Question about preserving a keris

[shadejoy]

Originally Posted by David

hmmm...i am not sure exactly what you would like it to be. Are you using the basic single window search, or have you used the drop down window to find the "Advanced Search". The more specific your search key words, the more specific your results will be. You can also search for exact phrasing by placing quotation marks (" ") around your phrase. This might eliminate hits that don't quite match up with your desired search as it will only lead to uses of those exact phrases rather than the individual words as the search otherwise responds to threads that contain the keywords used regardless of what order the words appear in. But ultimately, even if you are led to threads that are mostly discussing other subjects than the one your were searching for, you will be enriching yourself with other keris information. The keris cannot be understood in a vacuum; the more you read the better informed you will become.

I hope you don't misconstrue this as an attack ..or even a demand, it is not.

You're right, I use the basic search. I also try the advanced search and it does somewhat limit the results. I did not know before about the phrase search using double quotation. That is a great tip!

I would use the same "Keris Maintenance" as an example and using basic simple window search, advanced search and quotations. I've found that all of these methods still yield seemingly unrelated to Keris maintenance thread names. As I've mentioned before, it is to be expected. I don't think it's a technical faulty of the search engine, it does what it was designed for. It's just the nature of the discussions.

For a total newbie they might think that they didn't find what they were looking for. When in reality it is in there. You have valid argument about enriching ourselves during the search process and they are fascinating and very interesting! When I press search on Keris maintenance ..among the results, there I see a thread called The Flying Keris. Now who wouldn't be interested in knowing more about the flying Keris. I'm not being sarcastic and I did read the entire thread because it's mighty intriguing. So again, you do have a valid argument.

But for some people, that can be perceived as noise. Moreover, these seemingly threads may also only contain bits and pieces of what we're looking for. It's like going to a library or book store. You find individual countries mentioned in all books about romances, great battles, iconic characters, action scenes and riveting anecdotes. They are captivating. However ..my purpose is only to find a list of countries in the world.

My point of view is similar to A. G. Maisey's, a place for everything and everything in its place, that it would be ideal to have some kind of index for generic most common questions. Just for the most frequently asked questions. I think Keris cleaning & maintenance easily falls under the category.

I do recognize that there are limitations, as all things in this world. We can always find things eventually if we have enough determination. The last thing I want is to impose on anybody's valuable time which I'm sure is a shared belief of all members in this forum.

Respectfully.