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Homework 6
Google Search
Google is more than your average search engine. It has many specialized search functions that allow the user to find what they are looking for quickly and with ease. Google’s specialized search functions are separated into eight general categories with detailed sub categories that help the user find the exact information they are looking for. The eight categories are Everyday Essentials, Local Search, Query refinements, Reference Tools, Health Search, Search by Number, Choosing Keywords, and Trip Planning. A general overview of Google's most popular search functions can be found at http://www.google.com/help/features.html#.
Everyday Essentials are searches for information like the weather, stock quotes, time, sports scores, and sunrise & sunset. For example to find the weather, time, or sunset & sunrise of a certain area you would type "weather", "time", "sunset" or "sunset" and then the city, state, or zip code. Music and sports scores can be found by entering the name of the musician or sports team.
Reference Tools are searches for information like public data, unit conversions, and calculations. Public data such as population or unemployment rates can be found by typing in "population" or "unemployment rate" followed by the state or county the user wants to find information on. For unit conversions you would enter the conversion you want i.e. cm in inches and hit search to find the answer. A calculator function is also built into Google that allows you to enter the calculation and get an answer.
The Choosing keywords category includes searches for definitions, synonyms, and spell checking. To find a synonym you would type (~) in front of the word you wanted to find a synonym for. Definitions can be found by typing "define" before your search term.
Google is also an automatic spell checker that will suggest a different spelling by asking "did you mean" and an alternative spelling if you are not using the common way of spelling your search term.
Local searches are searches for information like movie times, restaurants, or businesses in your local area. If you are looking movie show times you would type the name of the movie and your zip code to view relevant times and theatres in the area.
Health searches for information on medications, health hotlines, and diseases are pretty straight forward. They can easily be found by typing in the name of the disease, medication, or hotline you are trying to find.
Search by number for tracking packages, area codes, and patents works similarly to health searches. You would type the tracking number, area code, or patent and the number to receive the information you want.
The trip planning category is for things like finding maps, flight tracking, and currency conversions. You can track a flight by entering the airline name and number of the flight. Maps are found by typing in a zip code or location name followed by the word "map". Currency conversion is similar to unit conversions in that you simply enter the conversion you want i.e."200 GBP in USD" and hit search.
Finally query refinements help you refine your search so you can get the results you need. Tools like plus operator and fill in the blank are the backbone of refining your search. The plus operator works by putting a (+) in front of a term that is important to have included in your search you simply add the (+) symbol in front of the term. Fill in the blank involves using the (*) symbol in the place of a sentence or question you want answered. For example "President Lincoln was born in*".Using these built in Google search functions help you refine your results to get exactly what you are searching for.