This article discusses some of the known and the mostly unknown ways that you can use Google. For instance, did you know you can:
1. Use Google to convert to and from metric measurements, such as, for instance, "What is 100º Fahrenheit in Celsius?"
2. Instruct Google to search for synonyms of your search word – without typing all of the synonyms. Just place a ~ (tilde) without a space, immediately in front of the word.
3. Use Google as a spell checker.
4. Find definitions of words – and links to sites where the words are defined.
5. Track your UPS and Fed Ex mailings.
6. Search for Power Point Presentations on your topic of interest.
7. Translate web pages from foreign languages.
8. Find photographs and drawings – such as medical photos and illustrations.
And, like the Ginzu knife commercial, there's more. And more. And more. . . .
I. Google Searching — using the Google search bar
A. Use quotation marks when searching for phrases – It can help place best results at the top of the results and reduce your irrelevant results. For instance, use quotation marks to type "New Orleans" as a phrase.
Also use the quotation marks to search for a quotation, the name of a book, etc.
B. Too many results? You can place a minus sign in front of a word to exclude entries with that word. If you are searching for "saints" for a list of saints, you can eliminate the football team by entering -football in the entry bar. (Don't include a space between the minus sign and the first letter of the word.)
To make certain that a word is included in your search results, place a plus sign in front of the first letter of the word.
C. You can "Search within results" by entering additional words at the bottom of the results page or by adding the words in the search bar.
D. When you search for factual information, you can try two techniques:
2. Enter your search as a statement in a way that a writer would state it: Noah's ark was cubits long.
(You will find the ark was to be 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide and 30 cubits high. How long is a cubit? Google will tell you. I'll show you how to find out below.)
E. If you want to expand your search by adding alternative words in your search, Google has a command that tells Google to search for synonyms. To use it, place a ~ (a tilde) in front of the words that you want to have Google automatically search for synonyms. Thus, ~attorney would search for attorney as well as lawyer.
F. Use the "cache" on Google's results if you click on Google's search result for an item and can't get connected to the linked page.
G. Do you have a telephone number on a slip of paper and don't know whose number it? Use Google. Just type in the number with the area code.
H. Want to convert from Fahrenheit to Celsius or solve some other math problem or question? Just type the question in the Google search bar.
Ex: What is 25 in binary?
I. Don't know how to spell something? Use Google as a spell checker. If the word is misspelled, you may get this response from Google: "Did you mean:" with Google supplying the proper spelling. (If the word is commonly misspelled, you may not get the warning about the misspelling.)
Try typing "100 degrees Celsius in Fahrenheit" (without the quotes) and see what happens.
J. Want to find the status of an airline flight? Type the airline and the flight number. For instance, Delta 44.
K. Want to find a stock quote? Type stock:aapl or stock:msft (no spaces)
L. Do you have a bar code but the manufacturer's name is no longer on the product? Just enter the bar code including the beginning and ending numbers of the bar code: 722868180631.
M. Want a telephone number? For a United States resident, type first name (or first initial), last name, city (state is optional). You can also try:
first name (or first initial), last name, state
first name (or first initial), last name, area code
first name (or first initial), last name, zip code
last name, city, state
last name, zip code
(You may not always get a result, but you can't beat the price.)
For a business telephone number, type bphonebook:name of company, city state (or type the name of the business and its zip code.)
N. Need to define a word and find online sources for the definition? Type: "define:" followed by the word (type the colon but not the quotes).
For instance, try define:voip or define:idiopathic or define:"therapeutic jurisprudence" (again, no spaces after the colon). And try define:iatrogenic.
O. Want to find where a location is on a map? Type the address (including the city and state), and you will probably be directed to a map showing the location. Google will give you a direct link to a map showing your location on Yahoo's Maps or on MapQuest.
P. Do you want to find information about a vehicle but all you have is its VIN number? Just enter the VIN number and you will probably see a link to www.carfax.com. I entered a VIN number for a car I drive, and was shown the following at no charge:
VIN:
Year/Make/Model:
Body Style:
Engine Type:
Manufactured In:
In addition, the Carfax site (www.carfax.com) reflected that three records for that VIN number were in its database. Although the records were not set forth in detail, they could be seen for a fee. The site also included some additional data, such as safety and reliability reports and a more detailed vehicle history, all of which could also be seen for an additional fee.
If you have a case involving a vehicle, you will probably be able to find the names of prior owners of the vehicle, when the vehicle had been previously sold, and the odometer readings at the time of the sales.
You may also find manufacturer recalls and other information.
Q. Here are some other number-related searches that you can do. You can search using:
To see a list of Google's number-related searching facilities and the formats for using those facilities, go to Google's main page, click on Advanced Search, then on Advanced Search Tips, then on Google features, and finally on Search by Number. (All of these examples and instructions and the others described in this outline are, of course, subject to change).
R. Do you want to get a more sophisticated in your searching? Use "Advanced Search" on the main Google search page:
2. You can limit the search to the past three months, six months, or one year.
But note that Google's web search may not function as you might expect because the dates that Google uses might be the dates when Google's robot last updated the web page. However, the date search may work for searches in Google's Groups and in Google's News. Sometimes if you get too many results, you might try including an appropriate year in your search, such as 2002 if you are searching for something from that year. This could eliminate some valid hits, but it could also narrow down your results.
(You can also limit the search to a particular date range by using Julian dates, but that is too complicated for me to explain, assuming I really knew how to do it. But you can use www.faganfinder.com , which I cite below.)
3. Want to get your results from only universities or from governments? You can limit your search to a particular domain (.edu or .gov) or to a particular site.
4. Do you want to find only PowerPoint presentations? Go to File Format, use the drop-down list, and click on Microsoft PowerPoint. It's the same procedure if you only want to find Acrobat pdf files or Excel spreadsheets.
