Hi all! I've been reading through this, and am trying to get it all addressed.
FIRSTSearch will index stuff approximately once a week. If we have server problems, once every two weeks, if the server doesn't heat the room enough (winter's coming), once every five days.
First, let me warn that there is a bug: just searching for "team:####" will never get any results. I intend to fix this, but in the meantime, if you want to check to make sure your site got indexed, search "team:#### ####", where #### is your team number. If your site doesn't show up, go to the registration page linked above, and register - I'll see you there, and add you to the indexing schedule.
Sometimes, your site won't be indexed because your site itself has an 'error'. Here's what an error is: there is no link from your home page, as listed by TBA, to other places on your site. So, if the bot can't get to your home page, or when it does, it can't get anywhere else, you won't get indexed. Google may be able to index you because it can find links to other places on your site on the internet, but FIRSTSearch's bot can't.
Rich Kressly: yeah, but Team 449 doesn't show up, and that's my standard of quality
ebarker: Yay for wet blankets! For your second point, I suspect having a footnote like they have on AP textbooks ("FIRSTSearch has no affiliation with and is not endorsed by...") would be better. For your first point, well, James (jashephe, our local graphics dude) will work on it. Thanks.
Thanks all for the feedback. Interested people can look at the source code here:
http://svn.robot.mbhs.edu/listing.ph...re.FIRSTSearch . Also feel free to post, email (firstsearch@robot.mbhs.edu), or file bug reports (linked from firstsearch site) with any suggestions and/or complaints.
Oh, and lastly. I've taken down the popular search terms sidebar (those of you with sharp eyes may have noticed that the top ranking one was just a blank - some clown at our school decided to leave his stapler on the refresh key while he went to school), but hope to have that back up soon, as well as maybe the recent search terms sidebar (taken down long ago because, as you put it, we had problems).