I’m always amazed that more people don’t know the little tricks you
can use to get more out of a simple Google search. Here are 10 of my
favorites.
1. Use the “site:” operator to limit searches to a particular site. I
use this one all the time, and it’s particularly handy because many
site’s built-in search tools don’t return the results you’re looking
for (and some sites don’t even have a search feature). If I’m looking
for WWD posts about GTD, for example, I could try this search: GTD
site:webworkerdaily.com.
2. Use Google as a spelling aid. As Rob Hacker — the WWD reader I
profiled last week — pointed out, entering a word into Google is a
quick way to see if you have the right spelling. If it’s incorrect,
Google will suggest the correct spelling instead. Additionally, if you
want to get a definition of a word, you can use the “define:” operator
to return definitions from various dictionaries (for example, define:
parasympathetic).
3. Use Google as a calculator. Google has a built-in calculator — try
entering a calculation like 110 * (654/8 + 3). Yes, your computer also
has a calculator, but if you spend most of your day inside a browser,
typing your calculation into the browser’s search box is quicker than
firing up your calculator app.
4. Find out what time it is anywhere in the world. This one’s really
handy if you want to make sure that you’re not phoning someone in the
middle of the night. Just search for “time” and then the name of the
city. For example, try: time San Francisco
5. Get quick currency conversions. Google can also do currency
conversion, for example: 100 pounds in dollars. It only has the more
mainstream currencies, though — if you’re trying to see how many
Peruvian nuevos soles your dollars might buy, you’ll be out of luck.
If you would like to convert minor currencies, be sure to be specific
about the country. So, if you want to find out how many nuevos soles
your dollars might buy, you could try: 100 dollars in Peruvian nuevos
soles.
6. Use the OR operator. This can be useful if you’re looking at
researching a topic but you’re not sure which keywords will return the
information you need. It can be particularly handy in conjunction with
the “site:” operator. For example, you could try this search: GTD OR
“getting things done” site:webworkerdaily.com
7. Exclude specific terms with the – operator. You can narrow your
searches using this operator. For example, if you’re looking for
information about American Idol but don’t want anything about Simon
Cowell, you could try: “american idol” -cowell
8. Search for specific document types. Google can search the web for
specific types of files using the “filetype:” operator. If you’re
looking for PowerPoint files about GTD, for example, you could try:
GTD filetype:ppt
9. Search within numerical ranges using the .. operator. Say, for
example, you want to look for information about Olympic events that
took place in the 1950’s, you could use this search: Olympics
1950..1960
10. Area code lookup. Need to know where a phone number is located?
Google will let you know where it is, and show you a map of the area,
too. For example: 415
Article adapted from The New York times By SIMON MACKIE of GIGAOM Published: April 2, 2010
can use to get more out of a simple Google search. Here are 10 of my
favorites.
1. Use the “site:” operator to limit searches to a particular site. I
use this one all the time, and it’s particularly handy because many
site’s built-in search tools don’t return the results you’re looking
for (and some sites don’t even have a search feature). If I’m looking
for WWD posts about GTD, for example, I could try this search: GTD
site:webworkerdaily.com.
2. Use Google as a spelling aid. As Rob Hacker — the WWD reader I
profiled last week — pointed out, entering a word into Google is a
quick way to see if you have the right spelling. If it’s incorrect,
Google will suggest the correct spelling instead. Additionally, if you
want to get a definition of a word, you can use the “define:” operator
to return definitions from various dictionaries (for example, define:
parasympathetic).
3. Use Google as a calculator. Google has a built-in calculator — try
entering a calculation like 110 * (654/8 + 3). Yes, your computer also
has a calculator, but if you spend most of your day inside a browser,
typing your calculation into the browser’s search box is quicker than
firing up your calculator app.
4. Find out what time it is anywhere in the world. This one’s really
handy if you want to make sure that you’re not phoning someone in the
middle of the night. Just search for “time” and then the name of the
city. For example, try: time San Francisco
5. Get quick currency conversions. Google can also do currency
conversion, for example: 100 pounds in dollars. It only has the more
mainstream currencies, though — if you’re trying to see how many
Peruvian nuevos soles your dollars might buy, you’ll be out of luck.
If you would like to convert minor currencies, be sure to be specific
about the country. So, if you want to find out how many nuevos soles
your dollars might buy, you could try: 100 dollars in Peruvian nuevos
soles.
6. Use the OR operator. This can be useful if you’re looking at
researching a topic but you’re not sure which keywords will return the
information you need. It can be particularly handy in conjunction with
the “site:” operator. For example, you could try this search: GTD OR
“getting things done” site:webworkerdaily.com
7. Exclude specific terms with the – operator. You can narrow your
searches using this operator. For example, if you’re looking for
information about American Idol but don’t want anything about Simon
Cowell, you could try: “american idol” -cowell
8. Search for specific document types. Google can search the web for
specific types of files using the “filetype:” operator. If you’re
looking for PowerPoint files about GTD, for example, you could try:
GTD filetype:ppt
9. Search within numerical ranges using the .. operator. Say, for
example, you want to look for information about Olympic events that
took place in the 1950’s, you could use this search: Olympics
1950..1960
10. Area code lookup. Need to know where a phone number is located?
Google will let you know where it is, and show you a map of the area,
too. For example: 415
Article adapted from The New York times By SIMON MACKIE of GIGAOM Published: April 2, 2010
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