Google Search Tips Archives

#TuesdayTip and #TuesdayTech – Google browser helps

If you use Google Chrome as your internet browser/search engine, they have a couple of helpful features in the URL window.

Here's an example URL in a Google Chrome search window:

In the image above, you can click on the URL window (if you're using Google Chrome for your browser) and a QR code appears in the URL window. Click the QR code icon and a larger QR code appears. You can use the QR scanner app on your phone to scan the code and it will open this URL/website on your phone.

This is a simple help to let you open a desktop website on your phone. So if you're working on a desktop computer but want to send the link to your phone, you'll use this QR code in the URL window. You will need to have a QR code scanner app on your phone. Go to your phone's App Store and download a free QR code scanner.

RootsTech Connect 2021 Video Tour

Here's a 5-minute video tour of the RootsTech Connect 2021 Genealogy Convention. At the end of the convention hall tour is a 5-minute video explanation of Relatives at Rootstech, a new and improved feature that you can take advantage of from the comfort of your own home or office. There's also a free Surname Search tool if you haven't added yourself to the FamilySearch family tree (so they can't compute your Relatives at RootsTech). Be sure to visit www.rootstech.org, join Relatives at RootsTech, and see if we're related. I'm Alyson Tayler (maiden name) in the FamilySearch tree so that's how to search for me. And visit the Expo Hall vendors for free Conference swag and promotions. Some promotions and swag include: subscription discounts, free downloadable books, free downloadable genealogy magazines, resources from genealogy societies, and at the OnGenealogy booth I have a couple of free, fillable-pdf family tree art 8x10s you can download, fill out on y…

How to Get Google Search Results for another Country

If you're searching for records in another country, you used to be able to use that country's Google domain to get results localized for that country. Google now gives localized results based on your current location, not the extension you're searching with. So if you're in the United States and want to search in England, you can't type google.co.uk into the URL window and trick Google into giving you UK results. But Google hasn't left us high and dry. They now allow us to change the settings for our searches. Whatever Google extension you use, in the bottom right-hand corner of the page there is a Settings menu where you can request results be localized to somewhere other than your current location. Here's an example of how you can get Google search results for another country by changing the settings on your search window. In the lower right-hand corner of your search window, select Settings, then Search Settings &n…