Tag Archives: google-fu

How To Become A Google-Fu Master

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What’s one thing all teens can do better than adults, and it’s not Snapchat? They are experts at quickly locating information on the internet.

That’s Google-Fu – the ability to use search engines to research and find answers faster than a contestant on a tv game show.

googlefu

Level 1 Mastery: Tell It What You Need

googlefu2Google is smart and can understand “conversational searches”. Let’s say you came across a great recipe online, but the measurements were imperial. Google has you covered. Simply tell it what you want to convert, and what you want to convert it into.

[number] [unit] into [unit]

Say you want to convert ounces into cups, then type into Google “6 ounces into cups”…and hit enter. Google presents the answer, already calculated – AND it includes a handy drop down to change those measurements for your next ingredient.

Other popular shortcuts are:

  • Release dates: [movie/game] release date
  • Fast facts: [name of person] death
  • Stats: [city] population

Level 2 Mastery: Limiting Result Type

With one click, you can tell Google that you only want images, videos news articles, maps, shopping, books or apps. Your initial results are listed as a combination of all types – you can see the ALL tab highlighted up the top. Just click one of the other tabs to refine your search.

Level 3 Mastery: Using Drop Downs.

One of the most popular Google-Fu moves is to limit results to sites from a particular country. This is great for finding local businesses or results from a specific country. Click SEARCH TOOLS to drop down a second menu. You’ll see the option to limit Country and even Time. Two extra clicks and my search is now limited to my home country and items from the past 7 days only.

Level 3 Mastery: Mastery: Using Operators.

Your final level of mastery, often used as a last resort when you’re just beginning to doubt whether the internet has the answer you’re seeking.

Enclosing your search terms in “quotation marks” binds the term together so Google can’t break it up. E.G. “Project Management”

Try other methods and soon your Google-Fu will be very strong.