Search Issue

I tried to search for a thread, which was somewhat generic in nature (i.e. the terms could be expected to show up in multiple threads) and the only results which came back were for threads that were started after the move to the new software. Even doing a search on my username and threads started by me only turned up the threads I've started since we switched over. I would like to be able to find the older stuff at some point. Is this something that can be fixed at some point, or is it a consequence of going to the new software, and there's a whole lotta nothing that can be done?

There is a bit of a workaround going to google.com and telling it to search Wordforge, but its not as precise as the local search can be.

I tried the google workaround but when I click on the thread I am looking for (Election Prediction Contest) it tells me the page doesn't exist.

That's too bad, because that thread really needs to be bumped.

FWIW I had this same issue as well.

The reason it says it doesn't exist is because Google's linking to the vBulletin style URL, not XF's.
vB's for Red Room: wordforge.net/forumdisplay.php?f=2
XF's for Red Room: wordforge.net/index.php?forums/the-red-room.2/
For the thread in question, you'd need the thread title AND the ID number. For example, a Baba thread I want to keep handy for various purposes: http://wordforge.net/index.php?threads/Is-el-chup-anti-dentite-cause-he-is-English?.99766

So, in laymen,s terms, what is the link for the election predictions thread?

Bick, is the google issue something that will resolve itself in time?

Anyone know why the boards search isn't working?

Dunno if Google will get itself updated or not, but if you can find your thread via Google, the link's title will have the thread title, and the url will have the thread ID. Combine the two into the format I used for the Baba thread I linked, and you can necro your respective threads. Coincidentally, I tried to Google the election prediction threads, and only found ones from 2010, so I'm not sure those are what you were looking for.

So @The Exception @Order2Chaos @John, is the consensus that there is no way to fix search?

I can honestly say there's no way for me to fix whatever is wrong with the search engine. Xenforo has an upgraded search engine they're offering, but they want $50 for it, which is absurd.

If you guys want google to reindex the site as quickly as possible, you'll need to generate a good sitemap and submit that to google in webmaster tools.

A few interesting tidbits, since we're so focused on Social Media here:
1. A big joke at Pubcon this year (not attending this year, but have an associate there) is that someone saw someone using Google+ on their flight into Vegas. That got a hearty laugh in a room full of SEO/Social Media/PPC gurus.
2. Stone Temple Media has done extensive testing, and someone hitting a Google+ button seems to cause an immediate indexing of a web page. They've tested this with orphaned pages (no links to the pages, no google analytics on pages, not using google dns services, etc). Therefore, while all social media signals are important in ranking, Google+, despite its pathetic, poor user base, is supreme. :/

In other words, it would help with reindexing the site.

Also, it really, really sucks that an effective 301 strategy wasn't planned and then implemented. The site is now starting from scratch. But there would be time for a 301 system. That basically tells Google what the new equivalent of an old page is.

Finally, when you have multiple pages and multiple ways to view pages in a thread, the canonical tag is important. :|

I'm currently having the software rebuild the search index, hopefully this will fix the problem. I'll post here again when it is done.

It's currently up to 2010 posts.

Should be done now, give it a try.

AH-HA! @tafkats is a dick! It was prognostication, not prediction.

http://wordforge.net/index.php?thre...e-november-2012-prognostication-thread.96494/

Search works, thread found, HD thread locked. Thanks @The Exception!