Google Custom Site Search Added

[mikesilvia]

I have had a lot of complaints that the SCF search feature does not perform well. After tests and getting an expert opinion I have decided to go with Google site search that will reside just under the SCF header.



There are several benefits to this search over the existing SCF search.

• There is no better search than Google!
• Google search searches the entire site, not just the forums! This means if you type in a key word then you will get results from the articles, inventories, sotrefronts (coming soon), etc. The SCF search was limited to the forums

If you do a search a new window will open up. You will see the search results just like the normal Google Search engine except it will be Sports Card Forum only. You will also notice the SCF Header at the top should you wish to return to the main SCF page.



As you can see there are results in the articles and forums for "tomlinson". If you narrow it down to say "2001 Topps Tomlinson" you will get better results.



Please provide inputs if these results are relevant!

[theproudestmonkey]

what are the search results based on? seems like my searches are returning a bunch of non relevant threads (archived or VERY old threads)

[molly1984]

i still see the old search under Search at the top... so i take the old one will still be there if we want to use it? thanks!

[mikesilvia]

what are the search results based on? seems like my searches are returning a bunch of non relevant threads (archived or VERY old threads)

This is the first time using Google search on SCF, so your feedback is important to see if we still use it. What key word did you use?

[mintman2]

Mike,

I don't know what you guys did to the database but using old search I'm getting almost no new hits. Do a search for "ripken" and you'll see there's just a few new results since you did the update.

As for google.......

I found it very difficult to use.

1) The old search showed who the thread starter was and when the thread was started, which google doesn't. This was very important to me as i would skip over threads I knew to be just plain old or repeats of previous ones by looking at the title, date started and the original poster.

2) The old search also showed which forum the result was from, which I also found to be a useful sorting tool when reviewing search results. There's no need for me to look at three different threads from the same person when it's clear he posted the same thread in different forums. With the google I can't tell.

3) Old search I could select specific forums to search. With google I get all results from the entire site. What if I don't want articles and inventories ? It was nice to be able to zero in on where I wanted to search.

4) The google search shows many entries for the same threads where the thread is more than one page long. It made it very difficult to figure out if I had already checked it out or not.


Google is an excellent search engine for many applications but in my opinion not this one. If I want to search the web for baseball cards google is a great tool but the search you had in place was more site specific and gave easier to understand, relevant results.

[meuandthelot]

I agree mintman2..
original scf database search feature..please come back!

I have missed SCF's search feature for the past few years it has hindered many tasks actually.

We have/had ~5 years of great information here, much of posted in a detailed, well thought format.

Here's the google search for "Graded cards" rather tough to follow, I'd get discouraged rather fast if I was trying to locate general information, even locating specific information would be quite a task.
Trade between mwatson692k and Graded Card Buyer - Sports Card Forum

Trade between mwatson692k and Graded Card Buyer Trades In Progress.
www.sportscardforum.com/showthread.php?t=483844

PSA vs BGS graded cards [Archive] - Sports Card Forum

May 4, 2003 ... [Archive] PSA vs BGS graded cards General Sports Card Talk.
www.sportscardforum.com/archive/index.php/t-897.html

Graded Cards - Sports Card Forum

Ill go by saying that I will have a 1993 Fleer Tony Gwynn RC graded. The card books for $15.00. What would the graded effects have on the price of the card. ...
www.sportscardforum.com/showthread.php?t=277721

» PSA Introduces Half-Grades Sports Card Forum Articles: Sports ...

Jan 20, 2008 ... PSA cited the future of the graded card industry and gaps in card ... If a collector resubmits 50 cards and only gets a half-grade bump on ...
www.sportscardforum.com/articles/?p=67

KSA [Archive] - Sports Card Forum

Jun 16, 2003 ... As a collector living in the UK my graded cards are all bought one way or another too expensive for me to send cards for grading. ...
www.sportscardforum.com/archive/index.php/t-2797.html

96/97 Black Diamond BGS Graded 8.5 Thornton rc - Sports Card Forum

96/97 Black Diamond BGS Graded 8.5 Thornton rc High End Trading - Hockey.
www.sportscardforum.com/showthread.php?t=477368

Graded Cards FT - Sports Card Forum

Looking for graded cards in return, with exception to high end Manning/Brady RC auto. 05 Ultimate Cadillac BGS 9.5 BV 250 ...
www.sportscardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1769961

3 Graded Cards For CC - Sports Card Forum

3 Graded Cards For CC Baseball Cards For CardCash.
www.sportscardforum.com/showthread.php?p=3268624

[quote]
Search: Key Word(s): graded cards Thread / Thread Starter Last Post Replies Views Forum 3 BCCG Graded Cards For Sale
ASU11

05-08-2008 03:51 PM
by ASU11

0 9 Football Card Buying/Selling Graded v. Non-Graded.
BigDAlcala

05-07-2008 10:47 PM
by envoy98

7 98 Vintage Trading 3 Graded Cards For CC
cjones10ajones25

05-01-2008 03:17 PM
by angel0430

3 68 Baseball Cards For CardCash

[huckler731]

I agree that the SCF search right now is better than the Google search. For instance, search for "John Beck" using both searches. The SCF search results in posts listed chronologically with most recent posts first (today, yesterday, May 10....). The Google search results show no date and has posts from April 19, April 22...

[theproudestmonkey]

This is the first time using Google search on SCF, so your feedback is important to see if we still use it. What key word did you use?

lots of examples posted by other members above

[Star_Cards]

I just now tried the google search for the first time and I must say that I prefer the SCF search better, when working of course. I searched for the key word "Bulk" and get a lot of older hits that are archived rather than SCF posts. Also, on the site search I like to see the dates of posts and names of the OP and the most recent post. With the google search I have to click each link to see if it's an old or new post. The old way would let me see all that info for a long lit of potential posts without clicking through to another page. The google search also doesn't have the roll over feature.

[mikesilvia]

Thanks for the input guys! I will likely just turn that Google search into a standard Google search (the entire web) and look at fixing the SCF search.

If you can give me all the issues with the SCF search.