# Link to "How to Search on SDMB" and tips, etc? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [May 28, 2021, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/link-to-how-to-search-on-sdmb-and-tips-etc/943076 "2021-05-28T07:57:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Roger\_That](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roger_that/32/8505_2.png) [@Roger\_That](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roger_That)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2021, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/link-to-how-to-search-on-sdmb-and-tips-etc/943076/1 "2021-05-28T07:57:44Z")
As a newbie, I’d like to see if a topic has already been discussed, and to look up posters who seem to know a lot about something I’m interested in, etc. Is there a guide to searching for past posts, posters, and such? ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2021, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/link-to-how-to-search-on-sdmb-and-tips-etc/943076/2 "2021-05-28T08:42:02Z")
Click on the magnifying glass to search, and on ‘options’ for the advanced search. You can also click on anyone’s avatar, and then click again to get the details, posts, etc. of that person. ---
**Author:** ![Roger\_That](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roger_that/32/8505_2.png) [@Roger\_That](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roger_That)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2021, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/link-to-how-to-search-on-sdmb-and-tips-etc/943076/3 "2021-05-28T12:38:46Z")
Cool. Thanks. You’d think this would be in some prominent FAQ, no? I’m especially dumb about using icons–I prefer big prominent WORDS like “SEARCH HERE” to a magnifying glass etc. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2021, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/link-to-how-to-search-on-sdmb-and-tips-etc/943076/4 "2021-05-28T12:48:51Z")
Words may be more helpful, yes. However they take up quite a bit of real estate on the screen. A well-chosen icon will be much smaller than words, especially in languages that are lengthy. “Search here” in German for example, is “Suche hier”. Not too bad. But German can be especially difficult, like these for example… Gender — **Geschlecht** Enter — **Eingeben** Exit — **Ausgang** Speed Limit — **erlaubte Höchstgeschwindigkeit** (from Google Translate) … it becomes even more problematic. Or even downright ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![Roger\_That](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roger_that/32/8505_2.png) [@Roger\_That](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roger_That)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2021, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/link-to-how-to-search-on-sdmb-and-tips-etc/943076/5 "2021-05-28T12:53:37Z")
I’m not really complaining, more like EXplaining why I need to ask so many dumb questions. My brain just doesn’t do icons. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2021, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/link-to-how-to-search-on-sdmb-and-tips-etc/943076/6 "2021-05-28T16:19:46Z")
Aside from clicking the magnifying glass icon, you can press the hotkey ‘/’, or the alternate hotkey ‘Ctrl+Alt+f’, and the search bar will come up. You can also favorite this URL, [https://boards.straightdope.com/search](https://boards.straightdope.com/search) ~Max