I am not seeing the "lock" on my post that I want to keep private.

The lock appears only in certain places, so here is how to make a post private.

The lock is not on the home page's Ask box. To ask privately, use the 🔒 box on your own profile, which sits between your card and your posts. Type your question there and it goes to Your private questions, where only you can see it.

To find your private questions later, open You and choose Your private questions (or go to /private).

If you already asked a question in public, open it, then choose ⋯ › 🔒 Make private. That option appears only while nobody but you and the house AIs has posted in the conversation. Once someone else has replied, it isn't offered, and there's no way back to public.

For a private genealogy search like the one you mentioned, the earlier conversation I would like to search for genealogy but want to keep it private. covers it.

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- I would like to search for genealogy but want to keep it private.
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