Techreluctant.com

Ever google something and down drops your past search history including “homemade hemorrhoid treatments”, all while your boss is sitting next to you at the computer? No? Me either, but I have been appalled when some of my past google searches appeared onscreen. I mean the things you can conceivably google in a day could run from chicken recipes to sexual positions so every now and then it’s a good idea to clear those out. The search box on the Google homepage displays suggestions to help you search and they come from more popular searches but also from your own previous searches. But starting afresh with google is as simple as a few clicks, but which clicks depend on what browser you’re using.

In Firefox:

• Click the Tools menu at the top of the browser
• Click Clear Private Data.
• Select Saved Form and Search History.
• Click the Clear Private Data Now button.

In Internet Explorer 6:

• Click the Tools menu at the top of the browser.
• Select Internet Options.
• Click the Content tab.
• Click the AutoComplete button.
• Click the Clear Forms button.

In Internet Explorer 7:

• Click the Tools menu.
• Select Delete Browsing History .
• Click the Delete forms button.
• Click Yes.
• Press the Close button.

Phew, now no one needs to know about those searches you’ve been doing on what to do after you’ve talked with an alien. But good luck with that.

Last week, I went over the basics of googling, This week, I’m going to tell you about Google’s advanced search and also some pretty cool things you can do in that little Google search box.

Google has an Advance Search link on their page (in smaller letters to the right of the search box). With this you can do more specific searches without the minus signs and quotes (sure, now she tells me). It also allows you to change how many search results you see on your results page and is a way to search for something on one specific site (or you can type in your keyword in the main Google search page and then type site:[name of site] such as tech site:techreluctant.com). So, that’s most of the basic searching advice and where to find the advanced search, but there are some extras that Google searches can provide and these can possibly make your life easier (don’t forget that instead of clicking on the Google Search button, you can just hit the enter button once you’ve typed your search).

• Google has a calculator so if you type 144+17 in the search box then click Google Search, you’ll get your answer.

• Looking for the definition of a word? Type the word define followed by a colon and the word you want to define  such as define: easy.

• In these days of economic woe, maybe there’s a stock you’re following. If you want a quick stock quote, just type the ticker symbol in the search box and click Google Search.

• I use Google all the time to convert measurements. So, last week when I needed to know how many cups were in 48 ounces, I just typed 48 oz in cups, hit enter and there was my answer.

• Your friends are vacationing in Australia and you’d like to know what the weather is like there. Just type in weather sydney australia.

• Want to call those vacationing friends but don’t want to wake them up by calling at the wrong time? Just type time Sydney Australia and you’ll know exactly when they are (although I couldn’t get this to work for my city).

Probably the thing I like the most about Google though is the way it checks my spelling. I am not usually a bad speller but I do not want to look up the proper spelling for armadillo every time I want to google it (yes, I have searched about armadillos before and I’m not telling you why). Also, I have a tendency to transpose letters while typing. Each time I type Newfoundalnd in a search, Google always comes back and says “Do you mean Newfoundland?” with not a hint of judgment in its tone.

The Internet is a wealth of information. Finding exactly what you want in cyberspace can be the biggest task but your friendly Google (or other search engine) can make that search much easier, especially if you know how to find what you’re looking for. Happy Googling.