FT's "search" function
 

From time to time, one FTer will tell another that they should "search" for the answers they seek. Sometimes that response amounts to a well-meaning suggestion that the subject has been previously discussed in some depth and helpful information is there to be found in old threads; sometimes it amounts to a not so friendly rebuke. I have tried to search for answers in old threads, but I have not been terribly successful with those efforts. Are there ways to use FT's "search" function more effectively? If so, what might those ways be, or where can I find useful guidance in this regard?

MP sent an email about trading hotel points for UA miles. At first glance, it looks like a real stinker of a deal to me. But I thought to see if this offer had been discussed on any FT forum (UA, CC, etc.) and plugged in "hotel points" as my search term. That proved futile. The search results I got back were posts that contained the word "hotel" anywhere in them, the search engine apparently having deemed "points" too "general" a term to be of any value and did not look for the meaningful combo "hotel" and "points." Will "search" not look for requested strings/phrases or combinations of words? Can't we somehow specify with more precision what we are and are not looking for, so as to find it?

Any guidance will be appreciated.

I often end up searching google with searchs such as http://www.google.com/search?hs=qJ1&...nG=Search]this

In google use the site:flyertalk.com at the end of your search string to only search FT

That's a good idea; I use Google for other websites and have never tried it for FT, but I get it works well.

Seems peculiar, though I believe you, that one would do better going to Google to search for what one is after on FT than using FT's own search function. Just tell me please how you would use Google for the particular search I had in mind, that is to find if there had been any FT discussion of the MP miles for hotel points the UA email advised me of back on 7/10. Am I to paste in exactly what I see above here, which doesn't make any sense? Or I go through successive iterations on Google to get to where I want to be?

I will play around with Google to see if I can come up with a FT thread on the subject. If I come up empty-handed, then I may start a new thread and ignore any reproachful responses about how a search would have led me to a previous thread. (Do others find FT's search function disappointing?)

Thanks.

Without knowing the specifics of the promotion it's a bit hard. What hotel points were you looking for ?

You could use the search string

"mp miles" for hotel points site:flyertalk.com and then use advanced option to select "Within past 3 months" but that doesn't find anything specific.

"mp miles" for Mariott Rewards site:flyertalk.com finds a thread comparing UA to Marriott from 2004 with comparison data, but nothing from this year.

Below, if only to satisfy whatever curiosity my previous posts might have aroused, is the email from MP I had in mind when I tried my search to see if others might have fisked this particular offer. If no one has, then a search using any strategy should come up empty-handed. When the FT search function rejected "hotel points" and went with just "hotel," I wasn't going to wade through the results to see if any might have pertained to what I was interested in.

I would be interested to know if others think the FT search function does a generally good job, or they don't and use Google or other means to look for particular topics on FT? Any practical examples of what FT's search function is or isn't capable of in exploring FT's website vs what Google or other search engines are or aren't capable of? Are there better ways to accomplish searching within FT with FT, or simply best to approach FT searching from "outside" FT?



GET MORE VALUE FROM YOUR HOTEL POINTS NOW

Dear Itsme,

Convert your hotel points into Mileage Plus miles now
through September 30, 2006 and earn up to 5,000 bonus miles
that you can redeem toward travel, dining certificates,
auction items, and more. Check out Mileage Plus Awards to
view all of your redemption options.
http://mymileageplus.com/mmps/83367/...fdb6ce02bf5394

Here's how to transfer hotel points and earn bonus miles:

1. Select a hotel points program that you belong to
from the list below

2. Transfer the amount of hotel points equivalent to
10,000-19,999 miles (exchange rates vary by hotel
program), and you'll earn 2,500 bonus miles

3. Convert the amount of hotel points equivalent to
20,000 miles or more (exchange rates vary by hotel
program), and you'll earn 5,000 bonus miles


------------------------------------------------------------
Select your hotel program:

Marriott Rewards(R), visit Marriott online
or call 1-800-450-4442.
http://mymileageplus.com/mmps/83368/...fdb6ce02bf5394

Priority Club(R) Rewards, visit InterContinental(R)
Hotels Group online or call 1-888-211-9874.
http://mymileageplus.com/mmps/83369/...fdb6ce02bf5394

Hyatt Gold Passport(R), visit Hyatt online or call
1-800-228-3360. Convert 50,000 or more Gold Passport
points and earn an additional 5,000 Mileage Plus bonus
miles from Hyatt, for a total of 10,000 bonus miles.
http://mymileageplus.com/mmps/83370/...fdb6ce02bf5394

