I surmise it has something to do with member vs guest. I vaguely remember something about the board going to subscription a few years back but don’t remember the details.
Is there still a subscription option? If so, does search work better for payers?
The board went to subscription for a while, and then went to subscription being optional. Subscribing will as you’ve noticed show your post count. It also gives you a few other things like blocking the ads and showing your location. I don’t know if it has any effect on searches.
No, it has no effect on the (lousy) search function.
Don’t use the board search function–it’s simply not worth the aggravation. Use google to search the site.
Pop the following into google:
site:http://boards.straightdope.com search term
You’ll get a million times better and faster results than trying to use the search function here.
ANd, to sort by date, click More Search Tools on the left hand side, and then click Current.
You’d think it’d be labeled better, but it isn’t.
I don’t know why anyone who complains about not having enough tools wouldn’t be using the advanced page to begin with.