For the love of God - when are you going to sort out the search function?

[BIWI]

There were obvious issues with the search function on the old platform, but this new one is hopeless.

Seconded

thirded.

Also I like to see all posts in a thread. Not page after page.

Agreed!

Agreed!

It's not a big deal. If you are interested in a topic put it into your "watch" list, or make a short comment on the thread, then it will be in "I'm on".

The search function is not the be all and end all. Lack of a state of the art one certainly helps to discourage posters from checking back and hunting other posters out, which is a very good thing. Name changing is not so important anymore.

but if its like the email, when you click on the link, you go to the first post, not subsequent updates like we used to

@HydraWater I personally think its a big deal, as does the OP here

Well I'm just giving my feelings on it. And it's certainly not something I will lose any sleep over either. There are other things I can complain about, a facility on an anonymous forum is not one of them. Having said that I enjoy browsing MN and get a lot of fun/pleasure/information from it, but I am not interested in forensically examining every feature!

Each to their own, and my views are just as valid as anyone else's right?

This can be done: Click My Mumsnet (top right on web page, not sure on mobile web); then Settings; then Talk Settings then set "On threads show messages per thread" to All.

I hate the new search function. The uselessness of this one does impact my enjoyment of the site.

The current search function is a shitshow. I can hardly believe MNHQ released it in this format, it's just unbelievably awful. Did it not get tested? Or is it deliberately like this, for some reason I can't work out?

As it doesn't function properly, trying to search a poster you're suspicious of is much harder. So will lead, I think, to more troll hunting and less reporting to MNHQ.

You can use Google site search

UserName site:www.mumsnet.com/talk

I find that that works better than Mumsnet search.

AGREE

I used it loads, not to troll hunt for goodness sake, but to look for something I remember or a poster who has useful info for me.

Agreed.

A google search is fine for some things, but not if I can only recall a word or phrase from the post - plus a google search then lists many pages you have to go into individually.

The previous search function worked well - this one is awful and shouldn't require workarounds.

I suspect the de-fanged search function is a deliberate measure to reduce troll-hunting, which is rife, against talk guidelines and incredibly tiresome. Advanced Search was used mostly for generating gotcha moments against other posters, so I don't personally mourn its passing.

In which case, just be honest with us - we're not children.

I tend to believe it's yet another cock-up though - there have been a fair few since this new version was released (with very little testing by the looks of it)

I don’t think the removal of Advanced Search was to stop people troll hunting or looking for ‘gotcha’ moments. They’d have said so.

It’s that whoever developed it misunderstood the brief or user experience and made an even worse version. They tried to fix the wrong problem…

Every time one of these threads pop up MNHQ come and say that they're going to bring back advanced search. At some point. Eventually. Meanwhile insist that the new search is better despite being worse in every single way. They fixed the awful slider but it still only seems to search opening posts and brings back posts with words that have the same first few letters as the one you searched for.

Advanced search was a perfectly functional, useful feature and they removed it. I can only guess that either they want to stop troll hunting, or just couldn't be arsed to port it over.

That may be true, but why do (did) so many posters feel they have to name change in order not to be tracked? I really disliked that element of the site.

Whether it is a design flaw or deliberate, the results are the same, keeping the troll hunters and gotcha folk out of it.

Is this true, MNHQ? Because I have complained about the new search feature and you responded saying you are working on it. If the reason is it useless is that is was intentionally designed that way, please just tell us. I used it often to find my own posts sometimes or to pinpoint a particular topic. If you are not going to fix it, just tell us.

But you came on a thread where the poster was lamenting the state of the search function purely to tell her it wasn't a big deal.

It clearly is to some people, so your opinion was hardly relevant in this case.

Op, I agree.

why do (did) so many posters feel they have to name change in order not to be tracked? I really disliked that element of the site.

I dislike it too, tbh - I think there are useful reasons why sometimes you need a name change, though. So they could fix unlimited name changing and limit it to once per week/month/whatever, which would suit most genuine posters. Most people don’t need to namechange for every thread, but the might need to once in a while.

I name change regularly for the fun of seeing if my new name is available lol!

I have no issue with it, but it is a bit sinister when folk open their post by saying things like "I have NC for this as I don't want to be identified from other posts etc. etc." That's all.

Not something I get het up about, and to posters who disagree with me for having the temerity not to agree with the topic! Oh lordy there should have been a warning that this would be an echo chamber of agreement or something!

I managed to change my see all posts on thread, on my settings earlier. But that's only on the main website on my computer (rare). Not on my phone.

I can't get on with new search. I miss advanced search. I tried to search for a lovely upset poster, her most recent posts for the latest month say, from my thread today, but it just won't work.