(no subject)

[arethinn]

Does anyone have a clue why LJ has never implemented a search-within-journal feature? Heck, maybe even only for paid users? Is it just a problem of the huge scale of indexing such a thing vs. the abilities of the database/servers? Because I can hardly count the times I've wanted to search for all the posts a user made in their journal (or in a comm) about topic X, or scratched my head going "ugh, when did I make that post about X which has the comment thread about Y?"... For those who allow their journal to be indexed by websearches that can sometimes fill in (although inelegant), but I would love for there to be a within-LJ-only equivalent so that I could block spiders, but still search journals.

Comments

[saizai.livejournal.com]

There is one. Go to user info and click the magnifing class icon. Works fairly well, though only for public posts, and the spider-blocking impedes it somewhat. And doesn't include comments.

However, you can download everything to XML and search those with MS Access...

[starlightforest.livejournal.com]

"Impedes it somewhat"? None of the hits seem to be my journal at all, even though it claims to be "searching in tass. I'm seeing hits in friends' and friends-of-friends' journals, but none in my own. Sounds like the blocking impedes it totally.

However, you can download everything to XML and search those with MS Access...

Talk about your inelegant solutions! (especially since I have neither broadband nor Access)

[saizai.livejournal.com]

I think I have spider-blocking on, but it works okay anyway. *shrug*

[starlightforest.livejournal.com]

I wonder how our spider-senses ever tingle.

[soundwave106.livejournal.com]

With Livejournal's server engines being as kooky as they are, I wouldn't trust it even if it were available. :) For your own journal, I recommend LJArchive (http://fawx.com/ljArchive/) as a way to download your entries into a nice and neat format that you can search.

[starlightforest.livejournal.com]

Psychoanalysis of my journal? Sold!