I just added a new page to the ClassyArts site that allows subscribers with credits available to conduct advanced searches in the database. As you probably have noticed, the regular search page only allows one to search by exact surname. You can add a first name or first initial, and it will be expanded to include any names starting with that — but the surname is exact match only. Results on the free search page are limited to 30 records, and the location is truncated — so you get the country, state or region, and city — but if there is a street address it is not shown.
The new advanced search allows users to enter wild-cards, either single character (?), so that a search for Sm?th returns both Smith and Smyth, or you can use the any number of characters wild card (%) and fill out your search term — great for those names that get mis-spelled; so Zimmerm% returns Zimmerman, Zimmermann and Zimmermen.
Also, with advanced search you can look for a specific location, with or without a specific name. The location field is automatically expanded as if you entered the % wildcard before and after the text, so if you want a specific street address or city you can just enter the name — it may turn up a few unwanted matches, but overall it makes the process much simpler. So entering Detroit will give you mostly results from the Michigan city, but it will also turn up a few entries for towns named Detroit in other states, or addresses with streets named Detroit.
Of course if you search for a big city like Detroit without a specific surname you will also hit the maximum records allowed limit — but unlike the free search, which limits results to 30 records, the advanced search shows up to 100 results. Of course, paid members can continue to use the regular search if they prefer, it makes no difference. No credits are charged for using the advanced search, but you must have credits available to view any of the full records, just as with regular search. Virtually all of the full records include a date, if only an approximate one (or estimated date for a name from a photograph), and the important source reference, so you know exactly where that record originated, and may consult it for further details. Many records have additional information as well.
And finally, advanced search results give you the full address from the database — so if there is a street address (and for some records there are several) that will be shown. So just the search results represent a wealth of information. Of course we do not want people searching for every name in the database by using the wild card functions, then stealing that data for their Made-For-Adsense website (sites that do not try to deliver useful content, just copy data so they can show up in search results and profit from people clicking on their ads). So we monitor usage, and excessive use will result in the automatic (temporary) suspension of search privileges. Such cases will be reviewed, and only grievous offenders will be banned permanently.
