# Searching on arachnoboards



## moricollins

Searching on arachnoboards:
There are two ways to search on arachnoboards: through the site itself, and through Google

I'll walk you through both methods.

First, let's start with searching on arachnoboards itself.

For this example we're going to search for information on Phormictopus auratus.

On arachnoboards there's a search button (magnifying glass) on the top menu bar:












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Click on the magnifying glass

Next click on advanced search












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Next click on "search threads"












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Next enter the search phrase (in the case of our example "Phormictopus auratus")












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Now, because we're looking for information on a tarantula and aren't looking to see the for sale/classified ads, we're going to deselect "all forums", and then scroll down and select the two main tarantula forums, and then press "Ok"












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Next click on Search (with the handy magnifying glass beside it) and the search engine will search for all threads in the tarantula chat and tarantula discussions forums that contain the search words.












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Now onto the Google method, we'll look for the same species of tarantula on arachnoboards.

Go to Google, in the search bar enter Phormictopus auratus site: arachnoboards.com












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This will search for all content on arachnoboards containing the words Phormictopus auratus.













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If you have any questions, or need help with searching, you can contact @moricollins , he'll be happy to help you search.

Reactions: Like 4 | Agree 1 | Informative 1 | Funny 1 | Helpful 6 | Useful 1 | Award 4 | Winner 1


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## Smotzer

I love that you did this , but you know there will still be some who just don’t do this and your title will remain arachno search engine

Reactions: Thanks 1 | Agree 1


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## DomGom TheFather

This is helpful. Especially for newbies
 but it doesn't get them into a conversation. 
I'm pretty sure most people just want someone to talk to. The information is secondary.

Reactions: Thanks 1 | Agree 2 | Thinking 1


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## moricollins

Smotzer said:


> I love that you did this , but you know there will still be some who just don’t do this and your title will remain arachno search engine


Oh, I know.

I have a follow-up post that I'm working on, which is linking keywords to limit / filter the search results.



DomGom TheFather said:


> This is helpful. Especially for newbies
> but it doesn't get them into a conversation.
> I'm pretty sure most people just want someone to talk to. The information is secondary.


That I can't fix (and do not understand, I'm all about the information not the talking, but that could just be my personality  ).

For people that want the conversation, searching would get them threads they can reply to in order to get conversations going

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## jrh3

The new person is not going to think to use the search function to search for how to search for info.

Reactions: Funny 4


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## moricollins

jrh3 said:


> The new person is not going to think to use the search function to search for how to search for info.


Dang it, a flaw in my plan

Reactions: Funny 3


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## DomGom TheFather

moricollins said:


> Oh, I know.
> 
> I have a follow-up post that I'm working on, which is linking keywords to limit / filter the search results.
> 
> 
> That I can't fix (and do not understand, I'm all about the information not the talking, but that could just be my personality  ).
> 
> For people that want the conversation, searching would get them threads they can reply to in order to get conversations going


When I first joined I accidentally posted on a thread where no one had been talking for years. I was politely informed but that was the end of the conversation. Lol

Reactions: Funny 4


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## Smotzer

DomGom TheFather said:


> When I first joined I accidentally posted on a thread where no one had been talking for years. I was politely informed but that was the end of the conversation. Lol


I did the exact same thing when I joined I dredged up a 7yr old thread when trying to use the search function

Reactions: Like 1


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## EpicEpic

Smotzer said:


> I did the exact same thing when I joined I dredged up a 7yr old thread when trying to use the search function


Yeah. Pet peeve--Why do people care if threads are resurrected? I'm not looking for OP...

Im looking for new and updated info on a topic that was touched on 10 years ago without creating a new thread.

Reactions: Like 3 | Agree 2


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## moricollins

Followup information:

If you put quotes around the search words the forum will search for that exact phrase on the forum, for example if you enter "auratus enclosure" and search it limits the results to threads containing that exact phrase:



You can do a similar filtering on Google by putting + between the keywords

Reactions: Agree 1 | Helpful 1 | Useful 1


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## jrh3

EpicEpic said:


> Yeah. Pet peeve--Why do people care if threads are resurrected? I'm not looking for OP...
> 
> Im looking for new and updated info on a topic that was touched on 10 years ago without creating a new thread.


I find it interesting and keeps the forums active, when I see a resurrected thread Sometimes I think wow why haven’t I seen this one before. If everyone searched and never posted the forum would just be a big archive.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## FrDoc

No, no, no, we need none of this!  I love logging in and wading through the “Is my snuggle muffin in pre-molt?”  And, “I fed my 1/4” sling a superworm yesterday, and he didn’t eat this morning.  Is he dying?”  You’re taking all the enjoyment out of this...

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1 | Funny 7 | Award 1


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## viper69

DomGom TheFather said:


> This is helpful. Especially for newbies
> but it doesn't get them into a conversation.
> I'm pretty sure most people just want someone to talk to. The information is secondary.


That’s a very interesting concept; I believe you’re right for many of them.

@moricollins there was a google page which listed all the basic logic commands to give better search results. I’d throw that up there too if it still exists.

