# How far back on SD can I search for something I posted? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [June 22, 2016, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-back-on-sd-can-i-search-for-something-i-posted/758005 "2016-06-22T01:18:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2016, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-back-on-sd-can-i-search-for-something-i-posted/758005/1 "2016-06-22T01:18:41Z")
It was within the last 10 years, I think the topic was ‘TV shows you would like to see’ and readers were invited to submit their own ideas for a tv show. I’ve been posting here at the SD ever since the AOL days. Is my brilliant synopsis of a TV show gone forever, is there any way to find it? ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2016, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-back-on-sd-can-i-search-for-something-i-posted/758005/2 "2016-06-22T01:43:21Z")
You can search all the way back to 1999, when you were asking about [freckles](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=5453). On the search page, fill in your user name, and then use the search options fields on the left. You can search threads from 10 years ago and older, or newer, or choose some other parameter. I looked at most of your posts before 2013, but couldn’t find what you were looking for – you did post in an awful lot of threads about T.V. shows. 😉 If you remember a somewhat unusual word from your synopsis, you could put that in the search box along with the other parameters to try to narrow it down. Wait - you weren’t looking for [_Mystery Cupcake_](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15505670&postcount=28), were you? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2016, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-back-on-sd-can-i-search-for-something-i-posted/758005/3 "2016-06-22T02:17:24Z")
Easiest would be if you can recall a word you used in the post (\>4 letters, natch). Search criiteria should include yourself as the poster, Cafe Society as the forum, your keyword, search any date or older for time frame, show results by post, and “Ascending.” ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2016, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-back-on-sd-can-i-search-for-something-i-posted/758005/4 "2016-06-22T05:20:33Z")
Easiest is often to Google something like site:straighhtdope.com salinqmind TV \ This will find the _thread_. \ can be from non-salinqmind posts > [@kaylasdad99](#): > > (\>4 letters, natch) There’s probably a good reason to prohibit short common words in searches. _ **Is there a good reason to prohibit RARE 4-letter words?** _ :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2016, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-back-on-sd-can-i-search-for-something-i-posted/758005/5 "2016-06-22T05:30:08Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Easiest would be if you can recall a word you used in the post (\>4 letters, natch). Search criiteria should include yourself as the poster, Cafe Society as the forum, your keyword, search any date or older for time frame, show results by post, and “Ascending.” Or don’t specify Cafe Society as the forum, if you think the thread might predate its existence. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2016, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-back-on-sd-can-i-search-for-something-i-posted/758005/6 "2016-06-22T07:21:05Z")
Is this it? [What Storylines Would You Like To Have Seen In TV Shows](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=499781&highlight=shows) found it by the dope’s advanced search page. keywords : “shows” search titles only user name : salinqmind Find posts from : Any date and newer Sort results by: Last posting date in ascending order Show results as: threads ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2016, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-back-on-sd-can-i-search-for-something-i-posted/758005/7 "2016-06-22T08:17:49Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Easiest would be if you can recall a word you used in the post (\>4 letters, natch). Search criiteria should include yourself as the poster, Cafe Society as the forum, your keyword, search any date or older for time frame, show results by post, and “Ascending.” > [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Or don’t specify Cafe Society as the forum, if you think the thread might predate its existence. I almost said that, but then I noted that the desired post was less than ten years old. Definitely after the introduction of the forum. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2016, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-back-on-sd-can-i-search-for-something-i-posted/758005/8 "2016-06-22T08:20:19Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > Easiest is often to Google something like > site:straighhtdope.com salinqmind TV \ > This will find the _thread_. \ can be from non-salinqmind posts > > There’s probably a good reason to prohibit short common words in searches. _ **Is there a good reason to prohibit RARE 4-letter words?** _ :mad: There might be, if the software doesn’t support a customized list of what makes a word “rare.” ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2016, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-back-on-sd-can-i-search-for-something-i-posted/758005/9 "2016-06-22T10:43:13Z")
Except that the software _does_ include a list of prohibited words, which includes most of the really common ones anyway. If a word isn’t on that list, it should be used, regardless of how many letters it has. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2016, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-back-on-sd-can-i-search-for-something-i-posted/758005/10 "2016-06-22T11:20:55Z")
Has the Winter of our Missed Content been restored? If not, it’s worth noting that. I don’t recall the dates off the top of my head. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2016, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-back-on-sd-can-i-search-for-something-i-posted/758005/11 "2016-06-22T15:34:28Z")
Thanks for the answers. I will apply myself when I have some free time this weekend, maybe I’ll stumble across my masterpiece! ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2016, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-back-on-sd-can-i-search-for-something-i-posted/758005/12 "2016-06-22T15:35:12Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Has the Winter of our Missed Content been restored? If not, it’s worth noting that. I don’t recall the dates off the top of my head. It’s gone, and can’t be restored. The dates were December 7, 2001 to March 10, 2002. (Posts made on the board between December 7 and February 11 were lost. The board was down and replaced by a temporary board from the latter date until March 10.) ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2016, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-back-on-sd-can-i-search-for-something-i-posted/758005/13 "2016-06-22T18:55:58Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Has the Winter of our Missed Content been restored? If not, it’s worth noting that. I don’t recall the dates off the top of my head. > [@Colibri](#): > > It’s gone, and can’t be restored. The dates were December 7, 2001 to March 10, 2002. (Posts made on the board between December 7 and February 11 were lost. The board was down and replaced by a temporary board from the latter date until March 10.) Have other old threads been lost as well? I ask because I’m unable to find the first post I made on the SDMB back in December 2000. This was the OP of a thread I started about whether lightning rods actually worked or not. Chronos posted a reply in the thread, as I recall. (This thread was started about 8 months before Cecil addressed the question in his column [here](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2286/do-lightning-rods-really-work).) ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2016, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-back-on-sd-can-i-search-for-something-i-posted/758005/14 "2016-06-22T18:58:56Z")
> [@robby](#): > > I ask because I’m unable to find the first post I made on the SDMB back in December 2000. This was the OP of a thread I started about whether lightning rods actually worked or not. Chronos posted a reply in the thread, as I recall. Right [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=61246). Found with a Google search of “site:straightdope.com robby lightning rods chronos” ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2016, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-back-on-sd-can-i-search-for-something-i-posted/758005/15 "2016-06-22T19:06:15Z")
> [@robby](#): > > Have other old threads been lost as well? No, but the usernames on some early threads are screwed up, and appear as “Guest.” This would make searching for them by usename impossible. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2016, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-back-on-sd-can-i-search-for-something-i-posted/758005/16 "2016-06-22T19:12:27Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > Right [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=61246). > > Found with a Google search of “site:straightdope.com robby lightning rods chronos” Thanks! For some reason, it doesn’t come up using a keyword search of “lightning” in the title (using the board search function). I actually did manage to find it myself a moment ago by searching for all threads that I’d started that were older than ten years, and was coming back to delete my post, but you beat me to the punch. P.S. Apparently I misremembered that **Chronos** posted to that thread. Actually, I was quoting him from another thread instead. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2016, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-back-on-sd-can-i-search-for-something-i-posted/758005/17 "2016-06-22T21:58:23Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > There’s probably a good reason to prohibit short common words in searches. _ **Is there a good reason to prohibit RARE 4-letter words?** _ :mad: It depends on what you consider rare. The list can be found [in this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=785876). It is embedded in MySQL, which vBulletin uses.