Search Engine improvements sorely needed!!!

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BlackaliciousX

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#1 BlackaliciousX
Member since 2010 • 78 Posts

Gamespot... using your search function both with your main page and through your forums is not good, to put it lightly. You have a lot of content on your site, but it is hardly accessibly unless you truly know what you're looking for. Even if you happen to know what you're looking for you probably won't find it unless it is on your main page or recent.

A couple of suggestions:

1. Ditch the current system and start new. You have already enacted the "Garden Wall" approach to advertising before I can even access your website. As annoying as the in your face DRAGON AGE ORGINS 2!!! opening advertisement is, I am hoping with the money you make from that will allow gamespot to implement a reasonable search function into your website.

If 1 isn't in the cards, here are two practical suggestions to implement in the current system

2. Many of the games are f'ing Japanesed english. Spelling is a clear barrier for many people when attempting to use your search engine. DISGAEA is the first game that comes to mind. Misspelling something even by 1 letter results in no results. Add something like "possible alternatives" so I don't have to use Google to figure out how the hell to spell it. FYI Google will often bring up reviews, previews etc from IGN and your competitors.

3. Relevance should be included in the search... Currently if I type something in like starcraft I get a decent number of possible entries, but this could be improved greatly. Allowing me to organize my searches by genre, spelling either descending or ascending etc would be nice.

I read the other forum posts, but both community and moderator responses have been somewhat sparse. I encourage everyone interested in this necessary update to post their suggestions under this new thread. Hopefully it will get noticed and we will have an even more capable site for videogame information.

stepping off soap box

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kerk12

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#2 kerk12
Member since 2010 • 1580 Posts
That's why a tagging system is used. Also, for the first one, if you don't want the ads, then you should consider subscribing to GS Total access.
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BlackaliciousX

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#3 BlackaliciousX
Member since 2010 • 78 Posts

The tagging system is incrediably lacking.If you search these forums (ironic suggestion) I am really not alone on this complaint.The search engine can hardly be considered user friendly especially if you're not entirely sure what you're looking for ie an article you read a while ago, or attempting to get back to a forum post that you did not post under. This isn't a game ending scenario however it does make it difficult to enjoy many of the other features that Game spot has to offer.

I wasn't actually complaining about the advertisements for the purpose to say "GS, how could you be concerned with making a profit?" I was complaining about the incrediable upscaling of advertisments without seeing an overall improvement in the GS interface. It's a give and take relationship with one's user base. Upscaling the number and annoyance of the advertisements should equal an improvement in the overall user experience. I am hoping attention is payed to the poor search engine. Perhaps these improvements are coming; I hope they are.

Lastly, a GS subscription woulnd't preclude one from that annoying "wall of advertisment" when you first enter the site unless you never deleted your cookies. Since I do not pay, I am fine with that fact. However I am hoping the increasing number of advertisements = previously stated suggestions.