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New on Reddit: Comment search, improved search results relevance, search design

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Re: New on Reddit: Comment search, improved search results relevance, search design

#121

Post by endisneigh »

ahtihn wrote: post #106
groffee wrote: post #101

> With this latest update, for the first time in sixteen years everything on Reddit is now searchable - users, posts, communities, and now comments - making Reddit one of the first platforms with this capability. I mean this is a straight up blatant lie, every single forum/social site out there has proper search and has for years, I know all of mine do. Most of them you even have image search. So honest question, how…

I don't understand why search is something that Reddit needs to have. Google does the job perfectly fine. Search isn't a core feature for Reddit and it's certainly not "basic" functionality.

How can you search specific comments in a single Reddit post with Google accurately?

Take a recent Reddit post and try on Google:

site:https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/u3vzo2/russia_wa... arms

Even subreddit comment search on Google is flimsy due to Reddit not properly exposing the dates, so Google's indexed dates are usually wrong.

Re: New on Reddit: Comment search, improved search results relevance, search design

#122

Post by next_xibalba »

ahtihn wrote: post #106
groffee wrote: post #101

> With this latest update, for the first time in sixteen years everything on Reddit is now searchable - users, posts, communities, and now comments - making Reddit one of the first platforms with this capability. I mean this is a straight up blatant lie, every single forum/social site out there has proper search and has for years, I know all of mine do. Most of them you even have image search. So honest question, how…

I don't understand why search is something that Reddit needs to have. Google does the job perfectly fine. Search isn't a core feature for Reddit and it's certainly not "basic" functionality.

Increasing impressions/time-on-site increases ad inventory and also juices all the other engagement numbers.

This is a good move by Reddit (whose search has always been abominable). Many HN'ers have pointed out that they add "reddit" to their Google searches, ex: " reviews reddit". Why let Google get the ad dollars for that SERP?

Re: New on Reddit: Comment search, improved search results relevance, search design

#123

Post by gilbetron »

tmikaeld wrote: post #4

Interesting, I wonder what they used for the search database, since that enormous amount of text can't fit in RAM, it would have to be partitioned & sharded in something like Scylla DB

Their job postings mention Solr:

> Experience with Solr or similar search technologies.

So I'm guessing that's most of it. Which makes sense given Full Text Search is the point of Solr/Lucene!

Re: New on Reddit: Comment search, improved search results relevance, search design

#124

Post by hhmc »

throwaway98797 wrote: post #120
site-packages1 wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have seen it happen through complaints reaching the all subreddit. However it only seemed to happen to subreddits that were peddling deep hatred against outgroups like people of color, overweight people, or were just vile. Your comment makes it seem like any given subreddit is in danger of quarantining, but anecdotally that doesn't seem to be the case. However, I have an open mind: would you give me an example of a…

innocuous to thee but not to meee

Instead of being glib, take the challenge: name a subreddit that got quarantined that you think shouldn't have been.

Re: New on Reddit: Comment search, improved search results relevance, search design

#125

Post by jerkstate »

site-packages1 wrote: post #109
dandellion wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've also been on reddit for more than 10 years and it's also never happened to me, but I know what they're talking about. Let's not pretend like it doesn't happen.

I have seen it happen through complaints reaching the all subreddit. However it only seemed to happen to subreddits that were peddling deep hatred against outgroups like people of color, overweight people, or were just vile. Your comment makes it seem like any given subreddit is in danger of quarantining, but anecdotally that doesn't seem to be the case. However, I have an open mind: would you give me an example of a…

the most recently banned subreddit to my knowledge was about disagreement with public policy for covid lockdowns. the ability to protest public policy is essential to a functioning democracy.

Re: New on Reddit: Comment search, improved search results relevance, search design

#126

Post by micromacrofoot »

fareesh wrote: post #52

Sometime around the night of the DNC primary in 2015 there was a dramatic shift in the content on Reddit. If you were a frequent visitor of the homepage and /all at the time, you will know exactly what I am referring to. The product has gone downhill ever since. Comment search is nice because it enables users to find interesting content directly in the good niche subreddits.

Are you saying the DNC primary is to blame for reddit's content policies?

Re: New on Reddit: Comment search, improved search results relevance, search design

#127

Post by bena »

dandellion wrote: post #104
nvr219 wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Has this happened to you ever? I’ve been on reddit for 10 years, and this never happened to me.

I've also been on reddit for more than 10 years and it's also never happened to me, but I know what they're talking about. Let's not pretend like it doesn't happen.

I also know it happens. And I'm also mostly like "Yeah, that makes sense".

X: They keep banning my favorite subreddits

Y: Like /r/programming?

X: No, not that one

Y: /r/movies?

X: No

Y: /r/lego?

X: No

Y: /r/nfl?

X: No

Y: Well, which ones?

X: /r/letsmockminoritiesanddisabledpeople

Re: New on Reddit: Comment search, improved search results relevance, search design

#128

Post by DavidPeiffer »

Otek wrote: post #59
endisneigh wrote: post #57

Over time I’m starting to dislike threaded comments. I kind of wish everything was a single thread with numbers and people could reply to specific numbered comments. Then if you’d like you could just view said thread as a tree but it’s still a single threaded comment thread. My problem with trees is that unless expanded and then flattened finding the newest relevant comments is more trouble than it’s worth.

I have to say I strongly disagree with this take. I hate it every time that I have to go through a thread that’s just comment under comment. It’s so hard to keep up with multiple conversations going around.

I wonder if a threaded discussion where the parent being responded to is always visible as you scroll would be a workable and usable interface? I get turned around sometimes if there are dozens of replies to a comment in a threaded discussion, especially when I get to the grandchild or great grandchild comment level.

It would be analogous to when people quote entire paragraphs in a forum post to add their 1 sentence reply (which always bothered me for reasons I've never come to terms with). Once I found reddit, I really appreciated the threaded discussion.

Re: New on Reddit: Comment search, improved search results relevance, search design

#129

Post by fintechjock »

ahtihn wrote: post #106
groffee wrote: post #101

> With this latest update, for the first time in sixteen years everything on Reddit is now searchable - users, posts, communities, and now comments - making Reddit one of the first platforms with this capability. I mean this is a straight up blatant lie, every single forum/social site out there has proper search and has for years, I know all of mine do. Most of them you even have image search. So honest question, how…

I don't understand why search is something that Reddit needs to have. Google does the job perfectly fine. Search isn't a core feature for Reddit and it's certainly not "basic" functionality.

site:www.reddit.com/r/whatever_subreddit "whatever you are searching for"

Works for me every time. I haven't used Reddit search in 10 years.

I'm at a loss for why anyone would want to read Reddit comments in the first place though. At least on one of the top 100 subs.

Re: New on Reddit: Comment search, improved search results relevance, search design

#130

Post by bombcar »

fintechjock wrote: post #129
ahtihn wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't understand why search is something that Reddit needs to have. Google does the job perfectly fine. Search isn't a core feature for Reddit and it's certainly not "basic" functionality.

site:www.reddit.com/r/whatever_subreddit "whatever you are searching for" Works for me every time. I haven't used Reddit search in 10 years. I'm at a loss for why anyone would want to read Reddit comments in the first place though. At least on one of the top 100 subs.

Even for private subreddits? Severe doubt.
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