Google indexes about eight billion Web pages and it is fair to assume that if the information is on the Internet, Google, or any other search engine for that matter, will be able to find it. But the trick is in knowing how to ask the right question. Being able to use search efficiently is as much an essential skill in the 21st century as touch typing.
Looking for information about Hawaii will bring up many results involving the islands. However, for information on a Hawaiian vacation, typing that phrase will give better results. If a beach or golfing vacation is needed, add these words. If a specific island or hotel is wanted, type “luxury hotels Maui” instead of “tropical island hotels”.
When search technology was in its infancy, it was necessary to include the word “and” to denote that there was a search for both words. Now, Google will search for all the terms you type in.
When searching for results that include an exact phrase, simply put quotation marks around the search terms. Conjoining two words or phrases, using the + symbol, such as Asimov + multivac or Asimov + The Last Question refines the search even more. But remember to put a space on either side of the + symbol. Commonly used words, such as “where” and “how”, are generally ignored by Google — but the results page will indicate if these have been omitted.
Google has ported its search technology into an application that will search and index a computer, which will allow you to search your hard drive using similar techniques.
In its second release, although Google still calls it beta or test software, Google Desktop Search indexes e-mails, text documents, PDFs, Web pages, instant messages and other file types.
It can display the results either in an Internet browser or from a stand-alone application it calls a sidebar, which also displays news, weather, stock prices, photos and images. When minimised, a quick-find toolbar lets you type directly into its field without needing a browser either.
It also offers an Outlook toolbar to search Microsoft’s e-mail package and another toolbar that is an add-on for Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. The two alternative browsers, Firefox and Opera, both come standard with a Google search field in the menu bar.
Google says it now uses “stemming” technology for its online searches, which means it will look for the search terms but also similar words. So, if “pet lemur dietary needs” is typed in, variations like “pet lemur diet needs” will also be displayed.
An advanced search page lets you search for even more specific phrases. These include searches that contain all the search terms typed in, or the exact phrase used, or contain at least one of the words, or do not contain any of the words. One can also specify if the phrase is written in a certain language, created in a certain file format, might have been updated within a certain period of time might contain numbers within a certain range or website.