Search Function

Do you use your forum script's default/built-in search function or do you replace it with Google's search box that searches within your website?
Or a combination of both?

I use the latter option. When members conduct a search using the built-in search function, the results page includes a Google search box for use if they haven't been able to find their answer.

How about you?

 

I use a combination of both.

I have the Google search box and the forum search box.

 

I've heard Admins using the Google search when their loads are high, they wrote a script to do that. I think PaulM did that on vB.org, and there's always installing Sphinx.

 

The forums on my site that the users like to search are not open to the public (not spidered), so using google search would do no good. So, I use vbulletin's search, or more specifically the mysql fulltext search (we actually just recently switched over to that).

 

Speaking of which, how has the switch gone? Are you (and your members) experiencing better results with the fulltext search?

 

On the forums itself, only the forums search is available. There is no quick search on the forums. On the website, I have a Google Custom Search set up to search the website AND the forums in one place. I do this because I think MyBB's search feature works just fine and there's no reason to remove it, but on the website I want to provide as many results as possible, not just those on the website area itself.

 

The members never noticed I switched (except that I took the site down for about 20 minutes to run the queries for the change). I switched because I wanted to turn on Similar Threads and I was getting some wacky results using the vB search method. Using fulltext searching, and a couple plugins I wrote, gives me better control over the similar thread results. (I wanted some forums to only have results from certain forums and others to exclude certain forums from results.)

 

I've only used the built-in search function.

 

I only use the built in search function since i don't really like to add any other like google searching.

 

I, too, solely use the built-in search function. I find Google's to be annoying.

 

Not even that it's annoying, it just searches so much (very intrusive search) - and then you wind on having more than what you expected.

 

... sometimes pages of useless information. It's just another hassle (IMO).

 

I guess.

 

I just use the built-in search function.

 

I just think it looks cleaner without Google there.

 

It does - I also find that Google's logo (the color scheme, more specifically) can throw your forum's design off-balance.

 

Yeah, it tends to look out of place and tacky. I also think it puts a "free" spin on something that was otherwise "professional/paid", if you know what I mean.

 

I know exactly what you mean - one of the many reasons as to why I don't use it.

 

What is used here on AA towards the top right? I'd like to add a regular search box like that on my TheWDB.com site but I'm not sure how to set that up.