Frequently Asked Questions
Finding Articles on The Motley Fool Website
- Last time I visited the Fool there was an article on your front page which interested me, but now it's gone. How can I find it?
- I am trying to find an article that the Fool published some time ago. I know more or less when it was published and I think I would recognise the title. How can I find it?
- I am trying to find an old Fool article. I know which series of articles it was published in (Fools Eye View/Qualiport/Mechanical Investing/Value Investing). How can I find it?
- There are sooo many articles here. Is there a structure to the way that the Fool content is organised?
- I have browsed around and not found what I want. Is there a search mechanism?
- Does any one else keep a searchable index of the Fool website?
- I tried all the sensible things listed here, but still can't find the article that I want.
Q1. Last time I visited the Fool there was an article on your front page which interested me, but now it's gone. How can I find it?
We publish new content every day and our front page changes throughout the day to reflect this. The last seven day's content is available from the link at the top of the left margin called "Latest Stories". That page also leads to an archive of every week's content since the Fool began. So if you remember the title and the week when it was published that is often the quickest way to find an old article. If not see the next question.
Q2. I am trying to find an article that the Fool published some time ago. I know more or less when it was published and I think I would recognise the title. How can I find it?
Every article we ever published is in our archives. There are several indexes -- the one which you want is the Weekly Archive, which is organised by date and has a page for each week just like the Latest Stories page.
Q3. I am trying to find an old Fool article. I know which series of articles it was published in (Fools Eye View/Qualiport/Mechanical Investing/Value Investing).
There is an archive index. This gives you a single page for each series of articles for each year. So if you get the page for the column/series that you want, you can then use your browser's "search on this page" feature to search for an appropriate word, or just run your eye down it. For example, here is the page with all the Fools Eye View articles in 2001.
Q4. There are sooo many articles here. Is there a structure to the way that the Fool content is organised?
The links from the left margin are probably a good guide. You can see what sits in each section by using our Site Map.
Q5. I have browsed around and not found what I want. Is there a search mechanism?
You bet there is. At the top right of almost any page on the site you will see a field labelled "Search" just put the keywords in there and hid the "Go" button next it.
Q6. Does any one else keep a searchable index of the Fool website?
Yes! Google do a very good job. They have a feature on their site through which you can add "site:fool.co.uk" to any Google search and it will search just the Fool site. This only works on the editorial side of the Fool site but it is very effective.
Here is an example of a search for the words "Stakeholder Pension" on the Fool site.
This type of search may be further tuned using a Google Advanced Search such as this one. This allows you to adjust the ages of pages searched, the number of results per page, exclude certain words and so on.
Q7. I tried all the sensible things listed here, but still can't find the article that I want.
It is funny how the memory plays tricks on you. It is bound to be in there somewhere; what you need is the collective brain power of the Fool community!
If you post a message on an appropriate discussion board, there is be bound to be someone amongst the regular readers who will say "Oh yeah, that was over here!". Check out the other FAQ on Finding Stuff on Discussion Boards, if you need help on finding which board would be appropriate for you subject.
Other FAQs about:
