13 replies to this topic

[raildogg]

As a back story, I don't surf the web very well. When I look for images of blueprints I get some really odd stuff. A recent search for searchlight drawings had in its results pictures of, Congressmen, naked women, aircraft plans, flashlights and various unrelated images. Now I know the words also get looked at by the search engine, but what am I doing wrong. I've always had this issue. I can never get images of what I asked for, but I seem to get everything else. I may have this post in the wrong place, and I hope it's not inapropriate, but I trust that maybe some of you may also have had this issue with web searches. What say you??

Edited by raildogg, 06 December 2012 - 05:02 AM.

[Matt T.]

If you don't want to see questionable content, adjust your search settings to 'Strict' or similar to avoid seeing adult content.

 

As for the rest of the results you mention, if you searched images for 'searchlight drawings' the Congressman probably had a bill entitled Searchlight and his image was in an article online about it. A large flashlight could be considered a searchlight too. That's what the search engine found for searchlight. You probably also saw many images of drawings of all types.

 

If you enclose a phrase in double quotes, that forces the search engine to look for the phrase, and not each word (in theory).

 

Maybe try "searchlight technical drawings" or "searchlight blueprint".  It never hurts to get more specific in your query if you're not finding what you're looking for. One thing's for sure - what you want is out there on the Internet!

[Harry P.]

Like Matt said. Be more specific in your search.

 

If you're looking for a Golden Delicious apple, don't search for "apple," search for "Golden delicious apple."

[my80malibu]

Wow a Golden delicious apple, suddenly sounds very good right now.

[Johnny]

Wow a Golden delicious apple, suddenly sounds very good right now.

Just bought a bag at WalMart yesterday!

[Draggon]

Mmmmm apples.......I am pretty decent ( read "decent" not "good" ) at the old 'puter and interweb, but I do get it that a misplaced letter or "" will take me to somewhere I dont want to be. I have a friend that was a programmer, and she knows how to get where I cant. She's a bitch and refuses to reveal her secret. Uhh, can I say the word "bitch" here?

[Alyn]

quotes and plus signes are your friend.

 

search for:

 

searchlight drawings - yields results with either "searchlight", "drawing", or both

searchlight+drawings - yields results that must include both words in some way

"searchlight drawings" - yields results that include the exact phrase "searchlight drawings"

 

If the search doesn't come up wiith much of what you're looking for, try reversing the terms; drawings searchlight.

[sjordan2]

"Searchlight" covers a lot of territory. Are you looking for just the light, or applications like a searchlight on a building, on the back of a truck or in a lighthouse, for example?

[CadillacPat]

Very easy,

When the Results come up after Search,

Look up at the top left of your browser page and just click onto the word "Images"

Pictures related to your subject will come up instead of listed links

[Agent G]

Harry Reid was born and raised in Searchlight, Nevada, hence the political reference.

 

Yes that is an actual town. No I am not making this up.

 

 

G

[Ace-Garageguy]

Several years ago there was a concept floating around called the 'semantic web', the idea being that at some point search engines would understand human idiomatic speech and phrasing well enough to get the results you want the first time. As you've noted, this hasn't happened yet. Re-phrasing your search terms several times with more or less detail, as in modifying words, will turn up different results. Google also has an 'advanced' option to further refine your search terms.

 

Try this:

 

http://www.google.ca/advanced_search

 

It also helps to try to think like a machine that has no soceital or contextual preconceptions, and is basically not too bright.

Edited by Ace-Garageguy, 07 December 2012 - 02:42 PM.

[CadillacPat]

Harry Reid was born and raised in Searchlight, Nevada, hence the political reference.

 

Yes that is an actual town. No I am not making this up.

 

 

G

 

That's interesting,

I did a search for dementia and Harry Reid came up in that also.

[Ace-Garageguy]

 

That's interesting,

I did a search for dementia and Harry Reid came up in that also.

 

That's interesting. This came up when I searched "Cadillac Pat".

 

Edited by Ace-Garageguy, 07 December 2012 - 02:54 PM.

[CadillacPat]

 

That's interesting. This came up when I searched "Cadillac Pat".

 

 

A nice big heavy ride!!!!!!!!!!

But.,

I like mine HollyWood Shiny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!'

Not much for that Rat Rod dirt look,

 

 

But, I did a search for Ace Garageguy and found this.

Out of respect for privacy I'm only showing the rear view,

Edited by CadillacPat, 07 December 2012 - 03:21 PM.