Sometimes I will start a topic that, to a lot of you, is old news and not get much response. I do this because I think that, like me, there are a lot of people logging onto or at least reading what is in these forums for the first time. Sure, if one of us were to search the archives the same information would be found but many don't know how to make a successful search. So bear with me when on occasion I will start on a subject that you have seen many times in the past. It may be old news to some of you but it may just be the tidbit of information another newbie has been looking for. BTW, for the most part the folks here in SCI are very good about responding to questions that have been asked thousands of times or posts about discovering a slot car that is good but almost forgotten on the forums.
Having been around here for uh quite a while, and having a pretty good memory, something I find myself doing pretty often as a moderator is pointing folks with 'old news' type questions towards Threads where the answers may be found.
It's worth keep in mind when using the 'Search' function here that the more specific, and unique, the query then the better the chance of success; 'slot car' probably won't get you far but 'Veyron' will narrow things down a bit, for instance (holy smoke it still shows up in more than 40 places!) ...
There are no dumb questions except the one you want an answer for, but don't ask! Whether it launches a new Thread, or just gets you pointed toward an old one with the information you need, that's why we have this place. I'm astounded when I think of how much I have learned from all the good people here.
Wet may even tell you he has an encyclopaedic memory right down to the exact URL, but we who know better know he just has a good handle on the search function
Actually I find it works pretty similar to Google search in terms of what it digs up within forum, with what combination of keywords.
eg, when trying to find old posts I made on how to fix the back end on a Vanquish MG CanAm car, plus the solutions by others, I get very specific.
I used all these Vanquish rear end differential fix as keywords and got a nicely selective result which included all the 3 or 4 main threads on the subject in the first 10 results.
The big benefit of doing a thorough search is, you get the accumulated wisdom of all who were active when the problem/car was most to the fore, not just those who read it now - some of whom may also be jaded on the subject and not bother to restate what they have said previously.
Added to that, if you then dig up an old thread and ask for further advice from within that thread, you highlight that accumulated wisdom for others. Some may have devleoped a solution further that what is stated, so it's a win-win situation.
just my 4 dimes worth Bob.
ps, I was you about 5 years ago - ask Wet, he's had to put up with me that long . . .
"Wet may even tell you he has an encyclopaedic memory right down to the exact URL, but we who know better know he just has a good handle on the search function"
I have a pornographic memory ..... does that count...?
Some things are harder to find than others. I spent over an hour using the search function trying to find info on tuning and a remembered thread on a PCB chassis for the March 83G. Tried searching for March 83G, Kreepy Krauly, Blue Thunder, Red Lobster, PCB chassis.
Lots of threads, but I found absolutely nuthin related to what I was lookin for. So I have back burnered it til I have the time to actually dedicate to the cars.
For some things, I've had good luck with tag searches. That netted me good results quickly on "track cleaning" recently.
Another useful tool is Google, but using "site:slotcarillustrated.com" to focus the search on this site only. So typing
site:slotcarillustrated.com PCB
gives quick hits on threads that have PCB in them and presents them in a very readable format, with previews so you can quickly see if you're on the right track. And you can tweak your search words 10 times in a minute - no waiting.
Those are two things that have helped me in navigating the vast knowledge spread throughout SCI.
Some things are harder to find than others. I spent over an hour using the search function trying to find info on tuning and a remembered thread on a PCB chassis for the March 83G. Tried searching for March 83G, Kreepy Krauly, Blue Thunder, Red Lobster, PCB chassis.
Lots of threads, but I found absolutely nuthin related to what I was lookin for. So I have back burnered it til I have the time to actually dedicate to the cars.
"Honey",
Look Here or here... I think you'll find what you're looing for!
IMHO two small adjustments to the search engine would enhance the user experience: Lower the minimum search limit to 2 characters (at least when searching titles) and lower the time limit between searches to 15 seconds.
Scenario: Try to find a thread about a "SCX LC" or a "BMW GT" or a "APB PSU" etc... and each time the result is empty and you have to wait at least 15-20 seconds to try again.
At the moment the search only gives you a clue that something is wrong if you search for a 2 lettered word:
Quote:
Sorry - no matches. Please try some different terms.
The following words are either very common, too long, or too short and were not included in your search : LC
Try a 3 lettered word or even a combination of 3 lettered words and you don't even get the error message just this.
Quote:
Sorry - no matches. Please try some different terms.
Google is sometimes helpful when the forum search becomes to difficult to use, but the Google results are not sorted by posting dates so not always as useful as wanted, like digital tech threads from 2005 etc....
The Google "site:" search combined with the image search is often useful when trying to find a thread or review quickly though.
But Bob has a point, how much investigation should the board "expect" from its new members before they give up? If posting a new thread on an old topic can bring the old knowledge out to new members then isn't that what this forum is all about?
If you search for Porsche 904 then the search engine seem to ignore 904 because it's a 3 character word and return any thread that has the word Porsche in it.
But if you search for "Porsche 904" it will return only threads that contain the phrase Porsche 904
This works fine if you know exactly what to search for, but it's pretty useless if you are unsure about the exact wording in the phrase when one or more of the words have less than 4 characters in it.
You could then turn to Google and search for site:slotcarillustrated.com Porsche 904 and if it's a special thread you might remember some pictures from it's worth to click on the "Images" link on the black google navigation bar after the google search is done.
Old News
..... does that count...?
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