Have you Googled Today? (Part 2)
As we saw in the first article on the search engine Google, with just a few steps, you can easily search the internet to find the information you need. Now you will become a Google expert, and learn about features that even longtime users aren’t familiar with.
The “I’m Feeling Lucky” Button
Open the Google site (http://www.google.com). Under the logo, there is an empty text box and two buttons: Google Search and I’m Feeling Lucky. Google Search provides you with a list of links on the subject you are looking for. The I’m Feeling Lucky button sends you to the most relevant page that Google finds. Sometimes this works out well and sometimes it doesn’t.
Try searching for the Empire State building and you will reach the home page for this famous New York landmark. But if you enter the letters IDF in the hope of getting to the home page of the Israeli army, you will reach the International Diabetes Federation.
What does it mean, and how do you spell it?
Let’s say that you want to know about Einstein’s theory of relativity. In the text box, enter the keyword phrase “theory of relativity”. Click the Google Search button (or simply press Enter). The search results page appears.
Look at the blue bar right under the colorful Google logo. The words “theory of relativity” are underlined, indicating that they are a link.
Click the link, the Dictionary.com site opens, and the definition appears.
But what if you misspelled the keywords, and wrote “theory of relitivity” instead? On the search results page, under the Google logo and the blue bar, Google will suggest the correct spelling for you. (And, in a list of rather funny results, you will see existing internet sites that use the misspelled “relitivity” to discuss Einstein’s work.)
Where can I find a map? (United States only)
Google also provides maps as search results.
Simply type in a U.S. address with either the zip code or the city and state.
When your search results appear, the first item will list the address and give you links to two mapping sites:Yahoo! Maps and MapQuest. Click one of the underlined links to see a detailed map of the address you entered.
Where do you live and what’s your number? (United States only)
You want to visit the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC and need to find the museum’s address and phone number. Use Google, of course. To find street addresses and phone numbers for both businesses and residences in the United States, enter the Business name, City, and State (example: Holocaust Museum Washington D.C.).
The result:
For a personal residence, enter First name (optional), Last name, Zip code or City and State.
What else can you do with Google?
On the Google home page, there are five tabs: Web, Images, Groups, Directory and News. Until now, we’ve been doing all our searches in the default Web tab. Now let’s look at some of the other tabs.
Images
Click on the Images tab. Enter keywords, like “birthday cake”. Google searches through over 400 million images! The search yields pages with thumbnail images of birthday cakes and links to the pages where the images appear. Right click the picture you want, and save it to your computer.
Groups
Newsgroups (on-line discussion groups) exist for nearly any topic you could imagine.
Let’s say you want to talk about surfing (or origami, philosophy, cuisine, etc.) Click on the Groups tab, enter the keyword, and Google will point you to messages from groups talking about your topic.
Directory
In the Directory tab, search by navigating through categories.To find information about Jazzercise, (a combination of Jazz and exercise), go to Health > Fitness > Aerobics > Jazzercise.
News
Want to find news reports on a particular subject? Google News provides up-to-the-minute news stories and pictures on a wide range of topics from over 4500 sources. Enter key words (like “California fires”). Google returns links to many news stories on the topic.
