# Vanity Searches **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 5, 2003, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843 "2003-06-05T15:34:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843/1 "2003-06-05T15:34:17Z")
I am having an immensely fun and revealing time right now because I have just done a Vanity Search. I always do vanity searches (pressing ‘search’ on a post of mine) but this one is different - I put my name in the _keywords_ box rather than the username box, and the resulting search has thrown up **loads** of replies that I’ve missed doing normal vanity search. There’s a complement by **Q.E.D.** somewhere. There’s a WHOLE post about me, that’s NOT in the pit! (ATMB). There’s loads of interesting replies. I haven’t finished browsing the search results yet. I guess there should be a point to this thread - Is it ok to bump threads if you are replying to something you missed in one? Is it at all possible to post to a thread without bumping it (silly question. I know the answer is likely ‘no’ but there’s no harm asking is there?) ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843/2 "2003-06-05T15:36:18Z")
Forgot to say thanks **Q.E.D**. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![NE\_Texan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e99b99/32.png) [@NE\_Texan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NE_Texan)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843/3 "2003-06-05T16:02:08Z")
Every so often, I do a search on my username - to find a thread that I was reading and posting to, when I can’t remember the name of the thread, or find it on the forum page. I don’t even think of this as a vanity search - it won’t find people talking about me (which is the canonical reason for a vanity search). I don’t do it with the keyword box, though. When I registered and chose my username, I wasn’t thinking about vanity searches, and didn’t choose one that it would work well on (the way it would on, say, the user name “lobsang”). As for bumping - I thought a “bump” was to add something without really replying, just to move a thread up to the top of the forum. If you are replying to something you missed, how is that different from any other reply? ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843/4 "2003-06-05T16:05:48Z")
> [@](#): > > As for bumping - I thought a “bump” was to add something without really replying, just to move a thread up to the top of the forum. If you are replying to something you missed, how is that different from any other reply? As it’s something I’ve missed - chances are it is on page 2 or even further back, so replying in it would be sort of a bump. or resurection. ---
**Author:** ![Gorgon\_Heap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f475e1/32.png) [@Gorgon\_Heap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorgon_Heap)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843/5 "2003-06-05T16:06:40Z")
Hmmm. What an interesting idea. Never tried it that way. The most I’ve ever done was to search my name to find threads that were recently hidden. 'Cause I know nobody’s gonna be talking about me. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843/6 "2003-06-05T16:18:35Z")
I’d missed a bunch of replies to my posts before so that’s exactly how I start each day now, just putting my name in the keyword box and checking since yesterday, except for Mondays when I go back a week. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843/7 "2003-06-05T16:26:08Z")
Oh… 1 bad thing… do you have any idea how many times people say “in lieu of” on this board on a daily basis? ---
**Author:** ![SkeptiJess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SkeptiJess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkeptiJess)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843/8 "2003-06-05T16:28:19Z")
My name doesn’t work well in the keyword box, alas. Too many variations of “Jess,” I suppose. Oh well. I loves a vanity search, though – I love to go back and admire how clever I was. Until I notice the misspellings and typos… then I just feel stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843/9 "2003-06-05T16:42:39Z")
**Lieu** this is why you need to change your username to Festering Snotball. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843/10 "2003-06-05T16:47:57Z")
Surely you Jess. ---
**Author:** ![DeVena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843/11 "2003-06-05T16:54:39Z")
OK did my first vanity search… \<\\> why do people have to snark at you for having an opinion? Think it was my last vanity search. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843/12 "2003-06-05T16:57:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lieu \* > \*\*Oh… 1 bad thing… do you have any idea how many times people say “in lieu of” on this board on a daily basis? \*\* Every single time I search, I get piles of threads where people are discussing Ellen Degeneres! It’s much easier to put my name in the “user name” box, to find threads I’d been participating in. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843/13 "2003-06-05T17:23:26Z")
Mmmmmm… piles. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843/14 "2003-06-05T18:04:52Z")
Vanity searches for me became a pain during the war. Since I can’t use the word “max” in my search, I wound up reading more about bloodshed and massacres than I really cared to. ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843/15 "2003-06-05T18:06:28Z")
Thank God, I have such a unique username. I can fully appreciate how little people talk about me. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843/16 "2003-06-05T18:08:30Z")
0 hits in the last 6 months. I must be under the radar.\* \*sounds better than “unpopular.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Loneraven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c0e974/32.png) [@Loneraven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loneraven)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843/17 "2003-06-05T18:11:04Z")
I’d done vanity searches before, but nothing ever came up because I’m a chronic lurker. And then, suddenly out of the blue, I got two results in one search. And bizarrely, **Q.E.D.** was involved. It was something about his doing unmentionable stuff to me in celebration of his 5000th post, which I now look forward to with baited breath. ---
**Author:** ![Nate\_the\_Great](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ea924/32.png) [@Nate\_the\_Great](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nate_the_Great)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843/18 "2003-06-05T18:12:11Z")
I just type in “nate,” since many people respond to my posts that way. All I get are threads about Six Feet Under. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843/19 "2003-06-05T18:14:10Z")
92 posts. Haven’t read beyong 1st page, but they all seem to be quoting me. ---
**Author:** ![NE\_Texan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e99b99/32.png) [@NE\_Texan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NE_Texan)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843/20 "2003-06-05T18:27:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by slortar \* > **Thank God, I have such a unique username. I can fully appreciate how little people talk about me.** Is that PC these days? I thought you had to say midgets. And why do they, in particular, talk about you? 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843.md?page=2)