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Baby Boomers face technological challenges

Written by:
Baby boomers, frustrated woman

Above all, Baby boomers like me are disadvantaged when it comes to technology. Isn’t it amazing that Millennials came pre-programmed with all the knowledge related to smartphones, laptops and PCs? Baby boomers are those who are now between 56 and 74, and Millennials are between 24 and 38 years old. Gen Z and Gen Alpha came after the Millennial generation, and they came with more advanced skills. Watching my grandchildren using their parents’ mobile equipment almost before they are potty trained is proof of that.

Google school for Baby boomers

For me, computer-school is never out, and I learn something new each day. Subsequently, I have reached the stage where using the Google Search Engine is no longer a stumbling block. Therefore, not to boast about this achievement, but through pure generosity, I’ll share my collection of Google search tips. Oh, I know the younger generations will say, “been there, done that.” To clarify, they can skip this article and move on to the next one.

Baby boomer Google search tip #1

It might be rudimentary. But, if you don’t use the tabs at the top of the page yet, this one is for you.

Baby boomers, tip #1

Choose the tab that defines your search. Along with the obvious ones, explore the others. “More” allows you to narrow your search to maps, books, flights and finance. Similarly, “Settings” will allow you to set a language and more. Click on “Tools” to specify results from the past hour, day, week, month and more. If you search for exact words, you can select verbatim under results.

Google search tip #2

Avoid confusing Google with ambiguous words such as Mustang, which will return results on both Mustang cars and horses.

Baby boomers,tip #2

If you search for the horse version of Mustang, put a hyphen before the result you don’t want. (I remember it by referring to the hyphen as a minus sign) You will get all the Mustang results, minus those containing the word “car.”

Google search tip #3

Another way to search for something specific is to put your search in quotes.

Baby boomers,tip #3

Putting your search term in quotes will not include results of other sweaters, other puppy results and other dog results. You will not have to scan through all the irrelevant results.

Google search tip #4

To search a single website instead of the entire web, use the following syntax:

Baby boomers, Tip #4

I searched for all articles about COVID-19 on The Hot Mess Press website by using this syntax in the example. Google came back with more than 1000 results — excluding all results on other sites.

Google search tip #5

Have you ever wanted to find a website that is similar to one you already know? There is a simple way to do that. For instance, if you want to look for merchandise on a similar site to amazon, this is how to do it.

Baby boomers,Tip #5

Google search tip #6 — specially for Baby boomers

Do you ever found yourself reminiscing about the 70s and unable to remember the lyrics of a favorite song? Here’s how to jog your memory. Use the asterisk as a wildcard for the words you’re missing.

Baby boomers, tip #6

That search will give you this

Oh, what a night.
Late December back in sixty three.
What a very special time for me,
‘Cause I remember what a night.

If you’re a Baby boomer, this will surely take you back to your teenage years.

Google search tip #7

You can search for specific numbers or a range of numbers. or example, if you want to check who won the U.S. Open Tennis in 2018, use this syntax with two dots before the number.

Baby boomers, tip #7

You may want to search for a range of numbers. Use the start and end numbers with two dots between them like this 23..27. The search will then include all the results from 23 through 27.

Google search tip #8

Say you want to search for COVID-19 deaths in Florida. To avoid doing two separate searches for COVID-19 and Coronavirus, use OR in uppercase like this to include both:

Baby boomers, tip #8

Similarly, you can also search for phrases. Make sure you get it all by putting similar phrases in quotations like this.

baby boomers, tip #9

In conclusion, that’s what I have for fellow Baby boomers today. Above all, even if you learned only one thing, it was worth my while. Look out for a follow-up article about useful shortcuts I have learned.

BONUS

If you ever can’t make up your mind about something, just flip a coin.

Baby boomers, tip #10

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