How come "Search" is so worthless?

[Frank Petronio]

Seems like after 20 years of making forum software, vBulletin would have figured out how to make the search work decently. Most of the time I end up starting a new thread because I can't find the right old one, even though I know it exists.

Any hopes of them ever improving it? Or is it just the way forums will always be?

[BrianShaw]

I've found them so useless that I just don't bother anymore.

[IanG]

There is a Google search plugin which works far better but the site Admin hasn't implemented it.

I prefer the Google Toolbar API - customised site search, and someone's written on for this Forum

See here

Ian

[Ken Lee]

You can limit a Google search to a single domain, by adding the following: <space>site:site-name

For example, type this into a google input box: petronio site: www.largeformatphotography.info

Google will give you this search, which searches for the word 'petronio', only on www.largeformatphotography.info:

http://www.google.com/search?client=...UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

[IanG]

The Google toolbar API does that for you.

Ian

[BarryS]

I find the search function works pretty well, as long as you know the keywords you're looking for. For instance, the search function has no trouble turning up all the threads with "Verito" in the subject line, or in individual posts. What the search engine doesn't do is parse natural language (a la Watson), so you can ask "where is that post where the guy rigged a milk jug handle as a flange?" One thing that would help is users posting good descriptive titles for their threads like "Sources for Wollensak Flanges" instead of "Where do I buy???!!!!". I'd love to have a post tagging function that would let each user flag important posts for future reference. Once you flagged a post, the software would extract the keywords and build your own personalized search engine that would bubble flagged posts to the top when you do a search.

[SamReeves]

You can limit a Google search to a single domain, by adding the following: <space>site:site-name

For example, type this into a google input box: petronio site: www.largeformatphotography.info

Google will give you this search, which searches for the word 'petronio', only on www.largeformatphotography.info:

http://www.google.com/search?client=...UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

I have to agree with this method. Google tends to uncover a lot of stuff that the database search won't do here.

[domaz]

Google has the advantage of using it's ranking algorithm to find threads that are the best bets. For instance- a lot of threads here were probably linked to from other sites on the Internet and Google takes that into account in it's ranking. I find the Thread search does a decent job as long as you minimize the keywords though.

[Atul Mohidekar]

I agree with Frank, the Search functionality is frustratingly weak. Adding to that frustration is the fact that there is no documentation or tips describing what operators the search supports. Does it supoort AND, OR, NOT, quotes, grouping of criteria using brackets/parentheses? No examples at all.


// Atul

[Roger Thoms]

Worse than worthless as it frustrates the heck out of me. I'll check out the Google Toolbar API.

Thanks,
Roger