GCU Forum - Hyphens and Search

Tom_133317

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Hyphens and Search
Feb 11^th, 2010, 4:53am

I have a question on use of hyphens in phrases like Father-in-Law relative to search.

1. How does google/yahoo see this string of characters? - as a phrase, as a single word, ... ?
2. How does GCU search see this?
3. Should we use a space instead of a hyphen in either case?
4. Should we use both phrases in the keyword set (with and without hyphens)?

Thanks!

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Bits_139043 Full Member artist Posts: 167	Re: Hyphens and Search Reply #1 - Feb 11^th, 2010, 5:06am For my own website I use - for spaces so.. Father-In-Law would be seen by google as Father In Law Not sure if this is the same for all sites or if it's down to the script my website uses.
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Sandra_133229 Gold Member artist Posts: 787	Re: Hyphens and Search Reply #2 - Feb 11^th, 2010, 5:16am Good question, Tom. On the same subject, what does a comma do? I have always used it to separate key words, or phrases, for GCU, but does this work the same way with Google?
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Tom_133317

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Re: Hyphens and Search
Reply #3 - Feb 11^th, 2010, 5:46am

Well, I just tested the GCU site-wide search and
father in law
and
father-in-law

bring up the same 725 cards and in the same order, so GCU treats it as a space.

It also brings up the same 725 cards in the same order if you jumble the words, so the GCU search does not treat it as a phrase. There should be a way to have it search only phrases.

Sadly, 7 of the top 20 of this list of 725 are not father in law cards at all (and from one artist), but father in law is in the keyword set.

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Bits_139043 Full Member artist Posts: 167	Re: Hyphens and Search Reply #4 - Feb 11^th, 2010, 5:49am Good to know. Thank you Tom
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Doreen_137017

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Re: Hyphens and Search
Reply #5 - Feb 11^th, 2010, 9:18am

Hi Tom,

Your search and the results which I just peeked at myself remind me to bring up something that has bugged me since the GCU search was improved.

Can we have a Forum spot (artists only) to call attention to cards that when we do a search, they come up totally unrelated because of keywords that don't belong to that card? When we artists stumbled on cards like that we would post the card number there and maybe send a message to the artist requesting they fix the keywords?

Anyone have thoughts? If you do even just one of Tom's searches at GCU for Father in Law you get cards for Mother in Law and the artist has father in law in the keywords. Most of the time these are just mistakes when creating multiple cards so I'm sure most artists if notified would fix it. I think it would improve the customers findings as well as start bringing cards that may not ever get seen even though even though they fit the search criteria.

It would add tremendously to the "cleaning up the shop" project

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Sandra_133229

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Re: Hyphens and Search
Reply #6 - Feb 11^th, 2010, 9:27am

Doreen, that is a good idea. As we search, we are the ones who are apt to see the "misplaced" cards. However, I'm sure in some instances, that artist would feel that they belong - so the forum would be a suggestion. Of course there are obvious ones like the category you mentioned. I was wondering how this could ever get fixed because of the sheer number of cards for anyone to go through - but this would be a great solution. Most of these problems have been "grandfathered" in before the reviewing was much tighter.

I don't think we can change the category ourselves, but we could something to alert GCU of the findings in a forum category.

Good idea, Doreen! I'm all for it!

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Leonilde_137327

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Posts: 360

Re: Hyphens and Search
Reply #7 - Feb 11^th, 2010, 9:33am

Quote from Doreen_137017 on Feb 11^th, 2010, 9:18am:

Hi Tom,

Your search and the results which I just peeked at myself remind me to bring up something that has bugged me since the GCU search was improved.

Can we have a Forum spot (artists only) to call attention to cards that when we do a search, they come up totally unrelated because of keywords that don't belong to that card? When we artists stumbled on cards like that we would post the card number there and maybe send a message to the artist requesting they fix the keywords?

Anyone have thoughts? If you do even just one of Tom's searches at GCU for Father in Law you get cards for Mother in Law and the artist has father in law in the keywords. Most of the time these are just mistakes when creating multiple cards so I'm sure most artists if notified would fix it. I think it would improve the customers findings as well as start bringing cards that may not ever get seen even though even though they fit the search criteria.

It would add tremendously to the "cleaning up the shop" project

--------
Very good idea, Doreen
I am sure it would help us all.
Leonilde

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Doreen_137017

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Re: Hyphens and Search
Reply #8 - Feb 11^th, 2010, 9:57am

Glad it sounds like it might help some of us!

Keywords and Titles CAN be changed by the artist without any re-review involved and those are the two things GCU search looks at. So the beauty is this is something we can do to help without taking more time from the GCU reviewers or staff Wink

I agree, we can not be picky about other artists keywords, only suggest for those that are truly inappropriate for the search criteria. I have found a couple in the past and emailed the artist directly with a kind suggestion and they have been very thankful.

Thanks for the thumbs up gang!

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Sandra_133229 Gold Member artist Posts: 787	Re: Hyphens and Search Reply #9 - Feb 11^th, 2010, 10:02am By changing keywords and titles, will that affect which category the card is placed in?
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Doreen_137017

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Re: Hyphens and Search
Reply #10 - Feb 11^th, 2010, 10:22am

Quote from Sandra_133229 on Feb 11^th, 2010, 10:02am:

By changing keywords and titles, will that affect which category the card is placed in?

Well, no considering that the idea here is to make sure the Title and Keywords suit the category that the card is already in. If a card is in the wrong category, then there is already a post thread to 'report' cards in the wrong category.

This is just a suggestion to be able to let another artist know of truly incorrect keywords causing a sort that makes no sense. Often I have found that for example the keywords are 'father in law' instead of 'mother in law' and therefore the artist is possibly losing out on sales because their card is not showing up in the right search criteria.

Make sense?? Grin

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Sandra_133229 Gold Member artist Posts: 787	Re: Hyphens and Search Reply #11 - Feb 11^th, 2010, 10:36am Yep, that makes perfect sense. I didn't realize there is already a post thread when we ID a wrong category. Have a good day, Doreen!
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cheryl_133782

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Re: Hyphens and Search
Reply #12 - Feb 11^th, 2010, 3:41pm

Funny you should bring that up Tom...I did a keyword search for "father in law" and on that page for most popular is one of your easter cards #159816 Tongue

I know, it is just because it has the keyword "father". I'm really just poking some fun at you. Grin

I don't think the keywords are ever going to be 100% on the ball within search engines, there will always be something that crops up that one person thinks belongs and the other person doesn't. Ce la vie! Cheesy

Cheryl

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