I've been surprised often by the pecularities of the search engines here.
The main reason we have problems is that the Forum search follows very different rules compared to the digitrad database search. It would be easier if we could use our knowledge of the one type of search in the other but certainly less demanding.

The main differences I know of:
- digitrad search: you use * for missing letters (for instance, if you do not know the exact spelling used here). You enter whisk* and get whisky, whiskey, and whiskers etc alike.
- Forum search: you get the same result by just entering: whisk.

- digitrad: for a phrase, i.e. these two or three or more words exactly in this order, you have to use the []. If you enter [whisk* galore] you only get the one song that has the two words "whiskey galore" in this order.
- Forum: you have to decide for the spelling and enter, let's say: Whisky galore, to get all messages with these two words exactly in this order. If you enter a [ into the forum search, the machine looks for that [ !

- digitrad: if you enter two words without the [] around them you'll get all song which have these two words in them irrespective of the order. Whisk* galore gives you two songs now.
- forum: I know of no similar search strategy for the forum. If you enter two words of which you are sure they have been in a post you are faintly recollecting, for instance: Elsie traditional, you draw get no match, for these two words have been in that post but not exactly in this order.

Especially the last feature has surprised me quite often.
Wolfgang