Absolute Googlisation

The Googlisation of our lives on the Internet is absolute. So pervasive is this search engine that most people associate searching the Net solely with Google. Yet, many a time we snort at it for making us wade through a morass of inane and irrelevant information. However, frequently the fault, dear Brutus, lies not in the search engine, but our search queries. For the true olfactory prowess and abilities of Google go way beyond its basic aptitude of being a good “nosed” Tommy kutta. Here’s a fundamental primer on how to harness the amazing talents this power house.

Apart from simple search terms that all of us fire at a search engine, Google also supports several weapons to help you sharpen your hunt. “Advanced operators” as these tools are termed, adapt the search to improve it, or tell Google to re-work the search completely.

Commonly known operators include: OR (to include either of two search terms), "" (the quote operator, for the exact phrase), - (the minus operator, to exclude something), and + (the plus operator, to include something). If you are newbie and want info on these, go to Google’s Basics of Search page (www.google.com/help/basics.html). Here, however, let’s look at some special operators that Google supports.

link: This lists web pages with links to the specified web page. For example, [link:www.hindustantimes.com] and will list pages that have links pointing to the hindustantimes.com homepage. (Remember, no space between “link:” and the URL; and skip the brackets.)

related: This lists web pages that are “similar” or “like” the specified web page. For example, [related:www.ndtv.com] throws up other news broadcasting/publishing web pages.

info: A query [info:] will gives you primary information that Google has about the site. For example, [info:www.ftv.com] will show: “International TV channel dedicated to fashion, broadcasts 24 hours a day on satellites and cable systems. Site features programs and lots of info on fashion...”

define: Need an quickie explanation of a term? Using [define:] on Google will give you a definition of the expression you enter after the colon from several online sources. For instance, [define:nanotechnology] presents a page-full of explanations for “nanotechnology” from various websites.

stocks: A query [stocks:], will link to a page that shows stock information for the mentioned stock ticker symbols. So typing [stocks:intc] will give you information about Intel’s stocks. Remember, you need to type the ticker symbol, not the company’s name.

site: This limits searches to one website. For instance, [admission site:www.stanford.edu] will only search Stanford University’s site for admission info.

#…#: This numrange search restricts a hunt to within a range of numbers. For instance, a query like [DVD player Rs.2000..3500] will only show DVD players between Rs.2000 and Rs.3500)

safesearch: Obvious, isn’t this! Yes, it excludes adult-content. So [safesearch:sex education] will get you material on sex education without any embarrassing adult sites.

filetype: If you are looking for results within a specific file type (PDF, for example), just type [filetype:pdf dictionary] in Google’s search box and see the results.

Two for the Road
Calculator: Google also has built-in calculator function. The calculator resolve math problems involving basic arithmetic, more complicated math, units of measure and conversions, and physical constants. Just type the calculation you want to make in the regular Google search field: Be it “56+98*346” or “2^20” or “sqrt(-4)” or “half a cup in teaspoons”, and just punch Enter…

Currency Convertor: Next time you do some currency conversion, try Google. Type what you want converted into Google’s search box and hit "Enter". And you can be pretty vague too. “3.5 USD in INR” will of course get you the correct result. But something as ambiguous as “currency of Brazil in Malaysian money” or

“15 British pounds in South Korean money” will also produce the answer.

Greedy for more Googling? Go to www.google.com/help/features.html for yet more facets.