Google Master Class Class 3: Search continued and specialized search

What we have discussed… • • • • • • • How Google search works A good search is a thoughtful, narrow search.

Word choice and order are important Capital letters do not matter Punctuation does not matter The results of a search are ranked on an SERP Ranking search results is done using over 200 different algorithims that include such things as: • Location • Personalization • Freshness • • • Relevance Autocomplete Search History • PageRank

Standard Search Results

Search Bar Advertisements Natural Search Results Search Filters Knowledge Panel

Title Web address Snippet Search terms Ellipses

Search Snippet

Cached Similar Share

Search Filters Can change depending on what you are searching: playstation 4 john f kennedy stonehenge florence nightingale

Refining Search

Key Search Operators

11. Intext:marketing 12. Inanchor:”marketing plan” 13. Info:humber.ca

- Link:humber.ca

- Cache:humber.ca

14. define: 15. weather: 16. Flights to/from, sunrise in sunset in, movies in, time in

What else can we search?

chrome://history chrome://extensions chrome://settings chrome://apps chrome://bookmarks chrome://downloads

+ vs. INTEXT: When to use the PLUS operator? Answer: When spell correction overtriggers and you want that exact word. When to use the INTEXT: operator? Answer: When you need text on the page

Finding exact quotes: April is the cruelest month Finding either or: big data analytics OR mining Find one thing without the other: penguins –pittsburgh Number range: olympics 2001..2012

Wildcards: * a cold * a fever AROUND(#): “she sat in like a *throne” eliot AROUND(10) shakespeare

Tips for Better Searches Tips for Better Searches Keep it simple. Describe what you want in as few terms as possible.

Use descriptive, specific words. Avoid general or common words.

Think of how the page you want will be written. Use words that are likely to appear on your ideal page.

Stop and think for a moment about what your perfect answer will look like: 1. WHO cares about what I care about? Who do I trust to give me the information I need?

2. WHAT words would I use to describe it, what words would my trusted source use? Which would be most common?

3. WHERE would my trusted source publish this information?

4. WHY would someone use one format or another to communicate this information?

5. HOW will I know when I found what I want?

Think About Using Context Terms Are there any concepts that describe what you want that would actually appear on the page?

Information about Michael Jackson [Michael Jackson fan site] [Michael Jackson official] A collection of information about an aspect of science fiction [science fiction database OR list OR index OR archive] A more academic look at democracy in South America [democracy south america bibliography OR “works cited”]

When an artist is making a sculpture for a client, they often make a small version of the sculpture to scale in wax or clay. They’re usual a preliminary sketch, presented to the client for approval.

What is this thing called?

What day of the week is the Minister of Defense's birthday this year (2014)?

Convert: How fast does the World’s Fastest Man run in MPH?

Now let’s talk about three other Google search aids Google now Google alerts Google trends

Alerts http://www.google.com/alerts aka “standing queries”

Scan news, groups, web, videos, comprehensive… Generate emails automatically Use in conjunction with advanced search techniques

Other search alternatives to a Google Keyword search Wolfram Alpha Worldcat Indeed Siri Google custom search

Credibility

WHOIS Alexa Pagerank status toolbar – Chrome extension Search: Decor my eyes Search: tree octopus

First ask the question who is the author? If you don’t find one, turn your skepticism meter to the top of the dial. Use www.easywhois.com to find out who owns the sites If the author name is listed, do a quick search on it to evaluate what others think of her/him. Scan The URL of the website. The URL is the web address of the page you are reading. It has this format:www.name of the website.name of article you are reading.com. This is the first door we need to tap in to get a glimpse of what the article is all about. Read the URL carefully and look for the following: Does the URL have a domain name and if so is it appropriate for the content? You should know that a site that has a domain name ending with .edu is more likely to be relevant for academic and educational content. Check out if the page is dated and if so, is it current enough? Undated factual or statistical information is no better than anonymous information. Be cautious when dealing with it. Look for indicators of quality information: are sources documented with footnotes or links? Do the links work? Are they reliable? If the article is reproduced from another source then is it complete, not altered, fake, or forged? Try to figure out the purpose of the website? Is it mainly commercial? Is the author trying to generate revenue by recommending things, enticing, or selling products? Is the website informative and provides data and facts? Use Google Page rank .This is a sophisticated algorithm Google uses to classify websites from 0 to 10 with 10 being at the top. Any webpage with a Google Page rank of 5 upwards is likely to be more reliable. Use Alexa Traffic rank (www.alexa.com). This is another useful tool to rank websites. Alexa ranks websites according to their backlinks and pageviews. It starts with 26 million down to 1 with 1 being the top ( Google has 1 in Alexa rank ). Any website ranked from 90.000 down might is likely to be reliable.

Kinds of content available on Google Web pages News streams News archives Patents Images Videos 3D-models Code Blogs Financial Public data Reviews Product data Maps Groups Magazines Scholarly papers Calendars RSS feeds Books Local info (geocoded events)

Surprising result about Control-F Survey of 2,269 searchers about “find on page”: 90% of all US internet users do NOT know how to Control-F 50% of all US teachers do NOT know how to Control-F EN-only, Survey conducted between Jan 1, 2008 – Sept 1, 2010