February 6, 2004

Tech TV: Five Tips to Maximize Google Searches Feeling lucky? Google's "I'm Feeling Lucky" search button automatically returns the highest ranked webpage for a particular search. To use, type a query into the search box and click the "I'm Feeling Lucky" button. For example, to find the homepage for the Smithsonian Institute: Type "Smithsonian Institute" into the search field. Click the "I'm Feeling Lucky button." The result is http://www.si.edu, the official homepage of the Smithsonian Institute. Google toolbar This is a powerful information search and retrieval companion. It can quickly highlight and jump to selected search terms on any webpage. It can also enable users to search for information on websites that may not have extensive search capabilities. Download the Google Toolbar. Think within the box Find maps: To find US street maps, enter any US street address, including the zip code. (No need to worry about city, state, or commas.) For example, type in "2400 Bayshore Parkway 94043" in the Google search box. Google recognizes the query as a map request and returns links to high-quality map providers. Get stock quotes: Use Google to get the latest stocks quotes traded on the NYSE, Nasdaq, or AMEX. Type the company ticker symbol and Google will show relevant stock and mutual fund information from multiple high-quality financial information providers. Take a shortcut Adding Google Browser Buttons to a Web browser toolbar enables access to Google's search technology, without taking up extra screen space. Search the Internet with browser buttons by highlighting a word (or phrase) on any webpage and clicking the Google Search button. The GoogleScout button finds webpages that are similar to the page you're on. For example, clicking the GoogleScout button while on a company's homepage will often show the company's competitors. Download the buttons. Cache and cache can Google takes a snapshot of each page it examines as it crawls the Web and stores or caches the snapshot as a backup in case the original page is unavailable. The cached link displays the page exactly as it was indexed. The cached content is the content Google uses to determine whether the page is a good match for the query. When the cached page is displayed, it will have a header at the top, which serves as a reminder that this is a cached version of the page and not the page itself. 10:04:29 PM