google tips

[Andy Hamilton]

Google tips

When using google I tend to put things into speech marks to narrow down the search. for example it you google andy and dave hamilton you get the mac observer as you top search. if you type "andy and dave hamilton " you get this site as your top search.

Also I tend to narrow down a search even more if I want to look for something to do with my apple mac by clicking on the More... button at the top of the main google page. Then on special searches > Apple macintosh.

Any other tricks that you use in google?

[Muddypause]

AIUI, putting the " " marks around your search term will make it search for that specific phrase; without the " " it just searches for the individual words.

You can also use + and - eg Andy +Hamilton will make it search for a page that has both the words in it. But Andy -Hamilton will only return pages that have Andy but not Hamilton as well.

I'm pretty sure there are other tricks as well. It's called Boolean Logic, apparently.

[Andy Hamilton]

I'm pretty sure there are other tricks as well. It's called Boolean Logic, apparently.

Yeah, wasn't Boolean some kind of scientist or something?

[Wombat]

Yeah, boole was his name - and he invented the and/or logic thing.

Nev

[herbwormwood]

Google tips

When using google I tend to put things into speech marks to narrow down the search. for example it you google andy and dave hamilton you get the mac observer as you top search. if you type "andy and dave hamilton " you get this site as your top search.

Also I tend to narrow down a search even more if I want to look for something to do with my apple mac by clicking on the More... button at the top of the main google page. Then on special searches > Apple macintosh.

Any other tricks that you use in google?

The quote marks are good but if you put in too long a phrase you end up with nowt. So you can try puttng short phases that go togther in quotes. Consider how words might go tohether on a page of text. such as "overfishing" and "trawlers in the North Sea". Actually google will tell you you don't need the word "and".

There is a free browser called Firefox (which is Mac and PC friendly) and it has a couple of free extensions one called Bumble, which allows cross pollination of web sites, you can also install more than one search engine so you don't have to use google all the time, you can use many engines, another one called user agent switcher which tricks the web sites you visit into thinking you are using a different browser. This is really handy if you have a Mac.
Also Apple Safari has an extension called Safari Debugger which does lots of things but it also has the user agent thingy and a secrity thingy so you can set the level of security for pages you visit.

[Batfink]

There is a free browser called Firefox (which is Mac and PC friendly)

Gotta love the 'fox - It's replaced IE on my machine (although somewhat reluctantly due to office politics!). Firefox has a huge number of plugins - including my favourite thing in the world - the google toolbar.

It's not so much a tip, but a seperate product - well worth a look at. Again, it's a freebie.

Also consider Google Deskbar which indexes your entire PC and makes doing local searches much, much quicker.

[ina]

That's weird - our institute has replaced IE with Firefox - but left IE on as well, as lots of things just don't work with Firefox! SSish for example... and hotmail. Security is supposed to be better with Firefox, so we are asked to use that as much as possible. Maybe it's just a problem with our internet connection (still on satellite, and still very slow).

[herbwormwood]

That's weird - our institute has replaced IE with Firefox - but left IE on as well, as lots of things just don't work with Firefox! SSish for example... and hotmail. Security is supposed to be better with Firefox, so we are asked to use that as much as possible. Maybe it's just a problem with our internet connection (still on satellite, and still very slow).

It is possible that the things which do not work with Firefox require an extension or plug in which has not been installed. Next time you have a problem, copy the error message and paste it into google and there may be some advice telling you which extension or plug in you need and where to obtain it. Firefox also has user forums where you can post queries.
Hotmail is owned by Microsoft so it is designed to be compatible with Internet Explorer, which is also owned by Microsoft, but I don't see why people should be forced to use Microsoft for everything.

[alcina]

I use Firefox...sshish is fine for me!

Sigh....my life is one long battle against the people who believe there is only one way and that way is Microsoft. Alas...I seem to have failed at work. Time to look for a new job.

Alcina

[Muddypause]

I've just discovered another feature of Google, for those people not happy using the English interface - there are over 100 other languages you can choose from. These include:

Pig Latin, for people who wish they'd had a classical education
Elmer Fudd, for people who have trouble pronoucing their 'R's
Klingon, for the complete geek
Bork, Bork, Bork, for people who actually understood the Swedish chefs on the Muppet Show

[ina]

Thanks, Stew - I think I'll give the pig Latin a try - most of what Latin I learnt I have forgotten by now, so it should be just right! (Errare humanum est...)

And I love your new signature!

[Muddypause]

Ta.

Unfortunately, I can't fit enough in to point out that Monty is Uncle Monty from Withnail & I, and hence there is a rather worrying lasciviousness about it.

[Andy Hamilton]

Just upped the length allowed for signatures just so you can explain who it is.

My girlfriend did her MA with Paul Mcganns wife Anne Mcgann (a pretty good perfomance poet). We went out drinking with them on a couple of occasions. He did not buy a single drink. He did find it amusing when I asked if he was conidering making Doctor who 2.