5 Power Searching Tips&Tricks

1. One of the power searching tools that he talked about is actually one that I use very frequently. The suggestions-as-you-type tool on google is an amazing and easy tool to use. It’s a tool that I think a lot of people use without even realizing it. When searching on google, as you begin typing what you want to search, google will try to provide suggestions with what you may be looking for. It works almost like auto fill. This can come in handy in many situations. Perhaps you know the general idea of what you’re wanting to find, but not what to specifically look for. It helps when you aren’t sure how to spell what you’re looking for as well. I think this can be used in almost every circumstance of google searching.
2. Another tool that I actually had never heard of before watching these videos is the define tool. When searching for things that you are needing to understand the meaning of, you can type ‘define’ to immediately bring up the meaning of what you are searching for. This goes hand in hand with dictionary mode which allows you to find the meaning of words that are normally not in a normal dictionary. This tool in itself can almost completely replace a paper dictionary. With the speed it takes to just pull up google as opposed to finding a dictionary is an amazing time saver. And in today’s age, I will take every second I can get.
3. The video also talks about the different modes that google has to offer. This is just another tool that allows you to filter your search to assist you in finding exactly what you are looking for. They come in tabs at the top of the screen after you search. So if you google the word tornado, you can click the images tab and it will give you tons of images of tornadoes. You could also click the news tab and it will give you any current events involving tornadoes. This method of searching is extremely useful and is another tool that not only I benefit from on a daily basis, but also one that everyone could benefit from.
4. Searching with an image is a tool that I am very excited to start using. I didn’t realize you could insert an image into google and search based on that, but the video talks about how it is actually an extremely useful tool. If you aren’t sure what something is, search the image in google, and it will pull up results that have to do with that image. You will get a multitude of images and articles that all tie into the image you search.
5. Another search tool that is good to understand is how to understand the difference between rank and credibility. When you search something, google tries to rank the sites based on relevance to what you search. This doesn’t always mean it is what you are looking for. That is where credibility comes into play. The video talks about what assists you in finding credible information for whatever it is you are looking for. One would be to think about the search terms you use. This can affect the type of results you get greatly. Second would be to find multiple perspectives on your subject matter. This can help you come up with a well rounded conclusion on what you’re looking for. And lastly would be to use all the information you get to help you have the best possible outcome in your search.