List of Essential Google Tips and Tricks
We all know Google is a search engine, where you type in your keywords and get some relevant websites displayed back in the order Google thinks is best for you. However there's a lot more cool stuff that Google can do for you. Some of these tips have become essential tools in my online world. Today I'm focusing on some neat tips and tricks I frequently use to save time, locate things or answer problems.
Make Google Work For You
Before starting I suggest opening the regular Google Home Page in a separate browser tab so you can try out a few of these tips as you go.
1) Looking for some specific MP3 music? Try using this Google query (just type it in to the normal Google search box). The query filters out regular web pages and only returns indexes of MP3 files containing the band or song title you're looking for.
-inurl:htm -inurl:html intitle:"index of" mp3 "Bruce Springsteen"
Make sure you get the syntax exactly right including all characters and spaces. Try Cutting and pasting the above query in to your browser first as a test before experimenting with different artist names or song titles in the place of "Bruce Springsteen".
2) Looking for some video files? Then follow the same process with this Google query:
-inurl:htm -inurl:html -inurl:php intitle:"index of" (mpg|mov|avi|wmv) "Florida"
Again make sure you have the syntax right and then experiment with different search terms instead of "Florida". You can use actor names, movie titles ot any topic you like.
3) Get any word or phrase defined instantly. Simply type your query in to the regular Google search box in the following format:
define:Barack Obama
4) See the cached page Google has stored of any web page using this query:
cache:wikipedia.org
5) Want to search a particular website for a particular subject? Use this query format:
site:wikipedia.org "Michael Jackson"
6) Looking for web items containing a very specific search term? Try this one:
allintitle: "Bon Jovi"
You can relax this query a little by removing "all" from the beginning.
7) Looking for a word or phrase that is contained in the URL of web pages? Here you go:
allinurl:"New York"
Again you can relax this query by dropping the "all" at the beginning.
8) Look for a wildcard search using this format:
hot * sauce
This will return pages indexed with any word at all located between the words "hot" and "sauce" (e.g. Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe).
9) Want to know the time in your home town or anywhere else in the world? Try typing in:
time:Maine
Obviously you can type any other place name instead of Maine and the information you want is presented above the search returns.
10) Got some quick math to do? Type it in the Google search box like this:
134 * 33
Hit enter and you have your answer.
Hopefully this article has proved there's a lot more you can do with google apart from those web searches! If so, why not bookmark this page so you can easily find it in future - when you really need it!
20.07.2010. 15:07
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