Nightwatch Trailer suggested in this thread that we have Charter Members do searches for Guests.
So if you’re a Guest and you’re looking for something specific in the SDMB archives, post about it so a kind Doper can help you out. 
Why don’t they pony up and become a member, then they can search all they want.
Where is the incentive to join, if they can get the benefits of membership for free?
I disagree. I think this is a great idea. See, their Guest membership is going to expire in thirty days anyway, after which they MUST pay up in order to continue to participate. But if having a few willing Charter members search for threads for them until they can make up their mind gives them that added incentive to pony up, then why not? There some great old threads here that might make all the difference, but if they can’t search for them, what good are they as far as that goes?
Not to mention that half the time a guest posts a new thread about a topic previously discussed, someone will post links to the past threads anyway.
I should also note that it’s not really good form to denote something like this as “official” if it hasn’t been given the administrators blessings as well.
Fixed thread title. It’s not “official.”
your humble TubaDiva
Administrator
No one has asked a searching question yet. Maybe someone could post links to teaser threads suitable for inticing people to join. Just until the questions come in.
enticing, even
It seems that you can’t post a URL to a search you just ran.
I suppose that the board software keeps a little list of your search hits somewhere and gives it a number, so when you view the page at “…search.php?searchid=344045”, as in the prior post, you see your list of hits.
Eventually, the list gets aged out, to make room for more, and the ID of the search no longer points to anything.
Either that or the software makes sure that the viewer is the same one who ran the search.
In any case, it seems that one has to post the actual links that were found instead of the link to the search results.
I call this thread The Rabbit Hole. Be careful or you can end up with 20 windows open.
No kidding. Great link Biggirl. Thanks.
Yeah, I just completely blew two hours glued to my monitor reading Biggirl’s link. Skimming everything. 
By the way…
Guests! The Search Request Engine is still open for business!
Hey there! I am on permanent disability, and have absolutely NO “wiggle room,” financially. If I spend money, I can’t pay my outrageous health insurance premiums, and that would spell disaster. 
Could you please tell me where to find the Search Request Engine? I joined just today as a guest . . . maybe my eyes are just tired! Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks, Nancy
This thread is the “Search Request Engine”, nancyflute. The idea is that you post here what you’re searching for and one of us paid members uses our access to the search function to find threads for you.
For a fee, of course.
…Damn, I am a jackass sometimes.
Must have been some pre-operative tension I was dealing with.
“…I been searchin’…” goes the song, no?
So I signed up as a guest, thinking I’d gain access to the Holy Grail of functions, the “SEARCH” button, and lo and behold, it hath appeareth not.
So now I need to start digging in the couch cushion to see if I can actually BUY that search button.
I’m WAY too embarrassed to ask someone to search for what I want to search for.