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| texas-swede |
Original Post: Sep 17 '09, 5:43 pm (Updated: Sep 17 '09, 5:59 pm) |
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Reviews written: 378 Member since: Sep 02 '08
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Are there any plans to fix it?
I know this has been discussed before but the epinions search engine is just so bizarre.
I wrote a review for an item that was listed at the top of the list in its category if you did a search using the most obvious key word. Repeat the experiment two days after I wrote the review and it shows up on place 15, and it incorrectly states "No Reviews" and all items above it have no reviews. How is anyone going to find it using the epinions search engine?
Then of course you cannot find a single Dallas restaurant, including the ones I have written reviews for. Not by search (no matter how you search), and not in any list either. Well except one Dallas restaurant (if you use Dallas you get Chicago and New York restaurants). Some books cannot be found either (no matter how you search).
When I was looking to buy a flat screen TV the epinions search engine drove me nuts so I started searching on other sites instead. Amazon has crappy reviews but the search engine is amazing.
The monthly epinions visitor number has dropped from eight million to three and a half million over two years.
I am dying to know what is wrong with the search engine and if there are any plans to fix it.
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| njchicaa |
Posted: Sep 17 '09, 6:16 pm |
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Reviews written: 750 Member since: Jun 27 '05
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RE: Are there any plans to fix it?
I'm no expert on Epinions, but my understanding is that they really aren't planning on doing anything to fix this site any longer. I think the site is in "hold" mode while they work on constructing a new Shopping.com site. |
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| morilla |
Posted: Sep 17 '09, 6:33 pm |
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Reviews written: 206 Member since: Oct 09 '04
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RE: Are there any plans to fix it?
Quote: texas-swede I know this has been discussed before...
Well except one Dallas restaurant (if you use Dallas you get Chicago and New York restaurants). Some books cannot be found either (no matter how you search).
When I was looking to buy a flat screen TV the epinions search engine drove me nuts so I started searching on other sites instead. Amazon has crappy reviews but the search engine is amazing...
I am dying to know what is wrong with the search engine and if there are any plans to fix it.
First, thank you for remembering using "Dallas" to find the one resturant. As I said, it did not obviate your point. We've all been wondering what is wrong with the search engine for years - and, evidently, so have the engineers. As pointed out, we've been told that the site is in a 'maintenance' mode and that we are moving to a new platform.
How well the new platform is going to 'solve' the search engine frustrations can't be answered until we do move; however, I can only hope that they plan, as part of the 'new' platform, to upgrade the SdC search engine in that it, too, ain't exactly the best. As for Amazon's search engine... Well, it isn't exactly a panacea either. Some of the issues are problematic to all search engines. Some of it is the result of what you have already pointed out - if it isn't in the database to be found in the first place, the search engine isn't going to find it.
Some of the "No reviews on this product," etc., but especially media (i.e., books) are the result of the problem (catalog refresh/update) which has now been discussed on four or five threads. Christal acknowledged the problem yesterday and has said they are working on a 'manual fix.'
See Christal's response:
Here
and
Here
and especially
Here
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| texas-swede |
Posted: Sep 17 '09, 9:35 pm (Updated: Sep 17 '09, 9:49 pm) |
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Reviews written: 378 Member since: Sep 02 '08
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RE: Are there any plans to fix it?
Quote: morilla First, thank you for remembering using "Dallas" to find the one resturant. As I said, it did not obviate your point. We've all been wondering what is wrong with the search engine for years - and, evidently, so have the engineers. As pointed out, we've been told that the site is in a 'maintenance' mode and that we are moving to a new platform.
How well the new platform is going to 'solve' the search engine frustrations can't be answered until we do move; however, I can only hope that they plan, as part of the 'new' platform, to upgrade the SdC search engine in that it, too, ain't exactly the best. As for Amazon's search engine... Well, it isn't exactly a panacea either. Some of the issues are problematic to all search engines. Some of it is the result of what you have already pointed out - if it isn't in the database to be found in the first place, the search engine isn't going to find it.
Some of the "No reviews on this product," etc., but especially media (i.e., books) are the result of the problem (catalog refresh/update) which has now been discussed on four or five threads. Christal acknowledged the problem yesterday and has said they are working on a 'manual fix.'
