This document provides an overview of the many search capabilities available through Google. It demonstrates how to perform quick searches to find definitions, calculations, unit conversions, and flight statuses. More advanced search functions like using special characters as wildcards, limiting by site or file type, excluding terms, and using the advanced search screen are also explained. While Google has powerful search tools, other search engines like Bing and Yahoo also have capabilities, and Google services occasionally discontinue features, so it is important to keep skills up to date across multiple search platforms.
1. Googling for Answers
The Ins and Outs of Using Google
Effectively
Sonnet Ireland
Google Guru
Earl K. Long Library
University of New Orleans
Learning with LOUIS Webinar
Friday, April 25, 2014
2. What are you going to show us?
Some cool Google tricks to find what you need
Different aspects of Google
3. Quick Answers from Google
Defining a word
define:term
Calculating
Remember PEMDAS
Parentheses, Exponents, Multiply, Divide, Add, Subtract
Converting units
Number unit in converted unit
4. Google can even Answer Questions…
When is daylight savings time
When is daylight savings time 2020
What day of the week is the 4th of July
Where are the 2018 Olympics
Who is secretary of the Dept of Education
5. And tell you the status of your flight
Google the airline and the flight number:
United 1405
JetBlue 1295
American 1805
6. And help you find the time…
What time is it in Sochi
What time is it in Hawaii
Set Timer
Set Timer 25 minutes
7. Some Quick Tricks
Wildcard - *
I like big * and I cannot lie
Similar To - ~
~Native American reservations
Either/Or - |
Eskimo | Inuit | Yupik
8. More Quick Tricks
Quick translate…
translate thank you Russian
Quick financial information…
finance Target
Quick tracking…
1Z3948A0YW96226411
9. And for a little fun…
Find new music…
sounds like Lorde
Or even new books…
reminds me of Agatha Christie
The music one works a little bit better, in my
opinion.
10. Google can be used to limit to…
• A particular site
• A particular type of file
• A time period
You can also exclude words and search for
related terms.
11. Site:
In Google, you can actually specify a particular
type of site to search.
Site:
For instance, you can search for government
information on any topic by using site:.gov.
12. Examples
foreign policy LGBT rights site:.org
(we’ll come back to this search throughout)
Now you give me terms, and I’ll search…
.edu
.org
.gov
13. Specific site:
You can also use Google to search a specific
website…
foreign policy LGBT rights site:hrc.org
Search UNO site for tuition 2014
Now Google… tuition 2014 site:uno.edu
14. Filetype:
Sometimes, you remember an awesome file that
you ran across on a website…but you can’t
remember the name or what site it was on.
Google can help with the Filetype search…
Filetype:
15. Examples
african american history filetype:pdf
twitter filetype:ppt
citation filetype:pdf
government citation filetype:pdf
Unlike the site search, the filetype search does not
use a period between the colon and the file type.
16. Time Period ..
You can also limit a search using the time period
search.
..
I have to admit that this doesn’t work the way
you would expect. It limits to the search to
those with that time period in the context of the
page. To limit the time frame that an item was
posted, use the Advanced Search options.
18. Excluding -
And back to…
foreign policy LGBT rights site:.org
But we keep getting Wikipedia! I know…
foreign policy LGBT rights -wiki site:.org
Or, if you like other wikis…
foreign policy LGBT rights site:.org -site:wikipedia.org
19. Using Search Tools to Limit Your
Results
And back to…
foreign policy LGBT rights site:.org
Limit by time
Limit by types of results
Limit by location
21. Advanced Search Screen
This has gotten trickier to find over the years.
When you are on the Google site, look at the
very bottom right for Settings.
This is where Search Settings, Advanced Search,
Web History, Search Help, and Send Feedback
can all be found.
22. Advanced Searching of Images
Now you can search images with Google like
never before…
Limit to Size, Color, Type, or Time.
Let’s do a search for Privateers…
24. The Other Google
Google Scholar
Option to search articles
library mission statements
Or legal documents
world wildlife fund world wrestling federation
27. Even More…
This too is a little bit hidden.
When you are on the Google site, look at the
very top right, next to the Sign In button, and
you will see what looks like a grey Rubik's cube.
Click on that. Or just go here…
www.google.com/intl/en/about/products
28. Problems with Google
You cannot let yourself become complacent.
The moment you fall in love with a service and
come to rely on it without thinking…
They discontinue it.
30. So what am I supposed to do?
Use Google services and enjoy them while you
can.
If they get rid of something, it’s usually because
they have incorporated it into Chrome.
And don’t think that you don’t need to keep up
with new services elsewhere. You might need
them in the future.
31. Bing!
What works…?
foreign policy LGBT rights site:.org
foreign policy LGBT rights site:hrc.org
foreign policy LGBT rights -wiki site:.org
African american filetype:pdf
33. Bing!
What I like…
• Becoming more
Google-esque
• Image and Video searches
• Pretty picture
What I don’t…
• Becoming more
Google-esque
• Doesn’t bring up the same
content as other search
engines
• No working Advanced
Search Option
34. Yahoo!
What works…
foreign policy LGBT rights site:.org
foreign policy LGBT rights site:hrc.org
foreign policy LGBT rights -wiki site:.org
African American history filetype:pdf
36. Yahoo!
What I like…
• “All Search Services” option
• Yahoo! Search Resources
• Yahoo! Advanced Web Search
• Yahoo! Finance
• Yahoo! Help
• Yahoo! Search Help
What I don’t…
• The Trending Now section
• Yahoo! Dating
38. Thank you!
Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents & Microforms
Earl K. Long Library, University of New Orleans
sebrown3@uno.edu
http://www.linkedin.com/in/sonnet
Shameless Self-Promotion
Gov Info 4 Schools
govinfo4schools.blogspot.com
Federal Documents @ Earl K. Long Library
feddocs.blogspot.com
Twitter: @feddocs and @sonnetireland