Harold -- 2 weeks have elapsed since the site was launched and since Google had its first crack at indexing the site. Are you or anyone else on staff able to look -- via a private link or whatever -- at the status of Google's progress to see if it's functional (relative to the "temporary" and "not very good" search function we have now)? Or does HQ have no insight in its progress and is having to depend on Fathom to say 'when' while members are getting frustrated in the meantime? This is sort of like the SS mug shipping issue where the small things stick in the minds of our members and distract from the big, good things. We don't want that sort of thing associated with our site. For the sake of our membership and their ability to search within the site they purchased, I'd rather have the 75% solution (Google -- and getting closer to 100% day-by-day) than the 15% 'bandaid' we presently have that doesn't seem to improve at all but is nevertheless casting impressions on our membership. Not knowing what else is on the website improvement to-do list, this is one thing I strongly encourage ARRL management to drive Fathom on (and I mean hard) since I'm betting it's the most visible problem to our membership on that to-do list. 73, Brian N5ZGT On Tue, 27 Apr 2010, Kramer, Harold, WJ1B wrote:

Hi,

I am responding to Brian's email about the Search Engine.

Here is the response from the folks at Fathom:

It usually takes 2 weeks to a month for Google to fully index a new website. Since the ARRL website is so content rich, I would allow at least that before getting concerned. You'll only deal with this issue now because the site is new. Over time, Google will re-index new content as it's added.

I also understand that there is a temporary search function on-line now while Google catches up with the site but that it is only a temporary measure and not very good.

I have received a number of questions about the status of site fixes and updates. I plan to issue the revised punch list again tomorrow to ODV, Department Heads and the SMs like I did last week. Hopefully, this will answer most of the questions that I have received and let you know where we stand.

73,

Harold "Spud" Kramer Newly returned from the Idaho State Convention.

ARRL Director, Rocky Mountain Division On the web at www.RockyMountainDivision.org