Finding Stuff Here: "The One Legged Tortoise" problem

[TiddlyTweeter]

A thing is finding what has been done in this GG.

It's too Darwinian by far. Past threads are automatically put on the Extinction List.

But IF you have some unique string (especially in a subject line) you may survive ... like The One Legged Tortoise.

Search: subject: One AND Legged AND Tortoise

An aside

TT

[TiddlyTweeter]

email repeat ...

[HansWobbe]

There are indeed some very effective and innovative techniques to find precisely what is wanted.

One thing that seems to be missing in this Community is the ENTHUSIASTIC Category assignment that took place in the days of WardsWiki (the Portland Pattern Repository).  Given that TW has much better Logic, Tag, and Search capabilities I fail understand why those existing capabilities are not used to solve the problem of Finding Information.

For me, that remains a perplexing puzzle that I will try to chip away at.  After all, the tale is that Michelangelo created his statue of David by simply removing all of the stone that did not look like the foreseen result, one chip at a time.

Testing a Search link

• z_tag (which actually finds the string in both Text and Tag instances)

^

[TiddlyTweeter]

HansWobbe wrote:

One thing that seems to be missing in this Community is the ENTHUSIASTIC Category assignment

Ciao Hans

This are at least THREE reasons  for that ...

 

1 - new users don't know you can add tags ("categories") to posts. 

     We give NO INTRO FOR NEWBIES so they won't know to do it.

2 - many existing users do NOT know you can CREATE at will new tags on posts--on anyone's thread at any time;

3 - a lot of the more tech users here prefer EMAIL. Email users can't either create or see tags.

The overall result is a HALF-BAKED system that is more cumbersome than it could be. 

Thanks for your interest!

TT

[Mohammad]

Hi Josiah,

 I am not sure if you have discussed this before! but on Google forum page (web) there is a search box at the top of the page with a big blue button!

In the right side of that searchbox you see a down arrow (show search option) if you click you will have many options to make search in the forum!

It is amazing that the search string will be written in the searchbox and you can see how Google makes search in the forum!

--Mohammad

[HansWobbe]

@ Mohammad:

Thanks for the very useful reminder about the "Search for messages" facility.

@ Josiah:

• As tags appear more frequently, I suspect "Newbies" will figure out how to use them.
• The same may happen for existing users who have simply over-looked the value of Tags in prior times.
• Email users may miss out of edited content.  However, whenever a new post is appended, it is popped back to the top.  If people occasionally take the time to edit the "Lede" item, and add a bit of useful refined comment, then ever more polished content will result.  Don't forget there is also nothing stopping anyone from adding a Search command as a Link, to the first post (they edit within a Thread).
• for example: z_tag (which actually finds the string in both Text and Tag instances)
  

Cheers,

Hans

[TiddlyTweeter]

Ciao Mohammad

I done a bunch of testing of the native GG searcher. 

It's quite difficult to get the best out of. 

I'll post a guide to getting more from it soon.

Best wishes

TT

[TiddlyTweeter]

Ciao Hans

I was skeptical when Mohammad pushed forward on using tags. 

I thought they might create a "two-tier" system that would add to the confusion of finding things.

I changed my mind when I saw them working. 

Tags really help find things by providing a neat way to hone searches.

FWIW, when I read other peoples threads I nowadays sometimes add (obvious) tags to them: it is v. easy online.

Best wishes

TT

On Monday, 2 December 2019 23:15:06 UTC+1, HansWobbe wrote:

@ Mohammad:

Thanks for the very useful reminder about the "Search for messages" facility.

@ Josiah:

• As tags appear more frequently, I suspect "Newbies" will figure out how to use them.
• The same may happen for existing users who have simply over-looked the value of Tags in prior times.

• Email users may miss oot of edited content.  However, whenever a new post is appended, it is popped back to the top.  If people occasionally take the time to edit the "Lede" item, and add a bit of useful refined comment, then ever more polished content will result.  Don't forget there is also nothing stopping anyone from adding a Search command as a Link, to the first post (they edit within a Thread).

• for example: z_tag (which actually finds the string in both Text and Tag instances)
  

Cheers,

Hans

[David Gifford]

You can't blame Google for not having a better search mechanism. What would Google know about searches?

[TiddlyTweeter]

 David Gifford wrote:

You can't blame Google for not having a better search mechanism. What would Google know about searches?

LOL! Try this: https://www.google.com/search?q=David+AND+Gifford+AND+Mexico+AND+TiddlyWiki&oq=David+AND+Gifford+AND+Mexico+AND+TiddlyWiki

Blessings

TT