# Search problem

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-problem/349339>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [March 21, 2006, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-problem/349339 "2006-03-21T20:45:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\
**Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-problem/349339/1 "2006-03-21T20:45:11Z")

</div>

When I do a vanity search, I don’t get any results more recent than about three weeks ago. I’ve posted to several threads this month, so what gives?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\
**Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-problem/349339/2 "2006-03-21T21:39:21Z")

</div>

> [@Dung Beetle](#):
>
> When I do a vanity search, I don’t get any results more recent than about three weeks ago. I’ve posted to several threads this month, so what gives?

A vanity search is different from a search for threads you’ve posted to.

In a vanity search, you enter your username in the Key word(s) field to see if anyone has mentioned you by name. This search will not bring up threads that you have posted to, only threads in which someone typed your username in their reply.

In a regular username search, just enter your user name in the User Name field. This brings up all recent threads you have posted to.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Santos\_L\_Halper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/santos_l_halper/32/1_2.png) [@Santos\_L\_Halper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santos_L_Halper)\
**Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-problem/349339/3 "2006-03-21T21:41:49Z")

</div>

How are you doing the search? When I click on your profile and select **Find all posts by Dung Beetle** it comes up with more than fifty posts by you in the last three weeks, including several from today.

btw, I thought a “vanity search” meant searching on my screen name under key words, so I could find posts by other posters where they mentioned me or quoted me.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\
**Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-problem/349339/4 "2006-03-21T21:50:02Z")

</div>

Ah.

I thought I had done this differently in the past, putting my name in the Search Forums box and getting a list of all threads I was participating in or mentioned in. Thank you!