# What exactly is a vanity search?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-a-vanity-search/197659>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [August 26, 2003, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-a-vanity-search/197659 "2003-08-26T02:00:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![mrsface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a9adbd/32.png) [@mrsface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrsface)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-a-vanity-search/197659/1 "2003-08-26T02:00:06Z")

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I keep seeing references to these. Is it just when you type your username into “search” and it throws up all threads you’ve recently posted in?

Or is it something a bit naughtier and more exciting?

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**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-a-vanity-search/197659/2 "2003-08-26T02:07:52Z")

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It’s a search for your user name that uses your name as a keyword, and thus finds where your name has been mentioned in a post, as opposed to just finding where you have posted. There’s some aging Brit who keeps crowding my vanity searches.

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**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-a-vanity-search/197659/3 "2003-08-26T02:19:57Z")

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Close. It’s when you search for your name, as opposed to threads you’ve posted in. This allows you to see when people are talking about you.

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**Author:** ![mrsface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a9adbd/32.png) [@mrsface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrsface)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-a-vanity-search/197659/4 "2003-08-26T02:33:03Z")

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Thanks guys.  
I’m off to try it out - there must be someone out there among the teeming millions, just one person, surely, who thinks I’m interesting enough to talk about … oh well.

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**Author:** ![green\_bladder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@green\_bladder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/green_bladder)\
**Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-a-vanity-search/197659/5 "2003-08-27T10:53:56Z")

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It also includes threads where someone has quoted you, e.g. ‘_originally posted by **username** _’

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [August 27, 2003, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-a-vanity-search/197659/6 "2003-08-27T16:46:42Z")

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Don’t go overboard on the vanity searches, though, since frivolous and broad searches are really hard on the hampsters.