Reactions: Like 1


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## moricollins

viper69 said:


> @moricollins there was a google page which listed all the basic logic commands to give better search results. I’d throw that up there too if it still exists.


Here's a page giving suggestions:

https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/2466433?hl=en

Reactions: Like 1 | Useful 1


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## Vanessa

Okay, you know how much I advocate for the search option to be used... however, there are problems with it.
1. The minimum amount of characters that you search on is too high. You cannot search on egg sac, for example. You receive an error. You cannot use "egg sac", because a lot of people are going to use sac by itself.
2. When the forum is filled with subject lines like... HELP!!!, HELP!!!!!!, URGENT HELP NEEDED!!!!!, URGENT!!!!, you can literally end up with your search results coming back with a whole slew of threads with those subject lines that you now have to wade through to see if they are even really relevant to what you're searching on. Do you really expect people to go through three pages to find out that the words they searched on were mentioned one time half way down the third page? Those subject lines render the search function almost useless for emergency situations and that is where people need it to work the most. When I brought this up, a moderator deleted my comment instead of changing the subject line to something more helpful and relevant. I cannot blame someone for skipping the frustration and just asking the question again.
3. The search function is not going to find what you're looking for if you have misspelled a word, or the word is misspelled in the thread. Moderators should be ensuring that the subject line of the post is spelled properly.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## Arachnid Addicted

Vanessa said:


> Okay, you know how much I advocate for the search option to be used... however, there are problems with it.
> 1. The minimum amount of characters that you search on is too high. You cannot search on egg sac, for example. You receive an error. You cannot use "egg sac", because a lot of people are going to use sac by itself.
> 2. When the forum is filled with subject lines like... HELP!!!, HELP!!!!!!, URGENT HELP NEEDED!!!!!, URGENT!!!!, you can literally end up with your search results coming back with a whole slew of threads with those subject lines that you now have to wade through to see if they are even really relevant to what you're searching on. Do you really expect people to go through three pages to find out that the words they searched on were mentioned one time half way down the third page? Those subject lines render the search function almost useless for emergency situations and that is where people need it to work the most. When I brought this up, a moderator deleted my comment instead of changing the subject line to something more helpful and relevant. I cannot blame someone for skipping the frustration and just asking the question again.
> 3. The search function is not going to find what you're looking for if you have misspelled a word, or the word is misspelled in the thread. Moderators should be ensuring that the subject line of the post is spelled properly.


I didnt ran into these character problems until I read your post and went to test it. What I find interesting, though, is that you can't find "egg sac", but "eggsac", "eggsack" or simply, "sack", complete the search. Lol.

Reactions: Funny 1


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## moricollins

Arachnid Addicted said:


> I didnt ran into these character problems until I read your post and went to test it. What I find interesting, though, is that you can't find "egg sac", but "eggsac", "eggsack" or simply, "sack", complete the search. Lol.


This approach works 



Vanessa said:


> Okay, you know how much I advocate for the search option to be used... however, there are problems with it.
> 1. The minimum amount of characters that you search on is too high. You cannot search on egg sac, for example. You receive an error. You cannot use "egg sac", because a lot of people are going to use sac by itself.
> 2. When the forum is filled with subject lines like... HELP!!!, HELP!!!!!!, URGENT HELP NEEDED!!!!!, URGENT!!!!, you can literally end up with your search results coming back with a whole slew of threads with those subject lines that you now have to wade through to see if they are even really relevant to what you're searching on. Do you really expect people to go through three pages to find out that the words they searched on were mentioned one time half way down the third page? Those subject lines render the search function almost useless for emergency situations and that is where people need it to work the most. When I brought this up, a moderator deleted my comment instead of changing the subject line to something more helpful and relevant. I cannot blame someone for skipping the frustration and just asking the question again.
> 3. The search function is not going to find what you're looking for if you have misspelled a word, or the word is misspelled in the thread. Moderators should be ensuring that the subject line of the post is spelled properly.


Hi Vanessa, thanks for bringing this up. 

Searching isn't going to be foolproof, unfortunately. 

Sometimes I can't find the things I'm looking for when I search, and I'm pretty familiar with the searching functions. 

1. You can put an * beside the term to make it long enough that the search will work, for example sac* should work. (* Are wildcard characters)

2. People would need to search for the actual issue they're looking for help on , for example instead of : "urgent help" the person would need to search for: "impaction" or "unresponsive" if that's what they think the issue is.

3. Not a whole lot anyone can do if the user is misspelling the word when they search. The search functions search within the threads and posts, so if it's spelled correctly somewhere then the search should find it.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## Vanessa

moricollins said:


> 2. People would need to search for the actual issue they're looking for help on , for example instead of : "urgent help" the person would need to search for: "impaction" or "unresponsive" if that's what they think the issue is.