Using this technique is a good way to find cutting-edge information. You might find someone's PowerPoint presentation even before there are detailed articles on a topic.
You can also use this technique to find experts who are giving presentations on a topic that interests you. For instance search for HIPPA and select file format Microsoft PowerPoint.
(If you don't have PowerPoint on your computer, you may get an error message when you try to load the presentation. However, you can download without charge a PowerPoint reader from Microsoft's website. The current link for the download is:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/results.aspx?productID=B157E6F3-5AF9-48CB-A153-895C1AA220F8&freetext=&DisplayLang=en)
5. For more information about Advanced Search, click on "Advanced search tips."
S. Use "Preferences" on the main Google search page
2. You can change how many results are listed on your screen. Try 25 or 50 instead of the 10 that is the default number.
3. You can open the results in a new window.
T. Click on "Language tools" on the main Google search page:
2. You can use Google to translate words or other material to and from English. The available languages for translation are German, Italian, French to and from English, and Portugese and Spanish to and from English.
U. Images
Do you need a drawing or a picture or a photograph? Search Images on the main page. Try "heart attack" or "St. Louis Cathedral," "New Orleans," or Billy the Kid."
Using Images is a great way to find demonstrative aids, but don't forget about copyright laws.
(You can also limit your Image searches, to, for instance, .edu or .gov sites).
V. Groups
This is one of the least-known but most valuable sources of information on Google. You can use it to discover what people have been saying about a product or virtually anything else that has been discussed in certain public discussion groups. Google notes that "Google Groups contains the entire archive of Usenet discussion groups dating back to 1981."
If you know someone's e-mail address, you can even search for what that person has posted to public areas using that address.
Use groups, for instance, if you are interested in buying a product, if you have a computer error, or for virtually anything.
You can also use Groups to see if others have had the same problems with a product that you or your clients are having. You may also be able to learn how others have solved their problems.
W. Directory
Google has some items that have been categorized by real people. You can search by category, but not all items are categorized.
X. News
See the latest news for the last 30 days from approximately 4500 news sources. You can do a normal Google search for the latest news.
Looking only for press releases? Try entering a product or a manufacturer and add "Press release" (without the quotes).
Incidentally, did you know the news stories and the headlines are not selected by humans? Google says the stories are selected and the headlines are written by computer.
Y. News Alerts
This could be extremely valuable. Want to see every time that a company is mentioned in one of those 4500 news sources? Or do you have a product or a person that you want to track? Google can automatically send notices to you each time your selection is mentioned. You can also choose to receive a daily summary. AND IT'S FREE. Click on "News Alerts" on the News page and you can sign up for up to five free news alerts.
II. The Google Toolbar
This is a Google freebie that can be invaluable. You can download the Google toolbar to place at the top of your screen and you can use it for a variety of functions.
Click on "more" at the top of the Google search screen and you will see a link to "Google Toolbar." Here's some of what you can get if you download it:
A. You will be able to do a Google search from anywhere in your browser. You won't have to load the Google page.
B. It will eliminate pop-up ads (according to Google). And it will tell you how many pop-ups it has blocked.
C. Here's are two ways that the toolbar can help you in your searching:
2. You can turn on a highlight button and all your search terms will be highlighted in your search results. You can turn the highlight on and off by clicking on the icon that looks like the nib of a fountain pen. (Remember fountain pens? Or are you too young to know what they are?)
III. Adwords
A. When you do a search, you will see small block ads on the right side of the page. (Google calls these "Sponsored Links"). They relate to the search words you used in your search. If you have a website, you can have your firm come up in an ad. And you pay only if someone clicks on your ad to go to your site. The price per click depends on how many people want to use the word in an ad and you can set the maximum amount you get billed for.
B. To see the rules and instructions, type "adwords" in the main Google search bar.
IV. Froogle
A. Do you want prices and locations for buying products? Try http://froogle.google.com/ (Note there is no www.)
B. Google notes: "As with all other Google search results, Froogle ranks store sites based only on their relevance to the search terms you've entered. Google does not accept payment for placement within our actual search results, and advertising that appears to the right of Froogle search results is always clearly identified with the label ‘Sponsored Links.' "
V. Here are two sites that may allow you easier ways to search Google
A. www.soople.com This places on one screen many of Google's search allows facilities. You might find it even easier to use than Google itself. Soople also you to easily search for movie reviews.
B. www.faganfinder.com This one allows you to search by date. Click on http://www.faganfinder.com/google.html (The dates that the site uses as a reference may sometimes be the date when Google last indexed the site.)
The sites also have some search capabilities that Google itself doesn't have.
VI. Additional references
A. For an excellent Google manual that's written in plain English, get "How To Do Everything With Google." It has a 2004 copyright date and is written by three Google employees. The list price is $24.99.
B. Another book that lists a lot of Google uses is "Google Hacks: 100 Industrial-Strength Tips and Tools" by Calishain and Dornfest. It's $24.95 retail. Some of the book is for programmers, which I am not. But there's a lot of material for users who aren't programmers.
C. Google labs. Http://labs.google.com. (Note: there is no www.) "Google's technology playground. Google labs showcases a few of our favorite ideas that aren't quite ready for prime time."
D. Google services and tools. http://www.google.com/options/. "Google has many special services and tools to help you to find exactly what you're looking for."
VII. Miscellaneous
A. Google has a newsletter to keep you up to date on what they're doing at Google. Go to the Google search screen and type "Google friends newsletter" (without the quotes). (As of July 2004, the last issue was in March 2004.)
B. Have some kitchen leftovers? Type in what you have and you will get recipes that use those ingredients.
C. Want to get a list of the most popular Google searches for the past month and for other periods — and for a number of different countries? Go to http://www.google.com/press/zeitgeist.html.