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I typed my question into 'ask a question' and got a 'suggested answer' that has absolutely NOTHING related RRS feed

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    Totally insane 'suggested answer'

    Could someone please tell me how 'Help Dell Laptop turned into a Server" can, in any remote way, be related to the Title I entered above?

    With a vast database of questions and answers, having a meaningful search engine is ESSENTIAL if users are going to be productive and not simply logoff in disgust!

    Searching here IS, and HAS BEEN for a long time INFURIATINGLY DISGUSTING!

    Jim Kay

    • Moved by Mike Kinsman Monday, February 4, 2013 3:42 PM Forums Issue
    Monday, February 4, 2013 6:51 AM
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    Heh, heh... don't feel too lonely. In this thread, my topic was "Expression Web forum not permitting adding links or images to posts; no link to THIS forum available from EW forum." The suggested "related posts?" How about these..

    Boy, howdy. Them's some dead-on related posts, ain't they? Sheesh! What a bloody joke!

    cheers,
    scott



    Please remember to "Mark as Answer" the responses that resolved your issue. It is common courtesy to recognize those who have helped you, and it also makes it easier for visitors to find the resolution later.

    Monday, February 4, 2013 7:27 PM
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    perhaps the questions look similar because the search engine is looking at a cyclical redundancy check or some other metric of the text of the question rather than looking at the words in the question...

    It has been my experience that search engines do a much more relevant job with shorter questions than longer ones. I think that is because they are not really designed to either ask or understand questions, they just find pages with a high degree of correlation of words. The extra clarification of the additional words, though perhaps helpful for people, just do not seem to serve to narrow down the search to just what is wanted, but seems, rather to expand the search to include anything that might match.

    No, I'm not saying I think things are OK here, just sayin...

    Al Dunbar -- remember to 'mark or propose as answer' or 'vote as helpful' as appropriate.

    Monday, February 4, 2013 8:46 PM
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    If the OP wants to view my comment as contradictory, he is welcome to. He can even think it a nuisance post. Not really sure what you meant by "heady sounding".

    The "contradiction" you perceive was not so much a contradiction as a suggestion that perhaps a differently worded question might have yielded more meaningful results. I say "might" not "would" because I don't know this for a fact. As such, the disclaimer was not intended to reduce the implied level of contradiction so much as to indicate I was not taking the forum's side against his opinion of the related topic functionality.

    Al Dunbar -- remember to 'mark or propose as answer' or 'vote as helpful' as appropriate.

    Monday, February 4, 2013 9:44 PM
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    As the OP, I would add that the 'CRC' idea is certainly amusing (and makes more sense than anything Microsoft offered.)

    Personally, I did NOT word my question for the convenience of a search algorithm and I did not want a list of questions 'similar to mine.' What I got was a typical example of useless garbage that reminds me about just how frustrating the whole process is.

    I worded my question to make sense to humans. I did not expect a computer would be of any significant help in finding an answer and I was not disappointed. (It was, as expected, of no help.)

    The reason I finally posted my experience is that this kind of absurd search result afflicts all of the Microsoft HELP files and is not confined to TechNet.

    This is what makes the HELP system almost worthless as well. TechNet is far better, but only because some humans look at the questions. HELP is a nightmare.

    Jim

    Jim Kay


    • Edited by Jim0607 Tuesday, February 5, 2013 12:59 AM
    Tuesday, February 5, 2013 12:58 AM
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    Thanks, I know I'm not lonely. Your examples are entertaining!

    cheers,

    Jim

    Jim Kay

    Tuesday, February 5, 2013 1:03 AM
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    Not really sure what you meant by "heady sounding".


    The "contradiction" you perceive was not so much a contradiction...

    ...the disclaimer was not intended to reduce the implied level of contradiction

    Al Dunbar -- remember to 'mark or propose as answer' or 'vote as helpful' as appropriate.


    heady  intellectualized and bloviated.


    nevermind me.  just kibbitzing.  in a disagreeable way.  hope you don't mind.


    I know the definirion of heady, just could not figure out how you were applying it here...

    Vizzini: HE DIDN'T FALL? INCONCEIVABLE.
    Inigo Montoya: You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

    Al Dunbar -- remember to 'mark or propose as answer' or 'vote as helpful' as appropriate.

    Tuesday, February 5, 2013 10:20 PM
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    As the OP, I would add that the 'CRC' idea is certainly amusing (and makes more sense than anything Microsoft offered.)

    Personally, I did NOT word my question for the convenience of a search algorithm and I did not want a list of questions 'similar to mine.' What I got was a typical example of useless garbage that reminds me about just how frustrating the whole process is.

    I worded my question to make sense to humans. I did not expect a computer would be of any significant help in finding an answer and I was not disappointed. (It was, as expected, of no help.)

    The reason I finally posted my experience is that this kind of absurd search result afflicts all of the Microsoft HELP files and is not confined to TechNet.

    This is what makes the HELP system almost worthless as well. TechNet is far better, but only because some humans look at the questions. HELP is a nightmare.

    Jim

    Jim Kay


    well, I'm glad my comment was not too "heady" for you... ;-)

    I don't disagree with your characterization of HELP, but then again, I don't use it that much myself. Perhaps that is another way of saying I tend to agree with you.

    Al Dunbar -- remember to 'mark or propose as answer' or 'vote as helpful' as appropriate.

    Tuesday, February 5, 2013 10:22 PM
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    Obviously, something you did generated a different CRC. Dunbar has given us the secret!

    Maybe you used a different font? (Without seeing the sadistic CRC algorithm, we cannot be sure.)

    But don't spread this around! Keep the secret!

    Jim Kay

    Wednesday, February 6, 2013 10:54 AM
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    That was spooky.

    This is spooky:  change what you were asking to this:  heady NOT jason NOT overhead

    WTH?

    Wednesday, February 6, 2013 2:48 PM
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    The search issues are being worked on and are known issues.

    You're right though. It's difficult.

    Thanks!

    Ed Price (a.k.a User Ed), SQL Server Customer Program Manager (Blog, Small Basic, Wiki Ninjas, Wiki)

    Answer an interesting question? Create a wiki article about it!

    Sunday, February 17, 2013 10:53 AM
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