Help With 'Help', Love the Site, but Hate the 'Search' and 'Help' functi Options

[rascobo]

Tonight I tried to enter a search for a topic/post I remember reading,entered the term hit 'Go' and received 23 pages of unrelated topics. Thinking perhaps I needed to tie the words together somehow, I then pressed 'Help", which just reloaded the current page. Tried repeatedly w/ same results. I'm not asking anyone to tell me how to do it, just why is the info on how to best use the site either unavailable or so difficult to access. I've read several post on this topic in the past, yet nothing ever seems to happen, except members posting a request for help in finding something are scolded for not using these very same functions.
Seems the addition of a page defining each function and how to use it would resolve this issue, or am I just (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dead horse.gif) ?

[ericread]

Did you try adding a "+" in front of every word that is significant to your search and a "-" in front of words you do not want inlcuded in your search?

It seems to help me in the searches quite a bit.

Eric Read

[rascobo]

Did you try adding a "+" in front of every word that is significant to your search and a "-" in front of words you do not want inlcuded in your search?

It seems to help me in the searches quite a bit.

Eric Read

[b]PM'd Eric a Thank You for the tip, but my argument remained the same. It turns out a problem in the site was causing problems for other people tonight, and has since been rectified as now hitting 'Search' takes you to the search site. Still took over fifteen tries w/various search options(+,*, "... ) to finally find what I was searching for, and I only found it by repeating exactly the same search and options I'd ran three previously times (IMG:style_emoticons/default/WTF.gif)! Oh well, maybe I need to take the short school bus. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/headbang.gif)

L.P.R&R

[southernmost914]

Just ask NOW ?, Members will point you to other threads. It's OK. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beer.gif)
Steve

[dw914er]

We're pretty nice about helping out find threads, unlike other forums. We won't bite, I promise (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

ask we'll point you to the right direction (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[SGB]

I am SURE you are not the only one, because there is me, for one...
The search engine is just haunted. There thats it. OK.

[kconway]

I don't care what anybody says here, the search function blows. Regardless of +/- it just shouldn't be that difficult difficult to find stuff with such poor results in this day and age of the web. Yes I've used all the hints but you still get tons of crap and have to sift though unrelated topics.

Before I get flamed, my comments are aimed at the software. Please Admins, do not take this as a personal attack! I'm not a software guy but I have great results from web search engines, why not here?

Kev

[RJMII]

What search function? (rhetorical question... it blows. it's the way the software is written. no everyone knows SQL query structures, not everyone gets good results)

Typically if you can't find it in the first three or five pages in the garage, just ask again.

ie "Will these wheels fit?" is a good one that people here will answer again and again.

"Where do I get such and such..." (the answers are usually links to a member vender (speaker pods: James/morph; exhaust, fuel lines: Tangerine racing/Chris; brake parts, 5 lug conversions: Eric Shea/PMB), someone who participates a lot here (typeIV store: Jake Raby; Pelican Parts: Dave Darling) or a favorite place that everone likes to go (HPH, GPR... list could go on)

"How do I fix door handle..." send it to Paul... "how do I rebuild a caliper..." follow the link in Eric's sig "how do I bond Carbon Fiber to Aluminum..." no one really knows, but they'll sure give some interesting answers anyway.

and the doozy:
"What's it take to rebuild a type IV..." that one is ALWAYS within the first 5 pages. LMAO

my $.02^3+5%

EDIT:
*nevermind. I just read a couple of posts that instead of answering the question or helping with links "use the search function" was there multiple times.*