[New] Site live search and encyclopedia

[Saru]

Today we've launched two new features on the main site:

Live Search

Now live on the main site is a revamped replacement of our dated site search (this is separate to the forum's search system). The new search box can be found above the main content (rather than in the header) and is a live search, meaning that when you start typing it will give you suggestions without having to submit the form. (The form can still also be submitted as before to obtain more detailed results).

The default setting shows encyclopedia entries and news, but you can filter it by section using a separate drop-down on the left.

Encyclopedia

Returning from the early days of UM is the encyclopedia (previously known as to the A to Z of the Unexplained). While we obviously can't compete with Wikipedia, our encyclopedia will provide hub pages for each subject, offering a summary of that subject, a factual analysis, a ranking (based on the popularity of that subject) and links to related content across the site.

At present there are only a small number of encyclopedia entries available but more will be added over time and these will be further integrated throughout the site. To view encyclopedia entries, you can search for terms like 'UFO', 'Bigfoot', 'Ghost' and 'Area 51' in the new live search on the main site.

I hope you find these new features useful and as I say, keep an eye out for more updates in the near future.

I'll be using this thread to announce additional tweaks and improvements of these two new features.

Also, if you run into any errors, please let me know.

Thank you.

P.S. Big thanks to our Patreon subscribers for helping to make updates like this possible!

[+susieice]

I remember the Encyclopedia from when I first joined. I browsed that for a while before I signed up to the forums. That was great for finding stories about subjects of interest. Glad to see it coming back.

Will all the entries be available eventually? Even the ones from back then? Looks like it will be a different format though.

Edited December 1, 2023 by susieice

[Saru]

4 hours ago, susieice said:

I remember the Encyclopedia from when I first joined. I browsed that for a while before I signed up to the forums. That was great for finding stories about subjects of interest. Glad to see it coming back.

Once, a very long time ago, this site even used to be called 'Encyclopedia of the Unexplained' 😄

Quote

Will all the entries be available eventually? Even the ones from back then? Looks like it will be a different format though.

There will be a lot more entries but not the original ones - those were done 20+ years ago and are pretty much out of date now.

[Saru]

Update:

• Implemented live rankings (weekly, monthly and all time) for encyclopedia entries
• Fixed spacing issue with live search box on Safari browser
• Fixed a bug with the border of the live search box
• Improved spacing on live search box for encyclopedia entries on mobile

[Saru]

Update:

A new "Top 10 trending mysteries" widget has been rolled out across the main site:

This shows the current week's most popular encyclopedia entries and includes tabs to show the ranks for the current month and all time as well.

A new encyclopedia landing page has also been added, accessible via the "A-Z" link in the main site menu.

https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/encyclopedia.php

This lists all current entries (the selection will be greatly expanded upon over time).

[Scholar4Truth]

Glad to see it back!