1. 1 Search

2. 2 Contents Introduction to Search Google Account/Gmail Results page The Google search algorithm Preferences Forming a query Operators Other Google search applications Other Google applications

3. 3 Introduction What search engine(s) do you use? What searches have you done lately? Google is not necessarily the best search engine –http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/09/technology/personaltech/09pogue.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/09/technology/personaltech/09pogue.html However, if you can use Google well, you will know what to look for in other engines For the rest of this lecture, let's get to know Google well, both its search and related capabilities. From now on these lecture notes will disappear from the screen….

4. 4 Google Account/Gmail A few Google facilities are available only to those with a Google account or gmail. –Blogger, YouTube comments, Google Groups, Web History, Google Docs You can sign up for these facilities at www.google.com/accounts/login. www.google.com/accounts/login –You can have an account without having gmail, using another email address. Pros of Gmail –Available through any browser, 1GB storage, groups mails by subject, excellent search, good spam filter, nice add-ins. Cons of Gmail –Lots of ads, possible privacy problems, no self-delivery, conversations cannot be split up.

5. 5 The Results Page Sponsored (PPC) Links Results Search Toolbar

6. 6 How are Google’s search results ordered? Many (200+) factors considered by Google’s Algorithm This algorithm is very important to businesses –Every business wants its page at the top! –Entire books, courses devoted to Search Engine Optimizaton: The art/science of getting your website at the top of results Algorithm is tweaked by Google daily Most important factor in algorithm: Page Rank –Page Rank is named after Larry Page, one of its inventors. Larry and Sergey Brin founded Google. Google blew away the competition because it had Page Rank; no other search engine did.

7. 7 What is Page Rank?* Very roughly, the page rank of a page is the number of pages that link to that page –See those pages with the operator link: http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/operators.html#link

8. 8 What else is in Google's Algorithm? Google will rank "your" page high in the results of a search for some keywords if: –The keywords are in prominent places on your page Prominent = page title, headings, meta tags, text Meta tags are part of the HTML of a page, not viewable by a user –The pages, pointing to your page, have many links pointing to them, i.e. have high page rank. This is part of the definition of Page Rank –The keywords are close together on your page –The keywords are in the anchors of the pages pointing to your page Now we'll move on to learning how to use Google search

9. 9 Search History Each browser keeps a history of the pages you have searched in that browser, on that computer. –Helpful to autocomplete when you type –This has nothing to do with google. You can disable or clear that history feature. Firefox: –Clear: Tools/Clear recent history Click details and clear only the browsing and download history –Disable: Tools/Options/Privacy/Clear history when Firefox closes Other browsers: http://www.google.com/support/websearch/bin/answer.py?answer=465 http://www.google.com/support/websearch/bin/answer.py?answer=465

10. 10 Web History This is a history of your google searches. You can turn it on when you register your Google account, and access it at www.google.com/historywww.google.com/history You can search it, remove items from it, see trends in your google search history

11. 11 Preferences On Google's home page, at the upper right corner, click settings/search settings Note languages, number of results Query suggestions –Uses advertisements as well as your web history SearchWiki: Customize your searches!

12. 12 Forming a Query What you don’t want: Use the minus sign, - –Ari Shapiro –NPR –Omits all the Ari Shapiros not at NPR A phrase: Use quotes “…” –“Dan Shapiro” –omits all the "Dans" and the "Shapiros" Something you must include: Use a plus + –Len Shapiro +”Portland State University” –Shows only the Len Shapiros at PSU Show only certain filetypes: filetype: –Google filetype:ppt Look within a certain domain: site: –Cyberculture site:www.pdx.edu Do this and more on the Advanced Search page –www.google.com/advanced_searchwww.google.com/advanced_search

13. 13 Operators on Keyword(s) Don't put a space after the colon! Intitle:"tree removal" –Displays only sites whose titles include the phrase "tree removal" Define:personable –Gives definitions from the web

14. 14 Operators on URLs Don't put a space after the colon! Cache:www.cs.pdx.edu/~len –To see an old copy of my web page Related:www.portlandfoodanddrink.com –To find similar pages

15. 15 Miscellaneous Operators Phonebook:Leonard Shapiro Portland Oregon Movie:97223 Weather:portland,oregon Special number searches –UPS, FedEx, USPS, VIN, ISBN www.google.com/intl/en/help/features.html

16. 16 Which Principles does Google embody? Data Rules: The value of an application is increased by the scale and dynamism of the data it manages The long tail: Small products/ideas make up the great majority of all products/ideas. Use your Users: Enable users to contribute content to the application The Power of Groups: Apply the wisdom of users to solve problems Enable Community: Enable users to share their experiences in your application Folksonomy, not Taxonomy: Utilize user-generated tags to classify items, instead of expertly generated categories

17. 17 Other Google Search Applications Important: Use your search skills Images –Tiger -white Videos: youtube and more! News (location:, source: ) Shopping Groups (author: group: insubject: ) Scholar Finance Blogs

18. 18 Other Google Applications Maps, www.maps.google.comwww.maps.google.com –Similar to mapquest or maps.yahoo.com, but has satellite/terrain views Earth –Must download as a separate application –As if you could fly anywhere and see below you Documents & Spreadsheets –Similar to Microsoft Word & Excel –Not quite compatible E.g., if you load a Word document into G, it may not display completely Google Docs was meant to be a new word processor, not a copy of Word –http://tinyurl.com/2k32shhttp://tinyurl.com/2k32sh –Documents stored on the Web –Easy to share with others –Price is right Gmail –We've seen this before

19. 19 More Google Applications Calendar –Stored on the web –Easy to share with others Google Alerts (under even more) –Be informed (email) when anything (keyword based) happens Picasa: Photo editing, sharing Directory: directory.google.com –Another way to search the web –Oldie but goodie

20. 20 Other search engines Wolfram alpha: www.wolframalpha.comwww.wolframalpha.com –Computational knowledge engine –Try../examples A recent article ranking customer satisfaction with search engines: http://tinyurl.com/lvnca2http://tinyurl.com/lvnca2