Is it just me noticing more repetition of old questions on the forum since it was reformatted? I am probably guilty of it myself because when I search a particular topic I get such general results that I have to pour through 50-100 posts to find what I am really looking for. Seems to me the old format gave more specific results. Am I just not putting my search terms in the right format ? Have others found the search function as useable as the old format?
Search is vary weak. First off, there are TWO search boxes. One searches the magazine. The other searches this forum. There is no way to tell which is which. One is labeled "search this site" and the other is labeled "Search the Community" One of them disappears and reappears when ever it feels like it.
Once into the search function, the results are disappointing. It fails to find posts you know are out there. It doesn't handle AND and OR dependably. I seldom bother to use it 'cause its so bad.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
'SEARCH THIS SITE' is for 'Subscriber-Only Content'. You need a subscription to Model Railroader.
'SEARCH COMMUNITY' is the one you want. The search capability is rather limited.
Jim
Modeling BNSF and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin
In my opinion it took a huge step backwards with this year's forum update
Paul
Modeling HO with a transition era UP bent
It works mediocre at best. Hopefully they will turn their attention to this issue.
The ability to accurately search the archives is important because a wealth of information is available. If we cannot access this info, it is a waste to save the old threads.
Sometimes quotation marks help but a sticky or tutorial would be nice if some idiosyncrasy exists.
It could be worse, we could end up as refugees due to a closed forum like Atlas.
Glad it is just not me that finds the search function almost useless. Please give us the old search function back if at all possible. It seemed to list posts more by relevance than just mentioning the search term anywhere in the post.
I agree. The old search was better. I use the search alot more than I post. I was able to get alot of information fairly east.
I found some interesting members found during a "search" with links are full of malware.
Gidday, with all due respect to our hosts at Kalmbach to whom I'm grateful that I can participate in their free forum, RUBBISH is the word I would use, which is a pity because there is a whole lot of good relevant information that seems to have been lost in cyberspace.
Its pointless pointing new members to the "Search Community " function when its so frustrating to use.
I'm afraid as a "Technological Luddite" I just don't understand how something like that can actually get worse. Hopefully it can be rectified with out too much financial pain.
Just my two bobs worth.
Cheers, the Bear.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
I just use google search and add Model railroader to what I am looking for.
Bill
Bamos,
I tried Google w/ Model Railroader and you are right; got much better results. Thanks for the tip.
In fairness to Kalmbach, this isn't their software. It's a third party product with "out of the box" functionality customizable to some extent by the host.
It is used by a goodly number of places hosting forums -- they all have the same look and feel.
That said, yeah, it wasn't built with the search functionality as one of it's main selling points.
Connecticut Valley Railroad A Branch of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford
"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." -- Henry Ford