Searching


Bob at 40 

Searching NLCSA content

About:
Remarks:
Which “search” is used here?For now, we use the standard WordPress search widget.
(wp_widget_search is implemented in the file widgets.php within WP_includes.)
Why did you choose it?It’s the default, and it works as needed for simple literal strings.
Wouldn’t a more sophisticated search be better?Perhaps, but that is less important here than other places because most of the names of the files are codes. If you understand the codes (they are simple) you can tell by looking at the filename which case corpus it belongs to, what file type it is (text or video), and its place in time sequences. This also reflects the organization of the horizontal menus.
And the tags are for…?Primarily for selecting files by applying intersections of content relevance and time at various scales (selections by year, by quarter, and by week in IPS.) The content relevance tags select material by the corpus (1,2, or 3), by the subject, and by the character of the item, types of ideas or data item reference. (For detail, see the post “Tagged Data, below)
Can I search for a tag?You might get hits for some 3-letter combinations but not the results the tagging system is designed to provide. For example, if you search for “q29”, the tag selecting the first quarter of the eighth year, you will be told “no posts match your criteria.” Clicking on tag q29 presents an archive of vignettes. The search function does not cover tags in pages and posts — but it does search pages as well as posts, e.g. if you search for “Magellan,” your return will be LC2’s Vignette 66 (from quarter 29).
What about the groupings in the right sidebar?As the site and analyses become larger and more complex, what are now “groups of pointers” to interesting stuff will begin using the WordPress Category system. This is obviously appropriate for topics such as “method” and “theory,” but a more thorough than ad hoc design use is called for. It’s on the list.
Can I find your files with Google search?Yes, but there are at least two special considerations. First, another website, NLCSA.com, has many entries and Google’s preferences focus on “.com” Second, because of our coding of the names, Google’s search considers most of the files “similar.” So, the trick is to exclude the “competition” and get all the entries you want.
Your best tips are??1. use “advanced Search”
2. exclude (none of these words) “.com” and “Labrador” (no quotes needed in search panel.)
3. under “narrow your search,” specify the site or domain as nlcsa.net .
4. In the row “terms appearing,” specify “in the URL of the page.”
5. Go to the end of the links returned; request the search be repeated with all omitted results included.
The site currently has about 1500 pages and about as many video clips. Some more work on Search Engine Optimization is needed. It is on the list, and underway…

Questions? Comments? Send email to RWLawler@nlcsa.net Thank you.

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