Current / Drift diving sub forum

[edwants2dive]

Hey mods / community I have been thinking about this the past couple of weeks. I wonder if there would be interest and participation enough for a sub forum on this topic. I feel like there might be due to the fact that a lot of us here in south Florida deal with currents and drifting on a regular basis and it might be a good place to ask, answer questions and share experiences on this topic. Just a thought.

 

[lowwall]

IMO, finding content on a specific subject on a board as large as this is one of our biggest challenges....

Search found about 200 threads with the word "drift" somewhere in at least one post. That doesn't work because the word drift is used in a lot of discussions including regulators, travel posts that only mention drift dives being an option, and comments on cost. Searching the phrase "drift diving" misses a lot of threads that mention drift divers, dive, and variations of live boat.

It always to me that the underlying problem is search, not forum categorization.

Human created indices are not a practical answer to this search problem on a site like this. Simply defining your index terms will be very difficult and then there is simply no way to keep your index anywhere near accurate or complete. Frankly, a poorly maintained index is worse then no index at all because it is misleading. You can put all the disclaimers you want in it, but people will still think the best answer will be in there. I do have some knowledge and experience in this area as I was a university librarian. I was not a cataloging specialist, but I at least have some understanding of the challenges involved.

But there is a little company that specializes in returning highly relevant results from short search queries. It is called Google and I think it may amount to something someday. It may even overtake the original attempt to organize the world wide web. Of course you are all familiar with Yahoo's human-created index of all the web sites in the world.

Adding "site:scubaboard.com" to your Google query restricts results to this site. I always use them instead of the local search for general queries. I only use the local search when I'm am looking for something very specific and can narrow it by both poster and forum.

Here's the the results for the Google query "site:scubaboard.com drift diving": https://www.google.com/search?q=site:scubaboard.com+drift+diving . If you add another term, results can be truly excellent. For example: https://www.google.com/search?q=site:scubaboard.com+drift+diving+dsmb+deploy

On my forum site, the default search button takes you to the Google results for your query with the "site:..." phrase added to restrict results to our site. You also have the option of using the forum's native search.

 

[Akimbo]

But there is a little company that specializes in returning highly relevant results from short search queries. It is called Google and I think it may amount to something someday.

The built-in search function in the September 2021 upgrade is very good, and better than Google in this case. You can specify a lot more fields including tags, thread prefixes, forum(s), posters, and limit keywords to titles or entire threads. The best part is we can create a search forum if we can find a search criteria that works. Search Forums are updated every 10 minutes.

Getting everyone to add a unique Tag like "drift-dive" would work for our search engine as well as Google's, but educating people to do that would be a huge challenge.

 

[lowwall]

The built-in search function in the September 2021 upgrade is very good, and better than Google in this case. You can specify a lot more fields including tags, thread prefixes, forum(s), posters, and limit keywords to titles or entire threads. The best part is we can create a search forum if we can find a search criteria that works. Search Forums are updated every 10 minutes.

Getting everyone to add a unique Tag like "drift-dive" would work for our search engine as well as Google's, but educating people to do that would be a huge challenge.

Except that people don't use all that stuff. You have to decide if having the technical ability to do something sufficiently addresses the vast majority of users who expect decent results from a basic query. You cannot get most people to tag results outside of very limited areas where it is desirable to the original. poster. It more it less works for trip reports because people posting them put a lot of work into it and want everyone to read them. But this does not apply to most posts or threads.

Here's the forum's native search results for "drift diving dsmb"
Search results for query: Drift diving dsmb. And here is Google's results for this site: https://www.google.com/search?q=site:scubaboard.com+drift+diving+dsmb . Look through the first couple of pages of results. Even if you were willing to take the time to use the forum searches advanced features, could you do better than Google?

 

[Akimbo]

Even if you were willing to take the time to use the forum searches advanced features, could you do better than Google?

Yes, I often do. In this case, the most important advantage of finding a search criteria that works is the exact same parameters can be used to define a search forum — no search skills are required. The links in that forum can also be presented as entire threads instead of the most recent posts. Example:

🔎 Dive Dry with Dr. Bill Index

This forum contains links to Dr. Bill's Dive Dry articles on ScubaBoard

scubaboard.com

Unfortunately, any search tool is flawed in this case because most existing threads that mention drift diving are incidental to what we would want in a dedicated drift diving/live boating forum.

 

[BoltSnap]

If this "search" tool were, we would need one forum and put everything in there. I still believe that we should have one forum for each "specialty" of diving as I have stated, and others, earlier. I don't see the problem or understand the resentment except that some folks you tell black, they tell you white and if tell them white, they tell you black.

No argument presented here against sub-forums has given any valid or even remotely logical argument at all.

 

[Akimbo]

Traditionally, suggestions for new "Discussion" forums required a minimum of about 12 votes. I have had a free hand to create Search Forums in the absence of Staff objections. The reason is search forums can be deleted or modified without loosing any content — they only contain links, not actual threads.

You cannot get most people to tag results outside of very limited areas where it is desirable to the original. poster.

We completely agree on this. However, perhaps a hybrid between tags and an Index-style thread could be used? Members could suggest informative threads and a Staff member could edit the thread by adding a unique tag. That would be enough to make it show up in a drift diving search thread.

For those that never noticed "tags" they can be added when a new thread is created:

Tags are also used in search engines like Google. An imperfect solution for sure, but would minimize the compromises involved.

 

[Silt Life]

I'll vote yes~! As long as there's a joke thread in the subforum.....

 

[Akimbo]

No argument presented here against sub-forums has given any valid or even remotely logical argument at all.

You must have missed this:

There is a lot of content on drift diving and live boating that was posted in geographic specific forums along with Basic, Advanced, Wreck, and even Tech diving.

How will someone writing about drift diving in Palau or Florida decide to post in this new forum instead? How about drift diving and live boating techniques for decompression when wreck diving in the north Atlantic? Does it belong in Technical, Advanced, Wreck, a geographic, or a new drift diving forum?

I submit that Reporting threads like these to be moved to the new drift diving forum will rarely be acted because they are not inappropriate in the forum the OP chose to post them in.

I think we are all supportive of the idea of making drift diving information easier to find.

 

[BoltSnap]

You must have missed this:



How will someone writing about drift diving in Palau or Florida decide to post in this new forum instead? How about drift diving and live boating techniques for decompression when wreck diving in the north Atlantic? Does it belong in Technical, Advanced, Wreck, a geographic, or a new drift diving forum?

I submit that Reporting threads like these to be moved to the new drift diving forum will rarely be acted because they are not inappropriate in the forum the OP chose to post them in.

I think we are all supportive of the idea of making drift diving information easier to find.

TOTALLY disagree, you can't really build a conclusion based on something you don't have. You can make the same inferance about lights, gauges or whatever else is there. I am talking about topics dedicated to learning, discussing techniques, etc. for a specific subject, Drift diving, in one single forum. People reporting about their drift diving in Cozumel, doesn't belong here probably but this doesn't negate the need for a forum for Drift diving, just like we have a forum for wreck diving yet people post about their wreck diving experience in NC in some other forums.

 

[Akimbo]

I am talking about topics dedicated about learning, discussing techniquest, etc. for a specific subject, Drift diving, in one single forum.

Has anyone written a technique thread on drift diving? Maybe that would be a way to attract support and measure the response? We are in negative territory so far on this suggestion, but I would hate to see the basic concept go completely unaddressed.

In the event we don't get enough votes for a new forum, it would make a great thread for the ScubaBoard Knowledge Base. An really good outside Web page or PDF file could be an addition to Resources.