Finding authors in these postings

This topic has 35 replies, 12 voices, and was last updated 21 February 2018 at 23:59 by Michael Gilligan.

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Author

Posts
20 February 2018 at 09:12 #35118
Brian Wood
Participant
@brianwood45127
Advert

20 February 2018 at 09:12 #342358
Brian Wood
Participant
@brianwood45127
The Search facility gives you the chance to find postings on subject material, is there a similar operation for finding an author?

Regards

Brian
20 February 2018 at 09:16 #342360
Brian G
Participant
@briang
Hi Brian

I just clicked on your "1391 forum posts" and saw a list of all the subjects you have posted on.

Brian

EDIT: Unfortunately this requires me to first find one of your posts, so not that good a solution.

Edited By Brian G on 20/02/2018 09:18:58
20 February 2018 at 10:07 #342371
John Hinkley
Participant
@johnhinkley26699
You could try using google site search, if you know the name and part of the content of the posting.
1. Go to Google.com.
2. Enter "site:www.model-engineer.co.uk" search term into the search box.
3. Refine your search.
For example:

site:www.model-engineer.co.uk copper

brings up the recent topic "Broken tap in a copper boiler" amongst many others. You'll have to be quick, though, as I believe the facility is being completely withdrawn on 1st April 2018 and is alledgedly unsupported right now.

John H
20 February 2018 at 11:26 #342386
Brian Wood
Participant
@brianwood45127
Hello Brian and John,

I am looking for the solution for when you know the individual has written something, but you can't remember what it was, all you know is the name of the author.

So I'm afraid your suggestions are not what I'm looking for. Thank you all the same

Brian
20 February 2018 at 11:34 #342388
Martin 100
Participant
@martin100
Posted by John Hinkley on 20/02/2018 10:07:22:

You'll have to be quick, though, as I believe the facility is being completely withdrawn on 1st April 2018 and is alledgedly unsupported right now.

If I recall correctly what is being withdrawn is the ability to have a google search box on a designated website that only returns search results for that particular site and no others.

The option for 'site:uri' + search term within google itself will remain
20 February 2018 at 12:17 #342398
Brian G
Participant
@briang
The search term Martin gave works in Bing as well Brian. Second link in "site: http://www.model-engineer.co.uk "Brian Wood" brought up the same page as clicking under your name. Interestingly the same thing didn't happen with my name, although individual postings appeared. I expect this is because nobody had ever searched for my postings, so there hadn't been a page to crawl.

It is definitely a workable solution even if you only remember part of the name, as clicking on the link to any of a member's postings brings up a forum page with links to "x forum posts" and "y photos".

Brian
20 February 2018 at 13:50 #342428
Brian Wood
Participant
@brianwood45127
Hello Brian,

Please bear with me, I am only a simple soul when it comes to such things! I fail to see why I can't look for an author who posts on our forum without having to ask for that information by way of the material they have posted to do so.

So just for me please, in words on one syllable, what do I need to do to say, find me?

Regards

Brian
20 February 2018 at 18:19 #342476
Enough!
Participant
@enough
Posted by Brian Wood on 20/02/2018 13:50:59:

So just for me please, in words on one syllable, what do I need to do to say, find me?

– Go to the Model Engineer Home Page
– Scroll about 1/3 of the way down to "Search the Model Engineer Website"
– Enter "Brian Wood" in the search box
– Make sure "only search the Model Engineer website" box is checked.
– Click on "Google Search"
20 February 2018 at 19:40 #342485
Brian Wood
Participant
@brianwood45127
Thank you Bandersnatch,

Only partial success really for my specific request I'm afraid, I would like to send a Personal Message to the individual who I am quite sure has posted things here on the Forum pages. Since I can't remember what topics he posted on I am stuck in my quest.

The route you have outlined, which works of course, means a long winded approach via the magazine Editor to see if my target he would be amenable to contact by some means like snail mail. It puts Neil to trouble and takes any immediacy out of the chance of a contact

Thank you for the trouble you have taken, all the way from Canada too!

Kind regards

Brian
20 February 2018 at 19:44 #342488
JasonB
Moderator
@jasonb
With this software there is no easy way to do it as you can on other forums where they have a list of members and a way to view their posts, make contact etc.
20 February 2018 at 23:09 #342522
Enough!
Participant
@enough
Posted by Brian Wood on 20/02/2018 19:40:23:

The route you have outlined, which works of course, means a long winded approach via the magazine Editor to see if my target he would be amenable to contact by some means like snail mail. It puts Neil to trouble and takes any immediacy out of the chance of a contact

Not sure I really follow, Brian. If the search turns up any one of their postings, then if you go to that message and click on the "Message member" just below the message, doesn't that do what you want it to?

And if you are looking for a particular message from from that member, if, again, you go to any one of their postings and click on the "xxx Forum Posts" bit under their name, it will give you a complete listing of their messages.

