What is Digg?43 Comments
- baldr, on 10/11/2007, -3/+26you could say that about any 'top 20' list.
- dawgma, on 10/11/2007, -1/+11WTF? Sometimes that is the perfect way to do it... especially if you put quotes around it.
This way Google returns pages, forum postings, blog links, and comments left by people who asked the same question.
Then when you visit the site, you find that, sure enough, someone has left an answer. Higher ranking results on Google usually have popular/good answers. - bgii2000, on 10/11/2007, -0/+9Google also recognizes UPS tracking numbers. Not sure about USPS or FedEX; haven't ever shipped anything with them.
- davidrools, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5I was going to mention that, too. And yes it does work with USPS and FedEx tracking numbers the same way as UPS. The first link takes you right to your tracking info. Way faster than going to the main site, selecting your country, putting in your tracking number, clicking "i agree", and then finally getting to your tracking page.
- dawgma, on 10/11/2007, -1/+6But you should also be clever about it... especially if your dealing with a long, complicated question. For instance, you don't want to put quotes around a question like:
"How do you stream a live recording from your digital camcorder?"
Google will never find that exact phrase. Instead, put quotes around the key words in your question, such as:
"how to" +stream "from camcorder"
I always use "how to" instead of "how do" because it tends to return better answers - Laurentvw, on 10/11/2007, -1/+5I have a few other tricks that weren't really mentioned, they are also pretty cool.
With example queries:
Highest point in USA: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=highest+point+in+nepal&btnG=Search
Ron Paul dob: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=ron+paul+dob&btnG=Search
Population in belgium: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=population+in+belgium&btnG=Search
GDP in belgium: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=GDP+in+belgium&btnG=Search
Local time in san francisco: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=local+time+in+san+francisco&btnG=Search
Geographic coordinates for USA: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Geographic+coordinates+for+USA&btnG=Search
Location of belgium: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=location+of+belgium&btnG=Search
Capital of Belgium: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Capital+of+Belgium&btnG=Google+Search
And so on.... I'm sure there are lots more out there...if you have one, please share them, thanks :) - h3ndrix, on 10/11/2007, -6/+10Step one: Don't do your searches in the form of a question.
- c2kris, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3Yes, it works for FEDEX and USPS. But USPS tracking sucks anyway.
- fani, on 10/11/2007, -1/+4I've been using Yahoo lately and I find it gives much better searches for me than Google does.
( now the digg brigade can come and bury this as they don't like opposing viewpoints... its diggocracy. ) - inactive, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/6637
link is to a greasemonkey script that adds a 'cached text' option to the searches. its nice since pages load instantly (being cached and hosted by google) and the keywords are highlighted, making finding data much faster. - peterinjapan, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Don't forget currency. "what is 20 dollars in pounds sterling?" works great.
- freddo, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2there's more, much more, on http://searchlores.org/
- sickswaystop, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2even ask.com realized that doesnt question-type queries don't work, hence it's google-like rebirth
but i do agree w/ dawgma - fdw2006, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2I knew 15/20 but the Lego google logo put it over the top.
- chickitty, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2Its the name of the website that is hosting the tips...
- abhidut, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1i could have writen more than that! sad to see such crap on digg homepage
- yamyogurt, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1I think these hints would be useful as an add-on that I can put on my home page.
- SteeleyDan, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1Didn't know the "location of term" shortcut, but as helpful as that was:
Dugg for H2G2 - scronline, on 10/11/2007, -2/+2I have a better idea, use a different search engine and you'll get better results without making any changes to the way you ... well... search.
- jdiggity, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1speaking of more efficient searches, we need a top 20 for searching digg,
when i say "we" i mean my dumbass. - MikeonTV, on 10/11/2007, -2/+2I just use Ask.com - They have changed their web search philosophy you know
- JHuck, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1I like how at the very end he includes the answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything.
Google knows what 42 is all about. - ly4u, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0useful
- champsampson, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1http://digg.com/security/Out_of_the_top_5_search_engines_Yahoo_returns_the_riskiest_sites_for_users
Digg Article: Out of the top 5 search engines, Yahoo returns the riskiest sites for users...
(I Dugg you up for your stance) - seizefyre, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1contrary to popular belief, usa is not nepal
- maglob, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1I think nobody wants to know about these comments
- abhidut, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1@Laurentvw wtf is this?
- sickswaystop, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1pretty nifty that google
- xxx420xxx, on 10/11/2007, -6/+5and just don't panic
- Btrash, on 10/11/2007, -1/+0This article would get more diggs with the title "Top 20 Tips for the MOST Efficient Google Searches you will see ALL DAY"
- meabilis, on 10/11/2007, -1/+0http://g2p.pl - something for newbies, that are looking for specific file types. There's also an english version
- Topher06, on 10/11/2007, -1/+0I don't know, these days Google almost figures out what I really wanted to search for, even when I type crap into the search box. "Redneck gutter slut" almost always returns Britney Spears or Paris Hilton news stories. Its why Britney spears is still the most popular search subject on the net.
- CrazyGourmet, on 10/11/2007, -1/+0My 2 cents. The best way to use it more efficient is to use googol deskbar http://www.googoldeskbar.com
Sad that old googol deskbar is dead. - seizefyre, on 10/11/2007, -1/+0except, they screwed up the link.
