# When's the last time you did a vanity search on here? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 23, 2008, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whens-the-last-time-you-did-a-vanity-search-on-here/478427 "2008-12-23T10:39:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2008, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whens-the-last-time-you-did-a-vanity-search-on-here/478427/41 "2008-12-25T01:22:03Z")
> [@SHAKES](#): > > I’ll do a search of threads I’ve posted in every time I log on. I thought this was standard procedure. How the heck are you supposed know if someone has responded to something you said? What if they have a question about something you said? > > Or do some people just not care? 😕 Um…you could do what I do: click on your name and choose “all posts by” and quickly see if any of the threads you posted to have new responses. You have to have some idea what # your post was, though. I’ve never searched for my name to see if people have replied to _me_, because I sort of care what others might have added after me regardless. ---
**Author:** ![Kal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Kal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kal)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2008, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whens-the-last-time-you-did-a-vanity-search-on-here/478427/42 "2008-12-25T01:37:45Z")
Never and I couldn’t if I wanted to. ---
**Author:** ![Sleel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/73ab20/32.png) [@Sleel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleel)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whens-the-last-time-you-did-a-vanity-search-on-here/478427/43 "2008-12-26T09:35:29Z")
Never. No point. Don’t really care if anyone is talking about me, only care if they’re talking to me. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whens-the-last-time-you-did-a-vanity-search-on-here/478427/44 "2008-12-26T18:04:13Z")
I did one for the first time ever a few weeks ago. I actually found something, which shocked me. It was a thread where my pal **Lobsang** was just being weird and making a list of seemingly random posters. I never saw the thread and didn’t get to participate and I was bummed. I do often do a “find all posts by…” search, just to check up on threads I posted in to see if there were any good replies I missed. Usually not. ---
**Author:** ![Heropsychodreamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@Heropsychodreamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heropsychodreamer)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whens-the-last-time-you-did-a-vanity-search-on-here/478427/45 "2008-12-26T19:04:45Z")
One thread came up on a search for my name. the post was by elfkin477 on May 16, 2004. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=4863696&postcount=46](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=4863696&postcount=46) ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whens-the-last-time-you-did-a-vanity-search-on-here/478427/46 "2008-12-26T20:32:40Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > No one’s used the word boyo in more than a week. I’m devastated. I did another search today, and found someone mentioned me about four hours after I bitched upthread – and did so in a totally different thread, even. I’m back to believing I’m the king of the world! ---
**Author:** ![Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whens-the-last-time-you-did-a-vanity-search-on-here/478427/47 "2008-12-26T20:36:37Z")
I never do vanity searches; my name is too common a word. I’d consider changing my username to something which could be vanity-searched, but hell, I’m already well aware that I’m on nobody’s radar here. 🙂 ---
**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:** [December 27, 2008, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whens-the-last-time-you-did-a-vanity-search-on-here/478427/48 "2008-12-27T18:18:41Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I did one for the first time ever a few weeks ago. I actually found something, which shocked me. It was a thread where my pal **Lobsang** was just being weird and making a list of seemingly random posters. I never saw the thread and didn’t get to participate and I was bummed. > > I do often do a “find all posts by…” search, just to check up on threads I posted in to see if there were any good replies I missed. Usually not. The thread in question was “List of people who are on this list”. At the time there were a lot of list threads and I thought I’d make one. How come you never got to see it or participate in it? ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2008, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whens-the-last-time-you-did-a-vanity-search-on-here/478427/49 "2008-12-28T07:40:56Z")
Never have. ---
**Author:** ![Second\_Star\_to\_the\_Right](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3bc359/32.png) [@Second\_Star\_to\_the\_Right](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Second_Star_to_the_Right)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whens-the-last-time-you-did-a-vanity-search-on-here/478427/50 "2008-12-29T02:08:09Z")
Can’t do one, as all the words in my username are either too short or too common. Also, I have so few posts I think I fly under the radar most of the time. ---
**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:** [December 30, 2008, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whens-the-last-time-you-did-a-vanity-search-on-here/478427/51 "2008-12-30T15:00:21Z")
> [@Second\_Star\_to\_the\_Right](#): > > Can’t do one, as all the words in my username are either too short or too common. Also, I have so few posts I think I fly under the radar most of the time. I tried to do one with your name. I broke it!.. **“Fatal error: Allowed memory size of 134217728 bytes exhausted (tried to allocate 4194304 bytes) in /home/straightdope/boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/search.php on line 1007”** ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whens-the-last-time-you-did-a-vanity-search-on-here/478427/52 "2008-12-30T17:22:58Z")
I don’t think I ever do vanity searches. I assume everyone but the four of you who exchange emails with me hate me. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whens-the-last-time-you-did-a-vanity-search-on-here/478427/53 "2008-12-30T20:18:39Z")
I don’t know what that is ☹ ---
**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:** [December 30, 2008, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whens-the-last-time-you-did-a-vanity-search-on-here/478427/54 "2008-12-30T20:21:23Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > I don’t know what that is ☹ It’s where you search for your name ‘Sir T-Cups’ to see if anyone has mentioned you. ---
**Author:** ![Walkabout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/46a35a/32.png) [@Walkabout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walkabout)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whens-the-last-time-you-did-a-vanity-search-on-here/478427/55 "2008-12-30T20:29:10Z")
I do it once or twice a year, just to see if my username has come up anywhere. Other than the Feud threads that I participate in, I’ve been mentioned exactly once. I guess that could be a good thing. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whens-the-last-time-you-did-a-vanity-search-on-here/478427/56 "2008-12-30T21:17:40Z")
> [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](#): > > Pig is a three-letter word, and searching on Freddy gives hits for **eddyteddyfreddy** , who posts and gets mentioned more often. So no, I don’t bother. Aha! So you’re the reason I got a hit when I just ran a vanity search! Which I normally don’t do, but upon seeing the title of this thread felt an irresistible compulsion to engage in, setting the time for a week’s worth of Dopery. Only to discover that no one has been talking about me, especially not in the “Dopers you admire” thread. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whens-the-last-time-you-did-a-vanity-search-on-here/478427/57 "2008-12-30T21:58:27Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > Only to discover that no one has been talking about me, especially not in the “Dopers you admire” thread. ☹ There’s the difference between us…I only did it to make sure I _wasn’t_ mentioned in the “Dopers You Can’t Stand” thread… And was pretty happy that I wasn’t! ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whens-the-last-time-you-did-a-vanity-search-on-here/478427/58 "2008-12-31T01:29:53Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > There’s the difference between us…I only did it to make sure I _wasn’t_ mentioned in the “Dopers You Can’t Stand” thread… > > And was pretty happy that I wasn’t! Well, I’d already checked THAT one. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ambushed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3bc359/32.png) [@ambushed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ambushed)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2009, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whens-the-last-time-you-did-a-vanity-search-on-here/478427/59 "2009-01-02T04:19:35Z")
When I created my handle, I hadn’t considered whether it would be searchable or not. Only when I later tried a vanity search to see if anyone was directing any comments at me did I realize that I shouldn’t have used a common English word. As a result, I cannot do a vanity search without thousands of false positives, so I don’t bother trying. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whens-the-last-time-you-did-a-vanity-search-on-here/478427.md?page=2)