Data Sense

Search Language

I’ve been doing prospect research for sometime and there is something that continues to annoy and puzzle me. Why is search language not consistent from one search engine to another? “AND” is used in one while “+” is the character du jour in another. For proximity indicators you have your choice of “NEAR,” “w/” or an asterisk.  Let me take that back . . . you don’t have a choice. The choice is made by those who design the search engines. Given the international nature of the Internet, wouldn’t it make sense for there to be one universal search language?  Until that happens, be sure you check the search FAQ or the search help feature of any search engine or database that you use. It can make a big difference in the results returned to you.