See Christal's response:
Here
and
Here
and especially
Here
Thanks for all this helpful information and the links. I admit I had missed most of this including Christals posts. However, there are a lot more problems with the data base and the search engine than those discussed in those threads.
Regarding "Dallas"; me mentioning this was not intended as a reply to you (I promise), I just like to bring up the fact that not just single reviews, but entire topics are blacked out on epinions.
Panacea or not, Amazon has a vastly superior search engine and data base compared to epinions. I've been on Amazon for five years and on epinions for one year. I've searched Amazon thousands of times and bought stuff hundreds of times. It is a lot easier to find stuff on Amazon, products and reviews. However, most importantly; on Amazon, if it is in the data base you'll find it some way or another, but on epinions you don't. The epinions search engine cannot find sections of its own data base, something I think is unheard of.
On Amazon I have never seen product links and review links taking you to "page not found" or to the wrong place, and I have never seen reviews written for one product listed under another product (at no fault of the reviewer), or links referencing the very same page that they are on, or review or product links taking you to a search page instead, etc.
All that truly crazy stuff is unique to epinions, and it does not take that long to notice.
I think epinions is great but the longer the current search engine and data base problems exist the more visitors epinions will loose (and perhaps reviewers too).
The new platform you mention better come sooner than later. I'll hope it is tomorrow.
If it takes much longer; we reviewers may be the only ones left visiting.
Thomas
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| morilla |
Posted: Sep 17 '09, 10:42 pm (Updated: Sep 17 '09, 10:50 pm) |
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Reviews written: 206 Member since: Oct 09 '04
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RE: Are there any plans to fix it?
Quote: texas-swede ...I admit I had missed most of this including Christals posts. However, there are a lot more problems with the data base and the search engine than those discussed in those threads...
I think epinions is great but the longer the current search engine and data base problems exist the more visitors epinions will loose (and perhaps reviewers too).
The new platform you mention better come sooner than later. I'll hope it is tomorrow.
If it takes much longer; we reviewers may be the only ones left visiting.
Thomas
If you go back through older threads, the 'wonky' (that seems to be the unofficially 'official' Epi-term) search engine has been screamed about, cussed at, and generally denounced by both members and management since long before I became a member. Many of the other 'issues' have also seen their share of attention on these boards. In fact, I think most of us - critics, 'choir members,' and those in between - recognize that the growing preponderance of these 'issues' is the very reason cited for moving to the new platform.
See Christal's comment... Here
As for 'sooner than later,' those of us who've been around long enough to have 'survived' major alterations to the site's 'platform' - particularly the fiasco that was "Black Tuesday" and its aftermath - would just as soon wait later for the move to the new platform; i.e., giving the engineers sufficient time to get it done RIGHT, BEFORE making the switch. If it isn't 'right' when we move, it will likely be seen as even more 'wrong' than what we have now.
In the end, we all share your frustration with the search engine and other issues. We've been promised a 'fix' is underway for the major, recent one. The way I look at it, so long as management is willing to acknowledge and correct major current issues (including communicating same) as they come up while we wait for the purported upgrade to a new and, hopefully, 'better' platform, then I'd rather wait. A virtual abandonment of this site to divert resources for work on the new platform or a precipitous move thereunto before it is ready would be far worse than the 'wonkiness' we currently have.
To coin a metaphor - You do not abandon a leaky boat for one which is barely afloat when the former remains usable with bailing and the latter may not be able to hold the extra weight. |
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| texas-swede |
Posted: Sep 17 '09, 11:29 pm |
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Reviews written: 378 Member since: Sep 02 '08
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RE: Are there any plans to fix it?
Quote: morilla
You do not abandon a leaky boat for one which is barely afloat when the former remains usable with bailing and the latter may not be able to hold the extra weight.
Ok I'll write that down in my quote book.
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| rgathright |
Posted: Sep 18 '09, 6:01 am |
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Reviews written: 255 Member since: Sep 19 '06
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RE: Are there any plans to fix it?
Quote: texas-swede I know this has been discussed before but the epinions search engine is just so bizarre.
...
I am dying to know what is wrong with the search engine and if there are any plans to fix it.
First, the search engine has been broken since I started here.
We should stop asking for it to be fixed... ok? ;}
If you think about it, a better search engine means your hard literary works will get the hits they deserve. Your request is actually, how can my work get more hits not "GIVE ME A BETTER SEARCH ENGINE".
