ER.org Search is terrible

[REWahoo]

I don't know if this web site uses wordpress, but this discussion compares a wordpress search to google.

The site uses https://www.vbulletin.com/ , not Wordpress.

 

[Alan]

Hardly a week goes by that I don't correct a misspelled word or incorrect grammar in a thread title here. I never touch anything in a post, but I feel thread titles are fair game.

So we are trying to help.

Same here, plus I will add “Poll:” to the title on poll threads which makes it much easier to do a search on Threads that contain polls.

 

[ncbill]

Did anyone else initially see the thread title as "ER.org Stench is terrible?"

 

[gauss]

Is there a 2nd search feature in one of the ER.org apps that people are discussing?

On the web site, all I see is the google search box and, IMHO, it works well.

-gauss

 

[RunningBum]

Is there a 2nd search feature in one of the ER.org apps that people are discussing?

On the web site, all I see is the google search box and, IMHO, it works well.

-gauss

Right below it is a search pull down, with a search box and the advanced search option that I use.

 

[Alan]

Each Forum has a "Search this Forum" drop down as well.

 

[RunningBum]

There's also a Search This Thread drop down for each thread, which can be helpful in long multi-page threads.

 

[kgtest]

Title search is how I find things successfully. Sometimes with search less is more.

AHA! I was searching nonchelantly. I'll make sure I search on Title from now on! I knew it had to be stupid user error.

 

[kgtest]

There's also a Search This Thread drop down for each thread, which can be helpful in long multi-page threads.

I've used that one many times with success! Just didn't realize I could search on just the title...


Although IMHO I feel like the default search behavior should weight keywords against titles more heavily, than the contents within the thread. I guess that design is subjective though!

 

[sengsational]

I used to be pretty good at using AND OR NOT etc functions in some of the search engines, but the really robust search functions are 'smart' enough that you can just use a 'natural language search' and that often works better.



The search on this board is OR by default, so if you type a common word along with your specific one, the results are usually useless. And I'm spoiled by Google searching on what I meant, not what I typed (spelling correction).

 

[gauss]

Right below it is a search pull down, with a search box and the advanced search option that I use.

Thanks! Now I see the native search pull-down.
I have always used the prominently featured "powered by Google" search.

-gauss

 

[Janet H]

The native vBulletin search is a keyword search only and </=3 letter words are not searched for. Lame but workable.

You can use the advanced search to search for words in specific posts or search the entire board or thread titles. You can also search for posts made by a specific person. Here is a link to the advanced search page: Early Retirement & Financial Independence Community - Search Forums

There is a google search option at the top of the page (or in my signature) and you can craft a more complex set of search terms...