Bergson-Michelson & Johnson - Predictive search: getting the most out of popular search engines
1. While you wait, try a search...
(A real case from the reference desk)
"I am looking for the name of a contemporary illustrator that does
Edwardian-style fantasy portraits."
The librarian adds:
"The artwork tends to be strange but
not particularly macabre, and usually
in sepia or black and white."
Question source: John Pappas (Google+) " Case # 2112A" Mom Smackley http://www.flickr.com/photos/mom smackley/3692797182
2. Predictive Search
Getting the Most out of Popular Search Engines
Kimberly Johnson (kimberlylj@google.com)
“Looking for a needle” by Frits Ahlefeldt-Laurvig: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hikingartist/3981259048/
5. Today we will investigate:
•Looking for commonalities
•Understanding how search
works
•Introducing predictive search
•Using predictive search to
learn advanced search skills
“Two; sewing” by Rcabanilla: http://www.flickr.com/photos/47662183@N04/4374901768/
6. First things first: Recognizing queries
Whenever I show text inside square brackets, that is a query:
[fuse plastic bags]
To make that query, you'd type those words into the search engine:
7. A case from the reference desk:
"I am looking for the name of a contemporary illustrator that does
Edwardian-style fantasy portraits."
The librarian adds:
"The artwork tends to be strange
but not particularly macabre, and
usually in sepia or black and
white."
Question source: John Pappas (Google+) Image source: Mom Smackley http://www.flickr.com/photos/mom_smackley/3692797182
8. For answers to the challenges in this slideshow, please contact:
Search-educators@google.com
Source: +John Pappas
" Case # 2112A" Mom Smackley http://www.flickr.com/photos/mom smackley/3692797182
9. What's that Churchill book--you know, the purple one
with the gold crest-thing on the cover?
10.
11. Looking for commonalities
Consider common factors that would appear
in any acceptable source.
Common factors can be words, but they can
also be color, layout, or media.
13. What was the weather like on the day and
in the place you were born?
“Sweet Home Under White Clouds” by Jose Moraes: http://www.fotopedia.com/items/flickr-3131005845
16. How search works
Understanding what happens with your query
" Case # 2112A" Mom Smackley http://www.flickr.com/photos/mom smackley/3692797182
17. What happens when you search
Search engines compare the terms you type
in to the words on pages they have
previously indexed.
How search works: www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNHR6IQJGZs
21. Work your literacies
Who were the main actors in Desk Set?
Based on what you know, how
would you imagine this answer appears online?
1. __________________________
2. __________________________
3. __________________________
22. Predictive search
1.When I run this search, what do I expect to appear?
2.When I find this answer, what do I expect it to look like?
3.When I click this link, what do I expect I will see?
"The Fortune Teller" aussiegall http://www.flickr.com/photos/aussiegall/4923600994
23. 1. When I run this search, what do I expect to appear?
• Consider what you anticipate the results will look like.
• Glance over the first screen of results.
• Do they match?
"The Fortune Teller" aussiegall http://www.flickr.com/photos/aussiegall/4923600994
24.
25. 2. When I find this answer, what do I expect it to look like?
Search for your answer, not your question.
"The Fortune Teller" aussiegall http://www.flickr.com/photos/aussiegall/4923600994
26. A case from the reference desk:
"A friend told me that there once was a men's basketball
team made up of Chinese-Americans that played for
money in the United States, before the 1950’s.
"What was the name of that team?"
" Case # 2112A" Mom Smackley http://www.flickr.com/photos/mom smackley/3692797182
27. Language needs to reflect your source
I want to know the name of that song fans sing at Stanford
basketball games so I can download it to my MP3 player.
29. 3. When I click this link, what do I expect I will see?
Use information on the search results page
to save time.
"The Fortune Teller" aussiegall http://www.flickr.com/photos/aussiegall/4923600994
36. A case from the reference desk:
"I need to know how much money the Kenyan government
has collected from taxes on royalties in recent years."
Image source: Mom Smackley http://www.flickr.com/photos/mom_smackley/3692797182
37. What will my perfect answer look like?
1. WHO cares about what I care about? Who do I trust to give me
the information I need?
2. WHAT words would I use to describe it? What words would my
trusted source use? Which would be most common?
3. WHERE would my trusted source publish this information?
4. WHEN was this source created?
5. HOW will I know when I found what I want?
38. A case from the reference desk:
"I need to know how much money the Kenyan government
has collected from taxes on royalties in recent years."
1. WHO cares about what I care about? Who do I trust to give me
the information I need?
2. WHAT words would I use to describe it? What words would my
trusted source use? Which would be most common?
3. WHERE would my trusted source publish this information?
4. WHY would someone use one format or another to
communicate this information?
5. HOW will I know when I found what I want?
Image source: Mom Smackley http://www.flickr.com/photos/mom_smackley/3692797182
39. "I need to know how much money the Kenyan government has
collected from taxes on royalties in recent years."
1. WHO cares about what I care about? Who do I trust to give me
the information I need?
2. WHAT words would I use to describe it? What words would my
trusted source use? Which would be most common?
3. WHERE would my trusted source publish this information?
4. WHEN was this source created?
1. HOW will this information be presented?
[]
40. "I need to know how much money the Kenyan government has
collected from taxes on royalties in recent years."
1. WHO: The Kenyan government
2. WHAT words would I use to describe it? What words would my
trusted source use? Which would be most common?
3. WHERE would my trusted source publish this information?
4. WHEN was this source created?
1. HOW will this information be presented?
[]
41. "I need to know how much money the Kenyan government has
collected from taxes on royalties in recent years."
