On+beyond+Google

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Imagine that there's only one kind of pants in the world and that's the kind of pants you have to wear. It doesn't matter if you don't like those pants. It doesn't even matter if those pants don't fit you very well. You can't dye the pants, or alter them, or trade with someone else. That's it; you have to wear those pants. What about search engines? You may think there's only one search engine (Google) and that you have to use it, even if it doesn't produce the results you want. Wrong! You can change the way you search with Google to make it fit you. Or you can forget about Google altogether and pick another "pair of pants" that suits you perfectly.

Bigger, stronger Google
//**Do you automatically begin every search in that one box you see on Google? Break that habit! Make your Google searches searches more powerful by using these moves.**//
 * Use the [|advanced search function] on Google.
 * Link terms or exclude terms to make your searching more targeted.
 * Use [|Google Scholar] to search primary sources, books and scholarly articles.
 * Supplement your Google search. Compare your Google search results with results from another search engine.

Try another search engine
//**Believe it or not, there are other search engines on the Internet. Not everyone can be happy in a Google world. Each of these sites has unique features that may work better for you. Remember, always look for advanced search; this function allows you to narrow your search, producing more accurate hits.**//
 * [|Bing] Microsoft's answer to Google.
 * [|Clusty] Instead of delivering millions of search results in one long list, Clusty groups similar results together into clusters. Clusters help you see your search results by topic so you can zero in on exactly what you’re looking for or discover unexpected relationships between items. Limit by domain for better searches.
 * [|Ask.com] Limit by domain, customize your "skin".
 * [|Kosmix] Generate a "home page" for any topic, with images, Wikipedia, hits; all clearly organized.
 * [|Scandoo] Scandoo's aim is keeping the web secure and safe for all, without the need for you to download and install any software. Just type, click and use your preferred search engine with confidence that the results are scanned and safe to visit.
 * [|Pixsy] Specially created to search images and videos.

Mash your searches together

 * [|Dog Pile] Search six search engines at once, instead of relying on just one. Go fetch!
 * [|TurboScout] Whoa! Search through 90 search engines at once.

Visual search engines

 * [|Kartoo] This search engine produces a visual map of how your hits are connected.

Curious how search engines work?
[|An overview] on How Stuff Works