I’m wondering how searchable the flash drive or CD archive is. I would like to be able to type in “dining room tables” and get all the articles on dining room tables. Not 2,000 hits on everything that mentions rooms, tables or dinning. I got discussed with the search bar by the subscription button and complained a few years ago and Betsy who has been very helpful on other occasions suggested I search the magazine index. It worked better but not much. I still get better results most of the time by googling what I’m looking for and clicking on the FWW articles that come up. So, is it searchable and does the search work as well as google or will I be as frustrated with the archive as the web site?
Thanks, have fun and be safe.
Replies
I copied and saved this from a post by Ben Strano a few months ago. It was in reply to a question from someone else about searching. Seems like a lot of work. I hope it helps you.
If I am looking for something that was in the magazine, I ALWAYS use the online index (https://www.finewoodworking.com/magazine-index).
Website search:
The website search is the box on every page of the site. There are filtering options for results and that really does help get to the results you want. If you're looking for a video or a blog, the website search is the only way to do it.
Archive search:
In the main menu, go to "Digital Libraries". That will bring to to the online archive.
There is a "spy glass" at the top of the online archive page where you can search the archive. Clicking advance should give return any mentions of the specific phrase. That said, if I were going to search for the archive, I would likely start at the magazine index as well. I just find it to be the most effective search we have.
BobE
Thanks Bob, this gives me another way to search the site. However, like other searches here it came up far short. I got 6 hits, only 2 of which were available online and only one was what I was looking for. I used the same wording in a google search adding "Fine woodworking articles" and got at least 25 articles on the first page, that had I was looking for. I really don't understand, with the massive amount of great information that this magazine has and as far as we are into the digital age, that they haven't seen the need to get it all organized into one easy to use search. Universities are graduating people in library science every year. Every organization with a lot information to keep track of should have at least one.
I'm sorry this reply turned into such a rant but I get free online publications that 1 click in the index and it snaps to the article I want. It's a 5 minuet run around here to go from a digital issue to the online extras when I should be able to click on the icon in the digital issue. Woodworking is an old and constantly evolving craft. If FWW wants to stay at the top they need to evolve too.
Thanks again Bob. Be Safe
Nice Job Bob