I played FFXI back around 2004 and I'm having trouble figuring how to view people's search comments. Do they work the same as the old days?

Also, I wasn't really around when auto-group became a thing. Do people generally use this?

The search comments don't work in the traditional way they use to. In a way, they work better, because you can see everyone's search comments at once, and they are filtered in different sections for different things.

The way you view Search comments is you go to the top right of this website and hold your cursor on the "Quick Links" phrase in the top right, then in the drop down, click SEACOM Browser. It will then open up a page showing every person that has currently set their Search comment

The way you set a search comment is the same way you use to do it in game. Once you type the words in your Search comment in game, it will then show up in the SEACOM Browser page for other people to see

As for autogrouping, I don't ever remember using it on retail, and it doesn't work here I don't believe, so don't worry about it