How to Search Better on the Internet

When I'm looking for garden info, I use a Google search trick to weed through all the bad information out there. 

  • type "site:.edu" and then the search terms. Example: "site:.edu how to prune peppers for better yield".
The .edu limitation means that I only get results from university-based websites, and this usually means university extension centers. The internet is loaded with bad information--especially in the gardening world. AI is creeping into everything and whole sites are written by AI bots to trick people into listening to them. Searching just anywhere might end up showing you bad information and advice. 

You can use this trick when searching to limit the results to a top level domain like I did in the example above, but you can also use it to limit your searches to a specific website or series of websites. 

We're all going to need to learn how to use our technology better to stay a step ahead of scammers and bad actors.

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