Telling newbies to "use the search function"

A great deal of TT bandwidth is taken up by a very predictable chain of events:

1. New person starts a new topic.

2. Veteran user posts the inevitable "use the search function, you moron" post.

3. Usually, threads eventually get merged together anyway.

I had a think about this, and actually have some degree of sympathy for the new people:

1. Given the paucity of content on most bulletin boards, how is one realistically expected to know how much is already "behind the curtain" on TT?

2. Looking objectively at the look-and-feel of the site, I'd have to admit that the search box in the corner is not the first place I'd go. Isn't there some way to a) move the search box front, center and/or bigger, and/or B) have some sort of "yes, I tried to search before" check box before a new topic can be submitted?

Maybe the Invision Powerboard software backbone doesn't lend itself that easily to change, but it would seem to be a way to avoid often off-putting first experiences for new users. Just a thought.

Funnily enough I was thinking about this the other day.

Not the solution to all problems but how hard would it be to automatically do a search for other possibly related threads based on the text in the headline?

Quite frankly in comparison to other pieces of software out there TT is starting to look very dated.

Agreed. I advise people against the "use the search function" routine. It's written in the forum guidelines somewhere.

It's better to either post the link to any relevant related pages, or simply say nothing. As you say, if a topic needs to be merged, it will be.

Also, a newbie posting about a topic that has already been covered isn't a bad thing. In fact it's a good thing, because it normally triggers replies that contain more up-to-date information. If no newbie questions were asked then the turn-over of new info would stagnate.

Also, correct me if I am wrong, but it seems the search tool only searches TITLES of threads. I think it would be helpful if it searched the entire content of the threads, as well.

Easier to spot the morons this way though.

Search a little further and there is a way;-)

Update: Here's that guideline:

toytowngermany.com / Newcomers and the search function

Expaticus, if you'd searched first then you would have found that.

advanced search searches posts as well.

As an aside, it's rather worrying that if you do a search on the word "search", the first result is the wiki article "Body cavity search".

well..."how is one realistically expected to know how much is already "behind the curtain" on TT" - I would say - try searching!!

There are forum guidelines which say "Search first, then ask" - I think everyone is directed to these on first joining TT - and I also think it shows a certain lack of respect for other users here to expect them to do all the work for you. If you have a problem or question, make a bit of an effort to solve it yourself first. There has been a flurry of topics recently where the answer could have been found in seconds by use of either:

• google
• LEO
• Gelbe Seiten

Having said that...it might be better if the Search Box was more prominent to nudge people into this behaviour!

thanks.

I admit it, I never really read the guidelines. I'm stubborn that way. I have enough frigging guidelines to learn in this new country of mine!

Some boards have one (or more) 'sticky thread' explaining the dos and don'ts of posting. Morons still don't read them, of course.

I don't know many guys who RTFM after unwrapping a new electronic toy. Why should you expect folks here to be any different?

exactly. And who here has actually read the entire manual to their car?

True..I just SEARCH out the bits that I'm interested in!

Yeah... and folks like my Hubby "search" by calling up a friend who is a mechanic and asking. That's the equivalent of posting a question, eh?

Can't remember the support site, but I once tried to submit a help desk ticket, and before it would let me click GO (or whatever) it made me look at a few knowledge base articles it chose, based on the text in my soon-to-be ticket. I'm not saying it would be simple to code such a system, but could there be an IVPB plug-in for such a thing with regards to posts?

Maybe prompt for a three-word seach string before posting a thread to point the user to recent or highly similar threads. Takes 10s and the inline prompt could help a relevant thread catch your eye even you think at first your situation or question is unique.

Hallelujah!

I usually just pm the newbie the link they are searching for , advise them to search next time , and then give them words of encouragement to prevail and ignore assholes like me that make snide remarks publicly. I also advise them who to listen to and not listen to.

Then again if certain posters are on there to say to take it easy on them then the bulls eye comes out. I reinterate only when certain posters come on.

I'd posit that top-right is a pretty common position for a search field in terms of GUI design and it's doing just fine where it is.

It's a fifty fifty split. Some questions are great when it updates info from 2005. Some questions are bad when they get asked 5 times a week.

Would it be difficult to have a little box pop up for, say, each newcomers first 5-10 posts suggesting a search before posting? Once their post count reaches a predetermined amount the box can stop appearing (otherwise it would get incredibly annoying).