Similar threads

[Lambolica]

I am playing with a thread in classifieds Called TEST - Hi flow cat for sale.

I notice at the bottom of the page that a section has come up listing similar threads. it appears to list any matching words in the thread title.

begs the question of formallising some kind of way of naming a thread (edit specifically for tech section) So you don get a "help" thread that may contain some useful information that would otherwise not pop up if someone searched a similar subject.

[Joshstix]

I'll take a look at how the similar threads works. There is a big list of different things that add different weighting to the results for the similar threads section.

You should also find that the search engine is pretty kick arse as well, it works very well especially compared to the old one.

Standardising user input is really difficult because peoples knowledge levels are all different. If someone with little knowledge posts a thread on a topic, then you search for threads on that topic you may not find it due to the language used by someone who knows what they're talking about being different. The simmilar threads serach looks through the entire thread so my expectation is that we'll end up with a spread of terminology in each thread that should allow them to be found by users of all levels. Of course it's also difficult because people are dumb and lazy.

[Lambolica]

So it could be a wait and see how it pans out type thing as we get some threads going.

[The Witzl]

Simon,

for a working example of how the similar threads thing works, check out www.lextreme.com/forums

from what i have seen there, it searches threads within the same section using the whole thread you are viewing as the search criteria and matching some unique words with any other threads that have similar words in it... ie excluding your typical sentence filling words and picking out the more obvious indentifyable "key" words.

It words well too, once you have a few threads around If you are even just VIEWING a thread, it will show similar threads....