# How to get best search results?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-best-search-results/476021>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [December 6, 2008, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-best-search-results/476021 "2008-12-06T18:27:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2008, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-best-search-results/476021/1 "2008-12-06T18:27:55Z")

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The search function has always been quirky, and with a five minute wait between searches it’s important to get it right. So it’s frustrating not to be able to find an old thread that you KNOW is in there somewhere, often because you yourself started it. If a search fails to yield results, what’s to do?

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**Author:** ![NineToTheSky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5a626/32.png) [@NineToTheSky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NineToTheSky)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-best-search-results/476021/2 "2008-12-09T15:56:15Z")

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I’d join in [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=496180), if I were you.🙂

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**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-best-search-results/476021/3 "2008-12-09T18:28:16Z")

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If it’s a thread you started (or responded to), why not start in “Subscribed Threads”? I believe you are automatically subscribed to any thread you post to. That might save you some search frustration.

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**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-best-search-results/476021/4 "2008-12-09T22:15:58Z")

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> [@Shoeless](#):
>
> If it’s a thread you started (or responded to), why not start in “Subscribed Threads”? I believe you are automatically subscribed to any thread you post to. That might save you some search frustration.

I had that turned off for some reason, just reenabled it.