Posted on 10/26/2015 3:10:01 AM PDT by Crazieman
Just throwing out an idea based on an observation.
In all my years on FR, watching the duplicate threads show up, and the users insisting they searched for existing articles.
I believe them. The problem lies in the default searching option in my view.
Change it from keywords to title.
The title search is vastly more useful and is what I use to detect duplicate articles, and I suspect the same to many of those that enjoy pointing them out.
In my observation, many duplicate articles are a result of inaccurate or incomplete keyword lists that don't quite literally have the entire title of the article embedded in the keyword system.
I think (hope) that most that end up eventually posting duplicate articles are performing searches on unique words or pairings that are in the title of the article, but are neglecting to select "Title" on the dropdown menu, rather than keyword.
I want to put forth the idea that we could probably reduce duplicate articles by changing that default setting to title, rather than keyword.
Or I might be just crazie.
I think you’re on to something.
You and Brian Williams ;-)
First let me say;
I really appreciate Free Republic and Jim Robinson. I am thankful that the site is easy to load and can be used where I have a super slow connection.
The search function has never worked well for me.
It would be very nice to be able to edit your own posts or delete your own thread. Typo’s and word replacements with all the smart devices are really frustrating.
I did a little lurking before signing up during the 2000 Election Florida recount.
Keep FReeping, FRiend!!!
Search by title, order by date would be a wonderful change. I seem to recall a time before the current search box where it used to work that way. If it was changed for performance reasons, then going back may not be an option.
Ooooh! Ouuch! The unkindest cut of all!
Williams does it because he’s self-aggrandizing.
Tommy Tucker does it because he’s an over-the-hill old fart, older than dirt, and with occasional bouts of CRS. (Can’t Remember S**t).
site:freerepublic.com search terms
works pretty well in google and bing. I've given up on FR's search function.
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It would be nice if everyone remembered the exact title of a post, even after days, weeks, or months.
My memory isn’t that good. I usually can remember a word or two (key words IMO)which were memorable. If I knew the title complete, I could go to google, eh?
False.
Paste the full title into the search box and search under titles.
Works every time and does not rely on somebody's notion of what keywords ought to be.
So far, I agree with every suggestion here.
Good suggestion. I’d also like to see some space between the spell-preview-post buttons and the word-wrap-on button immediately below (too easy to accidently click). And while we’re at it, how about a search between dates.
That’s a good practical suggestion.
(2) When searching titles, the best results are achieved using key words...False.
Paste the full title into the search box and search under titles.
Works every time and does not rely on somebody's notion of what keywords ought to be.
Liz probably meant "key words" as "significant words," not "key words" as "keywords."
For one thing, at least for me, I can't search for two or more keywords at once, anyway. If I enter two words with a space between them into a keyword search (such as "white house"), I get results instead for a single keyword that matches their combination ("whitehouse"). Maybe things are different for other users, but I find it more likely that Liz isn't referring to an attempted search using multiple keywords.
Also, searching for a few significant words is more likely to find an existing thread than will searching for an exact title. I've just now tried a few sample searches to confirm my previous experience, and they did confirm what I've seen before. Think about it as something like doing a search online: an exact search is good for finding a specific match, but a more general search is good for finding broader results.
I believe them. The problem lies in the default searching option in my view.
Change it from keywords to title.
The title search is vastly more useful and is what I use to detect duplicate articles, and I suspect the same to many of those that enjoy pointing them out.
I agree--that many people probably use a keyword search instead of a title search, that I too use a title search more often than I use a keyword search, and that the title search should be the default. The keyword search can be effective in its way, but its usefulness and power really depend (more than a title search does) on the users' diligence and even good spelling.
(Sometimes people don't add keywords at all. Sometimes people add silly keywords without adding anything more useful for searching or categorization. Sometimes people seem to add only keywords that aren't in the title, but also adding significant title words as keywords makes more sense than omitting them. The keyword search, the title search, and topics are really three different groups. A thread with "Canada" in the title does not automatically become a thread with "Canada" in the keywords or "Canada" in the topics.)
In my observation, many duplicate articles are a result of inaccurate or incomplete keyword lists that don't quite literally have the entire title of the article embedded in the keyword system.
The keyword search also works differently. If I enter two or more words with spaces between them ("white house"), sometimes the search interprets my entry as a single keyword that combines the single words ("whitehouse"). Other times, such a keyword search does change to a title search, but the user needs to be able to catch what's happening.
Your FReeper “born on” date shows September 2004. It’s at the upper left of your profile page.
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