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Improve LET search
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Improve LET search

DStroutDStrout Member
edited March 2013 in Tutorials

I think pretty much everyone around here knows how awful LET's search is. If you don't, go ahead, try it. I'll wait. Yeah, could use some work, right? You know who does a better job with search? Google. So let's let them do the dirty work. If you have Firefox or Chrome (which is probably a fair number of us), you can set up a user script that makes the search bar reference Google. In Firefox, install Greasemonkey. In Chrome, get TamperMonkey to manage user scripts. With that in place, here's the script:

var form=document.getElementsByClassName("Search")[0].childNodes[0]; //Get the form element
form.action="http://www.google.com/search"; //Change the action (page it submits to) to Google search
document.getElementById("Form_Search").name="q"; //Give the search box the same name as Google's
form.onsubmit=function() {
    document.getElementById("Form_Search").value="site: lowendtalk.com "+document.getElementById("Form_Search").value;
} //Add site:lowendtalk.com to the beginning of the query before submitting, so that Google knows to only search LET

The comments are in there, but basically what it does is make the form submit to Google, change the name of the textbox to the same as Google's search box, and add the "site:" parameter on to the search before submitting. I have been using this method for a while, and it works well. Hope it works for you too.

Comments

  • Is it hard to query google with site:lowendtalk.com keyword?

  • DStroutDStrout Member
    edited March 2013

    No. But when the search box is available right in the corner of every page and you don't have to bother typing "site: lowendtalk.com" every time, it's even easier.

    Eben Upton, founder of Raspberry Pi foundation, said: Never do anything twice—spend the time to write a script to do it for you. It's amazing how easy it is to get sucked into spending five minutes a day doing something that would only take an hour to automate.

  • AmitzAmitz Member
    edited March 2013

    You are so right...
    Whenever I try to find something on LET, I use Google, the search phrase and 'lowendtalk'. Your method is more elegant. It seems as if the LET/LEB team is more engaged to close CVPS/Colocrossing threads as fast as possible than improving the site itself. (like in: Never bite the hand that nourishes you) Sad, but true...

  • earlearl Member

    I just bookmark site:lowendtalk.com in google so I just need to add my query

    site:lowendtalk.com

  • IshaqIshaq Member

    @Amitz said: It seems as if the LET/LEB team is more engaged to close CVPS/Colocrossing threads as fast as possible than improving the site itself.

    I don't believe they control how lowendtalk works, they only enforce rules.

  • AmitzAmitz Member
    edited March 2013

    They surely do not control how LET works. But LET anyhow seems to be way more considerate about them then about anyone else out there. The connection between the two of them cannot be denied by anyone with 2 open eyes. However, I guess that I risk my membership here if going deeper, so I better keep my mouth shut.

  • NickMNickM Member
    edited March 2013

    A better way that I've found to do this is using a Firefox bookmark. Bookmark this URL: https://www.google.com/search?q=%s%20site:lowendtalk.com and give it a tag of "let", then you can search LET by typing let your search terms here in Firefox's address bar.

  • @Ishaq said: I don't believe they control how lowendtalk works, they only enforce rules.

    Didn't @Chief or @Liam say they were going to bring back the Thanks button about 2 months ago? :(

  • @mojeda said: Didn't @Chief or @Liam say they were going to bring back the Thanks button about 2 months ago? :(

    Which is why I don't expect them to actually implement anything regarding improving the search function. But as everyone else says, just use google and specify lowendbox. =]

  • mikhomikho Member, Host Rep

    I don't think Liam have acess to the system.
    Yes, he has administrative rights, but that's only IN vanilla, IN wordpress.

    Hope you get what I mean.

  • raindog308raindog308 Administrator, Veteran

    I think @Chief has lost interest in LET. At least, that's the sense I get.

  • netomxnetomx Moderator, Veteran

    @raindog308 said: I think @Chief has lost interest in LET. At least, that's the sense I get.

    +1

  • NickMNickM Member

    Chief cares about LET. Or rather, he cares about the money that it brings in.

  • NexusNexus Member

    Screw the search, I want the Thanks button back! Hehe!

    But in all seriousness, I did some reviews on some host's and had no problem finding what I was looking for/etc. So I don't see a problem yet, but that's just me :P

  • @NickM said: Chief cares about LET. Or rather, he cares about the money that it brings in.

    True.

    image

  • @Nexus Quality of search results isn't the only factor (although it's the biggest one for me). It's also looks. Google's search results are presented much better. Now, don't get me wrong - I'm a practical guy, and I usually don't care that much about presentation, as long as it works. But with LET search, you have all this white space that you have to scroll past to see the results. Also, I like how Google displays only the bits of the page that surround the keywords in your query, which Vanilla's search doesn't.

    As to search quality, it doesn't do any ranking, really, just by date. Google actually uses algorithms developed by some of the smartest people in the world to actually determine the relevance of a given result. Much better than just checking for keywords and displaying posts that have them.

    Anyway, that's my rant for the evening. Also, no more getting after the admins and CVPS and the lack of a thanks button in this thread. That's an order.

  • @DStrout said: Hope it works for you too.

    I have been seriously wanting a better search for LET. Thanks a lot!

  • raindog308raindog308 Administrator, Veteran

    $3700 a month? Good Lord...I think I just found a use for my spare IPB license.

  • mikhomikho Member, Host Rep

    @raindog308 said: $3700 a month? Good Lord...I think I just found a use for my spare IPB license.

    That's only the LET ads, add income from LEB and I guess you can yourself a new iPB license :)

  • $7800/month total income between LET and LEB. Not exactly pocket change.

  • netomxnetomx Moderator, Veteran

    @DStrout said: Not exactly pocket change.

    depends for who: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Slim

  • curtisgcurtisg Banned
    edited March 2013

    DStrout little flaw in this, you should detect if the user is on let otherwise any search forms with class Search will be changed to LET searching.

  • InfinityInfinity Member, Host Rep

    @curtisg said: DStrout little flaw in this, you should detect if the user is on let otherwise any search forms with class Search will be changed to LET searching.

    You set greasemonkey to a particular site iirc.

  • @curtisg like @Infinity mentioned I had to edit the script in Tampermonkey of my Chrome browser:

    @match http://www.lowendtalk.com/*

  • @Infinity @vanarp - correct. If you know anything about Grease/Tampermonkey, you'd know that.

  • @DStrout said: $7800/month total income between LET and LEB. Not exactly pocket change.

    It is in fact $7,925 by summing up the numbers on BSA. Not sure how much for the ColoCrossing logo on LEB.

  • IshaqIshaq Member

    @vanarp said: ColoCrossing logo on LEB.

    ColoCrossing probably sponsor them, they give them a dedi for the ad.

  • @DStrout

    @DStrout said: site: lowendtalk.com

    The blank space between site: and lowendtalk.com should be avoided for best results. I happened to notice some WHT results today and then I realized what caused so.

  • I've noticed that too, but I think the bit of variety doesn't hurt, if the results are relevant.

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