Buggy user search results

June 22, 2005 2:05 PM

Frequently when I do a user search, they don't come up. If they do, it's because their user name is somewhere in the text, like "iconomy" at the bottom of this user page. Am I doing something wrong, or is this a bug?
posted by Specklet to bugs at 2:05 PM (10 comments total)

I occasionally have that problem, and it's always because I forget that, not only with posts, but with users as well, you have to change the dropdown box on the right from "in the past year" to "since day one" to get everyone.
posted by Bugbread at 2:11 PM on June 22, 2005

I didn't have a problem looking up my name or yours, specklet, but I would suggest just using google anyway.
site:metafilter.com inurl:*insert username*

I don't think it's too much to say that the internal search function is worthless.
posted by puke & cry at 2:37 PM on June 22, 2005

D'oh, that's it. Egg on my face.

But look, I still have to click on almost every "iconomy" before finding her user page. Could there be some way to simplify this?

On preview: I don't think it's too much to say that the internal search function is worthless.

Oh.
posted by Specklet at 2:41 PM on June 22, 2005

Specklet, just use this url:

http://www.metafilter.com/username.mefi/Specklet

and of course, change your name to the name of whomever it is you're looking for. I used to keep that url stored on my userpage so I could find it easily. I called it my 'handy dandy user locator" ;)

And thanks for picking my name to use! I didn't know that portage was even a member here...his weblog was a huge favorite of mine before he stopped updating.
posted by iconomy at 2:56 PM on June 22, 2005

Aw shucks iconomy, *looks down and scuffs foot on ground* I just wanted to add you as a contact.
posted by Specklet at 3:16 PM on June 22, 2005

Specklet, I think this is a problem, too. The thing is that "users" is not really a time-specific category: it doesn't make a lot of sense to search a user by the date on which he or she registered, right? Ideally, I'd love to see a user search which searches ONLY the field in which the user has typed his or her own user name -- irrespective of registry date and of mentions of that user on other user pages. Does this make sense? A less is more kinda thing.
posted by Dr. Wu at 4:34 PM on June 22, 2005

Right, right. Yeah.
posted by Specklet at 5:15 PM on June 22, 2005

um, clicking on the users name takes you directly to thier user page.
posted by quonsar at 10:28 AM on June 23, 2005

Yeah, duh, but if I can't quickly find a comment by them, I'm left with the search function.
posted by Specklet at 10:52 AM on June 23, 2005

Well, you could use the search function to find their user page, to find a comment by them, to find their user page ;)
posted by Bugbread at 8:52 PM on June 23, 2005