A heads up for those new to GF...

[thestack510]

When you have a question, before you post a new thread on an old topic, try using the search function. I've been told it doesn't work all that great on vbulletin in another thread, but the trick is to put the word or phrase that you are looking for in qoutes like "sand" or "sand impaction" for example. The search tool works much better when you use quotation marks.

 

[OhioGecko]

This is incorrect and does not work. The quotes will do nothing for the search. But you can still do and should search your topic by typing in a single word such as sand or impaction. It is a little cumbersome to filter through the posts unrealated but you can eventually find what you are looking for.

When you have a question, before you post a new thread on an old topic, try using the search function. I've been told it doesn't work all that great on vbulletin in another thread, but the trick is to put the word or phrase that you are looking for in qoutes like "sand" or "sand impaction" for example. The search tool works much better when you use quotation marks.

 

[OhioGecko]

By the way good advice Ken, this topic could almost be a sticky. It would help cut down on the same questions being asked weekly such as sand impaction.

 

[Nigel4less]

Weekly if not Daily...

 

[thestack510]

This is incorrect and does not work...

Oddly enough I think the trouble is that it works a little too well, if that makes any sense. It finds any instance of the search word(s) I believe. If it could be made to query only subject lines it may be more helpful, but by the same token you would in part be narrowing your options.

 

[OhioGecko]

Oddly enough I think the trouble is that it works a little too well, if that makes any sense. It finds any instance of the search word(s) I believe. If it could be made to query only subject lines it may be more helpful, but by the same token you would in part be narrowing your options.

It really does not work that well. It searches both words independently. For example if you typed "sand impaction" you would get all posts with the word sand in it ...... plus all posts with the word impaction in them. This defeats the purpose of searching for phrases.

 

[Mel&Keith]

Searching would be WAY easier if people would use the topic of their thread as the title and post it in the correct section! LOL

For instance, if the question is about runny defecation title the thread "Strange looking poo!" in Health and Medications instead of "HELP!!!!!!!!!" in General Discussion.

 

[lizardlove]

I actually tested the use of quotations in the search, it does not work the way it does in Google. While in most search engines quotations will only give you results containing all the quoted words, here it still searches both 'sand' and 'impaction' independently. Much of the reason that people post new threads is because they DID try the search, and it didn't work. Although I understand that a lot of people will not even look and post new threads that are identical to one four or five lines under theirs in the forum, in my experience the search has been basically useless.

 

[liljenn]

There is an advance way of searching. If you click "search" and then "Advanced" you can search specific forum topics rather than all of them. This helps a lot to narrow it a bit.

Although searching doesn't work with the quotations, reading through other posts taught me A LOT when I first got on here. Sometimes the info may not be of immediate need, it may be useful to you later. Everytime I learn something new of interest, I make a printout and put it in a three-ring binder. I can't tell you how many times that has been useful to me! It seems when I am trying to remember what I read, I never seem to be able to find that thread again!

 

[shadowx362]

its works GREAT if you only search in the topic you are looking for!! Like if your gecko just had a prolapse go onto the health section and "search this forum" and it actually works pretty good!!.
I agree the general search one isn't too good, but when you narrow it down it works much better.

 

[queensnake]

I used to do that when I was part of another forum a while ago. But then when I did that once, they said for me NOT to do that because they didn't want me bringing up old posts....... ?? So can I do that then. Alright! Theres probably some interesting backlog hehe.