In case you did not know, the #2 review overall for 2009 was written by me. :) I challenge you to find it with the search engine! YOU CANNOT! HOW DID I GET SO MANY HITS?
I pimped my review on Twitter, Google, Ecomodder.com, numerous automotive websites, in blogs and mass mailings to my friends. So people may say that the Google spider found me, but that is baloney! For the first two weeks, my review had very few hits. I then started this campaign and started noticing results over the course of the next seven days.
I have done the same for several other reviews and have seen similar results.
Few people hit Epinions directly anymore because it lost that "cool factor". They hit Epinions now through links that we have "SEEDED" on the internet.
Hope that helps you! You are in control of your own destiny here. |
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| popsrocks |
Posted: Sep 18 '09, 9:17 am |
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Reviews written: 2203 Member since: Aug 25 '02
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RE: Are there any plans to fix it?
Quote: rgathright For the first two weeks, my review had very few hits. I then started this campaign and started noticing results over the course of the next seven days.
I have done the same for several other reviews and have seen similar results.
My own personal experience tell me I don't see the real actual day to day hits on a review until about two weeks after I post a review. It seems to me that it takes that time to kinda sorta , "get the ball rolling." I believe that's because the web bots, spiders, worms, ants and all are still doin' their thing picking up information in that time period. Some may even visit a few times.
It's after a week, two or three that I see my reviews start to gain momentum and usually stay there for a while. Most electronics however have what I call a "half life syndrom." After the first year they lose their IS by about half and another year later they lose about half again. The good news however, is that they usually continue to gain some IS from now until forever.
Quote: rgathright Hope that helps you! You are in control of your own destiny here.
I believe there is a good amount of truth in those last words. Finding and using "Key words", using Twitter to advantage, and I'm sure your experience with blogs and such enhance the availability of our reviews to shoppers.
Yup, if looking for hits and even makin' a couple a few dollars ya gotta work things a bit and don't forget pops "key words" around this site, "DIVERSIFY."
pops |
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| texas-swede |
Posted: Sep 21 '09, 8:58 pm |
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Reviews written: 378 Member since: Sep 02 '08
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RE: Are there any plans to fix it?
Quote: rgathright First, the search engine has been broken since I started here.
We should stop asking for it to be fixed... ok? ;}
If you think about it, a better search engine means your hard literary works will get the hits they deserve. Your request is actually, how can my work get more hits not "GIVE ME A BETTER SEARCH ENGINE".
In case you did not know, the #2 review overall for 2009 was written by me. :) I challenge you to find it with the search engine! YOU CANNOT! HOW DID I GET SO MANY HITS?
I pimped my review on Twitter, Google, Ecomodder.com, numerous automotive websites, in blogs and mass mailings to my friends. So people may say that the Google spider found me, but that is baloney! For the first two weeks, my review had very few hits. I then started this campaign and started noticing results over the course of the next seven days.
I have done the same for several other reviews and have seen similar results.
Few people hit Epinions directly anymore because it lost that "cool factor". They hit Epinions now through links that we have "SEEDED" on the internet.
Hope that helps you! You are in control of your own destiny here.
Well I was thinking about visitors who can't find stuff (I can't find stuff), but yeah my hits matter to me as well.
It is very cool information you are giving. The car example is cool. I can't find it it, as you say, not under Honda, and not by search and still is received a ton of hits. That is amazing. I wonder how do you pimp reviews on Google?
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| texas-swede |
Posted: Sep 21 '09, 8:59 pm |
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Reviews written: 378 Member since: Sep 02 '08
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RE: Are there any plans to fix it?
Quote: popsrocks My own personal experience tell me I don't see the real actual day to day hits on a review until about two weeks after I post a review. It seems to me that it takes that time to kinda sorta , "get the ball rolling." I believe that's because the web bots, spiders, worms, ants and all are still doin' their thing picking up information in that time period. Some may even visit a few times.
It's after a week, two or three that I see my reviews start to gain momentum and usually stay there for a while. Most electronics however have what I call a "half life syndrom." After the first year they lose their IS by about half and another year later they lose about half again. The good news however, is that they usually continue to gain some IS from now until forever.
