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Author: Axl, Contributing Editor
| WetCanvas! is one of the largest art-related message boards on the internet, and is growing every day! With thousands of members, millons of posts, and new information popping up every single day, our database of information just keeps getting larger and larger. This means that there is more information out there to help you, but also means that it may be harder to find the exact information you're looking for.
This article will show how to search the site forums. We'll show you how to narrow down your search criteria so you receive the most relevant information possible. We'll also show you how to keep track of those informative threads once you've found them. Searching the Forums for a Specific Topic The Search Toolbars So you've probably already noticed the toolbar along the top of the site. It searches four main areas of the website: the discussion forums, the articles, the product review system, and images in the reference image library. |
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| Basically all this requires you to do is put in keyword(s) related to what you are looking for, select the area you want to search, and then click the go button to retrieve your results.
This toolbar works best when you are looking for Images and Product Reviews, but may retrieve too many threads when searching the forums to be helpful. Note: Currently this search feature does not thoroughly search the site's articles which may hold some useful information to you. To browse the articles, check out the Article Index |  |
| Using the Advanced Search Option - Getting more out of Searching
When you are in the Discussion Forum area. you will see another search button in the second toolbar. This one searches only the forums, and again you have the option of plugging in your keywords and then clicking "Go." But like the previous search feature I mentioned, this too will bring up probably a lot of irrelevant threads for you to wade through. To get the most control over your results, it is best to go with the Advanced Search Option, available to you underneath the search box. Clicking on this option will bring you to this page: http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/search.php which will give you many options to narrow down your search. |
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| This page gives you 2 main ways to search for posts. You can either search for a particular topic by using keywords, or you can search specifically by a user's name.
Searching by Keywords When searching by keywords, put in words that are relevant to your search. Using multiple keywords can give you more results, but unfortunately using + or - symbols (Boolean) to try and include/exclude words does not work. Try to use longer words; words that are three letters or fewer will not generate results. The drop-down menu gives you the opportunity to either search entire posts for these keywords, or search only thread titles. Searching by User Name Searching by user name lets you search user posts, user replies, and also usernames mentioned in posts. If you don't remember a person's exact name, that is all right. When you type in part of a name, put your cursor over the top of what you've typed and the site should generate some suggestions of users with similar names. But if you're still not sure, unclicking the "Exact Name" option will show you results that only include part of a name. You'll receive not only a list of threads that include users with this name, but also the list of users with this word included in their name. |
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Narrowing Down with Search Options Under Search Options you are able to narrow down the length of the threads your search will return. Choosing a minimum amount of replies will insure that all threads have a discussion going. Choosing a maximum amount of replies will help weed out longer threads, such as some project discussions, chatty threads, and forum challenges and activities. Both of these options can help insure the information you are receiving is applicable to your search. Also you have the option to weed out old threads, to make sure you only receive threads with recent information. Or if you are looking for a particular thread and you know roughly how long ago it was posted, you can alter your search criteria to narrow down the search. Choosing your results to show as posts instead of threads may help you find applicable information faster, so you do not have to surf through the entire thread to find it. Once you find a post that interests you, you always have the option to go and view the rest of the thread. Lastly, this page gives you the option to narrow your search down into particular forums. This can definitely help your search. If your question is specific to the watercolor forum, or is relevant in one of the subject forums, you can search only these forums. |
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