Search engine tips

[telophase]

Here are some tips for using search engines that I wrote up with the blessings of kutsuwamushi. It should help those whose Google-fu is weak, and maybe remind those whose Google-fu is strong of some things they could try in addition to their usual methods

Comments

[kutsuwamushi]

Oh, you used that example! *embarrassed* I should have come up with something that I actually knew that worked, rather than just making something up.

But awesome, this is going in the links.

[telophase]

Mwahahahaha! I changed it to Japan from China, because I knew that the mothwing eyebrow style existed in the Heian, and thus it seemed like something someone would actually look up. Unlike any of my lousy examples, because while I get asked stuff like this all the time at the desk, I can't ever remember any of it when I need to. :D

[kutsuwamushi]

Well, as far as I know, the mothwing eyebrows can't be blamed entirely on the Japanese because Chinese ladies were doing it first. The Japanese ladies just went "oooh, I wanna do that too" or something.

We actually had a question about those eyebrows, but I quit searching before I got to any information on which styles Chinese ladies were using at the time. It wouldn't have been a good example, unfortunately.

[telophase]

See! I learned something, too! :D

Makes sense - at the time the Japanese court was copying everything they could from the Chinese.

[arabwel]

Oooh,m thius is definitely full of awesome. *memorizes* *bookmarks* *pimps* *has babies with*

[telophase]

Thank you! :D

[suibhne_geilt]

I've actually found some good information by using the Google image search instead of doing the web search (trying to find WWII-era Polish Cavalry uniforms, for example). Images are tagged with only a handful of words, as opposed to web pages...

[telophase]

Oh, that's a nice tip! Thanks!

[theguindo]

Silly as this may seem, are you spelling the terms correctly?

Ahaha. That's why I had to ask here about Bonnie and Clyde. I spelled Bonnie with a y.

[telophase]

:D I see students get frustrated a lot because of that - using alternate spellings or misspelling a word without realizing it. And it's why I think the first replies of "Did you try Google?" should be polite, just because things like this happen. Heck, I'm an information-finding professional, and I mistype search terms without realizing it all the time (although I usually remember to check the terms after the results don't get me anything).

[tephralynn]

Ah, number thirteen.... It's not always acronyms and abbreviations either. I've found some interesting sites when looking for more obscure information.

[telophase]

Hee, yeah. As an artist, I'm often on the lookout for sites with images that I can use for artistic anatomy purposes. While I can usually get the keywords more-or-less tuned to get the right sort of sites, I don't do those searches at work. XD

[sleepy_geeky]

There is a largish woman naimed "paisley" on google image search that enjoys removing her tops for internet viewing. ::shudder::