Google search toolsin the newsroom

Highway Africa 2010: Workshop 4

Compiled and presented by

Izak Minnaar, Julie Taylor and Jackie Rajuai

Overview and context

• Search tools and techniques… in the age of social media 

… and media convergence

(Did you know? Shift happens)

Life as a Reporter

Secure the perfect

interview

Research trends

Break the story

Work your contacts

Get a lead

Report from the field

Check the facts

Agenda

Search tools: understanding search engines better

Search techniques: how to find the right stuff fast

Advanced searching: getting to source documents

Searching news: all the latest news on your story

Search smarter: tips and tricks for Google.co.za

Advanced research: Scholar, Books, & Translate

Searching maps:

Search tools

Search tools

• Different kinds of search engines– Traditional search engines

• Database driven web search

– Deep web/invisible web searches– Specialised/targeted search tools– Realtime search (of the social web)

• News, blogs, social media

– Directories

• Integrated searches

• New generation search features

Universal Search

Blends and ranks search results from websites, images, news, blogs, videos, maps, books, and more

Anatomy of a Search PageAds (sold via keyword auction)

Natural Search Results (ranked by algorithm)

Search techniques

Search techniques

– Develop a “document frame of mind”– Define the search topic

• ask exactly what you want to know • use search phrases and quotation marks

– Less but better results– Explore results options

• Cached pages• Latest content published: time based results• Wonder wheel• Extended results• Timeline search

Advanced searching

Sources and content types

• Possible sources:– Primary– Official– Reference– Secondary– Mediated– Multiple

Targeted searches

• Search strategies to find source material:– Domain searches– Document type searches

• Google advanced search– Source– File type– Site/domain– Region– Date

Site Search

Searching the news

How Google News Works

Get multiple angles on an issue you’re coveringPersonalize the news to get only the stories you wantMonitor coverage by competitors and other media at a glance

News searches

• Google News – realtime search

• Sort by relevance/date

• Advanced:– News source, Location, Dates

• News archive search – timeline

Search smarterTips and tricks for Google.co.za

Search tips and tricks

• Calculator

• Currency Conversion

• Definitions

• Negative Terms

• Translate

Conversion + Calculator

Definitions

Negative terms

Google Translate: Text

Google Translate: Webpages

Google Translate: Translated Search

Advanced research

Advanced Search Tools

• Book Search

• Google Scholar

Google Book Search

1. Partner Programme: working with publishers to digitise their books

Title, Cover

Purchasing Information

Publisher Information

Google Book Search

2. Library Project: working with libraries to digitise their collections.

Out of copyright: full view In copyright*: snippet view

*If publishers or authors don’t want to have their books digitised, they just have to say so and we will exclude them.

Google Book Search

Books that are not part of our partner or library programmes can still appear in Google Book Search, but without previews. For these books, we provide basicinformation, display reviews on the web, and link to online retailers.

Links to buy

General book information

References and Reviews

Google Scholar

Searching maps

Google Confidential and Proprietary

Basics of Google Maps

maps.google.com

Google Confidential and Proprietary

maps.google.com

Basics of Google Maps

Google Confidential and Proprietary

maps.google.com

Basics of Google Maps

Google Confidential and Proprietary

maps.google.com

Basics of Google Maps

Google Confidential and Proprietary

maps.google.com

Virtual Tourism with Street View

Read more on searching

Searching Google

• Online tutorial: Nancy Blachman’s Google Guide

• Google quick reference “cheat sheet”

• Other Google web search features and more examples

Search engines

• Selection of the Best search tools – comparison chart

• Colossus – International directory of search engines, by country

• NoodleTools – search strategy guide• CyberJournalist SuperSearch • Search tools to find videos, audio and

images on the web (Fumsi) • Using social networking sites as a research

tool (Fumsi)

Groups

Search

Picasa

MobileVideo

Toolbar Gmail & Talk

Earth

Blogger iGoogle

Calendar

More coming…

Docs & Spreadsheets

Google is more than just search…