What You Should Know About Web Searches
A Guide to Hidden Features
Of Google and Yahoo Engines;
Avoiding the 'CHiPs' Links
December 28, 2005; Page D1
Doing a search in Google or Yahoo seems as easy as falling off a log. You just type in a word, and almost instantly you get a page of links to Web sites that bear some relevance to that search term.
But too often your search results aren't exactly what you'd like. Irrelevant links can clutter the page, especially when your search term is ambiguous. If you type in "chips," the search engine has no way of knowing whether you mean computer chips, potato chips or chocolate chips. In fact, when I tried searching Google for that term a few days ago, the top result was a reference to the old "CHiPs" TV show.
A few simple tips and tricks can help you get much more out of a Web search without becoming a professional researcher. Some are better techniques for general searches, others are simple ways to do more-targeted searches, which can often yield answers, rather than merely links. For instance, most people don't know that Google and Yahoo (the biggest, most-popular search engines) can perform math calculations and currency conversions, look up addresses based on phone numbers, and more.
The easiest way to get better search results is to use two or three words, every time, instead of just one. Search engines do much better when they have a little context to help narrow the results. If you're thinking of going golfing in Scotland in the summer, a search on "Scotland" is a waste of electrons. But using three words -- "Scotland," "golf" and "summer" -- is much more on target and takes only a few seconds more. Similarly, typing in "chocolate chips" or "computer chips" yields a results list on which that old "CHiPs" TV show is nowhere to be found. (You don't have to type the word "and" between your search terms, because Google always assumes it's there.)
Another great tip is to surround your search terms with quotation marks if you're looking for an exact name or phrase -- say a song title made up of common words. When Google or Yahoo (or most other search sites) see words in quotes, they interpret the words as an exact phrase and look only for instances where the words appear in their entirety, in the order you entered them.
Combining these techniques is even better. If you're looking for lyrics to the Bob Dylan song "I Want You," the best thing to do is enter the title in quotes, followed by the words "Dylan" and "lyrics" not in quotes.
You can also sharpen searches in Google by instructing the search engine to exclude certain topic areas that might clutter the results. This is done by following your search term with a space, then a minus sign followed by the topic you want to exclude. For instance, my search for "chips" would have excluded its very top listing, for the old TV show, if I had typed "chips -TV."
Or, you can focus your Google search on a certain topic area by using the "+" sign. A search for "Washington +mountain" is very different from a general search on "Washington." (You'll get narrow info on mountains in the state, rather than links ranging from the University of Washington to the Washington, D.C., transit authority.)
Other search-sharpening methods can be found on the Advanced Search pages of both Google and Yahoo. These are essentially forms you fill out that let you customize your search in numerous ways.
Both Google and Yahoo also are packed with hidden search tricks that make getting information faster. They aren't foolproof, but they will frequently turn up an answer right on the results page, without requiring you to click on a link.
Here are some examples:
In both search engines, typing in a stock symbol gets you the company name, latest price and a price chart, right at the top of the results page.
Typing in a U.S. street address in Google gets you a link to a map of the location. Yahoo goes one step better -- it actually shows the map on the results page.
Entering a U.S. land-line phone number in Google or Yahoo gives you the name and address of the person to whom it belongs.
Current weather conditions for U.S. cities can be displayed in Yahoo by typing the city name followed by the word "weather." In Google, you type the word "weather" first, followed by the city name.
In Yahoo, if you type in the name of a sports team and the word "scores," you will get the current score of a game in which the team is involved.
In Google, you can type in certain fact-based questions, like "population of Boston" or "birthplace of Tom Brady" and you get the answer, not just a link to the answer.
If you type simple math problems, like 5x8.1999, into the search boxes of either search engine, the sites act like calculators, spitting back the result.
Both sites will also perform conversions of weights and measures, and currency conversions, right in the search box. In Google, you just type in questions like "37 centimeters in inches" or "7,000 yen in us dollars." In Yahoo, you begin such questions with the word "convert," as in "convert 7,000 yen to dollars."
Both sites will let you type in certain kinds of numbers, like package-tracking numbers, to get immediate information. A vehicle ID number will get you links to basic information about the car and an offer to buy more detailed reports on the vehicle.
