dw_suggestions | Search my reading list

Title:
Search my reading list

Area:
Site Search

Summary:
I am often using site search when I am looking for a post I know I saw on my reading list, but I can't remember who posted it. If I could filter the Site Search to show just posts from people I read, it would make finding posts like that a lot easier.

Description:
Site Search currently allows a full-text search of either all entries on DW (which have search enabled) or just your journal. I would like a medium filter to search just journals I have on my reading list (or possibly anywhere in my circle, if that would be easier.) I fairly frequently have a dim memory of a post I saw on my reading list that I want to reread/link/comment on, but can't remember who posted it (or more than a vague idea of its content), and while the current site search helps, it can lead to an unwieldy number of results, when I already know the post I'm looking for is from somebody I watch.

I can't really think of any drawbacks, aside from coding/processor time, unless possibly some people would have security/privacy concerns? But the only journals that would show up would be people who already allow indexing by site search, so it wouldn't reduce privacy, just make it easier to find people who are already okay with being found that way.

There are various ways you could make this more complicated, but just the basic filter would be great!

Poll #6450 Search my reading list

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 64

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This suggestion:

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Should be implemented as-is.
60 (93.8%)

Should be implemented with changes. (please comment)
2 (3.1%)

Shouldn't be implemented.
0 (0.0%)

(I have no opinion)
2 (3.1%)

(Other: please comment)
0 (0.0%)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

YES! (I would also love if LJ added this, not that that's relevant to this poll.)

I would love to search my circle, but worry that some people would be surprised that their posts are searchable. I like the LJ-style lock icons which make it easy to see what is locked and private, maybe some kind of icon for searchable would be good too.

There's a privacy setting that would, I assume, apply here--you can block others from searching your journal (or limiting it to access only), and if that is set, I don't think their posts would be made searchable for this.

Well, right now, a lot of people have their posts searchable already, and that shouldn't be a surprise, since there's an opt-out - that part wouldn't be a change, it would just use the existing setting.

(It would be nice to be able to easily see which journals have search indexing turned off, though. Maybe at least something in the profile? I can think of a couple reasons that would be useful to people. That might need its own suggestion.)

Oh my goodness, YES PLEASE. YES YES YES.

Ideally, this could be extended to also listen to options like "personal journals only" or "communities I subscribe to," as well as using specific reading filters.

The big question I can come up with is - what happens when what you want to find isn't in a public entry? One you still have access to see, yes, but since the existing site search only searches public entries, it wouldn't find those entries in particular. And it can be "expensive" to start searching nonpublic entries.

I wonder if this would have to be a "separate" search, rather than a filter of the public search like I'd been thinking. What if it were a search that specifically *only* looked through entries that would appear on your reading page? No more than two weeks back, topping out at 1000 different entries to search. Would this solve the cost issue? Would it have to be limited to paid users only? Backend people, weigh in! :)

I would *love* to be able to search locked posts I have access too (and all posts on journals I have access to even if they block public search indexing) but technical issues aside, I suspect there would be a major outcry about privacy if that was allowed.

It would make more sense for it to respect the journal search settings people have already chosen, then there wouldn't be any need for an outcry about privacy.

There's a privacy setting to let people block others searching their journal, and the local search is separated out from public search indexing, so somebody can block search indexing but still allow searches using DW's engine. I think if somebody blocks searches, they shouldn't show up in this, but otherwise, it should be okay.

I just tested searching someone in my circle's journal with a word that I knew was in locked posts, and those posts came up. So, I think we already CAN search locked posts on other people's journals if we have access to those posts, just as people can also already block that.

I just checked, and there's also already a separate setting for allowing only people you've given access to to search your journal. So never mind, we've got all that! (Explains why I didn't feel the need to mention it in the original suggestion! ^_^ Dreamwidth is clearly too awesome for me to keep up with.)

Dreamwidth is clearly too awesome for me to keep up with.

Hee, this, totally. So many details to keep track of! :)

Journal search already works on non-public entries that you have access to see, so I'd imagine it would use that code.

And I imagine it would have the same paid-user and opt-in/-out restriction as search a friend's journal individually - it would just be a way to do that for all your circle at once instead of going and doing it one-by-one.

*nod* Though I'd also imagine there might be desire for an additional option in the opt into/out of search: "allow people to whom I give access to search my journal." Could get a little messy, though, and we'd definitely want to be as clear as possible on who can find what under what circumstances if we modify the search tool.

This seems to exist already! check your your journal settings.

I have wanted this for-EVAR.

I'm guessing that it wouldn't be able to search past the reading page limits (2 weeks/ X entries IIRC), but that assumes it's actually checking your reading page.

If it instead searched entries on journals you subscribe to, which is essentially the same thing, then that would be overcome but I'm guessing would be more work.

For me, it'd only be really useful if it included feeds, as that's what a huge chunk of my reading page is, don't know if search does that though?

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This would be soooo useful! As the OP says, I frequently know I saw "it" in my reading circle, but no idea who actually made the post I'm looking for.
.

Medium filter to search entries from search-enabled journals on your reading list. If a user has decided not to let other users search his/her journal, that preference should not be overridden.

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