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[moderator]

There are two ways to search:

1) To conduct a simple search, just type the word(s) or phrase(s) you are looking for in the search box that appears at the top of every page and then hit the "Search" button. Be sure to use quotation marks. If you don't put the words or phrase(s) you wish to find in quotation marks, your search results will include posts containing any or all of the words you entered, rather than posts containing all of the words or only the exact phrase(s) you're looking for.

2) To do an advanced search, click on the blue tab that says "SEARCH." Type the word(s) or phrase(s) you're looking for in the search box and then set your search parameters.

From the pulldown menu, you may select "Match all words" or "Match any words." You may also search by phrase -- just place the phrase you wish to find in quotation marks -- or by username -- just type the name in the box marked "by user." (The default * in the "by user" field is a wildcard matching any username.)

If you check the box marked "Show results as messages," your search results will be displayed as full messages; checking the box marked "Topic subjects only" will display your results as linked excerpts.

You may search all of the forums or limit your search to a particular forum (or forums). You may also select the order in which your search results will be displayed by choosing an option from the pulldown menu under "Search order."

"Message age" lets you tell the search engine how far back to look.

After you've set your search parameters, hit the "Search" button (or hit enter on your computer keyboard) to begin searching.