problems with merging text

u751904

I've posted a couple of posts which have been merged into larger posts recently.

There are obviously pluses and minuses with this. I am sure the logic behind the merging is that it keeps the board tidy and that I should help folk read nice long text on a subject instead of jumping around.

However for me recently I tried to find a message I'd posted, realised that it was merged so I searched on the post hoping that the search would go to it. It doesn't it goes to the chain of posts. In this case 48 pages long. Ok so logically I guess it is towards the end of the chain but still I have to search through the postings. Which takes time and is a bit frustrating it can defeat the object of posting in the first place.

This is probably one of those damned if you do and damned if you don't topics but personally I feel like I am being 'sent back to school.'

I used the search option before posting and the specific question hadn't been asked, so hence I posted it.

If the search option is there why merge
if the search option isn't indexed ie can go directly to my post - why merge?

I'd also like to add that the folk who monitor the board obviously do a wonderful job becuase we don't suffer from spam and I am sure it is a thankless task but I'd just like to 'politely' pose this issue. thanks

rosieben

you can click on your username and it will find more posts by you, its what I do when I'm lost

u751904

Thank you I didn't know that and was just using the search which didn't always help.

Pink.

Hi u751904,

Although the search option is there, many people don't use it. You started a number of threads recently on making jam and some of them were merged into existing relevant threads when they dropped down the board. This is because it helps other users who come along afterwards to find the replies on the same topic in one thread rather than have to search through many different threads for the answers. As rosieben has said if you click on your profile then all posts by u751904 you should be able to find them easily.

As this thread is about forum policy rather than Old Style I've moved it over to the Site Feedback board where it is more likely to be seen by the forum team.

Pink

Old_Wrinkly

Pink-winged wrote: »

Hi u751904,
Although the search option is there, many people don't use it.
Pink

Ain't that the truth ....

Particularly on some boards, where the same question gets asked repeatedly ... sometimes every few days!

Whether these threads are merged or not seems to be at the discretion of the board guide, and in the case of the boards I am thinking of (not Old Style - don't visit that and only saw this thread once it had moved to Site Feedback) the board guides have their work cut out for them.

Old_Wrinkly

u751904 wrote: »

I've posted a couple of posts which have been merged into larger posts recently.

There are obviously pluses and minuses with this. I am sure the logic behind the merging is that it keeps the board tidy and that I should help folk read nice long text on a subject instead of jumping around.

However for me recently I tried to find a message I'd posted, realised that it was merged so I searched on the post hoping that the search would go to it. It doesn't it goes to the chain of posts. In this case 48 pages long. Ok so logically I guess it is towards the end of the chain but still I have to search through the postings. Which takes time and is a bit frustrating it can defeat the object of posting in the first place.

Not sure whether you already know this (apologies if you do), but you can set up the search facility to either list threads (chains of posts) that contain your search criteria or just the posts themselves - thereby eliminating the need to search through long threads.
Done by clicking the appropriate circle button on the drop-down box.

Typing 'making jam' into the search box found this
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/45164192#Comment_45164192

on the first page of search results
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/search.php?searchid=107445222

which found a match on some rather surprising boards, as well as on Old Style ...