I just did one, people love me.
Dan, you’re the man!
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”.
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. 
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
I’m an adjective. Cuts back on the vanity.
Along those lines, I will request that people not refer to me as Archernar, Achenar, Achemar, Acharnar, or Spunky.
“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.
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
So your problem is only with those who treat the term negatively. I haven’t seen much of that, to tell the truth.
Yep. I don’t see that much of it, it just bothers me when it does show up though.
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.
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
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.
Don’t forget you with the face, Flami. I love that name.
HEY! You with the face!