Well.. when I first started at Mudcat, about a year ago, I'd use the Search function, and come up with not much of any use. Now, though, I find all KINDS of stuff.

I think that what is searchable must be growing and that how searching is done must be evolving, because it's amazing what can be found. But see, if you don't know it's gotten better, you don't repeat what seemed to work so badly way back when.

But when someone TELLS me HOW they found something-- I feel more curious about going to go look for myself. Wouldn't it be great (for me) if you could easily post the series of steps that took you to the thing you found? And that would map your thought process on how and where to search, also? But you know as well as I do-- it is easier to just DO a thing than TEACH someone how to do it.

Also, though, and this is a BIG factor for me, and zillions of people like me (a googleplex!!!)-- despite having put a lot of time and money into equipping myself with a good computer, etc., right now for a variety of reasons I am on a 486, signed onto a cheap ISP that crawls, and going through phone lines that creep through slow local switches before they get out to the BIG WORLDWIDE WEB. And so it can take me hours to find out that I am NOT going to get my answer. That thread on Heroes of the Blues I started yesterday-- I spent a whole day waiting for pages to load, and such, and I am pretty good about figuring out how to move around things fast.

Now, unlike Zeb (*G*), I AM beyond the grip of most intelligences-- I am in fact very, very smart. But spend the day searching? I don't usually have time to wait out the equipment.

So if Zeb (I mean the whole of Mudcat search whizzes) can find something faster, and is willing, I accept that help while I learn what I can. I help too, in other ways.

See? Community. Doing our part. Giving what we can. As a gift-- minus resentment. See?

~Susan