There needs to be an easier way...

[jackmadrox]

There needs to be an easier way to look for threads/topics that have been created already so we can avoid duplicate threads about one topic. It's a little frustrating when you start a thread and the conversation begins to pick up with a few comments and then all of a sudden, it gets locked. Like earlier today I posted up PS4 Neo/ PS4K discussion thread and I looked before I posted it, and I couldn't find anything about it. But there was apparently. So how can we fix this? 

[Remilia Scarlet]

An archive of old threads would be nice.

[Dragon-Archon]

Or you could use the advanced search function .

Edited June 1, 2016 by Dragon-Archon

[jackmadrox]

Or perhaps a new thread created should not be posted automatically, it should be reviewed by a moderator before it goes live on the forum. 

[Mournblade05143]

Or just let the thread go especially if the topic is pretty old.

Be funny if this topic was posted before and this gets locked too.

[soniq]

Or perhaps a new thread created should not be posted automatically, it should be reviewed by a moderator before it goes live on the forum. 

So every single time someone creates a new thread the mods should search the forums and make sure that a similar thread doesn't exist before they approve it?

[Mournblade05143]

So every single time someone creates a new thread the mods should search the forums and make sure that a similar thread doesn't exist before they approve it?

 

They kinda do that now anyway.

[LetsTurnJu-On]

Yeah it'd be nice if the search bar actually worked and searched properly. Whenever I try searching for a thread (not very often) it throws up random shite instead.

[DaivRules]

So every single time someone creates a new thread the mods should search the forums and make sure that a similar thread doesn't exist before they approve it?

 

They kinda do that now anyway.

 

The members who participated in existing threads also alert the mods and usually alert the OP if there is an existing topic. So it's not really just the mods memorizing or searching every single new thread, the whole community helps.

 

That said, advanced search does a pretty damn good job of finding existing threads after the user figures out how to use it properly.

[Dragon-Archon]

That said, advanced search does a pretty damn good job of finding existing threads after the user figures out how to use it properly.

Yeah I agree, though it seems most members don't know the difference between the Search Function and the Advanced Search Function .

[damon8r351]

Search would help even more if people bothered to title their threads more clearly also. Like thousands of threads all titled exactly "Thoughts on trophies?", or titling a thread "WTF is this?!?" and it turns out they're looking for help on a bug. Or the thousands of other vaguely titled threads we're all guilty of making.

 

Good Example: "No Man's Sky Delayed To August". That's a great title, tells me exactly what's what.

 

Bad Example: "Same problem as me?" What problem? Turns out he's having an issue with not working in Plague Inc. Try: "R2 Doesn't Work in Plague Inc?"

 

Sometimes the Search function works fine, sometimes it doesn't because you're not asking the right questions. So it helps to enable people to find a topic by browsing the forum for applicable titles like you would a bookshelf, which I'm resorted to do half the time because I'm not sure what fucking question the damn thing wants me to ask so it will show me the information I want.

 

Also, that Advanced Search Function is not as well advertised as it could be, since I've not noticed or flat out ignored the existence of that gear symbol for the bulk of my time here. And a gear symbol to me seems like it should be something like settings or preferences.

Edited June 1, 2016 by damon8r351

[MMDE]

google...

 

I'm serious, it works...

 

search for:

site:psnprofiles.com forum PS4 neo

or just:

site:psnprofiles.com PS4 neo

That usually works for me!

 

If you get too many hits from PS4 in the query, then you can do:

site:psnprofiles.com "PS4 Neo"

This will make it so you only get hits with PS4 and Neo after each other, like not all pages with "PS4" and/or "Neo", but only "PS4 Neo" etc.

Edited June 1, 2016 by MMDE

[crimsonidol38]

Search would help even more if people bothered to title their threads more clearly also. Like thousands of threads all titled exactly "Thoughts on trophies?", or titling a thread "WTF is this?!?" and it turns out they're looking for help on a bug. Or the thousands of other vaguely titled threads we're all guilty of making.

I have to agree with this. Best example is this thread itself. What do people expect from a thread called "There needs to be an easier way..."?

The basic search may be not the best but only if you don't learn how to search (quotation marks help to group the words and reduce unwanted search results) or how to name threads properly.

 

Maybe one thing that would help are tags people can apply to threads. I don't know if the current version of the IPB supports this but there seems to be a functionality, like you can see at this forum:

http://ocremix.org/community/tags/Nintendo/

[Shadiochao]

It's a little frustrating when you start a thread and the conversation begins to pick up with a few comments and then all of a sudden, it gets locked. Like earlier today I posted up PS4 Neo/ PS4K discussion thread and I looked before I posted it, and I couldn't find anything about it. But there was apparently. So how can we fix this? 

 

Merging the old and new threads would be a much better solution than simply locking them all. It certainly is annoying to have a running thread get locked just because someone may have posted a vaguely similar one two or three years ago.