DOING WEB QUERIES USING GOOGLE

Results Prefetching

On some searches, Google automatically instructs your browser to start downloading the top search result before you
click on it. If you click on top result, the destination page will load faster than before.
Google uses a special prefetching feature in Firefox and Mozilla web browsers to provide this functionality, so results
prefetching is not available in Internet Explorer or other web browsers. You can disable prefetching in your web browser
preferences, as described in the Mozilla Prefetching FAQ. In Firefox, you can disable prefetching by doing the following:
1. Type "about:config" the address bar.
2. Scroll down to the setting "network.prefetch-next" and set the value to "False".
With prefetching enabled, you may end up with cookies and web pages in your web browser's cache from web sites that
you did not click on since prefetching happens automatically when you view Google search results pages. You can delete
these files by clearing your browser's cache and cookies.
If you run a web server, you can find webmaster-specific information about this feature in our Webmaster FAQ.

Search By Number

Parcel tracking IDs, patents and other specialized numbers can be entered into Google's search box for quick access to
information about them. For example, typing a FedEx tracking number will return the latest information on your package.
Other special search by number types include :
• UPS tracking numbers example search: "1Z9999W99999999999"
• FedEx tracking numbers example search: "999999999999"
• USPS tracking numbers example search: "9999 9999 9999 9999 9999 99"
• Vehicle ID (VIN) numbers example search: "AAAAA999A9AA99999"
• UPC codes example search: "073333531084"
• Telephone area codes example search: "650"
• Patent numbers example search: "patent 5123123"
Remember to put the word "patent" before your patent number.
• FAA airplane
registration numbers
example search: "n199ua"
An airplane's FAA registration number is typically printed on its tail.
• FCC equipment IDs example search: "fcc B4Z-34009-PIR"
Remember to put the word "fcc" before the equipment ID.
example: patent 5123123 Google Search

Similar Pages

When you click on the "Similar Pages" link for a search result, Google automatically scouts the web for pages that are
related to this result.
The Similar Pages feature can be used for many purposes. If you like a particular site's content, but wish it had more to
say, Similar Pages can find sites with similar content with which you may be unfamiliar. If you are looking for product
information, Similar Pages can find competitive information so you can make direct comparisons. If you are interested in
researching a particular field, Similar Pages can help you find a large number of resources very quickly, without having to
worry about selecting the right keywords.
The more specialized a page is, the fewer results Google will be able to find for you. For example, Similar Pages may not
be able to find related pages for your personal home page if it does not have enough information to authoritatively
associate other pages with yours. Also, if companies use multiple URLs for their pages (such as company.com and
www.company.com), Similar Pages may have little information on one URL, but lots on the other. In general, however,
Similar Pages works well for the majority of web pages.


Site Search

The word "site" followed by a colon enables you to restrict your search to a specific site. To do this, use the
site:sampledomain.com syntax in the Google search box. For example, to find admission information on Stanford's site,
enter:
example: admission site:w w w .stanford.edu Google Search


Spell Checker

Google's spell checking software automatically looks at your query and checks to see if you are using the most common
version of a word's spelling. If it calculates that you're likely to generate more relevant search results with an alternative
spelling, it will ask "Did you mean: (more common spelling)?". Clicking on the suggested spelling will launch a Google
search for that term. Because Google's spell check is based on occurrences of all words on the Internet, it is able to
suggest common spellings for proper nouns (names and places) that might not appear in a standard spell check program
or dictionary.


Stock Quotes

To use Google to get live stock quotes and information, just enter one or more ticker symbols.
example: csco Google Search
If we recognize the stock ticker you entered, we'll return the latest stock price (with a 15-minute delay for NASDAQ or a
20-minute delay for AMEX and NYSE), along with an intra-day chart, the daily high and low, and other useful information.
When available, we'll also return quotes from an Electronic Communication Network (ECN), a computerized trading
system that reports quotes in real time. ECNs also allow trading after standard market hours and thus can be a good
source for quotes after market hours. We'll also provide direct links to financial information providers for further
information.


Google's financial information providers are selected and ordered solely on the basis of quality factors, including download
speed, user interface and functionality. Google is not affiliated with these providers in any way. If you'd like to suggest a
provider we might include, please contact us.


Street Maps

To use Google to find street maps, enter a U.S. street address, including zip code or city/ state (e.g. 165 University
Ave Palo Alto CA), in the Google search box. Often, the street address and city name will be enough.
example: 165 University Ave Palo Alto CA Google Search
When Google recognizes your query as a map request, we'll return links from Google Maps and other high quality map
providers that will lead you directly to the relevant map.


Travel Information

To see delays and weather conditions at a particular airport, type the airport's three letter code followed by the word
"airport." For example, San Francisco International Airport updates can be found by searching for "sfo airport."
example: sfo airport Google Search
To check the status of a U.S. flight, type the name of the airline followed by the flight number. For example, to see the
status for United Airlines flight 134 search for "United 134."
example: united 134 Google Search
Weather
T
o see weather conditions and a four-day forecast for a particular U.S. location, type "weather," followed by the
location. Usually a city name will be enough, but you may also want to include a state or zipcode. For example, to
see Palo Alto weather, you could search for "weather palo alto, ca" or "weather palo alto 94301."
example: w eather palo alto, ca Google Search
All weather conditions and forecasts are provided by Weather Underground, Inc.

Web Page Translation

Google breaks the language barrier with this translation feature. Using machine translation technology, Google now gives
English speakers access to a variety of non-English web pages. This feature is currently available for pages published in
Italian, French, Spanish, German, and Portuguese.
If your search has non-English results, there will be a link to a version of that page translated into English.
For more information about this feature, please read the translation FAQ.

Who Links To You?

Some words, when followed by a colon, have special meanings to Google. One such word for Google is the link:
operator. The query link:siteURL shows you pages that point to that URL. For example, link:www.google.com will show
you pages that point to Google's home page. You cannot combine a link: search with a regular keyword search.
example: link:w w w .google.com Google Search
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DOWNLOADING PICTURES FROM THE WEB
To download a picture from the web:

1. Open Internet Explorer.
2. If you already know the location of the picture that you want to locate, browse to that location and skip to
step 8.
3. If you want to search for a certain type of picture, go to http://www.google.com and click on Images.*
4. Type one or more keywords for your image (e.g., for pix of buildings, type in the words building. Hit Enter.
5. The pix matching those words will appear as thumbnails.
6. Click on a picture to select it.
7. You should see the same thumbnail of the picture you want at the top of the window. Click that thumbnail
and the picture should appear in larger view. If you get an error, it means that the picture is no longer
available for download.
8. When you see the picture you want to download on your screen, right-click on the picture and select
“Save Picture As…”
9. Change the “Save in” folder to either Desktop or My Documents (if you have Windows XP, you should
have a shortcut to both of these on the left).
10. You may rename the file before saving it so that you can recognize the file more easily. For instance, if
the original picture is called bldg0176.jpg, you can rename it to just building1.jpg.
11. Be sure to add the .jpg or .gif file extension to the end of the filename before saving the file. The extension
you add depends on what the “Save as type” box says at the bottom of the box (see below). If it saving
the file as a *.jpg file, then type a .jpg at the end of the filename. If it is saving it as a *.gif file, then type a
.gif at the end of the filename.
Note: If your computer has its file extensions turned on, you may see the file extension at the end of the
filename (e.g., jpg or gif). If that extension says .jpe, you MUST change it to .jpg.
12. Click Save.
13. The file is now saved on either your Desktop or you’re my Documents and can be inserted into Word

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