1. WHO: The Kenyan government
2. WHAT words would I use to describe it? What words would my
trusted source use? Which would be most common?
3. WHERE would my trusted source publish this information?
4. WHEN was this source created?
1. HOW will this information be presented?
[]
42. "I need to know how much money the Kenyan government has
collected from taxes on royalties in recent years."
1. WHO: The Kenyan government
2. WHAT: [taxes on royalties]
3. WHERE would my trusted source publish this information?
4. WHEN was this source created?
1. HOW will this information be presented?
[taxes on royalties]
43. "I need to know how much money the Kenyan government has
collected from taxes on royalties in recent years."
1. WHO: The Kenyan government
2. WHAT: [taxes on royalties]
3. WHERE would my trusted source publish this information?
4. WHEN was this source created?
1. HOW will this information be presented?
[taxes on royalties]
44. "I need to know how much money the Kenyan government has
collected from taxes on royalties in recent years."
1. WHO: The Kenyan government
2. WHAT: [taxes on royalties]
3. WHERE: At a website ending in .go.ke
1. WHEN was this source created?
1. HOW will I know when I found what I want?
[taxes on royalties]
45. "I need to know how much money the Kenyan government has
collected from taxes on royalties in recent years."
1. WHO: The Kenyan government
2. WHAT: [taxes on royalties]
3. WHERE: [site:go.ke]
1. WHEN was this source created?
1. HOW will I know when I found what I want?
[taxes on royalties site:go.ke]
46. "I need to know how much money the Kenyan government has
collected from taxes on royalties in recent years."
1. WHO: The Kenyan government
2. WHAT: [taxes on royalties]
3. WHERE: [site:go.ke]
1. WHEN was this source created?
1. HOW will this information be presented?
[taxes on royalties site:go.ke]
47. "I need to know how much money the Kenyan government has
collected from taxes on royalties in recent years."
1. WHO: The Kenyan government
2. WHAT: [taxes on royalties]
3. WHERE: [site:go.ke]
1. WHEN: between 2000 and 2011
1. HOW will this information be presented?
[taxes on royalties site:go.ke]
48. "I need to know how much money the Kenyan government has
collected from taxes on royalties in recent years."
1. WHO: The Kenyan government
2. WHAT: [taxes on royalties]
3. WHERE: [site:go.ke]
1. WHEN: [2000..2011]
1. HOW will this information be presented?
[taxes on royalties site:go.ke 2000..2011]
49. "I need to know how much money the Kenyan government has
collected from taxes on royalties in recent years."
1. WHO: The Kenyan government
2. WHAT: [taxes on royalties]
3. WHERE: [site:go.ke]
1. WHEN: [2000..2011]
2. HOW will this information be presented?
[taxes on royalties site:go.ke 2000..2011]
50. "I need to know how much money the Kenyan government has
collected from taxes on royalties in recent years."
1. WHO: The Kenyan government
2. WHAT: [taxes on royalties]
3. WHERE: [site:go.ke]
1. WHEN: [2000..2011]
2. HOW: in a database, maybe a spreadsheet
[taxes on royalties site:go.ke 2000..2011]
51. "I need to know how much money the Kenyan government has
collected from taxes on royalties in recent years."
1. WHO: The Kenyan government
2. WHAT: [taxes on royalties]
3. WHERE: [site:go.ke]
1. WHEN: [2000..2011]
2. HOW: [filetype:xls]
[taxes on royalties site:go.ke 2000..2011 filetype:xls]
52. "I need to know how much money the Kenyan government has
collected from taxes on royalties in recent years."
1. WHO: The Kenyan government
2. WHAT: [taxes on royalties]
3. WHERE: [site:go.ke]
1. WHEN: [2000..2011]
2. HOW: [filetype:xls]
[taxes on royalties site:go.ke 2000..2011 filetype:xls]
53. Associated search terms
A few months back, your patron heard about Biden's visit to
Mongolia, which is growing in importance due to its coal reserves.
She is curious to know more about what types of forecasts exist
about what is going on with Mongolia's coal industry.
What might her search look like?
54. Visualize this
[Forecast] is a hard search term, since it has so many synonyms.
Look for the words logically surrounding it.
55. Big ideas
• Work your literacies: use what you know.
• Search for your answer, not your question.
• Practice thinking broadly about your real need.
• Combine technology tools with creative and critical
thinking.
Any questions?
56. A case from the reference desk:
"Legendarily decorated by Merlin with pieces from the 'Giant's
Ring,' is there moss on all sides of these stones?"
Source: Mom Smackley http://www.flickr.com/photos/mom_smackley/3692797182
57. A case from the reference desk:
What does the Navy website have to say about the Ghost
Blimp incident?
Do they talk about it anywhere on the
site?
Source: Mom Smackley http://www.flickr.com/photos/mom_smackley/3692797182
58. A case from the reference desk:
Failing to ID a quote like: "'Mkgnao' said the cat, who had been
reading Ulysses."
I want to say it's Robert Benchley or
Raymond Queneau.
Source: Mom Smackley http://www.flickr.com/photos/mom_smackley/3692797182
59. This lesson was developed by:
Tasha Bergson-Michelson and Kimberly Johnson
This lesson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike license.
You can change it, transmit it, and show it to other people. Just always give credit to
Google.com ("Attribution"), and make sure that any works you make based on these
lessons are also under the same Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike license
("Share-Alike").
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/legalcode.