Bimmerfest - BMW Forums - View Single Post - How To Easily Find Information on Your E39 Topic Before Posting a New Thread

bluebee · #4 01-12-2012, 01:52 PM

ADVICE:
Please make your 1^st search a simple /keyword click within the bestlinks thread BEFORE posting a new thread!

Note: This fast & efficient technique searches 'only' within that one thread.

QUICK:
It takes about two or three seconds to find the best of the links on any topic!

EFFECTIVE:
You'll know right away if it's a common subject or not - and - if it's common, you'll know exactly what everyone else knows & says about that subject. Better yet, if it's not a common subject, you'll know that too (by the dearth of links).

FOCUSED:
If, after reading the best links found, you still need help, you can read focus your followup post on your variant in that existing well-attended thread.

Besides having subscribers, these focus threads generally have plenty of pictures and cross references. Many of the odd-ball whacko ideas & misconceptions have already been culled out by sheer numbers of eyes viewing these threads (many have over fifty thousand viewers, and some have over one hundred thousand viewers!).

INCREMENTALISM:
In practice, even if the quoted links aren't 'the best' (at first), with inevitable additional cross-threading, picture posts, & thousands upon thousands of visitors, these links tend to become, over time, a one-stop-shopping resource!

SIMPLE:
The 'trick' I use in Firefox to instantly find the best of the links is: /keyword (F3).

That is, I simply press /keyword in that bestlinks thread; and then I repeatedly press the "F3" button to move forward to successive matches ("shift F3" to move backward).

Use "control F keyword" in Internet Explorer.
Use "command F keyword" on the Macintosh.
Linux is the same as Windows.

EXAMPLES:

/cooling system overhaul (F3)
/secondary air pump (F3) <== abbreviations also work (e.g, SAS, SAP, etc.)
/headlight adjusters (F3)
/window regulator (F3)
/replacing shocks (F3)
/power steering (F3)
/spark plug diy (F3)
/fan clutch nut (F3)
/diamond key (F3)
/vacuum leak (F3)
/white smoke (F3)
/overheating (F3)
/trunk lock (F3)
/motor oil (F3)
/homelink (F3)
/abs diy (F3)
/wheels (F3)
/brakes (F3)
/misfire (F3)
/seats (F3)
/giubo (F3) <== various spellings work (e.g., guibo, gweebo, etc.)
/fluids (F3)
/tires (F3)
/disa (F3) <== the /search is case insensitive (e.g., DISA, disa, DiSa, etc.)
/inpa (F3) <== finding INPA also finds Carsoft, GT1/DIS, EDIABAS, Peake, etc.)
/fuse (F3)
/mpg (F3)
/.pdf (F3) <== finds scores of the best PDF files ever posted to the forum!
/gdo (F3)
/ccv (F3) <== various nicknames work (e.g., osv, pcv, pvv, cvv, cpv, etc.)
/fsu (F3)
etc.

SETUP:
In practice, it's best to set your posts-viewed to the maximum allowed so a single search finds all:

User CP -> Edit Options -> Number of Posts to Show Per Page -> 80 -> Save Changes

UPDATE:
Note: So that others find this thread more easily, I'll add it to the bestlinks in a keyword-rich sentence of the ilk:

- Hints from the experts for newbies on searching before posting in order to find common E39 information (1)