# Need help finding old thread, problem with search function

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-finding-old-thread-problem-with-search-function/718400>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [April 23, 2015, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-finding-old-thread-problem-with-search-function/718400 "2015-04-23T23:17:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Robert163](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Robert163](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert163)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2015, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-finding-old-thread-problem-with-search-function/718400/1 "2015-04-23T23:17:04Z")

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I am looking to update a thread I was posting on a couple days or a couple of weeks ago. The topic was “Should college athletes be paid” but when I put that in advanced search it just searches and searches and searches leaving me with a blank screen and no results… (I chose the title of thread and body of posts search both option)

Thanks for any assistance

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**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2015, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-finding-old-thread-problem-with-search-function/718400/2 "2015-04-23T23:21:19Z")

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Is this it?

[Should student athletes be paid?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=753676)

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**Author:** ![Robert163](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Robert163](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert163)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2015, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-finding-old-thread-problem-with-search-function/718400/3 "2015-04-23T23:29:52Z")

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> [@cochrane](#):
>
> Is this it?
> 
> [Should student athletes be paid?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=753676)

Yes, thank you!

Did you look it up from your post history or did you use the search function? In other words, was I using the search function incorrectly?

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**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2015, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-finding-old-thread-problem-with-search-function/718400/4 "2015-04-23T23:36:45Z")

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The search function here really sucks. I went to Google and typed in SDMB: Should college athletes be paid? The link to the thread was right near the top of the front page.

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**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:** [April 23, 2015, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-finding-old-thread-problem-with-search-function/718400/5 "2015-04-23T23:44:26Z")

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As cochrane said, using the board search function is pretty much the same thing as using it incorrectly. See [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=638051) about how to do searches of the board with Google. And [here’s how](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=16493388#post16493388) you can add it as a bookmark to do it even faster.

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**Author:** ![Robert163](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Robert163](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert163)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2015, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-finding-old-thread-problem-with-search-function/718400/6 "2015-04-23T23:44:50Z")

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> [@cochrane](#):
>
> The search function here really sucks. I went to Google and typed in SDMB: Should college athletes be paid? The link to the thread was right near the top of the front page.

cool, thanks