Question about the Search feature

Normally I don't have any problem finding threads I'm searching for, but today I was searching for something pretty darn specific and the thread did not show up in the search results at all. I was looking for this thread:

Coaster enthusiast in the Super Bowl

I typed a number of combinations in the keyword field...most notably 'coaster enthusiast super bowl' (without the quotes). I sorted by Rank, Date, Title, Name, and Replies, and not one time did this thread appear in the list of results. I would think a thread with all four of those words in the title would be one of, if not the first result listed, but this one didn't come up at all. Obviously, I found the thread I was looking for by scrolling through all recent posts in the last couple of weeks, but I don't want to have to do that when the thread I need is a couple years old. How exactly does the Search feature work?

Look at the words in your search. How many times do you think "coaster" and "enthusiast" appear in the database? Thousands of times I'm sure.

I just did a search for "super bowl" and got several threads about the super bowl, though not the one you wanted when searched by rank.

Jeff, I just tried the search too, using just super bowl and sort by date and it didn't even come up...

That's exactly my point, though. The thread in question does not show up at all in the results, no matter what keywords you enter.

I don't know what to tell you. Maybe I need to repopulate the index.

Can you make the search by "exact wording?" It would be nice!

You need to understand that search is a science. Companies like Google and Yahoo have armies of software engineers all doing six figures to make it work and make it fast.

I don't, so I use Microsoft's search component that comes with the database. It's reasonably fast considering it has to go through around 500 MB of text. If the indexing is off, naturally it doesn't always work. In some future version I'll probably combine several kinds of searches on several indexes, but that's a project for another day.

Jeff, if you do decide to re-do some of the search functions, add phrasing in quotes. Make those words in quotes have to be right next to each other. Another idea may be to only search titles of threads.

Only ideas. Do with them what you like.

Thanks for the answer, Jeff. I figured it was pretty extensive to do that. Not just a "plug in." ;)

If you're not having luck with the search here and are really desperate to find a thread - believe it or not, use google.

Using Vater's example go to google and enter

"super bowl enthusiast site:coasterbuzz.com" (minus the quotes)

You'll be surprised at how well it works by using the little "site:" thingy to narrow it down.

Google updates at a ridiculous rate so if the thread is old enough that you can't easily find it just by nosing through the first few pages here - then google has probably already indexed it. Just for reference, I've seen new pages I add to my site show up in google in as little as 8 hours.

*** Edited 2/1/2004 8:02:36 AM UTC by Lord Gonchar***

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joe. said:
Jeff, if you do decide to re-do some of the search functions, add phrasing in quotes. Make those words in quotes have to be right next to each other. Another idea may be to only search titles of threads.

Only ideas. Do with them what you like.

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Hey Joe,

What in the world do you know about search engine technology? :)

James, who knows a little something about who Joe works for.