why can I not use the search function , NEVER

marinerules · #1 08/25/2006, 03:42 PM

ive spoke to people on here before that dont have the premium membership as well , and they hardly ever are not able to search , at least the ones i talked to , and I am never able to do a search , it says wait a few minutes, but I can wait hours and it still wont let me do it

any advice

someone gave me a link one time wher eyou can search reefcentral without actually doing it from the site

KDodds · #2 08/25/2006, 03:49 PM

LOL, either become a premium memberor pretty much forget it. On a rare occassion I'm able to search at like 2am, but that's rare. If you need to search, if you use RC for support, don't you think it's kind of fair to offer the site some monetary support in return? Kidding aside, which I have on occassion, I'd never seriously complain that I can't search as a non-paying member.

abendx · #3 08/25/2006, 03:53 PM

i had the same issue. one time (only one time) at about 5am, i was able to pull it up... so it is possible. i ended up becoming a paying member of the site and can use the search any time now.

smart move or dumb one on the part of the staff here?

i'd say dumb as your membership is the reason you survive.... let the paying advertisers take the brunt of the cost as most forums do.

in my opinion.... next to the members that make up the site (and contribute their knowledge), search is the most crucial tool this website utilizes. with a useful search, you keep from frustrating both the searcher (by not being able to search) and the membership (having to see and field the same answers to the same question.

i would guess that a full search of the postings is a database intensive act.... but come on, to make people pay to get what they came here for.... ??

what am i complaining for.... i paid for the ability to search (and this is really the only reason i did).

and to search without paying.... go to google, hit the advanced search function, and use reefcentral.com as the only domain to search from.... it works, but honestly.... it is less than really useful.

Duke76 · #4 08/25/2006, 03:53 PM

You can go to the Google website and click on "advanced search". Specify Reefcentral.com as the domain.

marinerules · #5 08/25/2006, 03:54 PM

ok , I will have to do that then lol

its not that much ,
i was just making sure it was the premium thing that was keeping from doing it , or if it was some kind of cookie problemon my computer

xtrstangx · #6 08/25/2006, 04:00 PM

Its not that expensive for a premium membership. I get search access like 99% of the time and its only $2/month.

sarduci · #7 08/25/2006, 04:04 PM

Type this into the front page of google:

site:reefcentral.com <what you are searching for>

and you get to search google's index of the site, which costs RC nothing, and let's me as a paying member use the search function all the more.

I figure ~$2 a month is worth it to me to keep this site here.

jpslickorocks · #8 08/25/2006, 05:19 PM

http://www.reefcentral.com/search.php?s=&menu=11

Works every time. It is on the home page under search tools.

drinkhomebrew · #9 08/25/2006, 06:45 PM

After 10 or 11pm PST I can normally search.

Salamander · #10 08/25/2006, 07:08 PM

The cost of premium membership comes out to only about 6.5 cents a day. Noto shabby for the amount of $ we dump into these glass boxes.
Membership will allow you more access to the search function, you can upload more and larger pictures to your gallery, and you get the distinction of the title Premium Member, and bragging rights to your friends, family and co-workers...

vanmo92 · #11 08/25/2006, 07:17 PM

I have not been able to use the search in the year I have been in here. It really [profanity] me off Because I have many things i would like to search for but NO.

ACBlinky · #12 08/25/2006, 07:31 PM

Supporting RC costs less than 7 cents a day. I can search 24/7, and when I think about the amazing amount of information here it makes me good to give a little back.

weld1jac · #13 08/25/2006, 09:21 PM

I recently paid for my premium membership and it's well worth it in my opinion. It's a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of the mistakes I would have made with my reef system if not for the knowledge of others on this site.

nmprisons · #14 08/26/2006, 06:25 AM

i just did a search, first time succesful. it wasn't that exciting.

Gary Majchrzak · #15 08/26/2006, 06:53 AM

Quote:

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8016462#post8016462 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by nmprisons
i just did a search, first time succesful. it wasn't that exciting.

For some real excitement subscribe to a reef aquarium trade magazine (at least $20 a year) for several years and then try to do a search of your attic for an older issue.

nmprisons · #16 08/26/2006, 07:33 AM

well that made me laugh, which is pretty hard this time of day. thanks

Gary Majchrzak · #17 08/26/2006, 07:45 AM

Your'e welcome.
And it's a true story. In the early 90's I used to write to Julian Sprung when he had a column in FAMA and then you'd have to wait 6 months for his reply. (See 'Reef Notes' volume 4. One of my letters was published in it.) By the time I got help, whatever problem I was having already solved itself.
This search engine stuff is kind of exciting (IMO).

techrach · #18 08/26/2006, 08:03 AM

I believe the search is a very useful tool. mo waiting on a reply to your question and not asking the same questions over and over again. well worth the fee IMO.

midgetwaiter · #19 08/26/2006, 09:04 AM

As a web / database guy I can understand why they need to charge for this feature. Computers suck at searching through data, it takes a lot of time to seach through a dataset the size of RC and the systems required to support it aren't cheap.

NexDog · #20 08/26/2006, 09:33 AM

Why can't you use the search feature?

Because us Premium Members are using it all the time........................and loving it.

nm354 · #21 08/26/2006, 10:14 AM

Ive found i can get it to work when the west coast is asleep.

hiero4life · #22 08/26/2006, 10:37 AM

If we aren't Premium Members we shouldn't complain. I use the google search method. I do support the sponsors of RC and will be a Premium Member soon.

Chris

blufish · #23 08/26/2006, 10:47 AM

Positive feedback loop:

1. Reefcentral's dataset is huge so searching is not available for most users because of server load
2. User can't search for answers to his problems, so instead he creates a new post with his question (which has been posted a hundred times before by other users)
3. His posted question generates dozens of replies
4. Dataset grows even larger and causes more server load

Conclusion: not having search is a great way of increasing the number of posts on a forum.

At least we have Google.

Ereefic · #24 08/26/2006, 11:21 AM

You wanna search, you gotta pay (and I don't mean the google, cruddy search). That will not change unfortunately.

Sure it sucks, with the sponsors on this site and the amount that they pay, you'd think it would cover the cost, but apparently not.

The Mods radar must be malfunctioning to have not moved and closed this thread by now. But i'm sure a 'beep' just went off somewhere with my post.

DJ88© · #25 08/26/2006, 11:52 AM

<a href="http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=714296">Search Engine Answers</a>