Internet - searches

The December, 2002, issue of Smart Money reviewed the Google search web site (www.google.com)
http://www.smartmoney.com/mossberg/index.cfm?story=december02

Please read the article to see what Google can do for you.

This is part of the article:
"BY NOW, NEARLY every Internet user knows that Google is the best search site on the Web, an essential part of every surfer's arsenal. Not only is it uncannily accurate and blazingly fast, but Google is one of the few truly honest search sites, one of a handful that don't mix in paid search results with the real results. Its sponsored links are clearly identified and carefully designed so they look nothing like real search results.

But even many frequent Google users aren't aware that the search site is bristling with special features-ways to make searching quicker and more accurate, to find special or specific information, and to call up different sorts of results.

So here's a quick guide to things you may not know about Google. Even if you're a regular visitor, some of this might surprise you. First of all, Google is really five different search sites in one." The vast majority of people use the Google Web search engine, which is the one that presents itself first when you go to www.google.com. But if you click on the tabs at the top of the screen, you can reach the Other Googles.

When Google finds a Web page in Italian, French, Spanish, German or Portuguese, it can provide a rough translation in English if you click on the phrase "Translate this page," which is included in the search result.

Google can also find your search term inside documents posted on the Web in various formats, such as Microsoft Word or other Office documents, or Adobe Acrobat PDF files. These documents are indicated by a term in brackets at the beginning of the result, such as "[PDF]" or "[DOC]". If you click on the link, the document will open, provided you own the application required to open it. If you don't have that program, Google will let you view the document in HTML, the universal language of Web pages.” End of portions of the Smart Money article.

Strings and phrases

You can use special services -- called search engines -- on the Internet to search for Web sites. Using many of the search engines is free, but you'll see advertisements on them. Search engines often use keywords to find sites of interest.

You enter a search string: one or more key words you think define the Web sites you'd like to see. Some search engines treat each word in a search string as a separate phrase, so a search for boat books would find sites that relate to just boats and sites that relate to just books. If you want to find sites that mention both boats and books but don't necessarily want the two words directly together, you need to use a different search technique: Specify your search string as boats AND books -- with the word AND in all capital letters. Enclose the search phrase in quotation marks, as in "boat books" if you want to find only those sites where the two words appear together (with no other words in between boat and books).

Searching for [club] found 60,400,000 items.

Searching for [computer club] found 2,680,000 items. (computer and club)

Searching for [computer club pa] found 414,000 items.

Searching for [computer club pa fox] found 35,800 items.

Searching for [computer club pa fox hill] found 16,300 items.

Searching for [computer club pa fox hill farm] found 6,530 items.

Searching for [“computer club” pa fox hill farm] found 37 items.

Searching for [“computer club” pa “fox hill farm”] found 1 item.