Lindens Launch New Second Life Search Engine That Seems Less Full of Fail - Discuss!

Linden Lab just announced the launch of a new Second Life search engine that aims to find more relevant results in a shorter time. It's now integrated in the "Search Project Viewer", which you can download here at this link. Earlier this month, you may remember that I announced that the current search engine is full of fail, after a simple search for "September 11 memorial" turned out nothing but silly ass irrelevance. I just downloaded and installed the Search Project Viewer, and here's what I got from the same search terms:

So yes, while "Young and Bisexual Girls" is a top result, there's also 3-4 relevant returns on the top page. (The previous version turned up none.) On that basis alone, the new search is markedly better. And who knows, maybe the young bisexual vixens have a 9/11 memorial shrine in their shopping mall.

Anyway, early results are promising; please give it a whirl yourself, and report your results here. (Also, be sure to launch the Viewer in Advanced mode, to get the Search option. The Basic mode only shows the Destination Guide.) And watch the Linden introduction video below:

What do you think so far?

Comments

[AldoManutio Abruzzo]

Now I remember why we still have librarians ... too bad LL can seem to remember. In the words of Billy Cobham, "Nothin' from nothin' is nothin'." So a 50% increase from nothing is, well, just that.

[Rusalka Writer]

I still don't show up in search. I've been in SL for nearly four years, I run a couple of businesses, and I've been in the mesh beta group for a year.

I'm just not feeling the love.

[Ann Otoole InSL]

Why would you enable an adult search for a September 11th Memorial? Try it on G only.

The relevancy is much better but some people might be a tad miffed when they discover they are missing due to their attempts at force ranking in the old GSA search.

[Rusalka Writer]

After twenty minutes of testing, I no longer care that I don't show up in search. Not only has my business jumped to slot #2 when you search for it by name, rather than on page 2-14, the whole viewer works better. Unless someone snuck into my house while I was out this morning and gave me a much faster connection, this is a revolution. Only a tiny amount of lag, sculpts and textures actually load, I love it. For the first time in a year, I'm going shopping. Thank you, LL, I take back several of the nasty things I've said.

[Caliburn Susanto]

Some people who aren't showing up in search have mentioned that the "Show me in Search results" box was UNchecked on the Privacy tab in the Preferences window.

Whether it was shut off intentionally and forgotten, or somehow got shut off on a recent Viewer2 upgrade, who knows? But anyone not seeing themselves in Search should check there.

[Nalates Urriah]

Search on your name. You will find search finds your display name but not your previous name. You can select the filter PEOPLE and then it works as you expect.

With a display name of Nal it cannot find Nalates without the People filter on.

Search is another place where Profile art is messed up.

This search is better...

[Casper Jideon]

I am fine with results as they come in Viewer 1.23 in the OLD search. That is what I use. They make sense. There was traffic and relevancy back in 1.23. What we have now is just an incredible mess LL does not want to get rid off. Another HTML mess taking up so much space just like the new Profiles. This is getting long and tired guys.

[Casper Jideon]

"To be clear, you can still use the 1.23 Viewer, but search functionality will be impaired once new search is released into general availability, after the test period."...

LOL... [and a sad one]... thank you Torley, now I get the whole picture... using SEACH to render Viewer 1.23 unusable. Goodbye LL, time to pack.

[Harper Ganesvoort]

I can't say I've ever been displeased with Search, as I usually find what I'm looking for. But this revamp holds promise, I'd say.

[Hans Wurst]

For the first time since the webbased search was launched a simple search for my group (that is one word, the group name, while searching just for groups) actually returned a search result for the group. Very promising;)

[Ignatius Onomatopoeia]

Too bad the new search does not have a BS filter as well as a ratings filter...I see that two of the 9/11 "memorials" are from the "Truthers."

Sigh...not only librarians but logicians are needed in this sorry world.

[iSkye Silverweb]

It actually generates results with in-world information, no web garbage. IN-WORLD info! Big improvement. The results are actually better. Liking that.

Still not liking the dark, tiny-text interface (yes, I know, I can tweak the font size to "large" and the UI size to something more than 1.0) or the way the windows (like search) take up so much screen real estate and rudely shove me out of immersion...this is progress. Search actually WORKING better.

[Stone Semyorka]

It definitely works better than the old search.

[Canoro Philipp]

i am very pleased with the new search, before i looked for a surfing place and returned merchants selling surf related products, using places, now i get places that i can surf in, i have now discovered great places that i didnt know about because maybe they were buried under several pages.

Kudos to Linden Lab, you are going the right way.