Yes, I know that. The problem arises when someone searches on 'stuck molt' and the search results come back with a slew of useless titles - HELP!, URGENT!!!!!, HELP ME!!! -  that are not relevant to 'stuck molt' and the person has to wade through all of them to figure out if they are relevant. 
A thread is going to be listed even if 'stuck molt' is found one time in any of the thread responses. How is the person supposed to know that HELLLPPP!!! is about stuck molts, or is about something else entirely with 'stuck molt' being mentioned in one of the responses?


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## viper69

The problem with searching has little to do with software, and everything to do with lazy people who want to be spoon fed info like this is a fast food joint.

No software is perfect, but people should accept responsibility here.

They spend time “researching” what they want but not how to care for a living animal.

Reactions: Award 2


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## Smotzer

viper69 said:


> The problem with searching has little to do with software, and everything to do with lazy people who want to be spoon fed info like this is a fast food joint.


I wonder how many post would get resolved if everyone always searched and read multiple threads before posting. 
it’s funny though if they did what the hell would be going on here on a daily basis without all the repetitive help molt and other similar threads

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Marlana

This is really helpful for a newbie!! Thank you 
 I actually rarely post because I usually can find what I’m looking for and just naturally research everything related to spider for fun.
But this guide helps streamline the process!

Reactions: Like 1


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## moricollins

Smotzer said:


> I wonder how many post would get resolved if everyone always searched and read multiple threads before posting.
> it’s funny though if they did what the hell would be going on here on a daily basis without all the repetitive help molt and other similar threads


What I've seen on other forums, that really gives most of the people offering assistance help, is where powwow have been searching and reading and still have questions of they either reply to the old threads with their new questions or they start a be thread and link to the old threads and explain the new question. This way people know what knowledge base the user likely has, and can tailor the advice to the specific questions

Searching is never going to be the one-stop shop for answers, but it can help you get INSTANT information on issues/problems, much faster than posting a new thread and hoping someone answers quickly.


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## Colorado Ts

EpicEpic said:


> Yeah. Pet peeve--Why do people care if threads are resurrected? I'm not looking for OP...
> 
> Im looking for new and updated info on a topic that was touched on 10 years ago without creating a new thread.


If I see a continuation of the dialogue, I see nothing wrong with resurrecting an old thread. But there are some here that get really offended at the thought....

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Smotzer

moricollins said:


> What I've seen on other forums, that really gives most of the people offering assistance help, is where powwow have been searching and reading and still have questions of they either reply to the old threads with their new questions or they start a be thread and link to the old threads and explain the new question. This way people know what knowledge base the user likely has, and can tailor the advice to the specific questions
> 
> Searching is never going to be the one-stop shop for answers, but it can help you get INSTANT information on issues/problems, much faster than posting a new thread and hoping someone answers quickly.


Oh yeah I don’t see it as bad as this on my other forums at all!

I agree with you computer though. It would at least be nice to know people did a little research before just posting! Would go a long way

Reactions: Agree 1


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## EpicEpic

Colorado Ts said:


> If I see a continuation of the dialogue, I see nothing wrong with resurrecting an old thread. But there are some here that get really offended at the thought....


Continuation in dialogue in those threads seems to end abruptly when a person with 5 posts "yells" out...."This is an 8 year old thread!!!" Hahaha!


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## Colorado Ts

EpicEpic said:


> Continuation in dialogue in those threads seems to end abruptly when a person with 5 posts "yells" out...."This is an 8 year old thread!!!" Hahaha!


Yeah...the content is still pertinent, the conversation is still pertinent....but OMG!!!...in some people's minds, there's a time stamp.

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Smotzer

Colorado Ts said:


> Yeah...the content is still pertinent, the conversation is still pertinent....but OMG!!!...in some people's minds, there's a time stamp.


Yeah some people definitely can’t stand it.  The only thing Is sometimes the people on the originals thread aren’t active members any more so there can’t really be much continuation of the conversation between original posters and new ones. That’s the only thing I see with it

Reactions: Funny 1


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## EpicEpic

Colorado Ts said:


> Yeah...the content is still pertinent, the conversation is still pertinent....but OMG!!!...in some people's minds, there's a time stamp.


Better then pertinent! In desperate need of a refresher!!

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Imthe new guy

I'm new here, this was some really good info. 

It never hurts to point out the obvious to a new member. We are all here to learn and grow the hobby. At least that is the reason I am here.

That is how the student becomes the teacher. Disparaging remarks don't help anyone, they just make some people feel self important and inflates egos. I never waste my valuable time on people like that.  

 THANK YOU for posting this Search information, it was very useful.

Reactions: Like 2


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## Katya

moricollins said:


> Searching on arachnoboards:
> There are two ways to search on arachnoboards: through the site itself, and through Google
> 
> I'll walk you through both methods.


Thank you so much for making this! I've been told to use the search function for some of my questions, and all I got was random info that wasn't what I wanted xD Ty!

Reactions: Like 1


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## moricollins

Katya said:


> Thank you so much for making this! I've been told to use the search function for some of my questions, and all I got was random info that wasn't what I wanted xD Ty!


If you're having trouble finding relevant info after a  search then you can send me a message and I can see what I can dig up.

Reactions: Like 1 | Helpful 1


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