problem with the new myLot "search" function : myLot staff should solve ASAP
By pierone
@pierone (1894)
Italy
March 12, 2010 9:50am CST
Hello friends.
I'm just curious to know if someone else faced this problem.
I tried to use the mylot search function, to retreive a discussion I've responded to.
I remembered that in the discussion the writer used the term URL, so I searched this term inside discussion, full text... and....
the result was only 9, old (3 or 4 years ago), discussions containing the word URL... without the one I was looking for.
So I checked my profile page, inside my activity, and I found the discussion I was looking for. A discussion posted 9 hours ago. I guessed my memory was wrong but.... here is the sentence:
"I am tempted to post the url here but I am not sure if myLot admin allows it"
So I was right! There is a discussion with this term inside, that the search function can't find.
If the search function don't work properly, how can I know if the discussion I'm posting is a new one, or the topic was already treated somewhere else?
myLot should solve the problems, and in the while they should stop to delete discussions because the topic is already treated in other discussions!
Or we are supposed to read ALL the previous discussions, before we post a new one?
What's your opinion?
Have you experienced the same "bug" in the search function?
2 responses
@gerald_lian (2188)
• Australia
12 Mar 10
I think myLot search function only search for tags, and not for words that can be found in a discussion. I think you could imagine what the search results would be if someone deliberately searched for a very commonly used word or term such as "the". Wow, the search results would be tremendous, probably millions or even trillions! 
But yeah, I do agree that myLot could upgrade by allowing us to search for terms or words in a discussion; however, the down side is that it would render the tags useless.....
But yeah, I do agree that myLot could upgrade by allowing us to search for terms or words in a discussion; however, the down side is that it would render the tags useless.....
@pierone (1894)
• Italy
12 Mar 10
I think you think wrong. Try to use it searching "mylot members names", using the FULL TEXT function.
You will find 3 discussions, 2 have the 3 terms in the title, the third one have myLot in the title (exactly myLotters, it means the search should work on partial words too), and members name in the text of the discussion.
And I repeat again, if the search function is the only way I have to avoid to post duplicate discussion, then that function should work PERFECTLY!
At the moment any discussion posted can be a duplicate one, because we can't be sure our search is exhaustive.
But they will delete your discussion if is a duplicate one.
Is just like if I give you some canned food, and as opening tool i give you a wood pencil. After ten minutes I get back the canned food because you weren't able to open it, and I say you, "if you aren't angry, isn't my fault"
1 person likes this
@pierone (1894)
• Italy
12 Mar 10
You're not totally right. In a common search engine algorithm, you give a different "weight" (relevance) to the words, according to the position they have in the text you're searching on, compared to the search string.
This means, in your example, that if you mix the words, the search algorithm will show BEFORE the texts that show EXACTLY the words you are searching for, in the EXACT order you searched for, and THEN the texts that contains the words you are searching for, but that contain the words in a different order compared with the search text, or that are interleaved by other words.
In the example with mylot members names, the results follows exactly this scheme: the last result is the one that don't match exactly the searched text because the words are interleaved by other words
1 person likes this
@pierone (1894)
• Italy
12 Mar 10
In the case of mylot search function, mix the words seems to produce a ZERO result. And this is another bug, from my point of view.
If I want start a discussion about mylot payment options, and i search mylot payment and option (that is contained in the word options, so I should find both), and there is a discussion "mylot options of payment", using the mylot search function I will never find this discussion.
So I will start a discussion thinking correctly that is an unique discussion (because I correctly used the tools myLot provide me to avoid duplicate discussions), but I will post a duplicate one.
My fault?
Should I be penalized because the tools they provide is bugged?
@louisefrank (356)
•
12 Mar 10
I've had the same problem. Being relatively new to myLot, I at first tried to search to see if the subject had been covered before. Sometimes it seemed to work and sometimes it didn't. Now I just post the discussion regardless, hoping that there will be enough new members like me who haven't got tired of the subject!
@pierone (1894)
• Italy
13 Mar 10
Eheheheh, I guess this tecnique is a common one, but the problem is not about if people are tired of the subject or not. The problem is not if you will have responses to your discussion or not.
The problem is in the guidelines we are required to check the old discussion to avoid duplicates, and we are provided of the search function for this purpose.
But! We are provided with a bulletless rifle for this war!
If the staff know the search bug, I'm wondering where they take the courage to delete duplicate discussions because YOU done something against rules, knowing you can't ceck it. ;)
