# Two search questions (one answer?) **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [January 10, 2022, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-search-questions-one-answer/957553 "2022-01-10T21:37:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **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:** [January 10, 2022, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-search-questions-one-answer/957553/1 "2022-01-10T21:37:15Z")
If I wanted to look through someone’s posts, going back years if need be, what’s the most efficient way to do that? (Fewest steps, most complete search history, etc.) Sometimes one poster will catch my eye and I’ll get curious about who he/she is, what his/her other interests are besides the ones I’ve come across by chance, etc. And also if there’s a topic I want to look up that’s been discussed, I’m sure, in the past, how can I do a search that gives me all the previous discussions of it? Right now, I’m thinking of doing my semi-annual binge of all thirty-six seasons of MAD MEN, and I’ve found a few discussions of previous episodes but it’s a little tedious to locate all of them in order. What’s the closest I can come to getting a page of past discussions in order of the original showings? The ones I’ve happened upon are pretty good, btw. Hardly anyone who discussed them seems to be around here anymore (unless they’ve changed their usernames) but they’re a pretty sharp-eyed bunch. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2022, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-search-questions-one-answer/957553/2 "2022-01-10T22:01:28Z")
> [@Roger\_That](#): > > If I wanted to look through someone’s posts, going back years if need be, what’s the most efficient way to do that? Click on their username, then click on it again (or the avatar) in the box that pops up. Either Activity or Summary should get you close to what you want. > [@Roger\_That](#): > > Right now, I’m thinking of doing my semi-annual binge of all thirty-six seasons of MAD MEN, and I’ve found a few discussions of previous episodes but it’s a little tedious to locate all of them in order. What’s the closest I can come to getting a page of past discussions in order of the original showings? [Something like this](https://boards.straightdope.com/search?q=%22Mad%20Men%22%20in%3Atitle%20order%3Alatest)? Use the advanced search to search for “Mad Men” in the title and sorted into reverse chronological order (because there wasn’t an obvious way to do it from oldest to newest). ---
**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:** [February 12, 2022, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-search-questions-one-answer/957553/3 "2022-02-12T10:22:55Z")
Thanks. I don’t know where the “Advanced Search” is. When I click on the search icon in the upper right, and type in “mad men” it gives me every post that uses those two words in it. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-search-questions-one-answer/957553/4 "2022-02-12T10:34:18Z")
> [@Roger\_That](#): > > Thanks. I don’t know where the “Advanced Search” is. When I click on the search icon in the upper right, and type in “mad men” it gives me every post that uses those two words in it. And if you then scroll down and click “More…”, does it list the posts with a clickable option on the right to sort them by Relevance or by Latest Post — and an Advanced Filters bit on the left, for Matching In Title? ---
**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:** [February 12, 2022, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-search-questions-one-answer/957553/5 "2022-02-12T13:28:54Z")
OK, that helps a little bit. I found the teeny-tiny MORE link. Is there a FAQ for searching on the SD? I find it difficult. Searching for “mad men” on the MORE link gives me every instance of those words on the whole Board. How can I search only in CAFE SOCIETY? Also, if I remember something, like a thread we had a while ago about authors who died in the middle of writing something (which most authors do) and the completion of their unfinished works by someone else, what would be the most efficient way to search for it? I thought maybe starting a new thread with many of those same terms would draw up a few “most similar threads” to the right of my new thread, but nope. Nothing. I’ve got a lot of search questions, and I’m grateful for the help, but I suspect that these are (or could be) covered in an inclusive “How to Search…” FAQ page by those who are really good at it. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-search-questions-one-answer/957553/6 "2022-02-12T14:06:26Z")
> [@Roger\_That](#): > > Searching for “mad men” on the MORE link gives me every instance of those words on the whole Board. How can I search only in CAFE SOCIETY? Under the “Advanced Filters” dropdown, you can select the “Cafe Society” categorization. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-search-questions-one-answer/957553/7 "2022-02-12T14:14:51Z")
> [@Roger\_That](#): > > Also, if I remember something, like a thread we had a while ago about authors who died in the middle of writing something (which most authors do) and the completion of their unfinished works by someone else, what would be the most efficient way to search for it? If it was [this one](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novels-finished-by-someone-else/953802), then I’ll tell you how I found it. (If it’s not, then I’ll have to try something else.) ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-search-questions-one-answer/957553/8 "2022-02-12T14:36:42Z")
You’ve been here before !! > [@Link to "How to Search on SDMB" and tips, etc?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/link-to-how-to-search-on-sdmb-and-tips-etc/943076): > > 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:** ![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:** [February 12, 2022, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-search-questions-one-answer/957553/9 "2022-02-12T16:44:52Z")
So I have. This stuff doesn’t penetrate my skull, apparently.