不可不知的网络搜索窍门
用Google或雅虎(Yahoo)搜索简直就是小菜一碟。你只需键入一个词，几乎同时你就会看到许多与此相关的网页链接。
不过搜索结果通常和你想要的内容有些出入。如果搜索词含糊不清，那么就会出现更多的无关链接。如果你键入“chips”，搜索引擎根本无从知道你是想找电脑晶片(computer chips)，炸土豆片(potato chips)还是巧克力豆(chocolate chips)。实际上，我几天前试著用Google搜索“chips”的时候，排在最前面的搜索结果竟然是过去一档名为“CHiPs”的电视节目。
你无需成为搜索专家，一些简单的小窍门便可以帮你更有效地使用搜索引擎。有些窍门可以让你的搜索技术更为高超，有些简单的窍门让搜索更有针对性──你可以得到答案而不仅仅是链接。举个例子，大多数人并不知道Google和雅虎（规模最大、最受欢迎的搜索引擎）可以进行数学运算、计算货币汇率、通过电话号码查找地址等等。
得到更精确搜索结果的最简单方法就是每次键入两个或者三个──而不是一个词。这样由于它们的前后关系有助于缩小范围，搜索结果往往更为准确。如果你想要在夏天到苏格兰打高尔夫球，只搜索“苏格兰”简直就是浪费资源。而输入三个词──“苏格兰”、“高尔夫球”和“夏天”──虽然只多花了一点点时间却更容易找到答案。同样，如果键入“巧克力豆”或者“电脑晶片”，那么名为“CHiPs”的电视节目根本就不会出现在搜索结果里了。（你不必在搜索词之间键入“和”，因为Google一般对这个词视而不见。）
另一个窍门就是给搜索词加上引号，特别是在你要搜索一个确切的姓名或短语的时候──比如说，一个由平常词汇组成的歌曲名称。当Google或雅虎（还有大多数其它的搜索网站）看到加上引号的词，它们都会理解为一个确切的短语，只会根据你输入词汇的顺序查找它们整体出现的情况。
如果把这些技巧结合起来使用，那效果就更好了。如果你要搜索Bob Dylan演唱的“I Want You”的歌词，那最好的方法就是将歌名加上引号，然后再输入Dylan和歌词，不加引号。
你还可以通过某些指令，要求Google剔除部分可能会混淆搜索结果的主题领域，从而缩小搜索范围。你只需在搜索词后键入空格和一个减号，然后再输入你想排除的主题。比如说，我在搜索“chips”的时候，只需输入“chips -TV”，就完全可以将那档电视节目排除在搜索结果以外。
或者，你也可以通过加号而使自己的搜索范围集中在某一主题领域。“Washington +mountain”的搜索结果与“Washington”截然不同。（你将获得华盛顿州有关山脉的资料，而不是那些从华盛顿大学到哥伦比亚特区等的链接。）。
其他缩小搜索范围的方法可以在Google和雅虎的高级搜索页面上找到。其实它们就是一些让你可以用多种方式对搜索进行定制的表格。
Google和雅虎都有一堆隐藏的搜索窍门，它们可以让你更快地获取信息。这些窍门并非完美无缺，但经常可以将答案直接显示在搜索结果页面上，而无需你点击某个链接。
以下便是一些例子：
-- 在Google和雅虎上，只要键入股票代码，你就会在搜索结果页面的右上方看到相应的公司名称、最新股价和股价走势图等信息。
-- 在Google上，键入一条美国大街的地址，页面上就会显示出与其所在地地图的链接。雅虎则更胜一筹，它直接就把地图显示在搜索结果页面上。
-- 在Google和雅虎上，只要键入美国某个固定电话号码，你就能找到这个电话号码所有人的姓名和地址。
-- 在雅虎上，键入城市名称和“天气”这个词，美国各个城市的天气状况便可一览无余。在Google上，你需要先键入“天气”，然后再输入城市名称。
-- 在雅虎上，如果你输入某只球队的名称和“得分”这个词，你就能得到这只球队所参加的比赛的最新得分。
-- 在Google上，你可以键入某些基于事实的问题，如“波士顿人口”或“Tom Brady出生地”，就能直接得到答案，而不只是答案的链接。
-- 在Google和雅虎上，如果你键入简单的数学问题，如5x8.1999，它们就会像计算器一样，把答案直接显示出来。
-- 这两个搜索引擎还能直接在搜索框里进行度量衡的转换和货币兑换率的计算。在Google上，你只要输入像“0.37米换成英寸”或“7,000日元换成美元(7,000 yen in us dollars)”这样的问题，就可以了。在雅虎上，你需要输入“转换(convert)”这个词，如“把7,000日圆转换成美元(convert 7,000 yen to dollars)”。
-- 你还可以在这两个搜索引擎上键入某种数字，如包裹追踪号，就可直接得到相关信息。键入车牌号，就可以得到有关车辆的基本信息以及购买该车辆更详细信息的报价。
如果想深入了解这些隐藏的功能，你可以登录
www.google.com/features.html和tools.search.yahoo.com/shortcuts/以获取相关指南。
