Search Engines

Computer Care: Search engines are your browser's GPS
Knowing how to type entries can speed up and narrow your searches

By Arthur Glazer
glazer.tech@gmail.com

POSTED: September 3, 2011 1:00 a.m.

Internet Web browsers get you where you're going online. But what if you don't know where you're going? It's like driving without a map or global positioning.

Enter the search engine. Think of it as a GPS for your browser.

The method by which I search for things on the Internet is Google. Others are Yahoo, Microsoft's Bing and the all-inclusive Dog Pile.

Search engines do more than point the way. With the proper tools, they have the ability to guide you exactly where you want to go and more.

There are some helpful shortcuts when using search engines. Using Google try these: "Define: your word," when looking for definitions. You can also highlight any word on a page and right-click for a definition.

Use it as a calculator. Type, "300/3" or 300*3 or whatever calculation you need. It's that simple.

You can also type, "Sunrise Any City," "Weather Any City," "Time Any City," "cm in inches," and "Movies 30501." UPS or USPS tracking numbers can be entered directly in the search bar for results.

Most search engines have built-in Boolean logic. That means there are a few search terms you can use to narrow down what you're looking for. This is helpful when looking for websites.

The most common Boolean terms are AND, OR and NOT. They must be typed in caps for them to work.

Let's say you were researching the census in Georgia. You could type "census Georgia." The AND is implied. It's like typing "census AND Georgia." Your results would yield Georgia census results.

But if you typed "Census OR Georgia," the results would differ dramatically. You'd get both census results from all over, plus all kinds of data about Georgia.

Adding a minus sign (-) is the same as saying NOT.

If you want to discount an area in your census search, you'd say, "Georgia census - Atlanta," or Georgia census NOT Atlanta. That would give you results without Atlanta being counted.

By placing your search terms in quotes, you ensure every word that you type in your query will be part of the search. The search engines tend to ignore prepositions. If you were looking for information on freedom of speech, place the search terms in quotation marks to be sure the entire phrase is being searched for, not individual words. Search with, "Freedom of speech."

Google has an "Advanced" link at the top of its results page, to the right of the search box. Click on it to discover a plethora of ways to hone in on your search. Also click on the plus sign near the bottom of the Advanced Search page. It will open options concerning dates, region, usage rights and more.

Using the advanced mode will greatly enhance your search capabilities.

Some websites are dated. You may be surfing for info and land on a page only to discover it's from 2003. Depending on your topic, an outdated article may or may not be important, but keep it in mind.

Searches engines like Google are free thanks to the ads on every page. The trouble is, many Web surfers don't know the difference between an actual hit and an ad. Advertisers are counting that.

Often, the top two hits on a page are paid-for ads. So is the entire column on the right-hand side of the page (on Google). Ads state that they are such, but sometimes the pale color of the font that says, "Ad" is so light that it's barely noticeable, especially on a laptop if the lid isn't at just the right angle.

This is the cause of many surfers' search results being tainted. Even a genuine hit can steer you in the wrong direction. You can also be misdirected by a hijacker, often resulting in a virus.

Occasionally when I search for a device driver, I click a link from my search results and end up on a page that sells utilities that install drivers, not at all what I wanted.

The best way to find something is to simply type your query as if you were talking to your computer.

Type, "How do I find drivers for HP OfficeJet 6500?" You will be taken directly to the proper HP download page.

Try it with anything. I was working on my daughter's car. I asked it, "How do you change the gas filter on a Volvo?" I was taken to a bunch of You Tube videos and some helpful pdf files.

Google will mark a direct hit with a star and a checkmark to help you find your way.

After you find the websites you've searched for, you'll need to save them.

Rather than have one long scrolling list of your Favorites or Bookmarks, create customized folders to store your sites in. With Chrome, for example, click the star to save a page, then click the "Edit" button and choose "New Folder."

Organize your folders so they make sense to you. It will make finding those websites easier later on, once you have them sorted.

Arthur Glazer is a freelance writer and computer technician in Gainesville. His column appears biweekly on the Business page and on gainesvilletimes.com.