Using a Google Custom Search Engine (CSE) - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Using a Google Custom Search Engine (CSE)

Sally Kuhlenschmidt

January 9, 2009

• Explore ideas for using a Google custom search engine (CSE), including one successful example.
• Get an overview of how to create your own CSE.

• a tailored search using Google's technology,
• which restricts search results based on websites you specify,
• Sample: http://www.podnetwork.org/

• Narrows search to a subset of the Internet that you choose.
• E.g., benchmarks, field specific
• Most “hits” are valuable.
• Assures a particular quality in websites searched
• E.g., only peer-reviewed, only HBCUs, member

• Provide quality websites in your area for students to use
• Instruct students on “quality.”
• Have students create their own custom search
• Contrast “good” CSE w/ ”bad” CSE
• Select “Case” websites for investigating issues, e.g., Fortune 500 businesses

• Search your personal bookmarks
• Search benchmark institutions
• Research on websites (e.g., X vs Y type of sites)
• Alumni or advisee websites
• Professional organization—websites of members

• W/permission from local authorities
• A student group or unit may set up a CSE and permit advertising. Proceeds go into the unit’s “pot” or into a charity.

• Google Account
• Create CSE
• Enter formatted URLs
• Use is only you – by accessing your Google Account

• Try various browsers if one doesn’t work. (Mozilla had some problems).
• http://www.google.com/
• Sign In (upper right)…Create an account.

• Upper left: More ….Even More….Custom Search.
• Option to create new one or manage current (in small print under Create New…)

• Complete the 1 page form.

Do a simple one first, 4-6 URLs.

*Read the Tips on Formatting URLs. Documentation is to the left.

• No “http://” Add *
• www.example.com/* to get everything beginning with www.example.com/
• www.example.com/ only gives that single page.

• You can exclude subparts of websites
• See formatting rules.

• Login…Upper left: More ….Even More….Custom Search.
• Option to create new one or manage current (in small print under Create New…) (My Search Engines)

• Options
• Statistics
• Delete– destroys the whole CSE
• Control Panel -(change settings.)
• Aka Edit this Search Engine

• Who can access?
• Only you right now and only from your Google Account.

• Volunteer (contacts you)
• Contributor (you invite)
• Max 100 invites. No limit on # contributors
• They need a Google account

• The websites Cr “sites” are tied to Cr’s account but use your key identifier.
• If Cr uses same refinement label as you—it gets added in that category.
• If Cr quits, Cr websites go too.
• If Cr rejoins, I think you get the websites back.
• VERY easy to quit collaborating-one click. There is No“Are you sure?”

Place code in a website

• Control Panel…Code
• Copy code for Search box
• Optional: Copy code for Search results
• Problem: Internet Explorer security question with each page
• Paste in your page

Add item.

Select html button,

Paste in code and

Submit.

• Results are flush left.

• Purposes for CSE
• Creating a simple CSE
• Formatting of URLs & the CSE
• Collaboration issues
• Sharing it via BB or other website

• And if I’d like the user to be able to “refine” his/her search in specific subcategories?

• Plan
• Decide on objectives, criteria
• May need alias email for account
• Gather, organize, & format URLs in Excel or Access
• Create CSE (Google account)
• Place ‘CSE label’ into URL file
• Upload URLs to CSE

• Write your objectives
• Write your criteria for including a site.
• Major subcategories? (refinement labels)
• Do you need an alias e-mail? Might you “hand over” this CSE to another?

• Goal: .txt file (tsv or tab delimited) with the URL’s
• How?
• By hand in Notepad – not recommended
• Excel or Access, passed through Notepad
• XML, OPML format is also possible.

Once you have your URL file, create your CSE and upload a txt version of that file—see subsequent notes.

Make the CSE available as above and enjoy!

The next 6 slides in the presentation provide

A link to a website with template URL files for you and a link to a utility for converting Favorites to txt, and

Specific suggestions and advice on using the files with Google CSE.

• Save “Excel” txt file to desktop.
• Open Excel.
• Open text file
• Options: Tab Delimited, Text qualifier {none}
• Save as simplest txt file.

• Sample
• Work from the Query (no primary key). Enter URLs etc.
• File Export… ‘As Text File’
• Options: Delimited, tab, Field names 1st row, Text qualifier {none}
• To Notepad:
• Change field names to Label (not Label2)-first row, don’t lose tabs.
• Don’t “clean” data even though it looks messy.

• First label is the CSE label (e.g., _cse_sm5wromxy3).
• Other labels are “refinements” (next slide)
• Score means how much weight to give a page. 1.0 is top.
• Comments – notes to yourself. Just DON’T use tabs in those notes or you throw off the file.
• Date format: 20060504 (Doesn’t show)

• Second and later labels can be “refinements” aka “refinement labels” or “labels”
• Short
• Keep total number relatively small, 4-10.
• *After you have uploaded your file,
• go to the Refinement tab and “add” each label (yes, even though you uploaded the file with them).

• Upload your file.
• All CSEs for an account are in the same file
• The CSE label in your file (e.g., _cse_sm5wromxy3 found at the Advanced tab) is what sorts URLs into different CSEs.
• Can upload multiple files if different file names (e.g., different terms of a class)
• Can Download a copy too.

• Each upload is treated as a “new” thing.
• Includes everything in the file—even if it is an exact duplicate of a prior website.
• Deleting
• If you delete the sites individually under the Site tab, the file still displays under the Advanced tab.
• You can delete the uploaded file under the Advanced tab & start fresh.
• In the Sites tab, sites seem to be listed by order of file uploaded and then alphabetically. I never use the Site tab. I always work from my Access file and replace the old.

• Example
• Simple CSE
• Large CSE
• Planning
• Excel vs Access