Smart Use of Google Search - Show Options

Refine your Google searches

Compliments from Digital Life, By Grace Chng

Google searches can be refined to give you the items that you need.

Use Show Options, which is prominently displayed at the top of the page where the search results appear.

It is a great tool for students or writers who want to cut out the clutter and find specific information.

To start, click on Show Options.

On the left pane of the window, a list of parameters appears.

You can define your search according to the past 24 hours, week or year or you can sort by date.

You can also search for discussions held on online forums.

Let us say you want to look for all the video clips of the 2004 tsunami which appeared between Dec 26, 2004, and Jan 25, 2005.

Type in the dates under the Custom Data Range and hit Search.

The final list is only 23 videos, compared with the 2.39 million if you had used the search terms 'tsunami 2004 videos'.

You can drill down further.

For example, you are looking for tsunami videos in Khao Lak.

Click on Wonder Wheel which shows a graphic of all the possible links you may be interested in.

Khao Lak is one of the links and there are other links which lead you to other places affected by the tsunami.

Clicking on Khao Lak will throw up a list of videos from that area.