Radisson goldpoints plus(SM), visit Radisson online or
call 1-888-288-8889.
http://mymileageplus.com/mmps/83371/...fdb6ce02bf5394

Choice Privileges(R), visit Choice Hotels online
or call 1-888-770-6800.
http://mymileageplus.com/mmps/83372/...fdb6ce02bf5394

------------------------------------------------------------

Here's an example of how fast your miles can add up toward a
Saver Award:

If your hotel points program account balance is
100,000 points:

__________________________________________________ _________
TRANSACTION MILES
__________________________________________________ _________
Convert 100,000 points
to equal 20,000 20,000 Mileage Plus miles
Mileage Plus miles*
__________________________________________________ _________
Transfer program
bonus miles + 5,000 Mileage Plus miles**
__________________________________________________ _________
That's the equivalent
of one free = 25,000 Mileage Plus miles
United travel award.
__________________________________________________ _________

================================================== ==========
Terms & Conditions:

*Example of exchange rate with a Mileage Plus partner hotel.

**Convert 50,000 or more Gold Passport points and earn an
additional 5,000 Mileage Plus bonus miles from Hyatt, for
a total of 10,000 bonus miles. Visit Goldpassport.com for
complete program terms and conditions.
http://mymileageplus.com/mmps/83370/...fdb6ce02bf5394

Miles accrued and awards issued are subject to the rules of
the United Mileage Plus program. Please allow 6 to 8 weeks
after completed qualifying activity for miles to be posted
to your Mileage Plus account. The Mileage Plus program,
including accruals, awards and bonus miles offers, is
subject to change without notice. United and Mileage Plus
are registered trademarks. For complete details about the
Mileage Plus program, visit united.com.

.....................
Copyright 2006 United Air Lines, Inc. All rights reserved.

Is this the thread you wanted?

Yes, thank you. That thread, which I didn't know existed, is exactly what I was looking for. (A bit surprising to me that there was not more discussion of how good or bad a deal MP was offering with its miles for points, rather than of the mechanics.) And still I wonder how to be more effective with searching within FT, if indeed it is possible to get more out of FT's search function.

The best way to effectively use the FlyerTalk search is to avoid using words that are too common on FT if at all possible. I can see how finding the thread you were looking for would be be hard to find because of this. This is a problem we are working towards alleviating. Thank you,

So how would you have gone about searching for what I was looking for before SanDiego1K came up with the link? "Hotel" wasn't going to be very helpful, nor was "points," and the engine rejected my try with "hotel points," which probably would have produced what I was after if it had used the phrase.

I previously thought the problem with searching was me, and I for the most part gave up on trying. But now I think the search function on this otherwise so very impressive website is must less than adequate.

it's not you, it's the FT Board. actually, it's a flaw in most of the bulletin boards, I'm thinking it could be caused by too many threads and the database cannot handle the load.

some larger boards usually archive older threads that way, searches will be more pleasantly but of course no near the quality of Google

I used a string of 3 words in the post itsme gave above, and found the thread quite quickly as someone had posted the identical email. Still, I find the search function on FT frustrating. I have never found a way of using Boolean logic. I'm accustomed to searches elsewhere where I can define that words have to be present sequentially, or within a couple words of each other, or both in the same post.... I've tried various Boolean operators on FT without much success.

For FT, I go to advanced search. Then I use a keyword. If I expect it to be in the title, I only search there. If I expect it to be in the body, I search there. If I'm fortunate enough to remember a poster in the thread, I use that as a search criteria. For this search, I knew it would be a fairly recent post. Thus, I put a time constraint on it.

Having said that, search is still very erratic at returning a post. I might know very specifically both a term used and the poster, yet have great trouble in finding the post.

The search feature is far from perfect, no doubt, and we feel your pain.

Personally, if confronted with a search challenge like the one you present, I would attempt to identify one unique term in the email and perform a search on that term, under the assumption that someone else might have also posted the text of the email. In this particular case, because the promotion doesn't have a name or an associated number, I would have picked one of the telephone numbers listed. In fact, a simple search on "1-800-450-4442" delivered the correct thread in the top two choices (this thread was the top choice :p ).

Again, not perfect, but workable.

Thanks. Must say, though, it does seem rather backa$$wards to search using an 800- in the text of the MP email offer instead of terms/phrases like "hotel points." (The search function deemed "points" to general to be useful, so went for "hotel," ignoring "hotel points," which should have produced the desired result without a problem.) So, will make do with what we have, but still think it a remarkable shortcoming of an otherwise so excellent website.