FS/FT forum idea--regional search ability

slag

Lifer
Dec 14, 2000
10,473
81
101
I was researching computer parts online at local shops today to decide where I wanted to go buy parts at lunch when I had this idea.

99% of the time, the prices in FS/FT are much much cheaper than anything you can purchase locally at retail stores or even local computer shops.

Wouldnt it be nice if we could somehow do a regional search of people in FS/FT (your profile is already enabled so your location is not hidden), and then see if there is anything local we wanted?

For example, I'm in Kansas near KC. I'm looking for a video card, hard drive, and cpu cooler. I see several posts of each out there on anandtech, but checking their location would take awhile for everyone. Wouldnt it be nice to be able to press a button and then everyone who has that state in their profile(for me it would be Kansas) would be put on a short list--perhaps a pop up window and then you could check out the wares from everyone in your local area? Perhaps state is not a good enough descriptor, but you get the gist of the idea.

Ideas? Is this a stupid idea? I think it has great potential. Just the other day I purchased a replay tv from someone on here because they were in my local area. If I had to wait for it to be shipped, I probably wouldnt have bought it.


 

StageLeft

No Lifer
Sep 29, 2000
70,150
5
0
It's a superb idea but to be done perfectly would require a lot of time to implement. You could try searching by city I suppose and that would make it really simple, but ideally you'd be able to plug in your zip and search within a radius and then the server would have to tap into mapping software to do it. Heck actually that software already exists. I think it's a good idea; save on shipping!
 

Ness

Diamond Member
Jul 10, 2002
5,407
2
0
It would probably be easier if people got in the habit of adding a two letter state/province code and a general area of the state (NE, CEN, S, Etc.)

While that idea is really kick-ass, It would take a lot of work to be implemented.
 

StageLeft

No Lifer
Sep 29, 2000
70,150
5
0
Originally posted by: ness1469
It would probably be easier if people got in the habit of adding a two letter state/province code and a general area of the state (NE, CEN, S, Etc.)

While that idea is really kick-ass, It would take a lot of work to be implemented.
I thought it would but really it wouldn't be bad. The admin could add an extra field in the DB for any particular item that is forsale and that field would match up to the major US cities (those in small towns are SOL). Then when you search in FS, or filter in FS you could use that field if you wanted for local items only. It would really be nifty.

 

slag

Lifer
Dec 14, 2000
10,473
81
101
Thanks for the encouragement. I thought about posting in forum issues, but its not really a forum "issue" and the mods dont patrol there regularly (and i dont think most people look there anyway). For what its worth, I'm going to start putting the city/state in my FS posts and see if it catches on. I dont sell or buy very much here though so its probably a lost cause.

Perhaps a simple perle script could be written that would work for our needs... It could search the database and bring up a list of cities and or states that match our criteria.

 

amnesiac

Lifer
Oct 13, 1999
15,781
1
71
Originally posted by: conjur
Ask it in Forum Issues ;)

Actually, don't because at BEST you'll get empty promises from Zuni.

Nothing against the admins, really, but sometimes I wonder what they get paid to do.

Bugs take weeks to get fixed. Forum changes are implemented which don't really help anything, promised features are never added, and of course there's the whole subscriber fiasco.

Just chalk it up to a pipe dream and let it go.
 

BatmanNate

Lifer
Jul 12, 2000
12,444
2
81
Good idea. I would fill in more detailed location information were this to be implemented, which is wholly unlikely.
 

Ness

Diamond Member
Jul 10, 2002
5,407
2
0
Originally posted by: Skoorb
Originally posted by: ness1469
It would probably be easier if people got in the habit of adding a two letter state/province code and a general area of the state (NE, CEN, S, Etc.)

While that idea is really kick-ass, It would take a lot of work to be implemented.
I thought it would but really it wouldn't be bad. The admin could add an extra field in the DB for any particular item that is forsale and that field would match up to the major US cities (those in small towns are SOL). Then when you search in FS, or filter in FS you could use that field if you wanted for local items only. It would really be nifty.


Yeah, adding the extra field and giving the option to search by it isn't bad, but the actual search might not be as easy unless your field is limited to search by state.

Like, if you wanted somewhere you could drive to on your lunch break, then you will still have to check a bunch of threads (although it wouldn't be nearly as bad unless you live in Cali)

You could set it up so there are a select group of regions, like, divide each state into numbered regions so that it only has to store a number, then we could get all detailed and have each state as a pop up image map...

I wonder if it would be worth our time to make a simple site where people can link their FS/FT threads and users can sort by region.
 

lightpants

Platinum Member
Aug 13, 2001
2,452
0
76
Originally posted by: slag
I was researching computer parts online at local shops today to decide where I wanted to go buy parts at lunch when I had this idea.

99% of the time, the prices in FS/FT are much much cheaper than anything you can purchase locally at retail stores or even local computer shops.

Wouldnt it be nice if we could somehow do a regional search of people in FS/FT (your profile is already enabled so your location is not hidden), and then see if there is anything local we wanted?

For example, I'm in Kansas near KC. I'm looking for a video card, hard drive, and cpu cooler. I see several posts of each out there on anandtech, but checking their location would take awhile for everyone. Wouldnt it be nice to be able to press a button and then everyone who has that state in their profile(for me it would be Kansas) would be put on a short list--perhaps a pop up window and then you could check out the wares from everyone in your local area? Perhaps state is not a good enough descriptor, but you get the gist of the idea.

Ideas? Is this a stupid idea? I think it has great potential. Just the other day I purchased a replay tv from someone on here because they were in my local area. If I had to wait for it to be shipped, I probably wouldnt have bought it.


Damn, I wanted that replay tv!!!


Anyway, if people would just ad a state abbreviation after fs/ft in the subject -you could search for that, it might help a little