"Search", maybe it's just me.

[Mollysdad]

I'm chuckling at the difficulty in using the "search" function. I wondered if anyone ever commented on the Viair 400 air compressor, (I know they have) so I put that term into the "keyword" area, and left everything else default.
My search had 4500 responses, however, none that I saw ever used the term Viair 400, Viair, or 400. I found about clocks, toilets, wi-fi antennas, and it seems, everything except an air compressor.
Has anyone ever successfully used the search function and what am I doing wrong? No wonder folks repeat posts!

[ALANSD]

the search here is pretty crappy ..I use Google and enter the term I am looking for and site:airforums.com

Space between the term and the ending..... like Viair 400 site:airforums.com

this produces results.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

There is a whole bunch of "interesting" punctuation you can use in a Google search to limit what you get. Since the Forum search is Google, it all works. What are all those qualifiers? Darn if I know ... I never use them

Unfortunately there aren't a lot of great packages for forum search. There's just to much random yack on a forum.

Bob

[Mollysdad]

I'm with you on Google. (or Bing, if you don't want results scrubbed)
I did it first.
But I recalled a discussion of the device and rather than start over, I did a search. My mistake.

I see a lot of angry posts about TV, hitches and tires (yawn) where the comment says, "There's been hundreds of opinions already posted...search!"

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Unfortunately there aren't a lot of great packages for forum search. There's just to much random yack on a forum.

I hear ya.
I just thought if I entered "Bananas" in the search box, I might end up with some random post mentioning bananas. No.
(Now don't search bananas to tell me that it worked!)

[uncle_bob]

Hi

If you really want to get into the "no search / no memory" thing, check out a Facebook group. Pretty much anything over an hour old is "lost forever". Proper etiquette seems to include 10 minute bumps to unanswered posts / questions. Everything should be taken care of in a minute or two ..... yikes .....

Bob

[HiHoAgRV]

Are you using this box? I've had good results...

[markdoane]

I tried viair in Advanced Search (keyword), and it worked great. Got about 300 results.

[wave man]

Same here so don't feel bad, I'm just not a good search person, usually it seems to me that the right phrase and exact terms entered make a huge difference, but I don't scan quickly so I read everything and waste loads of time trying to do the right thing before getting frustrated

Some people have the knack thoough for internet searches...and I am frankly jealous

[Rich W]

Enclose your search statement in quotes. It works better
"Viair 400 air compressor"

I got 10 individual hits for Airforum threads

[Trons4u]

I just used both the search box at the top of the page and the one in the "Search tab" using the Google area search box and got several results. I've also in the browser put whatever I'm looking for followed by airforums.com and gotten many results

[ALANSD]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

There is a whole bunch of "interesting" punctuation you can use in a Google search to limit what you get. Since the Forum search is Google, it all works. What are all those qualifiers? Darn if I know ... I never use them

Unfortunately there aren't a lot of great packages for forum search. There's just to much random yack on a forum.

Bob

Here is more information than you will ever use...

Search social media
Put @ in front of a word to search social media. For example: @twitter.

Search for a price
Put $ in front of a number. For example: camera $400.

Search hashtags
Put # in front of a word. For example: #throwbackthursday

Exclude words from your search
Put - in front of a word you want to leave out. For example, jaguar speed -car

Search for an exact match
Put a word or phrase inside quotes. For example, "tallest building".
Search for wildcards or unknown words
Put a * in your word or phrase where you want to leave a placeholder. For example, "largest * in the world".
Search within a range of numbers
Put .. between two numbers. For example, camera $50..$100.
Combine searches
Put "OR" between each search query. For example, marathon OR race.
Search for a specific site
Put "site:" in front of a site or domain. For example, site:youtube.com or site:.gov.
Search for related sites
Put "related:" in front of a web address you already know. For example, related:time.com.
Get details about a site
Put "info:" in front of the site address.
See Google’s cached version of a site
Put "cache:" in front of the site address.

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by Mollysdad

I'm chuckling at the difficulty in using the "search" function. I wondered if anyone ever commented on the Viair 400 air compressor, (I know they have) so I put that term into the "keyword" area, and left everything else default.
My search had 4500 responses, however, none that I saw ever used the term Viair 400, Viair, or 400. I found about clocks, toilets, wi-fi antennas, and it seems, everything except an air compressor.
Has anyone ever successfully used the search function and what am I doing wrong? No wonder folks repeat posts!

Are you using the Search function via the blue menu bar [the old search function], or the blue-bordered search box above that? [the new search function]

The old one does not work well, and the new one works great IMO.

When the results come up, as a Google page of results with "site:airforums.com" as one search term, you can change the other search terms to refine your inquiry.

"Viair 400" results:

https://www.google.com/search?ei=NEa....0.n_Rk3R82qfQ

"Viair" is such a specific compressor-only term that you don't need to add "air compressor" also, as that just clutters up the search IMO.

Also there is a thread on search tips in member site forum:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f138...ch-162639.html