I believe there is a good amount of truth in those last words. Finding and using "Key words", using Twitter to advantage, and I'm sure your experience with blogs and such enhance the availability of our reviews to shoppers.
Yup, if looking for hits and even makin' a couple a few dollars ya gotta work things a bit and don't forget pops "key words" around this site, "DIVERSIFY."
pops
Thanks for info and advice pops. However, Twitter seems to do the opposite for me. Maybe it is taken as a warning. |
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| morilla |
Posted: Sep 21 '09, 9:07 pm (Updated: Sep 21 '09, 9:13 pm) |
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Reviews written: 206 Member since: Oct 09 '04
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RE: Are there any plans to fix it?
Quote: texas-swede ...I wonder how do you pimp reviews on Google?
I forget at the moment who brought it up recently, but they purport success in using a keyword tool to garner more hits via Google. See...
This One
ETA: Here's one not-so-recent discussion on keywords. The gist of the more recent one was to incorporate the words into the text of the review and not simply create a "keywords" list/tag at the end. |
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| texas-swede |
Posted: Sep 22 '09, 10:43 pm |
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Reviews written: 378 Member since: Sep 02 '08
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RE: Are there any plans to fix it?
Quote: morilla I forget at the moment who brought it up recently, but they purport success in using a keyword tool to garner more hits via Google. See...
This One
ETA: Here's one not-so-recent discussion on keywords. The gist of the more recent one was to incorporate the words into the text of the review and not simply create a "keywords" list/tag at the end.
Wow
This is very useful information. I am going to use this for other stuff too.
I saw another key word discussion but it was not as specific and I did not realize that you could do this.
Thanks Morilla for your kind help
Thomas |
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| spitmyeye |
Posted: Oct 27 '09, 1:24 am |
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Reviews written: 0 Member since: Oct 27 '09
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RE: Are there any plans to fix it?
JoubertPosted: Oct 26 '09, 4:28 pm Report Quote Reply
Reviews written: 370
Member since: Jun 18 '00
Post: 240749
To quote the late Mrs. Reiner...
"I'll have what (s)he's having"*
*Director Rob Reiner cast his mom in When Harry Met Sally for the famous deli scene.
porkatushPosted: Oct 26 '09, 6:34 pm (Updated: Oct 26 '09, 6:36 pm)Delete Edit Quote Reply
Reviews written: 0
Member since: Oct 26 '09
Post: 240763
RE: To quote the late Mrs. Reiner...
Quote: Joubert
"I'll have what (s)he's having"*
*Director Rob Reiner cast his mom in When Harry Met Sally for the famous deli scene.
While you're at it, have some of what s/he's been having since the first un-answered request on the 18th - from the deleted Redemption thread in this same forum. The following quote is from the third post by thevoid99 after a second request post there had zero response.
Quote - "thevoid99 Posted: Oct 26 '09, 10:36 am - post 240685"
"Where's My F*cking Check!!!
I've waited 5 weeks for my check to arrive and it still hasn't arrived you bastards! Where the f*ck is my f*cking check you incompetent *ssholes! I want it now!!!!" End Quote.
Evidently, over 1500 reviews, and over nine years at this site, means nothing to the staff here concerning any member.
Wake up! All they want are reviews. They don't give a rat's *ss about the community - and fully intend to eliminate it along with hatted members. The handwriting on the wall couldn't be any plainer. Have fun while it lasts. I was a Top 100 Reviewer who removed all his reviews when they continued playing games in my account three months after I had stopped rating as a long-time Advisor, and writing reviews, in March of this year. They replaced my reviews, without my permission, three times after I removed them - and finally deleted my Epinions account for no valid reason when I posted links to what they were doing on the user page. But, they still wouldn't delete the account THEY made with my Epinions user information at Shopping.com - and I'm still seeing my reviews posted at their partner sites, after I removed them in June. Ever wonder why they TICKETED Mobiprof (out of the blue) for a comment he made 4 YEARS earlier? They don't want what they are doing to the membership to get out. The Staff here are bigger trolls than those who have repeatedly attacked this site. That's a nasty little secret they don't want known - and why they did nothing to eliminate most of the multiple Troll attacks, although they can do so easily. Those troll accounts help hide their actions. More than a few of the older members have started waking up - early 2000-2001 EBD proponents only postponed the inevitable, and Staff is making sure that another successful movement by members can't occur again. |
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