Monday, March 12, 2007

Google and the Tilde ~

On the post Google's Blog Search for Ancestors, I suggested using ~genealogy with a keyword to find blogs that are only about genealogy.

But what does the tilde ~ mean when used directly in front of the keyword genealogy?

The tilde ~ is Google's newest operand. It means that you can search not just for a keyword but also its synonyms; that is, words having the same or nearly the same meaning as another word. So by using ~genealogy, you will also find pages that use the words family history, family tree, or ancestry. Not every genealogy web page or blog entry actually uses the word genealogy so using the tilde is a way to expand your search.

You can use the tilde with other words to find synonyms. Search for ~obituary to find blogs or web pages that use the word and death notice.

I tried the tilde with locations and got mixed results. While ~NYC found New York City and New York, ~Philly seemed to find only Philly results.

On my keyboard, the tilde key is the key to the left of the number 1 key. Use with the shift key

Genealogy Google Search Ideas
Learn more Google tips and tricks for searching your ancestors.

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