Or you could do it my way when I want to keep the location of the thread.
In the address bar change
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/show**post**.php?p=9590070&postcount=37
to
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/show**thread**.php?p=9590070&postcount=37
This gives you the post in the full thread mode.
Doh, indeed. Since the title of the thread was ‘Search is disabled’, I interpreted it as saying ‘(you can’t click here because) Search is disabled’.
:smack: :smack: :smack:
What you seem to keep overlooking is that the search being disabled is only the latest in a long line of things that are wrong with or have broken on this board.
I repeat again - I’ve kept mostly quiet about the issues with the board in the past, because for me the $15 was worth what I was getting out of the board. I wasn’t here during the free-to-post days, so it’s always been $15 for me. I’ve got no dog in that fight.
But we’ve been promised over and over again that this action or that action will improve the board’s performance. First it was P2P. Then it was google ads to bring in more income, then it was banner ads to bring in more income. “Big things are in the works” has been the party line for what, four, six years now?
Now we’ve got an open-ended “Search is disabled until… Well, we don’t know actually”. And we’ve been told “We’re in meetings, we’ll have an answer for you tomorrow. No. Tomorrow. No. The day after that. No. I don’t know when we’ll have an answer. But big things are in the works!”
Had we been told in the first place “Search is going to be down for a week whilst we try to fix the database issue and whilst TPTB talk about the future direction of the board” I wouldn’t have even considered starting this thread. But the lack of information, the constant stalling, the lack of even a vague idea of how long this is going to take has caused me to want to put this on the table now and keep it on the table until we get an answer. And how this question is answered, for me, will do a lot towards deciding whether I do actually re-up or not.
Also, until you actually pay for the service I really don’t think you have the right to be telling paying customers when and how they can start complaining about (their perceived) lack of service.
Where have I done that?
Your entire schtick in this thread has been “I don’t use search, I don’t think it’s that important, it’s not a huge amount of money, I think it’s petty that you’re complaining about this” and so on. The tone of your posts has been essentially that because we’re only paying a small amount per year, and that search hasn’t been down that long yet that we should all just STFU.
Agreed. The response that you are getting to disabled searching is overwhelmingly angry. We understand difficulties but this should definitely send red flags about that feature’s importance. When we get responses that basically say we don’t have anything to be upset about, it alienates us from the administration and makes us seem powerless. It’s not a place we want to stay.
I’m not saying that you guys “don’t care” about this issue. I’m sure you do. It would just be nice to get sympathetic, not discrediting, responses to our complaints.
Keep in mind, Q.E.D. isn’t actually “the administration” or “you guys”. He just plays one on the SDMB.
Point noted.
QED, please be nicer, dammit.
I’d like to know where the fuck our money is going to, at this point? What are they spending all of the subscriptions on, anyways?
Note that I am making the 91st post in this thread, and so far the SDMB hasn’t bothered to answer the question the thread was created to ask.
Man-you have been an unrepentant shit on these boards, of late. I cannot figure out why you haven’t been warned or suspended, given your conduct. Get over yourself, please.
I think this is an increasingly valid question.
For me, Search is a vital part of the site- I’m on the other side of the planet to most of the posters here, and I use search when I come online to catch up on things that happened while I was at work/asleep/generally being in a different time-zone.
My membership is up for renewal in a fortnight, and I’m going to have to have a serious think about if it’s as worthwhile as it previously was.
So far, we’ve got a unique board that’s totally unlike any other on the net- I agree there. But, it’s a totally unique board that doesn’t have search, and to me, that’s a lot like a library without a catalogue. “You’re looking for stuff on Ancient Rome? That’d be in one of the sections up the back somewhere. Just start by the window and keep going till you find something with a picture of a Julius Caesar on the cover.”
Hopefully some progress will be made soon, especially with regards to the board’s future; I’m not optimistic that we’d likely see any refunds if The Management decided to call it a day vis a vis the boards and shut it all down, and that doesn’t encourage to me make with the readies come renewal time, either.
It could be that the meetings Ed is taking part in are discussing this to some extent. Before any decisions are made, I wouldn’t be quick about offering anything free, either. It could be that by Monday, the decision could be made to eliminate P2P altogether, and make the whole discussion about comped time moot.
It could also be that P2P will stay, but it could take a few months to get the board up to speed. I’m not surprised that no one in the administration has jumped in to offer anything without knowing exactly what the plan is yet. According to Ed, we should know very soon.
But it’s not petty. The point is they disabled the search feature with no notice and no explanation. There also has been no time frame given as to when it will be back up. Add in the fact that the board has been acting incredibly wonky lately.
If they had put up a sticky explaining that the search function would be disabled for a week, starting on a certain date, for board tweaking or whatever, and that we’d all get an extra day or two added to our subscriptions, I’m guessing it would have gone over a hell of a lot better.
Damn, missed the edit window.
I meant to add that none of those scenarios justify the lack of comment altogether, though. Good customer service would dictate at least a “thanks for the suggestion, it’s an idea that I will definitely bring up in our meeting tomorrow, and should have an answer for in the next few days.”
The fact that no one in a decision making capacity has bothered to make an acknowledgement of this suggestion (besides our resident Jr. Admin, and TubaDiva breaking up a fight early on) in this thread is the epitome of poor customer service.
Seconded, except for that “of late” part.
Hookers and blow 
Wow, that’s a check for the pot calling kettle column.
Like this morning when it was basically down for at least an hour.