Currently, if I search for for a particular user's posts (including my own) in other people's threads, the search returns the entire thread, then you have to open the thread, click "print" to open the entire thread in one window and search again using Windows "control+F" to find posts by the individual user name. I'd like the search feature to give me the choice of the entire thread, or just the posts made by the user name I specified in the first place. So, if I search for posts by "titewad", then I have to option to have only the content of my individual posts appear in the results.

Topic Alerts may not be considered searches, but I think they are, so I have a suggestion for them too. Topic alerts should only alert to "words", not part of a word. For example, if I setup a topic alert for "free", I get alerts for "freedom", "stayfree maxie pads", etc., which is not what I want. Also, topic alerts are returning hits on the content of a post instead of the thread title. I'll let others chime in on this, but I think the alerts should only search the title, not the entire post as it does now.

I have another suggestion which is somewhat search related by not directly. In order to mark a thread I'm interested in, I have to subscribe to it which means I get a notice every time someone posts to it. I'd like to see another option for "bookmarking" a thread. Yes, I know I can bookmark in Internet Explorer, but if the thread is moved, and we know how much that happens at FW, then my bookmark is no longer valid. I'd like to be able to click a "bookmark" button which would cause the thread to appear in the "Today" FW forum under a new section called bookmarked threads, and let FW automatically update the the links if the threads are moved from one forum to another. Bookmarking threads would greatly reduce my need for searches and I'm sure other users would feel the same way, plus I don't get an email for every new post.

MechanicalMan said:zoomerton said:Much more is involved than just the retailer name or free site name (& they wouldn't all be in the search database).
You're right, but I don't like your idea of encouraging members to send me PMs with title suggestions. No thanks. And what happens when someone posts a really great deal with a really bad title? That may be annoying, but it isn't an excuse to flood that person with PMs. And how could the title be automatically changed, as you mentioned, if there are 50 different suggestions? And what if a suggested title is something worse than the original? I don't believe anything like this could work, but I think that a slightly better concept would be to have the title suggestion visible in the thread. Then X number of votes by other members would change the title of the thread (similar to the dead flag). But that still wouldn't solve the problem of bad suggested titles. I just don't think there is a good way for title changes to be automated. And considering what I've seen members do with the Quick Summary, I really don't think they can or should be trusted to change thread titles. People would suggest titles like "DEAD DEAD DEAD!!!!!!" and "Not Hot."OPs with good titles wouldn't likely get many or any edit suggestions. OPs with poor undescriptive titles could learn after awhile.

As to how the title could be changed, as I said OP gets PM that includes Accept or Edit or Decline (unless sender is on their Ignore list). There could possibly be a customization choice to not receive any special Title PMs. People who use customization are likely to be better at titling posts too. If any Title PMs were annoying or abusive they could be saved (not deleted) & reported to a Moderator. Those abusing this idea could be prevented from further using it.

As to multiple title change suggestions, OP could choose which if any they want to Accept or Edit. Multiple suggestions do negate my idea of automatically implementing if OP doesn't login for x # of days. There, you have a good point.

I disagree with your thought of voting on title changes, as voting is too easily abused. Also, title suggestions placed in the thread would not help the forum view in deciding whether to open a thread.

What I believe many of us can agree is that fixing the title/subject current situation is a significant part of fixing the whole poor search mess as you can't do a good search for something that's not there to be found. So perhaps starting a thread should also include certain checkboxes & certain fields to fill in.

Give each post within a tread a # so i can tell friends to look at post #... for some important or other info

thank you thegreatfixer

zoomerton said:What I believe many of us can agree is that fixing the title/subject current situation is a significant part of fixing the whole poor search mess as you can't do a good search for something that's not there to be found. So perhaps starting a thread should also include certain checkboxes & certain fields to fill in.

