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TechRepublic trails the Industry?

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26 replies

by gbhall

Closed to new repliesThis discussion is closed. It stays readable, but it takes no new replies.

TechRepublic is supposed to be one of the leaders in our Industry as a source of informed comment and help - look at it. Blogs, downloads, forums, webcasts, white papers and more.

Indeed, since I receive emails of some of these things (by request), I am indeed aware of how helpful some can be.

How very, very distressing then, that once a topic disappears from my PC, receovering it again on the site is next to impossible. This is because of the total inadequacy of the TechRepublic search facility.

A massive IT resource, next to useless without the means of accessing it. Don't believe it? Try this....

Just a week or two ago there was an item (and I might not be able to remember if it was a blog, a forum or a white paper), but it had to do with server operating systems, their current popularity, and it contained a survey. Now with those clues, try to find it in Tech Republic.

You probably won't, so I now recall the beginning of the title, it was "Do you still support". Still can't find it can you?

Now try Google with the same phrase, and it comes first. How VERY embarrassing for the IT experts, don't you think?

26 replies

by the 'g-man.'

A: Google is a multi billion pound company with dedicated search.

There is no comparison to be made with any other 'local website' serach engine.

May as well compare you to an army of a million IT techs in terms of what you can achieve.

B: You have made 7 posts yet have been here since 2001, where have you been?

Why have you not contributed more to this resource?

Had you commented on a post our used the save featues you could find YOUR items no problem.
Being such a long term member you should know by now about these features and have no excuse.

How VERY embarrassing for the gbhall, don't you think?

by gbhall

I have a little more time now than I used to. I often keep my mouth shut unless I have something useful to say. I can certainly suggest some simple improvements to the search facility, and no, remembering the title more accurately is not one of them.

How about
(a) first try a search on the exact text entered
(b) offer ranking choices such as by date, popularity
(c) rank search hits by the total hit score against the words entered, but weighted by word frequency in natural language (that is, weight uncommon words strongly, and words like 'the', 'and', 'of' not at all.

I don't see why I need to comment on a topic in order to find my way back to it, but sure, that does seem to be one way...if I can find where 'my posts' is to be found.

The save features....never noticed any in newsletters, nor anywhere else for that matter, but someone will tell me where they are, probably. Thanks for the tip.

I'm sorry if I am upsetting a pair of amateurs running Techrepublic by themselves - it does not give that impression to me at all - rather as a professionally run site with some distinctly undeveloped areas. I have sometimes found a biting comment works against people who are supposed to be professionals but are not doing a very professional job, my apologies to any TechRepublic staffer who considers him/herself to be an amateur.

Oh, PS since you seem keen on me contributing, I find the need to sign on again to view all posts a real blast. I'm already signed on once thanks.

by charliespencer

"I find the need to sign on again to view all posts a real blast."

Again we're in accord, although others have reported not having this problem. If you'll click on the link for the first comment, then click the 'View All' from there instead of from the original article, you'll find you don't need to re-enter your credentials.

by gbhall

I saved a useful TechRepublic item about in 2001. Now I want to refer to it to help someone with a problem. Unfortunately, the saved htm file has lost the graphics which are essential to the peice. The full title of the article was

"Try these Windows 2000 problem solvers"

Putting that into the search yields 74,092 hits in TR

The full address was https://www.techrepublic.com/printerfriendly.jhtml?id=r00320010712frm01.htm

and I still cannot find it !! Can anyone help?

by oz_media

Took me a whole 2 minutes too, because TR was a bit slow today.

Whatever, people always complain because they don't know how to navigate this site. You remember how much Q&A we went through to try and find the best way to set up links and doorways for these guys, it wasn't just thrown together haphazardly, as the post implies.

It's like the people who complain about topics shown on the main forum page, not realizing that they are simply looking at the most recently updated thread and that there are specific topics/sections if you click the BROWSE tab.

You can lead them to water.....

by charliespencer

I also have difficulty searching TR, although I don't feel as vehemently about it as you apparently do.

I think there are two differences between us. One is that I realize I'm not paying anything for TR and therefore am willing to accept benefits I get without complaint. Two is that it is rarely effective to try to shame or embarrass someone into changing something they're giving away.

Perhaps those of you who have search tips or tricks wouldn't mind sharing them.

by jaqui

the same complaint, as have many members, TR search has been broken for a long time.
[ 2 or 3 iterations of the site script at least ]

which is why I have started poking people for miss tagging posts.
[ hmm, it's odd, most mis-tagged posts seem to be members from India, those same members that want us to do their homework for them. ]

by seanferd

Sometimes, I can enter the exact title, and get everything but what I'm looking for. Doesn't bug me too much, though.

Searching at MS bugs me way, way more. Weird and mysterious things happen there.

by jiminpa

This issue is not a sole problem with TechRepublic. I find that most web sites even the almighty Microsoft search engines are lousy. Even if, as you stated, you know exactly what your looking for because you already found it once before I still have a hard time finding it with the sites search engine.

So does TR trail the industry? I don't think so. I think they are right in line with everyone else.

FWIW

by charliespencer

"...even the almighty Microsoft search engines are lousy."

No, they're useless. If I need anything from MS, I use Google and specify the microsoft.com on the Advanced page.

by jiminpa

potato... potato...

huh... that doesn't seem to work as well when you type it out

:^0

by older mycroft

No matter how many times I access the profile page for 'gbhall', [i]I've even accessed it via the obscure search facility within the Top100[/i] - it still comes up with a BLANK PAGE!

No Personal Details - nada - zero - zilch.

Now I'm wondering where TR have put all your personal details, that other long-term Peers cannot access them?

TR will probably blame you - claiming that you've been here over SEVEN YEARS but never bothered to enter any data.

A likely story. Pah !! ;)

by gbhall

yes I did try both with and without the quotes. With the quotes, I got 'nothing found', without them I got (as described 7,400 odd links). 420 returns come from that search, if you include 'in forums'. That is not where you start from, necessarily. In all of TR, you get nothing at all Try it.
I reiterate that the search is useless, and have posted some simple things that would improve it. Nuff said on this topic.

by nicknielsen

Since it takes two clicks anyway, I click on View all, then click on the Login button without entering anything. I get right in.

Don't know why that screen shows up on TR and not over on ZDNet, but it does. It's probably a checkbox somewhere that just got overlooked.

edit: posting while distracted

by nicknielsen

Needed screen wipes by the time I was finished. Still trying to get coffee out of the keyboard. :|

by charliespencer

Pedro's signs on I-95, too. Especially the upside-down one that says, "Pedro feex later, hokay?" Yeah, that never gets tired.

by nicknielsen

Just read the road signs. That way I don't look a fool wandering all over the road and having to dive for my exit from the far lane.

Having said that, the only I-95 I do is between I-20 and exit 170. I don't think Pedro has any signs there...no wait, I've seen one! He never sleeps.

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