If they have posted a lot, that list might be extensive, in which case it might be better to include in the original search (as in my previous post) some indication(s) of the topic in addition to the name. For example:

Brian Wood Authors

plus any other terms that might narrow the search… and see if you can get to the thread you are looking for more directly.
21 February 2018 at 09:15 #342556
Brian Wood
Participant
@brianwood45127
Hello Bandersnatch,

Jason [thank you] has confirmed my suspicions, the software for this forum is not configured appropriately.

It will happily find a posting using the keywords " Gears made of putty" as a silly example but it is incapable of telling me who put the posting out on the forum in the first place, and that was the specific search result I was seeking. If I put Bandersnatch into the keywords now, it is unable to provide any information.

So, thank you again for your interest and suggestions. Time for us to retire hurt I feel and do something more productive.

Pity though

Brian
21 February 2018 at 10:35 #342572
JasonB
Moderator
@jasonb
From discussions with Brian I can't find the person as a member unless they use a nick name that we don't know about so would have been very hard to find though his name does crop up as a contributor to MEW
21 February 2018 at 12:53 #342600
Michael Gilligan
Participant
@michaelgilligan61133
Posted by JasonB on 21/02/2018 10:35:07:

From discussions with Brian I can't find the person as a member unless they use a nick name that we don't know about so would have been very hard to find though his name does crop up as a contributor to MEW

.

"they use a nick name that we don't know about"

… would appear to be the only rational explanation. E&OE

MichaelG.
21 February 2018 at 13:01 #342601
Michael Gilligan
Participant
@michaelgilligan61133
Posted by Brian Wood on 21/02/2018 09:15:59:

… If I put Bandersnatch into the keywords now, it is unable to provide any information.

.

At the risk of labouring this, Brian

If I put the word Bandersnatch into the search box on the home page [*]

as Bandersnatch explained; it returns an exhaustive list.

MichaelG.

.

[*] Home Page = http://www.model-engineer.co.uk

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 21/02/2018 13:07:31
21 February 2018 at 14:06 #342606
Brian Wood
Participant
@brianwood45127
.

At the risk of labouring this, Brian

If I put the word Bandersnatch into the search box on the home page [*]

as Bandersnatch explained; it returns an exhaustive list.

MichaelG.

Hello Michael,

Just so that we can lay this one down to rest at last, you are quite right in what you say but only because Bandersnatch has published in printed material. My quest was to find a way of quickly communicating by PM through the Forum. Now to my shame I find my memory has also played me false, Jason has shown that conclusively so my search would have been in vain anyway.

I have done as Jason suggested and written to Neil instead and heard back from him so those wheels are in motion.

Enough already!!

Kind regards

Brian

Edit for punctuation

Edited By Brian Wood on 21/02/2018 14:08:02
21 February 2018 at 14:56 #342609
Neil Wyatt
Moderator
@neilwyatt
Final word (some hope).

The search box on the main page will help you find all POSTS by a forum member, they don't have to be published in the magazines.

Once you have found a post you can PM the individual.

Neil
21 February 2018 at 15:17 #342612
Brian Wood
Participant
@brianwood45127
Ah, not so fast Moriarty!

Putting Neil Wyatt into the keywords on the main forum page finds Neil's thread on 63 tooth gearing for mini lathes

Putting my name in and I am not found, neither is JasonB [with the spelling that way too] and he has a vast number of postings like you

So, is this a special condition that applies only to the Head Honcho?!!!

Or, as I suspect in my ignorance, I am using the wrong box or something. Heading off now for the darkened room!

Regards Brian
21 February 2018 at 15:46 #342617
Michael Gilligan
Participant
@michaelgilligan61133
21 February 2018 at 15:58 #342620
Brian Wood
Participant
@brianwood45127
Hello Michael,

Oh yes, that is the box I filled in and with almost 1400 posts it can't find me, nor Jason with over 12,000 posts

Now this might just be a glitch with my computer, I can attach photos to items I am selling, but try and do the same to a posting and the magic send button is off screen somewhere.

I think it is definitely time to fill the grave now!

Kind regards

Brian

Edited By Brian Wood on 21/02/2018 15:58:56
21 February 2018 at 16:03 #342621
Michael Gilligan
Participant
@michaelgilligan61133
Brian,

Sorry, I really have no idea why the search doesn't work for you.

As you clearly prefer … I will leave it at that.

MichaelG.
21 February 2018 at 16:11 #342623
JasonB
Moderator
@jasonb
Must be something your end Brian as I can find posts by you, me and posts with mention of Laurie in them using the box on the homepage.

I did also use the moderators ability to search the member database, the results of which were in my PM. and as I said earlier no member by that name.

Edited By JasonB on 21/02/2018 16:13:10
21 February 2018 at 17:17 #342624
Brian Wood
Participant
@brianwood45127
Hello Jason and MIchael,

Thank you both again for your valiant efforts, my headache has improved already!

My computer has Fred Flintstone stamped into it, do you think that might be the trouble?

Marker cross erected now. RIP

Brian
21 February 2018 at 19:10 #342640
Brian Sweeting 2
Participant
@briansweeting2
I'm with Brian also.

The main search method did not work on my Android tablet running Chrome.
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