| Do you know how to use the world's most | | | | websites to look at. Why? Because Google |
| important search engine? You do? Are you sure | | | | Bookmarks make it easy for me. |
| about that? | | | | If you have the Google Toolbar on your web |
| You might be surprised to find out just what it | | | | browser, you'll know how easy it is to zip to the |
| can do. Take out irrelevant results to get just | | | | sites you want to look at most often. But did you |
| what you're looking for. Find results for specific | | | | know that the bookmarks you have on the |
| websites. Remember your bookmarks. Read on! | | | | toolbar are also saved on a dedicated website? |
| Exclude Google's Irrelevant Results | | | | No? Well, they are. |
| Let's say you're looking for a recipe to prepare | | | | Go to and log in to your Google account. |
| meatballs, but have a tomato intolerance. How do | | | | And hey presto! They're all there, waiting for you. |
| you find what you're looking for? | | | | It took me years to realise the site existed and I |
| 1. You can put "meatball recipe" as your search | | | | literally smacked my forehead when I thought of |
| keywords and plough through the results, wasting | | | | all the time I'd wasted miserably trying to |
| time with the ones that feature tomatoes. This | | | | remember website addresses and typing different |
| will give you 56,000 results in Google. | | | | combos of '.com', '.net' and '.co.uk'. |
| 2. Put "meatball recipe" -tomato instead, which will | | | | The next time you're away from your regular |
| cut out all the more than 13,000 results not | | | | computer and need to access the sites that are |
| relevant to you. | | | | important to you, remember the time you read |
| It's as simple as that. Put a minus sign immediately | | | | this article and mentally thank me! |
| before the keyword you don't want to have and | | | | Googlism |
| the results you get will be exactly what you want. | | | | Here's another time-saving tip that can give you |
| Focus Your Google Search | | | | the knowledge you need about something in a |
| You're looking through a big website with lots of | | | | split second. |
| content and want to focus on some specific | | | | Imagine that you want to find out what people |
| information. Let's say you're looking at the CNN | | | | think about something. A person, maybe, or a bit |
| site and want information on when it's mentioned | | | | of software. How do you do it? Short of trawling |
| the word 'copywriter'. | | | | dozens of websites that come up when you |
| So you go to CNN, put 'copywriter' in its search | | | | enter a search engine request to see what they |
| box and click away. What do you get? You get a | | | | say, how can you get a super-quick idea of the |
| search that gives you every mention of the word | | | | zeitgeist of the thing you're researching? |
| you're after on the Internet, not just from CNN. | | | | This is how: |
| That's no use at all. | | | | Check it out. Once you get to the site, put in |
| Here's what you do: | | | | your search term, click 'Googlism!' and see what it |
| Simply enter site: copywriter in Google's search | | | | gives you. |
| box and you're there. | | | | Word of warning: be prepared! Not every result |
| It's that simple. site: & URL (don't leave a | | | | you see will be necessarily what you are after. |
| space between the two) and your search | | | | But it will capture the essential 'story' - the way |
| keyword/keywords. | | | | people view something. Here are a few of the |
| Google Bookmarks | | | | results for the search term 'Gordon Brown' (the |
| When you're away from home or the office and | | | | UK Prime Minister): |
| you want to check on some of your favourite | | | | - Gordon brown is an enigma to his colleagues |
| websites - at an Internet cafe, say - it's a real | | | | - Gordon brown is worried that the ecb only |
| pain to have to either note them all down on | | | | needs to take action when inflation is too high |
| paper or remember them in your head. What if | | | | - Gordon brown is a high taxing chancellor |
| you can't remember the URLs? What do you do | | | | - Gordon brown is by far the most influential |
| then? | | | | member of Britain's labour government |
| I'm forever checking my work email to see | | | | - Gordon brown is preparing to throw his weight |
| what's arriving and looking at my web stats to | | | | behind the campaign for British membership of |
| see how many visitors I'm getting. And I'm just | | | | the euro |
| the same whenever I'm away from home, too. | | | | Granted, what it gives you isn't the most |
| I'm always heading down to Internet cafes to | | | | up-to-date of information, but hey, it's a start. |
| check on things. I admit it; I'm obsessed. | | | | Why not give it a test run? |
| But I have no problems remembering which | | | | |