Search Engine Techniques Refined for Better Results

S

Sea Wolf

New member
Have you ever used the Search function here, only to find that the number of hits was so great that you couldn't possibly go through the 16-64 pages of threads to find the answer or specific insident you were searching for?

I think it would be very useful to have a discussion on how to tweak the imput to the search engine and results to find something.

Might save us a lot of repeating topics and enable us to find references much easier!

Can any of you out there help to teach the rest of us how to refine our
searches to find things?

Joe.

magnifying-glass.gif
"Wallas" = 438 threads!
 
Well Joe....it might help if some of us did not feel the need to respond to everything said...thus reducing the number of hits possible... :mrgreen:

I love this place!!!!

Byrdman
 
Google has a "search within results" function which allows you to search within the first big batch of hits and narrow it down step by step. I use that a lot but don't know if it's possible here.

Charlie
 
Sea Wolf":fisyf34m said:
Can any of you out there help to teach the rest of us how to refine our
searches to find things?
Joe.
Click to expand...

I simply describe what I'm looking for as clearly as possible and let Sea Wolf Joe find it for me.... :wink
 
Captains Choice":1rnuc2v7 said:
Google has a "search within results" function which allows you to search within the first big batch of hits and narrow it down step by step. I use that a lot but don't know if it's possible here.

Charlie
Click to expand...

You can use site:www.c-brats.com when searching google to limit hits just
to this site. That way, you can use google to search this site, and search within
results, etc. The only downside is you will only catch results prior to the last
time google indexed the site. I've never checked to see how often that happens.

Mike
 
the search feature on here doesn't work. Just last week I was trying to find my glasses, I typed in glasses and got many hits but recieved no help on finding my glasses
 
:smilep Ken, I have the same problem, but with me it was my mind....I lost it and and can't find it anywhere.

If anyone else looses their mind, don't forget I lost my mind and will be out there looking for it. Don't forget to say hi if you bump into me while looking for yours. :wink:


Mike
 
I've been talking to Bill (Da Nag) about setting up a FAQ section which would have links to particularly good discussions of specific topics. This needs to be a group effort so if any of you have saved a collection of links, let me know and we can start building the FAQ.

Warren
 
Lori Ann":1t35l7l8 said:
I've been talking to Bill (Da Nag) about setting up a FAQ section which would have links to particularly good discussions of specific topics. This needs to be a group effort so if any of you have saved a collection of links, let me know and we can start building the FAQ.

Warren
Click to expand...

Warren-

This is an interesting, possibly very functional endeavor.

I once proposed that we divide the task into topics, making a person very familiar with the specific topic in charge of collecting and editing the posts.

The only problem here is we don't want to create resident "authorities" in each area, and in the process stiffle the free discussion that involves so many of our new members. It's kind of like wanting a Yacht Club of new, young, vigorous members associating, discovering, and learning with each other freely, instead of a stuffy, staid, club of stuffed shirts to answer questions with an established pecking and social order that grows old and dies of it's own lack of forward inertia!

Let's discuss this further!

Would we just list the threads, or re-write and summarize their content?

?????????????????????????

Joe.

:?: :?: :?: :?: :?:
 
I agree, we need to discuss it further.

Right now I am on a trip so don't have the time or resources to get into it in any great detail, but suffice it to say that I am open to any ideas.

My original thought was to have an alphabetic list of links (A, B, C, etc) that would each link to a number of subjects beginning with that letter (e.g., W --> Wallas, Water System, etc.) Then below each subject would be a link, followed by a short phrase which would give the reader an idea of what aspect of the subject is covered in the link.

One idea I am not completely sure about is having the links point to specific messages in a thread, rather than to the thread as a whole.

So, what are your (all of youse) ideas?

Warren
 
dogon dory":32zsux65 said:
Sea Wolf":32zsux65 said:
I once proposed that we divide the task into topics, making a person very familiar with the specific topic in charge of collecting and editing the posts.
Click to expand...

I'll volunteer to be the authority on smart alek comments.
Click to expand...

Dan-

Actually, that would be pretty appropriate, since most of them are yours, anyway!

You could be the Grand Imperial Wizard of Smart Arse Arts, Esq. :wink

Joe.

By the way, can someone explain to me why when you go to the "Mooning" emoticon who drops his pants, you only get a sleepy purple quarter moon? I'll bet we've been editied by the Family Hour Police again, ha!
 
dogon dory":2z956zns said:
Sea Wolf":2z956zns said:
Dan-

Actually, that would be pretty appropriate, since most of them are yours, anyway!

You could be the Grand Imperial Wizard of Smart Arse Arts, Esq. :wink

Joe.
Click to expand...

Hey, Joe, I resent that. I have absolutely nothing to do with any of the subtle, tactful smart arse comments. Mine are strictly blunt, tactless, and have no resemblence to art.
Click to expand...

Sorry, Dan, I was just trying tto be NICE, like the rule says..............

But you know, every tine I say something "NICE" about you, I immediately get a lot of hate mail. What's up with that?

Joe.
 
Actually, it says, "No rules, just be nice." So isn't that a contradiction? Maybe it should say, "One rule, just be nice."

Isn't being nice a rule? Sort of like the Golden Rule?

Wait, what was this thread about?

Brock
 
Can all of the messages with/without images be exported to database file (dbf, fm, etc) placed somewhere for downloading for offline use?
I dont need the images so links are fine. Searches on my PC are faster than online using A9 or goggle desktop.

I been saving topic threads using File, Save Page As... or just Control-S in Mozilla but there is boatload of oustanding information on this site that I wanted more content to view offline.


my 2 cents worth
 
Dan & Joe,

Thanks so much to both of you for volunteering to be responsible for the Humor section of the FAQ! Let me know when you have collected the best of the best and we will put it into the FAQ -- perhaps as the first entry!

Warren
 
Brent":1apdkxzs said:
Can all of the messages with/without images be exported to database file (dbf, fm, etc) placed somewhere for downloading for offline use?
Click to expand...

In theory, yes. The messages are stored in a MySQL database. In practice, that would probably require some custom programming on the part of the SysAdms (Mike & Bill.) I have no idea if they would want to do this. I suggest you contact them directly.

Warren
 
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