why doesn't TB oversee search functionality?
 

TB is currently discussing smilies, yet we have a much bigger technical/functional problem on our hands: the new IB search sucks. :td: Take a look over in Technical Issues; it is nearly unanimous (actually, it is unanimous).

Why isn't this a TB issue to be discussed and debated, along with feedback from members? If smilies, a functional issue, is under TB purview, why not search? This is the main question I have. The bit about search sucking I'm sure will be worked out over time with the technical group.

Because it's a technical issue, not an organzinational issue.

Do you think that the new beta search is there because no one has complained about it yet? Or that Internet Brands and FlyerTalk have ignored requests for three-letter searches and other improvements to the search feature in the past? :confused:

Why doesn't the TalkBoard make a motion recommending switching from the current software to another program? Because it's not practical. Why doesn't the TalkBoard recommend that Internet Brands buy more storage and bandwidth? Well, duh - Internet Brands gets suggestions like that in the Suggestions and Technical Issues forums, and would do so if it were practical to do so.

Sorry the TalkBoard cannot be a one-stop complaint shop, but believe it or not, there are some things that are out of our scope... ;) Other TalkBoard members may feel differently. :D

First of all, I'm not asking that the TB switch to a new software. Nor am I suggesting that they buy more bandwidth.

What I am suggesting is that they garner feedback from users and make recommendations to the technical folks about functionality. Precisely like you're currently thinking of doing with respect to smilies. This is no different.

Previously we had two search options: old search and new search. Now we have one search option: new search.

Well, new search sucks. Most people think so. You're telling me TB has no power to make a recommendation? :confused: Doesn't TB exist to represent the needs/desires of the folks that use FT?

I'm very confused why the TB can recommend smilies but not one search over another.

Meanwhile, over in Technical Issues:

Does it sound like your suggestions are being ignored in Technical Issues? Does it seem like management is unwilling to work on an improved search feature for FlyerTalk? Geez, give these guys a break. Why not at least help them out before coming over to the TalkBoard forum to complain less than one day after a thread is started and responded to by both someone at Internet Brands AND our long-time technical guru Mikel at Webflyer?

Other TalkBoard members may feel differently.

I'm willing to give the technical team a break (although I'm not sure why something would go live as the only search option without all of the regular features and not have the old search as a backup, but I'm not a technical person).

But that's not the main point of this thread. The question is why the TB doesn't have purview over search. It has purview of smilies, supposedly, so why not this particular piece? Both are technical implementations, no?

The TB has talked about the search function in the past. Randy and IB have reported to the TB with regard to the search function in the past. I have personally answered a number of PMs on the topic when posters have complained to me about it as a result of my sig line.

Bottom line: as both a poster and a TB member, I am all too aware of the limitations of search. And if I didnt think that everything possible was being done about it you bet I'd be making a stink about it.

But I accept that the HoM and IB are doing everything they can but that we are something of a victim of our own success on this, though, and the millions of posts are straining the technical limits of search functionality. I trust that HoM and IB will keep working the problem though.

^ Thanks koko. Good to hear that TB does have at least some input into it. That wasn't clear from Spiff's original post.

I don't question that IB and the HOM's would love to correct this and soon will.

But I wouldn't think that the root cause was our millions of posts. Sites like Facebook and Second Life get more posts in an hour than we get in a month and they have a dynamic, vibrant search function that seems to work fine.

So it would appear to be something other than our size working against us but what that is I'm not sure.

Would you like the TB to vote on whether or not we should have an improved search function? I am sure the vote would be unanimous and it would then be up to IB and tech to fix it. Seems to me like the vote was skipped and they are trying to do something about it.

The difference between the search function and smilies is that it isn't really agreed on whether we need more smilies or different smilies.

Yes, absolutely. After getting feedback from FT members and outlining what the benefits and drawbacks are of making the move. I think that would have been a fantastic idea.

The vBulletin search engine -- which doesn't scale very well -- is unable to cope with the current size of the board. As you note, it is possible to create search engines that scale better. We've done actually done that. Unfortunately the new search is radically different on the backend, so we can't just "plug in" features from the old search and make them work. Everything has to be redone from scratch. Moreover, some of the things that were easy in the old engine are tricky in the new (and vice versa, but that doesn't cause any problems).

Short version is we're working on it.
Kevin

Word.

In the meantime is it possible to have both searches, as we had before?

The old VB search is the primary cause of the severe performance problems we've been experiencing. That is only going to get worse.
Kevin

I hope so, because right now it's a big, steamy pile of crap. :(

I'd like to thank Kevin for his updates and encourage magiciansampras and everybody to use the technical forum to report as specific bug reports (ie: problems searching) listing what they were searching for, browsers, etc. as they can.