Is Google your friend? It can be. Here are tips on how to
use the search engine.
http://google.com Anything
can be researched from the Google website. It's the world's biggest help menu.
Google Account
If you don't have a Google account, create one now. This
will give you an email and much more. Once you create the Google account, set
up your search preferences. I suggest opening new results in a new window (or
tab). This way, when searching for an item, if you click a link, after you
finish reading you can close the window and your search results will still be
there. This saves you having to go back a page or six or twenty if you start
clicking forward in your article. Be sure to save your preferences.
Search by Image
Click on the Images button and you can then drag an image to
the search bar to search for a similar image. Try it with a book cover! You can also type in the name of
an item to find images of it. Try typing in the name of a character in one of
your books. You'll be surprised what you find.
Find Exact Matches
Type quotation marks around a phrase to find the exact
match. "Bringer of Chaos" is the title of one of my books. Typing it
this way will make sure the results put all the words together in that order.
Exclude or Include Words
Let's say you want to find the phrase "marketing tips"
but don't want to read material written for entrepreneurs. Type "marketing
tips" -entrepreneurs (using a hypen for the minus sign). Google will
eliminate articles with that term from your search.
To include a specific word add a plus sign and then the
word. Google will show you only items that include that word.
Search a Specific Website
This search is super handy for finding a specific reference
on a large site. In the Google search bar, type: site:domain.com (where domain
is the name of the site you choose). Example - site:kayellallen.com Do not put
a space between site: and the domain name. Then type any word you choose to
search for. Example - site:kayellallen.com Pietas would bring up all the
references to my character Pietas on my site.
Get a Definition
Type Define: then the word you want defined. A box pops up
at the top with a dictionary entry including a speaker that will let you hear
the word pronounced.
Translate Text
Type translate in the search bar. At the top, a box pops up
with Enter Text on one side and Translation on the other. Paste in the foreign
word you want to define. Google will attempt to determine language for you, but
you can also tell it what language you want. Paste in the text, and it will
guess the language and pop up a small bit of text saying "translate from
___" and what it thinks is the language. Click the name of the language
and another drop down menu appears above. You can choose from dozens of
languages in the drop down.
There is a speaker icon as well. Click that to hear the
word/s pronounced. Click the square in the translation box (next to the speaker
icon). It will copy the translation for you. You can then paste it into a
document or other site.
Search Different Types of Responses
After you enter an item to search and hit return, you'll see
tabs appear at the top of the search screen. They are titled All, News, Images,
Videos, Maps, More. Click those to see other aspects of your search.
Find Food
This is one of the most useful search tips and is handy for
using on your phone. If you decide you want Mexican food but don't know the
location of a place nearby, type: mexican food near me. You don't even need to
put quotes around it. Google will show you the names of places and even include
a map. This assumes you allow Google to know your location. Because I use
Google Maps to navigate, this is true for me. It's handy for finding all sorts
of places. If I get lost, I can just ask for directions.
Speak Up
On your phone or your computer, click the microphone icon
and then ask your question. Very handy for searching when you get hungry --or
lost-- while out and about.
Hear about Updates
Google Queen
People say I'm the Google Queen. I doubt that, but when
people ask me a question, most of the time I can find the answer on Google. You
can too, now that you know how to look.
Have any good tips for using a search engine? Leave a
comment below. You are welcome to share this post with friends.
About Kayelle Allen
