AdvancedGoogle Searching

Expectations of Search Engine Users

“We expect a lot from

search engines. We ask

them vague questions

about topics that we are

unfamiliar and anticipate

a concise organized

response.”

“You would have better success if you laid your head on the keyboard and coaxed the computer to read your mind.”

Understanding Search Engines: Mathematical Modeling and Text Retrieval Michael W. Berry and Murray Browne

Why?

“Human uses of language are often illogical, playfully misleading, false or nefarious, thus human semantics can never be made comprehensible to machines.” Another example:

What is a hokie?

The Fate of the Semantic Web Pew Internet & American Life Project May 2010 http://pewinternet.org/2010/Semantic-Web.aspx

We must understand…

“Search engines have no

understanding of words or

language. (They) don't recognize

user intent, can't distinguish goal-

oriented search from browsing

search.” A ResourceShelf Interview:

20 Questions with Dr. Gary Flake, Ph.D.

Head of Yahoo! Research Labs

http://searchenginewatch.com/showPage.html?page=3372051 Thursday, June 3, 2004

Google Gullibility

“Many users are at the search engine's mercy and mainly click the top links — a behavior [called] Google Gullibility. Sadly, while these top links are often not what they really need, users don't know how to do better.”

Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox, February 4, 2008

User Skills Improving, But Only Slightly

http://www.useit.com/alertbox/user-skills.html

Objectives for Better Searching

• Search terms & tips• Specific location• File type• Related pages • Recommended other search engines

Phrase Search

Phrase Search - A phrase is more than one keyword. When the terms are enclosed within “double quotation marks,” Google searches for them as exact phrase and returns documents with the terms in the exact order as stated in the query

Search: Vikings history

Phrase Search Results

“vikings history”

AND Boolean Operator

• AND – Both of the search terms are present in the Web documents.

“vikings history” AND greenland

Using AND Boolean Operator

“vikings history” AND greenland

In Plain English…“Web Search Strategies” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAFwAsLypJY

Title Field Searching

“The document title… is the single most important element used by search engines to index a document.”

Effective Internet Search: E-searching Made Easy!– Edward N. Baylin and Judith Gill

mesopotamia

Title Field Searching

Title Field Search (intitle:) -Retrieves the keyword or phrase in the webpage title which appears in the title bar on the browser.

intitle:mesopotamia

Title Field Search Results

combination results

URL Limited Search

URL Field Search (inurl:) - Retrieves the words in the webpage address. Words in the webpage address may function somewhat like a descriptor of the webpage content

inurl:

inurl Search Results

inurl: Single Word Syntax

inurl Search Results

NOTE:The results are all different from those returned with the one-word URL query.

inurl: Dashed-Word Syntax

Site Limited Search

Precede your query with site: if you know you want your answer from within a specific site or type of site (.org, .edu). For example: site:edu or site:nytimes.com.– Top Level Domain– Specific Website– Countries

site:

Top Level Domains

site:

How about these?

site:

Site Limited Search Results

File Type Searches• Search for specific types of files, such as

PDFs, PPTs, or XLS, by adding filetype: and the 3-letter file abbreviation.

filetype:

File Type Search Results

filetype:

Find Related Pages

Use the related: operator to find pages that have similar content by typing related:followed by the website address. For instance, if you find a website you like, try using related:[insert URL] to locate similar websites.

related:URL address

Related Pages Search Result

WOW

RecommendationBegin with a title field search with Boolean expressions that is limited to a top level domain or a specific website. • intitle: “your topic” • Boolean expressions – Add specificity to your

query • Top Level Domain – Who cares about your topic?

• Associations or Organizations - .org • Educational Institutions - .edu • U.S. Government - .gov

• Specific website - site:k12.va.us

Your Turn

PLAYING THE GOOGLE GAME• With a partner, use the searching

techniques you have learned to answer the following question.

• Record the search terms you use and the number of results for each search.

• The team with the fewest number of results wins!

What are the methods of tattoo removal that a teen might consider?

Advanced Google Search Results

What are the methods of tattoo removal that a teen might consider?

“tattoo removal” AND teen site:gov

References Used• Barron, P. (2011). How Google Works: Are Search

Engines Really Dumb and Why Should Educators Care? Virginia Association of School Librarians. Richmond.

• College, H. (2011, November 23). INFOGRAPHIC: GET MORE OUT OF GOOGLE. Retrieved February 15, 2012, from HackCollege Blog: http://www.hackcollege.com/blog/2011/11/23/infographic-get-more-out-of-google.html

• Common Craft. (2010). Web Search Strategies [Video].