December 4, 2018 - 9:29am
The organization of this message board..
..is stunningly difficult for a new user to navigate.
Do I just have to adapt to sub optimal design, or is there a secret most of you use to better see the wealth of information contained here?
Is anyone trying to better organize this info? This website seems without peers, in terms of experiential knowledge and discussion about natural leavening, and I want to put it all in my brain, but just finding the info is daunting.
*Edited* to emphasize that this is not a general complaint about tfl, but rather frustration at being less able to find all the information without reading every post from 2009.
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There is no staff here. It's a side project I developed years ago. No, no one is going to be reorganizing it any time soon.
I just wish I could glean out the good bits, as a latecomer, without having to read through so much. :P
if you have an idea of what you are looking for -
The search box in the upper right is a fair, but somewhat slow, tool to use. A much faster and more efficient way is to Google something like
Gosselin Levain Baguettes site:thefreshloaf.com , and then drill down from there.
The key to the magic is including the underlined area. My run just now yielded "About 219 results (0.35 seconds)".
Sometimes the site is a bit kludgy, but once you get the hang of it, it's pretty straightforward. What Floyd has created for us as his stress-relief side project is no less than the equal to any other bread baking website on the internet (at least in English). Try it, you'll like it.
Thank you very much -- I have never heard of this before and it works great. I love the Fresh Loaf and have been here for many years and have no complaints. Don't post a lot but read and bookmark quite often.
Big Thank You to Floydm
What a helpful peice of information. I never though to use “site:thefreshloaf.com” with my search query. Using your search method produces better results for me.
For instance; About a year ago I started adding tips that I thought others might benefit from by prefixing all subject topics with “Tip - “. But when I searched the prefix the results where not complete.
Using your idea (“Tips - site:thefreshloaf.com”) pulls them all up.
Thanks...
Danny
A fellow TFLer posted this scheme a few years ago. But is sure does come in handy.
The layout took a bit of getting used to when I first came here. It is a bit different to the way other forums look and work, but you soon get the hang of it.
If I'm looking for a daily digest, I click the home button and browse the recent posts, right click and open in new tabs any that interest me and then browse the new tabs.
Then do the same with recent comments, but here it's better to click the "more" button at the bottom and browse the new page that shows.
I do think the advanced search could be improved if there was an option to select a date range and sort results by date order, but that would be more work for Floyd!
Lance
im just going to stick my oar in here. As someone who has managed forums, optimized websites and run online skills exchanges I know very well how much work has gone into TFL. What @floydm has done is extraordinary and I for one am very grateful for all his work. TFL has taught me, guided me through years of learning to a point where I know sell bread and am able to pay my bills, etc, etc. This forum is active, helpful and well organised. It is also done for love. It is a gift in a world where everything has a price. Perhaps you should slow down and have a look around. Work it out. Use the search function better.
This is an incredible site that has developed at least 2 generations of bakers. When I get a bit frustrated that I can't find something, I count my blessings for all the info I DO find. Floyd has created, managed and monitored an incredible site. He has also created an atmosphere of respect and self-management on TFL that is unequalled on any other forum I have been on.
Lately,(or maybe constantly) he has had to deal with hackers. It seems they are more active lately as, once again, half my FreshLoaf "Home" page is in some oriental language.
Navigating here is pretty much the same for me as starting on any other new-to-me website or software. It takes some practice to get comfortable navigating. Patience and persistence are good skills to have and are often in short supply. They get better with practice.
Thank you, Floyd for this forum and your guidance. My family also appreciates you! Happy Holidays!
There is no place on the internet with as many and as friendly pros and semi-pros to help you in your bread baking ventures. No Place.
There's a wealth of information here unlike any other. Floyd has done an incredible job.
Hopefully you will get used to the site and share your baking knowledge and ask questions along the way.
hester
Thank everyone for responding! I am definitely making use of the search function, and learning a LOT so far! I honestly feel like .. idk .. a little weird reading people's 10 year old conversations .. not feeling like a necro reply is appropriate, even if I might have a question .. I also feel like my questions are probably answered in other threads, too, which might not come up in my search.
Even as a newcomer I love this site. Please don't get me wrong! But there is a lot to read, and the good stuff is buried in the middle of the conversations!
I just wanna get on your level!
you find in time, especially if you bookmark useful recipes, threads, etc, is that there are certain people you keep going back to, refer too ....that will help your search for the perfect loaf....you can always ask them directly too