With special thanks to TwoRoads, Ruggles and....Dimitrios.
Go to top right hand corner search box, enter your key word, say Civet, when results are shown scroll down the page and click on the link: advanced Community search here, (http://community.basenotes.net/search.php)
Now restrict the search in this case Civet to being named in THREAD TITLES only (excluding references in the BODY OF POSTS) and further restricting the search to just four discussion forums (JUST STARTING, INDUSTRY, FEMALE and MALE). Also select posts with minimum replies of say 10. other boxes you can forget FOR NOW. Results will not even fill up one page, and you get really surprisingly useful results not 750 useless links!
P.S; curtsey of MadScientist
Don't forget "boolean' searches. For instance searching in titles for the word "effective" brought up 3 threads whereas searching for "effective and posting" brought up only this thread. Boolean searches consist of multiple terms separated by the words and or or and in some search engines, near, not, and possibly other terms. Some search engines also have the capability to use operator precedence (like in math equations) or allow parenthesis in order to group your boolean terms, like: "(creed and serial and number) or (lot and number)". I haven't experimented enough with the BN search function to know how sophisticated it is but it at least accepts simple boolean (and/or) searches.
Just the AND/OR capability can be VERY helpful.
You can also of course use phrases like "lot date" (without the quotes).
And if you're searching on a word that is commonly misspelled, try searching for only part of the word (the part that you think people would usually get correct) or using common misspellings in your search. However, keep in mind that even if one person misspells it, it will most-likely be spelled correctly somewhere else in the thread.
P.S 2 Curtsey Hoos:
You can further limit results by posting time (last month or earlier; last year or earlier) and, one that I find especially helpful: set the post limit to something like 5 responses or more. That sorts out all the posts that received no responses; the posts that only received a couple of responses, and, most likely, you'll end up with threads that have a decent discussion of your topic.
Search using multiple spellings: the internet is international. Some people spell it "amber"; some spell it "ambre"; "flowers" may be "fleurs"; etc.
If you get the error that the search topic is "too common" (or some such wording), add something else that may be of particular interest to you. Such as: amber AND vanilla, or amber AND golden.
Searching really is a skill that needs to be developed. I'm a firm believer in it, but also remember that it took me a while to get it. But once you have it, it's good in almost every forum (or the web in general). Terminology can vary from forum to forum and can be difficult for newer folks. Such as knowing that the word "bespoke" refers to fragrances blended especially for a person (or clothing made especially for a person).
Go to top right hand corner search box, enter your key word, say Civet, when results are shown scroll down the page and click on the link: advanced Community search here, (http://community.basenotes.net/search.php)
Now restrict the search in this case Civet to being named in THREAD TITLES only (excluding references in the BODY OF POSTS) and further restricting the search to just four discussion forums (JUST STARTING, INDUSTRY, FEMALE and MALE). Also select posts with minimum replies of say 10. other boxes you can forget FOR NOW. Results will not even fill up one page, and you get really surprisingly useful results not 750 useless links!
P.S; curtsey of MadScientist
Don't forget "boolean' searches. For instance searching in titles for the word "effective" brought up 3 threads whereas searching for "effective and posting" brought up only this thread. Boolean searches consist of multiple terms separated by the words and or or and in some search engines, near, not, and possibly other terms. Some search engines also have the capability to use operator precedence (like in math equations) or allow parenthesis in order to group your boolean terms, like: "(creed and serial and number) or (lot and number)". I haven't experimented enough with the BN search function to know how sophisticated it is but it at least accepts simple boolean (and/or) searches.
Just the AND/OR capability can be VERY helpful.
You can also of course use phrases like "lot date" (without the quotes).
And if you're searching on a word that is commonly misspelled, try searching for only part of the word (the part that you think people would usually get correct) or using common misspellings in your search. However, keep in mind that even if one person misspells it, it will most-likely be spelled correctly somewhere else in the thread.
P.S 2 Curtsey Hoos:
You can further limit results by posting time (last month or earlier; last year or earlier) and, one that I find especially helpful: set the post limit to something like 5 responses or more. That sorts out all the posts that received no responses; the posts that only received a couple of responses, and, most likely, you'll end up with threads that have a decent discussion of your topic.
Search using multiple spellings: the internet is international. Some people spell it "amber"; some spell it "ambre"; "flowers" may be "fleurs"; etc.
If you get the error that the search topic is "too common" (or some such wording), add something else that may be of particular interest to you. Such as: amber AND vanilla, or amber AND golden.
Searching really is a skill that needs to be developed. I'm a firm believer in it, but also remember that it took me a while to get it. But once you have it, it's good in almost every forum (or the web in general). Terminology can vary from forum to forum and can be difficult for newer folks. Such as knowing that the word "bespoke" refers to fragrances blended especially for a person (or clothing made especially for a person).
