must have shortened it before posting it here as it was too long

The original link was a mouthful :):

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=site:https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums+bonefish+grill#sclient=psy&hl=en&tbo=1&q=site:www.talkofthevillages.com%2Fforums+bonefish +grill&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&pbx=1&fp=1&cad=b

If you go to http://goo.gl you can see how links can be shortened.

[Talk Host]

If I just want to ask something fresh without going to that particular topic in the general forum.... how do I do that?

Simply go to the general forum and click on the button at the top left of the page that says "new thread." It's that simple.

JLK

[Hal :-)]

If you click on the link Hal provided in post #8 it takes you to google and shows the search he performed. Hal, what is the /forums in the search after talkofthevillages.com?

Here is the link again:

http://goo.gl/Df5NM

It is a funny looking link as Hal must have shortened it before posting it here as it was too long

The original link was a mouthful :):

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=site:https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums+bonefish+grill#sclient=psy&hl=en&tbo=1&q=site:www.talkofthevillages.com%2Fforums+bonefish +grill&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&pbx=1&fp=1&cad=b

If you go to http://goo.gl you can see how links can be shortened.

I actually have a URL shortener button on the browser so it's easy to send a shortened URL when it gets so long.

That long messy URL is generated by Google. If you go to Google.com and enter any search arguments, then hit the search button you'll see a messy URL. If you wanted to send a link to that Google search page you almost have to shorten it.

Regarding the "/forums". I didn't think about it,but you don't really need that. Often forums are a subset of a web site. If, for example, the TOTV forum was an area on thevillages.com you'd want to narrow your search to just the forums so you didn't get reference from the rest of the site. In this case, talkofthevillages.com is just the forums so the extra qualifier is not necessary.

Hope that helps.

[tony]

Wait! Don't even imply that Talk of The Villages is under TheVillages.com. People might read that and believe it. We are entirely independent.

[Pturner]

I like BillnBrillo's way -- attach links to previous threads. It's helpful without sounding mean.

So, when do you upgrade the search function? It really is awful. lol

I agree. If a previous thread is referenced, it's so nice and helpful to provide the link. Adding fresh comments along with the link is also great.

TH, I'm glad you brought this up too. TOTV gets new members all the time-- yea! They may not have seen older threads. Newer posters, as well as long-time posters who didn't post in the previous thread, will have new ideas or angles or stories to add to a previously-discussed subject. Every snowbird season we learn of novel ways people misuse the roundabouts. As sure as the sun comes up, a fresh dog poop story will appear one day, have us laughing or shaking our heads or anticipating what will Fumar say. No matter how many times people ask about selling a house up north, we'll hear of novel approaches or interesting circumstances, and we'll warm to and get caught up in the well wishing. We'll anticipate the new person's arrival and be anxious to hear how things progress.

I hope no one feels intimidated to post on TOTV.

So, when do you upgrade the search function? It really is awful. lol

[Talk Host]

So, when do you upgrade the search function? It really is awful. lol

The search function is embedded in the forum software. It isn't anything that we developed or have control of. This forum software is the most popular in the world. I personally belong to five forums that use it. The search feature on all of them make a mess of the bed.

[Pturner]

The search function is embedded in the forum software. It isn't anything that we developed or have control of. This forum software is the most popular in the world. I personally belong to five forums that use it. The search feature on all of them make a mess of the bed.

Oh

[bike42]

The search function is embedded in the forum software. It isn't anything that we developed or have control of.

Did you have a chance to try adding a custom Google search box? It could fit on the right side of the top border, or in the grey area above the forum jump box --

[zcaveman]

Did you have a chance to try adding a custom Google search box? It could fit on the right side of the top border, or in the grey area above the forum jump box --

Maybe I am confused. I use Google as my default search engine and there is a search box at the top right hand side of my browser across from the URL I am at.

Why do we need an extra box?

[Bill-n-Brillo]

The search function is embedded in the forum software. It isn't anything that we developed or have control of. This forum software is the most popular in the world. I personally belong to five forums that use it. The search feature on all of them make a mess of the bed.

Now THERE'S a visual.............. :22yikes:

Bill :)

[bike42]

Maybe I am confused. I use Google as my default search engine and there is a search box at the top right hand side of my browser across from the URL I am at. Why do we need an extra box?

The TOTV hosts could install a Google search box to search just TOTV. It would work for anyone. The hosts had said before that they were checking into it. Sorry for the confusion.