Can someone tell me... (problems searching for short words)

KikiteNeko · Mar 13, 2009

why my search term has to be 4 letters long?

All I want to do is find out if there's a thread for the HBO series "Big Love" and I can't search for it because "big" is too small. Cutely ironic, but frustrating. And what if someone wants to search for "goobers vs. raisinettes"? Why have the moderatoratory gods decided upon this? Please tell me how to locate my dream threads containing words fewer than four letters

jvc · Mar 13, 2009

tomothecat said:
why my search term has to be 4 letters long?

All I want to do is find out if there's a thread for the HBO series "Big Love" and I can't search for it because "big" is too small. Cutely ironic, but frustrating. And what if someone wants to search for "goobers vs. raisinettes"? Why have the moderatoratory gods decided upon this? Please tell me how to locate my dream threads containing words fewer than four letters

I don't know why that is, but it is, so we have to make do

.

One way you can search is by including the ".." so if you wanted to search Big Love, don't just type it as Big Love, type it as "Big Love", it make help you out.

KikiteNeko · Mar 13, 2009

jvc said:
I don't know why that is, but it is, so we have to make do .

One way you can search is by including the ".." so if you wanted to search Big Love, don't just type it as Big Love, type it as "Big Love", it make help you out.

But what if the "'s aren't in the thread title?

jvc · Mar 13, 2009

tomothecat said:
But what if the "'s aren't in the thread title?

I don't think it matters, it takes it as a search phrase or something.

I'll pop this over to the FAQ forum, someone may be able to explain this better than I

Ken · Mar 13, 2009

a roundabout, but effective way: just google "absolute write" and the term you're searching for. Also can do an advanced search and plug in the AW url. (Tip picked up from Medievalist. So if it doesn't work blame her ;-)

jvc · Mar 13, 2009

I tried a quick search with Big Love inside the quotes, "Big Love" , and it pulled up the threads and posts just fine, so it does work

dpaterso · Mar 14, 2009

tomothecat said:
why my search term has to be 4 letters long?
Why have the moderatoratory gods decided upon this?

It's a board software limitation that's beyond our control, as explained elsewhere, often.

Also explained elsewhere, often, and mentioned above, goto Google and limit the search to AW, e.g.
site:absolutewrite.com "search string"

-Derek

Sophia · Mar 14, 2009

You can also use the Google Search box at the bottom of each AW page and click the button for www.absolutewrite.com, so that it only searches here and not the whole web.

dpaterso · Mar 14, 2009

No one told me that! Why didn't anyone tell me that?!

-Derek

benbradley · Mar 14, 2009

I just use the site: tag in google, and it finds this thread PDQ:
big love site:absolutewrite.com

Fulk · Mar 14, 2009

And JVC is correct, using quotation marks around keywords searches for the entire phrase, which also bypasses the 4-character minimum. But only if you have another word following it. IE, "cat" still won't work, but "cat pictures" will.

Horserider · Mar 18, 2009

I've always been annoyed by that too. Like with three letter names of agents. Glad i read this. I'll have to try the quotation mark thing next time.

Can someone tell me... (problems searching for short words)

KikiteNeko

.

jvc

Fearsome Dragon Mod

KikiteNeko

.

jvc

Fearsome Dragon Mod

Ken

jvc

Fearsome Dragon Mod

dpaterso

Also in our Discord and IRC chat channels

Sophia

dpaterso

Also in our Discord and IRC chat channels

benbradley

It's a doggy dog world

Fulk

Occasional Contributer

Horserider

Ever onward