I agree with this suggestion and in fact, I emailed Tim a few years ago with the same suggestion. I recommended that titles be created by filling out out a form that requested manufacturer name, model, item desciption, price, store, and start and end dates - if applicable, plus check boxes to indicate AR/FAR/PM/AC/B&M etc., and free form text that would tacked onto the end of the title. Wouldn't it be nice to have relevant, consistent, searchable titles without "Hotter than the sun!!!!" and other irrelevant prefixes? This way, all the pertinent info is right at the begining of the title, which even makes reading the titles and detemining if the deal applies to you much easier. How many threads have you opened just to find out the deal was only available at Fry's or Microcenter B&M when you live nowhere near the retailer?

Using this method, we would see thread titles like this:

Sony DEF825 MP3 player 29.99 @ BB 1/15-1/21 AR
Belkin FD2031 G Router 0.00 @ CC 1/22 1/29 FAR
Kitchenaid FP1025MX 5-quart Mixer $149.99 @ Amazon AC, plus free 3-piece cutting board set.

Obviously, not all hot deals are store bought merchandise, but the free form text option would be the only thing that would be displayed in the title if the other fields were left blank so titles like, "Free MS Office 2003 for attending xx event" would still be able to be posted.

edbenckert said:titewad said:
I agree with this suggestion and in fact, I emailed Tim a few years ago with the same suggestion. I recommended that titles be created by filling out out a form that requested manufacturer name, model, item desciption, price, store, and start and end dates - if applicable, plus check boxes to indicate AR/FAR/PM/AC/B&M etc., and free form text that would tacked onto the end of the title. Wouldn't it be nice to have relevant, consistent, searchable titles without "Hotter than the sun!!!!" and other irrelevant prefixes? This way, all the pertinent info is right at the begining of the title, which even makes reading the titles and detemining if the deal applies to you much easier. How many threads have you opened just to find out the deal was only available at Fry's or MIcrocenter B&M when you live nowhere near the retailer?

Using this method, we would see thread titles like this:

Sony DEF825 MP3 player 29.99 @ BB 1/15-1/21 AR
Belkin FD2031 G Router 0.00 @ CC 1/22 1/29 FAR
Kitchenaid FP1025MX 5-cup Mixer $149.99 @ Amazon AC, plus free 3-piece cutting board set.


I for one love the idea. I want to know the store, the item, the price, and any details (PM, AR). I dont care if it's smoking hot. I dont care if it's lukewarm. I don't care for junk like "You wont believe this deal!" I just wanna know what the item is.Agreed. Plus list location IF very limited like 1 City or Metro Area or State.

For Free Stuff, checkoffs for things like call-in, SASE, email, B&M, SW download, printables.

i would like the search to autmatically search through archived threads and just highlight them a light blue or something to indicate they are archived threads and not active. Or maybe even have an icon next to it.

Once you are inside a Hot Deal topic or any topic, you should be able to search just that topic only.
For example one of the topics I am reading has 1700 posts in a weeks time. I would like to search just that topic.

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You should be able to "order" searches by date of original topic

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searching is just too difficult on FW

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I agree with titewad's suggestion also
many people are just too vauge with their posts........

Make it like Amazon.com

If you don't want to make the default for everyone to be "sort by date", let users set their own default prefs. Personally, I find it annoying to do a search and each time have to hit the "date" link to get the newest deals first. . . .

First, thank you for the opportunity to opine!

Forgive me if someone else already addressed this (I'm steamed over the Barnes & Noble fraud and didn't read the whole thread ) but here's what's on my wishlist:

TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER (er, make that PAGE heh)
HILIGHTING, TOPICS, SEARCHES
Would like to be paroled from having to wade through 35 pages of posts (at 100-per!!) just to find the one lousy occurence of (eg) FRYS in the whole thread. Really I'd like to see a menu of post snips spill out so I can quickly shop the results but . . . I'm greedy. Just get me to the page and I'll take it from there.

SEARCH RESULTS
By default sorts on DATE OF LAST POST -- or if that cannot be provided, then please provide the URL string I can use to force it because SCORE is significantly less valuable than (anything) TIME STAMPED.

Tytie