Tutorial for the Search Feature

igalsfy

you all know that people who try to use the Search Feature are pretty bad at it. i still don't get how they use it because each time they say that they used the feature and couldn't find the info, i try on my own and find it within a minute.

so, i think a search tutorial might be needed. something explaining that looking on the exact title of an anime isn't the best way to find the right thread, that people shouldn't forget to make the search among the title threads and not the posts if needed (generally when you're looking for an anime) and other useful tips if you know any.

so, what do you think? we could have some brainstorming here in order to establish something nice and useful. or let's forget about it and let the mods handle the doubled thread.

(such a thing doesn't exist already, right?)

captain usopp

Well, I sort of figured it out on my own. The key word being "sort of" I would gladly welcome some hints and tips about how to search better. I think I already made a duplicate thread last week

oceanizer

… ... Thanks for making the tutorial, igalsfy!!!

.>
<.<

Ms. Suave Debonair

My advice would be not search one thing and then assume that, because there were no matches, that it isn't there, sometimes the threads are given names thata ren't the same as yours. Use correct english in the search.

'Iz laboon a d!?' obviously isn't going to get any matches.

Or, just try looking back through the threads, there are numbers at the bottom left, have a quick skim through those.
With the One Piece discussions, topics seem to spring up a couple of times a month and then they get merged with an older topic which seems to hang around a couple pages back.

captain usopp

it doesn't help when people give threads obscure titles…glares in greg's direction ^_^

igalsfy

i'll make something when i have time. which is not now.

Local-chan

Well, just thought I'd add some hints that work with me:

First off, try thinking about things before you post, is it something that fits into a specific part of the forum? I've seen some topics crop up in say, the General forum which is similar to stuff in the Media forum.
Look through the first couple of pages on the specific forum (I'd say first 5) to make sure the topic isn't there. If you still dont see the topic then use the search feature.
Also, try and check some of the topics such as the Who/What/Where/Why topic as it has a load of answers to some of the more common questions.
When typing in the search, try not to be too vague, for example, if you want to talk about oh I dunno, Zoro, don't just type in Zoro into the topic title, since I guarrantie about 90% of the topics will feature that name. Instead, try something different, lets say Zoro's Broken Sword, see, this has reduced the results by quite a bit.
Try and do a couple of searches, for example, some topics may be named differently.
Spell Check before you search
Use Advanced Search, not normal search, it gives you many more options and allows you to customize your search a bit more.
Remember that not everyone uses American English, which means some words can be spelt differently (favourite -> Favorite etc) also remember that some people do not speak very much english at all, so sometimes it will not appear.

….and thats about it really, its just something that once you get used to the search button and how it works, its much easier. I hope it helps.

igalsfy

the main clues to make a nice and useful search:

ALWAYS USE THE ADVANCED SEARCH!!!! 2) use the fewest words possible. basically the ones you're sure that might be in the thread titles. for example:

"is whitebeard stronger than blackbeard at mahjong?" just look for "whitebeard" or "blackbeard" or both if needed. (or just "beard" if nothing pops out)
"is bush a genius or simply a stupid asshole?" just look for "bush"
"sonic new adventures on ps12" just look for "sonic". or "sonic" and "ps12" if needed

most of the time, you better search for thread titles only
find threads with at least 0 replies. it's 50 per default. don't forget to change it.
show results as threads. it's easier to browse through.

ok, that might sound simple, but i bet most of you all don't even do that. it's raw and has to be improved. hell, i'm doing it at work. so feel free to add things you think are important. but let's make it very simple and short.

of course my examples are bad, feel free to change them.