Beyond "beaches"
Boolean logic
When you search for places to go and things to do, you don't just tell Google or a travel agent "I want beaches" or "I want a hotel." Perhaps you want a beach resort, or beaches with surfboard rentals, and a hotel with a free shuttle from the airport and a hot breakfast. Or you want a a hostel for $20/night.
To get what you want out of your journey, you need to use Boolean operators to narrow or expand your search. This is where that keyword chart comes in handy.
Most search engines (including Google) and databases use Boolean logic. Google uses "+" for "AND" and "/" for "OR."
AND to NARROW
The AND Boolean combines terms to narrow your results. It will give you only results that include all terms.
birth plans
AND
patient advocacy
birth plans
AND
caesarean rates
If you group your keywords as on page 4, the AND will go across the chart.
OR to EXPAND
Expand your results by using the OR for related terms. This will give you results containing either term.
medical intervention
OR
labor complication
patient advocacy
OR
self-determination theory
"My guess is (it will be) about 300 years until computers are as good as, say, your local reference library in search."
Craig Silverstein,
former Google Director of Technology
CBS Sunday Morning, March 28, 2004
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