I'm not sure if this is possible to configure with vBulletin, but it here it goes....

The current behavior when doing searches on a forum:

1. User types in search criteria
2. If no results
a. "No results" message is displayed
b. Drop down list of forums is displayed

A desirable feature would be to add:

c. Search box with users previous search query is displayed so that user can refine the search and try again.

It seems that searching is a really big deal on the forums and the more usable the feature is, the better chance we have of avoiding the reposted topics and the especially annoying "use the search feature" posts.

As well, maybe we could put the forum search box directly on the page instead of having people click on it first. The single input box on a page has become the de factor standard for end-users recognizing a search box. Given the amount of information on a page it's easy for end-users (especially new ones) to overlook a text link.

Once again, I don't know if this can be easily configured in vBulletin or would require some major hacking.