Robert, I believe the rules for the search engine are urgently in need of revision. Either the 4 letter minimum rule needs to be lowered/eliminated, or a number of exceptions must be provided for.
The best example I can give is thread started tonight that included a request for information on shipping a dog. This is a subject that has been covered at length in the past and there is a lot on it in the archives, but a search for information on "shipping a dog" was denied because "dog" is less than 4 letters. I tried "shipping an animal" to see what would happen and got only a 2002 thread on cattle prices.
Likewise questions that have to do with a car. I've had problems in past with other words, as well, but can't remember at the moment what they were.
While typing this I got a brainstorm to try "shipping dogs", and that produced 4 past threads, the most recent in 2002 (although it seems to me the subject was discussed much more recently in relation to AA's rules on transporting dogs). But interestinglyi, in 2 of the 4 threads "dog" was singular.
Would everyone, including newbies, think to try the plural after striking out on the singular?
The best example I can give is thread started tonight that included a request for information on shipping a dog. This is a subject that has been covered at length in the past and there is a lot on it in the archives, but a search for information on "shipping a dog" was denied because "dog" is less than 4 letters. I tried "shipping an animal" to see what would happen and got only a 2002 thread on cattle prices.
Likewise questions that have to do with a car. I've had problems in past with other words, as well, but can't remember at the moment what they were.
While typing this I got a brainstorm to try "shipping dogs", and that produced 4 past threads, the most recent in 2002 (although it seems to me the subject was discussed much more recently in relation to AA's rules on transporting dogs). But interestinglyi, in 2 of the 4 threads "dog" was singular.
Would everyone, including newbies, think to try the plural after striking out on the singular?
