This document provides tips and techniques for conducting effective searches on Twitter and Google. It discusses how to refine Twitter searches using operators like hashtags, keywords, phrases and locations. It also provides examples of how to monitor topics on Twitter. Additionally, it outlines ways to get more out of Google searches by using operators, adjusting dates, exploring related searches and using tools like Google Alerts, Trends and Keyword Tool. The document recommends starting with broad searches and tweaking them to hone in on relevant results. It also suggests saving good searches and curating useful accounts into lists on Twitter.

1. Search Techniques:
Twitter and the Web
How to:
Create effective Twitter searches
Get more out of Google searches

2. To recap:
Search = Find Tweets by Keyword
Search for tweets, people, and media using
the search bar at the top of the screen.
Toggle between “Top” and “All” to see what the most important Twitter
users are saying and what everyone is saying.

3. To recap:
Use Advanced Search to Refine
Once you’ve done your search,
click “Advanced search.”
Now you can exclude terms, see
tweets only in a certain language,
search by location, etc.

4. To recap:
Twitter Search Operators

5. Refining Your Twitter Search
Are there key words you can exclude to narrow your search?
Use the - operator
Are there particular phrases that will make your search more
specific?
Use the “ ” operator
Are there multiple spellings or multiple key terms you can
include?
Use the OR operator
Are there particular hashtags in use?
Search only by hashtag, or include hashtags in your OR search
Are you getting a lot of results you can’t read?
Use a lang: search to restrict the languages

6. Start with a broad search and tweak
until you’re happy with the results
Pick up on key terms in
the search results that
might get you refine your
query

7. Ex: Monitor the Egyptian election

8. Ex: Find news on Occupy Wall St.

9. Remember:
Save good searches
Return to any of your saved searches by
clicking on the search bar at the top of
the screen. You will see the most recent
results for that search.
Use that search to continue finding and
homing in on trends, and to identify key
users on the topic.

10. Use lists to save good people you find
while searching
Lists let you curate users into categories,
and then view their tweets in a separate
stream.*
*You don’t have to follow
someone to put them in a list
Access your lists from your profile
page or from your head icon

11. Tools to Try
Topsy.com
Search Twitter archives and sort by relevance or date. Search
includes photos, videos and links shared on Twitter, users
mentioned on Twitter and Google Plus content.
Twitterpowersearch.com
Shows searches in side-by-side streams so you can easily test search
terms against each other
Trendsmap.com
Browse regional trending topics
Sulia.com
Identifies the most influential tweeters around various topics
Addictomatic.com
See results from Twitter and many other online sources all at once

12. Twitter searches are often a good starting point, and one of the
best ways to track a topic over time, but don’t neglect other
avenues for finding information…
Google is still your friend!

13. Google Search
Take advantage of the many easy options for refining your search
Are you looking for a
news event, an opinion
piece or a specialist’s
view? Try switching to a
blogs or news search
Do you need things that
are very recent, or that
are definitely not
recent? Adjust the date
Not finding exactly
what you need? See
what related searches
you could try

14. Google has an advanced search
https://www.google.com/advanced_search
But learning basic search
operators is easier…
OR either word
“ “ the exact phrase
- excluding this word

15. Useful operators you don’t know
*
The “wildcard” – used as a placeholder for any word.
ex) Obama voted * would find “Obama voted yes” and “Obama voted
no”
~
Includes words similar to the word you specify.
ex) ~glossary would also find dictionary
related:
Finds sites similar to the site you specify.
ex) related:voanews.com would find websites similar to VOA
site:
Searches within one specific website.
ex) Putin site:voanews.com would find mentions of the name Putin on
VOA
More: http://www.googleguide.com/print/adv_op_ref.pdf

16. Google Alerts
Subscribe to good news or blog
searches by email or in an RSS
reader.
The alert will automatically deliver
new search results to you as they
appear.
http://www.google.com/alerts

17. Google Advanced Image Search
Search within specific photo-sharing
sites
Find Creative Commons photos
http://www.google.com/advanced_image_search

18. Google Advanced Video Search
http://video.google.com/videoadvancedsearch

19. Tools to Try
Google Keyword Tool, Google Insights for Search
Find and compare related keywords, and see how keywords
are trending
Google Reader
Google’s RSS reader for subscribing to blogs and search
alerts you want to follow
Google Plus
Another place to see what people are sharing and saying.
Allows you to save and track web/social searches