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A rant about search engine results for large format laser printers [video]

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Re: A rant about search engine results for large format laser printers [video]

#141

Post by 0x38B »

rplnt wrote: post #97
yason wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my experience the quoted search does work. Google will report it can't find what I asked if there are no such pages with the exact quote: No results found for "...". Results for ... (without quotes): It's just very cumbersome, the old +/- syntax was more usable. Actually, I'd prefer if each word I write would just default to being a hard requirement. I could then manually allow more creative interpretation with a…

That works for the case you described. It will still ignore typos, dialects, or in my case a completely different language from the same language group. It will happily highlight different words that it deems to be equal to something I put in quotes.

It's infuriating when I search in Ukrainian on YouTube and all the top results are Russian. Using words dissimilar with Russian helps, but that's not always an option. More and more today, I'm fighting with services that want to show me engaging, trending content. It's as if they're holding the real gems hostage, only giving them up grudgingly when I fail to succumb to cat videos or [insert trending content].

Re: A rant about search engine results for large format laser printers [video]

#142

Post by DoingIsLearning »

jliptzin wrote: post #133
ZiiS wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because SEO firms would LOVE to go though marking all real sites as spam. They are _much_ more motivated then end users so the vast bulk of report will be false.

It would be verified by a human on Google’s side before something is taken down

I genuinely can't tell if this is sarcasm or real.

Of all the companies in the world google will be the last to employ real humans to verify anything. Look online for the shear amount of forum threads full of people disgrunted with the their poor support response and lack of humans in the loop.

Re: A rant about search engine results for large format laser printers [video]

#144

Post by BashiBazouk »

He is not looking for a large format laser printer. True large format would be called a plotter and will print 36"x48" sheets faster than your home laser printer will pump out letter sized sheets but are almost all B&W. The most common ones are made by Oce who was bought out by Canon. Medium format color laser printers are usually called a digital press and are commonly 12"x18" and duplex so a booklet can be cut down to 11"x17" with full bleed. Both are industrial equipment and are expensive and require service contracts. Now what's interesting is the building industry has the same problem that Adam Savage has, the prints (plan sets) must be able to get wet without the ink/toner bleeding. That has been solved with ink jet technology that uses a wax based ink. Cartridges full of wax balls in the standard process colors, an example would be a Canon colorwave.

Re: A rant about search engine results for large format laser printers [video]

#145

Post by 1970-01-01 »

Adam's rant adds yet another red-flag to anyone paying attention. "There is more noise than signal" has been increasing to the point that the tech is ripe for disruption. When the disruptor comes along and does the thing that the user wants without fuss, people will switch.

Re: A rant about search engine results for large format laser printers [video]

#146

Post by mcv »

dmos62 wrote: post #99
spaniard89277 wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For that maybe, for laptop chargers and batteries, cables, electronic components etc I've got better luck at that store. Keep in mind that they are not a general public storem you don't buy consumer electronics there, but for professionals. Technicians of all kinds go there to buy, so they are not just salespeople. Their website is absolutely awful though: https://www.cetronic.es/

I would pay a premium if I was confident that I'm speaking to an expert that will tell me when he's _not_ an expert in something I'm looking for.

This. High quality advice from an expert at a shop, who knows where to find even bigger experts, is absolutely worth paying extra for. The problem is: how do I know which shop has that expert?

And sadly, a lot of companies which have built up a stellar reputation over the years, at some point turn to cutting cost while milking their reputation into the ground.

Re: A rant about search engine results for large format laser printers [video]

#147

Post by mcv »

majewsky wrote: post #121
sokoloff wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is an accurate criticism and I agree. “This list of laser printers contains only inkjet printers” is not.

What makes you think that you got the same top result as the original commenter?

He can't know, but I'm the original commenter and it was the same article. Apparently it wasn't all ink jet printers, but just the top 4 of the list. Still not great for a list that claims to be explicitly about laser printers.

Re: A rant about search engine results for large format laser printers [video]

#148

Post by jpalomaki »

jliptzin wrote: post #74

I don’t understand why this is so hard for google. Allow end users to flag links as SEO spam. It’s very easy for a human to figure out. I can tell in maybe 1/4 a second that a page is just SEO shit. The keyword stuffing, the irrelevant fluff before and after any relevant content (if it’s there at all), the annoying ads that take up the whole screen, etc. Let us flag it, remove it from the index. Take a snapshot of th…

Google is very much build on the idea of using machines and algorithms to solve problems instead of throwing people at them.

Re: A rant about search engine results for large format laser printers [video]

#150

Post by mcv »

Anthony-G wrote: post #123
mcv wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would like to be able to vote on search results and add certain sites to my default blocklist. I don't understand Google doesn't do that; crowdsourcing is exactly their thing, and this would be something that provides tons of valuable info to them yet would also be loved by their users.

I suspect such a system would be quickly gamed by spammers. With the bot-nets and other resources they have at their disposal, they would be able to flag and drown out legitimate sites or competitor sites in order to boost their own. Then the problem changes to being able to differentiate legitimate/regular users from spammers/black-hat SEO practitioners.

Maybe, or maybe there are ways to identify and eliminate the bots and spammers.

For example, it could be linked to accounts, and dishonest accounts get removed, together with all their votes. Or the votes are kept, but because they're so different from real people's votes, they only count for the search results shown to other bots and spammers.

And at the very least, your own votes should override anyone else's votes, so for regular users who actively vote, the search results will still be close to what they want.

I'm also thinking about classifying results by different contexts. A page might be very relevant in one context, and not at all in another. But do let users control those contexts.

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