# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Sock\_Munkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Sock\_Munkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sock_Munkey)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843/41 "2003-06-07T01:22:04Z")
I just did one, people love me. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843/42 "2003-06-07T21:08:12Z")
Dan, you’re the man! ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843/43 "2003-06-07T21:20:27Z")
😉 ---
**Author:** ![Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aslan_of_Narnia)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843/44 "2003-06-07T21:25:55Z")
I don’t quite see how it’s a “vanity” search. You are, after all, searching for posts that you have may have missed that reference you or a quote by you. I also find it ridiculous when people treat it as some sort of ego boosting thing, ie “the monday morning vanity search must’ve returned a lot of hits”. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843/45 "2003-06-07T21:34:09Z")
Hmm. For the purpose of vanity searching, I will now request that from now on everyone refer to me as **MeanOldLady** , and never simply **MOL**. Thanks. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843/46 "2003-06-07T21:35:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Aslan2 \* > \*\*I don’t quite see how it’s a “vanity” search. You are, after all, searching for posts that you have may have missed that reference you or a quote by you. I also find it ridiculous when people treat it as some sort of ego boosting thing, ie “the monday morning vanity search must’ve returned a lot of hits”. \*\* Wouldn’t the latter statement contradict the former? Anyway, it’s just a term. If you have a better one, I’m sure we’d love to hear it. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aslan_of_Narnia)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2003, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843/47 "2003-06-08T04:07:25Z")
No. I was saying that most people in this thread are using it to find posts that quote them, or reference them, in case they might need to add or correct them, or leave it be in case they have nothing to add. The people who treat the term “vanity search” negatively are saying that people with large egos search to see how much people talk about them because they’re vain. It’s usually attributed to people who only appear when their name is mentioned. Dunno about a new term… The wording just seems to indicate that the people who do it are vain. ---
**Author:** ![5-HT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/f19dbf/32.png) [@5-HT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5-HT)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2003, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843/48 "2003-06-08T04:16:13Z")
Sadly, the shortness of my username prevents me from doing vanity searches of the sort you describe. Luckily, I don’t think anyone has ever mentioned me outside of a thread I was participating in. ---
**Author:** ![lel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8797f3/32.png) [@lel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lel)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2003, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843/49 "2003-06-08T05:57:20Z")
**dantheman** , doing a search with wildcards works fine unless your name is in other words. (I think I need to rant about the word solely now. Stupid, rotten, useless word.) Can you try doing a search on “5-HT\*”, **5-HT**? ---
**Author:** ![XJETGIRLX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9fc29f/32.png) [@XJETGIRLX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XJETGIRLX)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2003, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843/50 "2003-06-08T06:04:56Z")
I stopped doing vanity searches when I realized the only place my name was turning up was in those alphabet name threads. Apparently there aren’t enough of Xers. ---
**Author:** ![Drastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Drastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drastic)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2003, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843/51 "2003-06-08T06:09:00Z")
I’m an adjective. Cuts back on the vanity. ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2003, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843/52 "2003-06-08T06:21:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MeanOldLady \* > Hmm. For the purpose of vanity searching, I will now request that from now on everyone refer to me as **MeanOldLady** , and never simply **MOL**. Thanks. 🙂 Along those lines, I will request that people not refer to me as **Archernar** , **Achenar** , **Achemar** , **Acharnar** , or **Spunky**. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2003, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843/53 "2003-06-08T07:22:50Z")
“Ice” is always under the radar, and there are a heck of a lot of wolves out there … So … no. One less turn of the hamster wheel, I suppose. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Flamsterette\_X](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/41988e/32.png) [@Flamsterette\_X](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flamsterette_X)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2003, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843/54 "2003-06-08T07:32:16Z")
I do them every few days; I just search on “flams\*”… doing that will generally get me threads in which people have quoted / talked about me. Of course… if people call me F\_X, Flam, Flami, or some other weird variation of my username… it won’t work. Oh well. F\_X ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2003, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843/55 "2003-06-08T12:11:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Aslan2 \* > \*\*No. I was saying that most people in this thread are using it to find posts that quote them, or reference them, in case they might need to add or correct them, or leave it be in case they have nothing to add. > > The people who treat the term “vanity search” negatively are saying that people with large egos search to see how much people talk about them because they’re vain. It’s usually attributed to people who only appear when their name is mentioned. > > Dunno about a new term… The wording just seems to indicate that the people who do it are vain. \*\* So your problem is only with those who treat the term negatively. I haven’t seen much of that, to tell the truth. ---
**Author:** ![Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aslan_of_Narnia)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2003, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843/56 "2003-06-08T12:43:13Z")
Yep. I don’t see that much of it, it just bothers me when it does show up though. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2003, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843/57 "2003-06-08T12:45:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lel \* > \*_ **dantheman** , doing a search with wildcards works fine unless your name is in other words. (I think I need to rant about the word solely now. Stupid, rotten, useless word.) Can you try doing a search on "5-HT_", **5-HT**? \*\* You’re right, **lel** … in the thread about people who have never been pitted, I said I was gonna check on those who had posted. I checked on “Kat,” and of course, “Kate Bush,” “Katherine Harris,” and many others came up. ---
**Author:** ![Flamsterette\_X](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/41988e/32.png) [@Flamsterette\_X](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flamsterette_X)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843/58 "2003-06-13T03:26:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NE Texan \* > **… or a nickname (doesn’t someone refer to Flamsterette as Hamsterette?), or an abbreviation (more likely for people with long, wordy, usernames; I can’t come up with an example at the moment).** The only person whom I will allow to refer to me as “Hamsterette” is **Spoz** … after all, he came up with it last October. 😃 Of course, if I’m feeling particularly generous… there MIGHT be exceptions. (but not generally) People refer to me by a few nicknames, so I guess in order to get most of the results about me… I’d have to use a few different things in the search box. **Flam Flami Flamster Flamsterette Flamsterette\_X Flammi Flammie Flammy Flamie F\_X FlamX** There’s more, I’m quite sure… (plus the ever-so-inventive nicknames that **TheLoadedDog** keeps coming up with… cheers for those, if you’re reading this) As for long, wordy nicknames… some I’ve seen are: **A wizard song for thee if you don’t know I won’t tell the grim spectre of red death Biffy the Elephant Shrew The Man With The Golden Gun Second Star to the Right** Lots more in that list that I’m forgetting, I’m sure. F\_X ---
**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843/59 "2003-06-13T03:37:02Z")
Probably 30% of the hits on vanity searches by keyword (not username) are just people throwing “mouthbreather” around as an insult. Another 4% to people with nasal problems. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2003, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843/60 "2003-06-13T12:43:52Z")
Don’t forget **you with the face** , Flami. I love that name. HEY! You with the face! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vanity-searches/179843.md?page=4)