It should have been: http://www.google.com/search?q=the+answer+to+life%2C+the+universe%2C+and+everything - rhinocero, on 10/11/2007, -14/+12A lot of these are pretty obvious, but there were a few good ones I hadn't seen before on there.
- novacrown, on 10/11/2007, -8/+5For millions of people, Google is an indispensable search tool that they use every day, in all facets of their lives. From work or school, research, to looking up movies and celebrities to news and gossip, Google is the go-to search engine.
But instead of just typing in a phrase and wading through page after page of results, there are a number of ways to make your searches more efficient.
Some of these are obvious ones, that you probably know about. But others are lesser-known, and others are known but not often used. Use this guide to learn more about, or be reminded of, some of the best ways to get exactly what you're looking for, and quickly.
1. Either/or. Google normally searches for pages that contain all the words you type in the search box, but if you want pages that have one term or another (or both), use the OR operator -- or use the "|" symbol (pipe symbol) to save you a keystroke. [dumb | little | man]
2. Quotes. If you want to search for an exact phrase, use quotes. ["dumb little man"] will only find that exact phrase. [dumb "little man"] will find pages that contain the word dumb and the exact phrase "little man".
3. Not. If you don't want a term or phrase, use the "-" symbol. [-dumb little man] will return pages that contain "little" and "man" but that don't contain "dumb".
4. Similar terms. Use the "~" symbol to return similar terms. [~dumb little man -dumb] will get you pages that contain "funny little man" and "stupid little man" but not "dumb little man".
5. Wildcard. The "*" symbol is a wildcard. This is useful if you're trying to find the lyrics to a song, but can't remember the exact lyrics. [can't * me love lyrics] will return the Beatles song you're looking for. It's also useful for finding stuff only in certain domains, such as
educational information: ["dumb little man" research *.edu].
6. Advanced search. If you can't remember any of these operators, you can always use Google's advanced search.
7. Definitions. Use the "define:" operator to get a quick definition. [define:dumb] will give you a whole host of definitions from different sources, with links.
8. Calculator. One of the handiest uses of Google, type in a quick calculation in the search box and get an answer. It's faster than calling up your computer's calculator in most cases. Use the +, -, *, / symbols and parentheses to do a simple equation.
9. Numrange. This little-known feature searches for a range of numbers. For example, ["best books 2002..2007] will return lists of best books for each of the years from 2002 to 2007 (note the two periods between the two numbers).
10. Site-specific. Use the "site:" operator to search only within a certain website. [site:dumblittleman.com leo] will search for the term "leo" only within this blog.
11. Backlinks. The "link:" operator will find pages that link to a specific URL. You can use this not only for a main URL but even to a specific page. Not all links to an URL are listed, however.
12. Vertical search. Instead of searching for a term across all pages on the web, search within a specialized field. Google has a number of specific searches, allowing you to search within blogs, news, books, and much more:
* Blog Search
* Book Search
* Scholar
* Catalogs
* Code Search
* Directory
* Finance
* Images
* Local/Maps
* News
* Patent Search
* Product Search
* Video
13. Movies. Use the "movie:" operator to search for a movie title along with either a zip code or U.S. city and state to get a list of movie theaters in the area and show times.
14. Music. The "music:" operator returns content related to music only.
15. Unit converter. Use Google for a quick conversion, from yards to meters for example, or different currency: [12 meters in yards]
16. Types of numbers: Google algorithms can recognize patterns in numbers you enter, so you can search for:
* Telephone area codes
* Vehicle ID number (US only)
* Federal Communications Commission (FCC) equipment numbers (US only)
* UPC codes
* Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airplane registration number (US only)
* Patent numbers (US only)
* Even stock quotes (using the stock symbol) or a weather forecast regarding the next five days
17. File types. If you just want to search for .PDF files, or Word documents, or Excel spreadsheets, for example, use the "filetype:" operator.
18. Location of term. By default, Google searches for your term throughout a web page. But if you just want it to search certain locations, you can use operators such as "inurl:", "intitle:", "intext:", and "inanchor:". Those search for a term only within the URL, the title,
the body text, and the anchor text (the text used to describe a link).
19. Cached pages. Looking for a version of a page the Google stores on its own servers? This can help with outdated or update pages. Use the "cached:" operator.
20. Answer to life, the universe, and everything. Search for that phrase, in lower case, and Google will give you the answer. - cyclox, on 10/11/2007, -6/+1-do -not -read -this
- chogie, on 10/11/2007, -7/+2If you want to survive out here, you've got to know where your towel is.
As I leave this comment I would like to say "So long, and thanks for all the fish."
for those who dont get 7levels
http://www.google.com/search?q=the+answer+to+life%2C+the+universe%2C+and+everything - TannerC, on 10/11/2007, -8/+3Yahoo is more appropriate for backlinks.
- thedreamingtree, on 10/11/2007, -7/+2Or, you could use http://www.scroogle.org and your search info would actually be private, unlike Google.
- Hootyea, on 10/11/2007, -6/+1Look, I'm not even a huge fan of the book (can't read humors books), but I think everyone on Digg should get that.
- gregdogum, on 10/11/2007, -7/+1The use of the word dumb so often makes me want to believe you are calling most Google users dumb. Most of those tips you said I thought were plain obvious though. But still gave you a digg for the effort.
- 7levels, on 10/11/2007, -16/+8The Answer to life, the universe and everything is 42. Remember that.
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