Kathy, speaking just for myself, I'm more than willing to do....and have done....searches for folks in the Travel Safety/Security Forum. I've done it during this Search downtime and prior when a new poster PM'ed me who wasn't familiar with the Search function. And I received a PM just last week from a regular in another Forum who needed help in searching that Forum when the Forum moderators weren't "on duty" at the time.
Now I don't want to open a can of worms here but, time permitting, I'm willing to perform search functions for those that are in need. If you see the little green light that shows I'm online, feel free to PM me and I'll help out where I can.
One caveat: If I start getting 50 PM's an hour, I may be forced to go into "invisible" mode....;).

PS....I see gleff beat me to the punch with this offer....I'm a slow typer :).
While I certainly don't want to volunteer other moderators for assisting on the search function, I think you'll find most of us are a helpful bunch and will pitch in where we can.

FYI.. . just so the "facts" are provided here since Kathy has brought up the *wood forum.. .every person who requires a search and PMs one of the moderators has been provided a personal response with the appropriate threads.

I asked Kathy to stop posting "do a search" as her response to the newbies on the board since it was not a constructive response and was causing others to have bad feelings with that response.

Kathy, to my knowledge, as of today you have never requested any searches to be performed by any one of the mods in *wood.

Stalkers...
 

I'm kinda glad the search engine is down.

Keeps troublemakers from doing searches on another member's past posts, so that they can bring that post up in one of their arguments as "evidence". It also keeps troublemakers from "researching & profiling" you.

When the search engine goes back up, how about a feature that blocks one from searching on a member if that member requests so?

M8

While this may be a true statement once every blue moon, the search feature is a valuable tool on Flyertalk. For the most part, after you're here a while, you can figure out who's been naughty and who's been nice. :)

For those who are looking to trade/gift in Coupon Connection, a search of a members postings provides enough info to see if that poster is always a give me give me poster. Many times I have not sent a free cert to someone who always takes, but never gives.

As for the statement above about FT being 'littered' (my words) with the same new questions over and over again... oh well. Does make for some interesting reading.

dhammer53 Brooklyn Reality Tour takes place Friday April 29.

To respond to the above, as well as the responses by other moderators here:

1. "Every person who requires a search and PMs one of the moderators" does not cover even a small fraction of the cases where a search is needed. My point is that very often, posters are not even aware of the existence of dozens (or hundreds) of existing posts on a topic, and therefore it would not occur to them to PM a moderator for a search. @:-)

2. I haven't posted "do a search" in a long, long, long while. Instead, I have called attention to the existence of the search function (previously, the FT search function, and now, Google). If someone is unaware of this function, this info can be helpful to them in two ways: they find out about the existence of search, and they find out about the existence of a wealth of information on the topic they are asking about. @:-)

3. I have never requested a search of the moderators because I can use Google or other search engines myself. My point is that although moderators may REACT to search requests, they may or may not be proactive in helping people who start the hundredth new thread on the Hilton NYC, the Sheraton NYC, or whatever well-worn subject it may be. Of course, moderators vary in this respect; obviously some have or make more time to devote to their moderation duties and some are more likely to be proactive than others. But since moderators now have exclusive access to the FT search function, perhaps being proactive and helpful is appropriate. It isn't just about being a police officer. @:-) @:-) @:-)

I have never requested moderator search assistance, but my failure to do so is hardly because Google is getting the job done. It most certainly is not. Instead, I prefer not to burden the moderators with frequent pleas for assistance.

I am sure that there are many moderators who are more than willing to help on request on occassion. And good for them. But this reality is hardly a viable substitute for the return of a regular search feature.

If we can't search a members past posts, how would you know to trust them on a trade or meeting them for dinner on a mileage run, etc.?

CF

Why is this a secret?
 

If this is the work around, why is it not posted in the announcement at the top of the page? I just stumbled over this today, and I'm on FT daily. (OK, obviously not the Tech Forum, where Tim directed me after a question about when search will be restored.) As a relative newcomer, I would have benefitted from knowing this much more than the senior members, who may have a better feel for previously posted topics.

What an odd, very odd thing to say? :confused:

cactuspete,


The question was answered in post # 20 of this thread.

I'm sure once they know a date they will let us know, rather than read post, after post, after post, after post....well you get the idea ;)

A few minutes ago I absentmindedly clicked on "New Posts" and received results.

Once.

Now it won't work.

Was I dreaming? Hallucinating? Or are we almost back?

And now I don't even see that button anymore...

Well, no, it wasn't. Randy basically said "we'll fix it when we can". I'm asking for an ETA.