Pistonheads Forum "Google Search"

[mattcov]

Why has it changed and no longer any use?

[ZOLLAR]

Ooo thats different, I like it actually.
Seems to be a more simple layout, also gives you the date of when the post was made (not sure why thats handy but i'm sure i'll find a use ).

[Mr Will]

At the moment it's doing the same thing, but formatted as a PH page rather than dumping you in to Google.

It is going to be expanded in the near future to give it an advanced seach option, allowing you to specify forums, exclude words, define a time period, etc.

What don't you like about it?

[mattcov]

It's the lack of advanced search really. With it dumping it in Google, you could then change dates etc easily - now its just a random list you can't order in any way.

[V8mate]

Mr Will said:

What don't you like about it?

It's st, Will.

It's stripped out all the Google functionality and swamped the screen in colouring-in. It doesn't seem to offer site interrogation as much as doing the exercise manually either.

[Mr Will]

V8mate said:

It's st, Will.

Useful feedback, thanks!

What does it not do that you want it to do?

[V8mate]

Mr Will said:

What does it not do that you want it to do?

Find what I'm looking for, of course.

[Mr Will]

V8mate said:

Find what I'm looking for, of course.

You are using it wrong then!

[V8mate]

Here's an example.

Many, many moons ago, I started a thread about goths. I refer back to it occasionally in the Music section and it's much quicker to Google for the thread rather than look back through my own posting history.

On the left, is the 'new, improved PH-Google' results - one page, thread not there.
On the right, using the manual search format in google itself. Dozens of pages and my thread second and fourth in the listing.

[Mr Will]

V8mate said:

Here's an example.

Many, many moons ago, I started a thread about goths. I refer back to it occasionally in the Music section and it's much quicker to Google for the thread rather than look back through my own posting history.

On the left, is the 'new, improved PH-Google' results - one page, thread not there.
On the right, using the manual search format in google itself. Dozens of pages and my thread second and fourth in the listing.

Interesting. Behind the scenes its doing the exact same search and we aren't filtering or restricting the results at all, all we do is display what Google sends back to us.

Thanks for point it out, I shall have to investigate.

[10 Pence Short]

Don't go using logic and examples to back you up. This is the internet. Just have a rant, piss your pants about it and after a few days make a crass reference to Hitler and the mass extermination of the Jews. Seems to work for eveybody else, why do you have to be different?

[mattcov]

V8mate said:

Doesn't work

[Stuart]

I think that the real reason is that Google's search tools for publishers don't give you the full Google algorithm. In other words, they'd always like their search to be best from the www.google.com domain address. That's why the results are a bit better from the site rather than here.

As Will says though, there are further tweaks coming which should improve things.