The Google Power Searching course is very informative; it showcases an abundance of useful tips and features unknown to most search engine users. However, there was a major downside to these lessons. In the time since the course was published, Google has updated and changed many of the features covered in the lessons. This can make certain tutorials hard to follow and recreate. Therefore, I tried to use information and photos from the latest version of Google.
1) Image Filtering
Technique:
You can filter an image by color. This allows you to search for visual features that may not be included in the image information. You can also filter by file size, usage rights, type (clip art, gif, etc.), and when it was published (time).
Another filter is the ‘related images’ feature (formerly known as similar images). This allows you to look at images similar to the one you selected.
Use:
I could use this technique when searching for images to use in a project. By filtering, I would be able to find an image that meets my visual needs (color, type) as well as my information needs (usage rights, publication time, file size).
2) Operations
Technique:
An operator is a command that, when included in your search, gives Google instructions on how to filter search results. Operators can be symbols or words. Some interesting ones covered in this course were site:, filetype:, and minus (-).
- Site: – The site: operator can narrow results to a specific domain (.edu, .gov, .com) or website (wordpress.com). Examples: [baby safe sunscreen site:nih.gov], [site:.com]
- Filetype: – This operator can narrow results to a specific file or document type (PPT, PDF, DOCX). Here is a list of filetype abbreviations. Example: [lewis clark expedition filetype:kml]
- Minus (-) – When put in front of a term, this operator can exclude the chosen term from search results. Example: [salsa -dancing]
Use:
I could use these operators to narrow down information while researching. For example, I could use the filetype: operator when searching for a PDF version of a document or book.
3) Conversions
Technique:
Google can be used to convert from one unit to another. The formatting is: Number and Unit One in Unit Two
Use:
I could (and do) use this to convert measurements for serving sizes. For example, I might convert cups to tablespoons or tablespoons to teaspoons.
4) Filtering by Date
Technique:
As mentioned earlier in the ‘Image Filtering’ section, you can filter images by publication date, but you can also filter articles using this tool. By clicking the ‘Tools’ button underneath the search bar, you can filter the publication by a(n) hour, day, week, month, year, or a custom range (Note: I have not been able to go back any further than 1970 using the ‘custom range’ feature).
Use:
I could use this feature to find the most up-to-date information on a topic. I could also use it to find information from a certain time period in the past.
5) Search Credibility
Technique:
Here are some tips for determining the credibility of a search result:
- The first few results might be the most relevant, but not necessarily the most credible.
- How you phrase a search can influence the perspective of the search results. Certain words hold underlying meanings, cultural significance, beliefs, etc.
- Analyzing the web address can reveal perspectives and help determine the level of credibility.
- Consider this fictional web address: http://www.historywebsite.com/imperialism/panamacanal.html
- Say this is an address for a page titled The History of Panama, within this address is a directory called imperialism, pointing to a document called panamacanal.html. The word “imperialism” reveals the author’s historical viewpoint when writing about the Panama Canal.
Use:
I can use these tips to determine the credibility of a source when professionally or personally researching a topic. For example, it could help me find the most objective articles when looking for information on a historical event.
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