Transcript Understanding Search Engines - Cambridge Nationals ict

How Search Works
An Introduction
What Does Google Do When You Search?
Search the index:
When you click the
Google Search
button, Google
races through its
billions of web
pages to find every
page that contains
the word or phrase
or group of words
you've used.
Analyze the web
pages for
relevance: Google
screens web pages
in the index to see
which ones are
most likely to have
what you're looking
for.
Evaluate each
site's reputation:
Google looks at
how often other
websites link to
these pages to
determine how
popular or useful
each one is.
Rank the web
pages: Having
scrutinized the web
pages in terms of
their relevance to
your search words,
Google presents
your results, with
what we believe
are the most useful
pages at the top.
Understanding Search
Finding the Right Keywords to Use
What Matters In My Search Query?
Think of a topic or question you would like
to search for.
Pick three or four keywords to use in your
search query.
What happens if you reorder them? Add
capitalization or punctuation? What if you
take out a word?
What Matters In My Search Query?
1
Every word matters.
Try searching for [who], [the who], and [a who]
2
Order matters.
Try searching for [blue sky] and [sky blue]
3
Capitalization does not matter.
Try searching for [barack obama] and [Barack Obama]
4
Punctuation does not matter.
Try searching for [red: delicious! apple?] and [red delicious apple]
*
There are some exceptions!
Can you think of any? Click here for a few examples.
Keyword Search
How do you come up with the right words to
search for? Can you remember a time when
you had trouble finding what you were
looking for? What makes certain searches
hard?
Tips For Better Searches
1
Keep it simple. Describe what you want in as few terms as
possible.
2
Think of how the page you want will be written. Use words that are
likely to appear on the page.
3
Use descriptive, specific words. Avoid general or common words.
Think Before You Search
What am I
looking for?
How would I
talk about this?
What do I want? What am I trying to
find? What am I trying to find out?
What keywords could I use in my
search query?
How would
someone else
talk about this?
How can I
describe this
better?
Which of these keywords are common or
general words? Which would be more
specific? Are there better words I could
use?
What kind of
results am I
looking for?
Do I want a definition, a database, a list, a
map, an image, a video, or something else?
Give It A Try!
Pick a topic you want to find out about
and brainstorm keywords to use in your
search query.
Remember:
Keep it simple.
Use descriptive words.
Think of how the page you
want will be written.
And most importantly:
Think before you search!
Entering a Search
Do You Feel Lucky?
Homepage
Say What You Want
A "query" is the word or phrase you search for in Google.
Enter your
query here
Click this button
or hit "enter"
What happened?
Another Search Option
Try clicking "I'm Feeling Lucky."
What happened?
Different Search Tools
Have you used these?
Advanced Search
Visit the Advanced Search page. Enter a
search using several of the search options
offered there.
What do you notice?
Language Tools
Visit the Language Tools page and see
what the different sections of the page do.
Try the Translate Search section. Visit
Google in another country.
Where did you go?
Reading Your Results
Search Engine Results Page
The Search Engine Results Page
Search bar
Left panel
Organic (natural)
search results
Sponsored
links (ads)
Reading Individual Search Results
Give It a Try!
If you had a website, what would a
search engine show about your site?
Write a fictional search result, complete
with title, snippet, web address, and
similar links.
Defining Credibility
An Introduction
Credibility
How do you know something is true?
It Can Be How You Look At Things...
Same search, different answers:
• Site #1: Average of 382,500 km
• Site #2: Average of 384,403 km
• Site #3: Between 225,622 and 252,088 miles
• Site #4: Average of 238,857 miles
Why do you think these are different?
Tips: What To Think About
How much do I care for a precise, quality answer?
1
How much should I save up to buy that new phone?
What do I need to know for my report on the Civil War?
I want some recipe for homemade kettle corn?
2
What do I know about the author or organization
providing this information?
3
Why was this page created?
To inform me
To persuade me
To sell me something
To undermine someone or something
For another reason
Tips: What To Do
Know who wrote and published the page
1
Find "About" page
Check web address
Visit site's homepage
Google the author/organization
Use link:
Ask: Is this the right person to give me good information?
Check your facts
2
Check multiple sources
Identify the type of page
Look for bibliography
Check the date
Confirm in snopes.com
Spot known errors
Think: Use your common sense!
l
Give It a Try!
Use the tips you have learned and decide which of
the websites are true and which are hoaxes:
http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/
http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/
http://www.dhmo.org/
http://www.golfcross.com/
Uncover the Truth
Practice Differentiating Information from Disinformation
Credibility
Credibility is often harder to determine
than simply identifying a hoax site.
Did NASA fake the moon landing?
Try this search:
Testing the Lunar Landing Hoax
Follow the first link:
http://www.ufos-aliens.co.uk/cosmicapollo.html
Check it out. Do you find this site credible?
Give It a Try!
Brainstorm and select a
commonly debated potential fact.
Do you believe it, or not? Do the
research to decide....
Remember to ask:
Who is the author?
What is the page's purpose?
What are opposing viewpoints?
And most importantly:
What do your instincts tell you?