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Site Information

Search Engine

We Use the Google Mini

The Buffalo State Web team selected the Google Mini after reviewing visitor search behavior and general user feedback. We found time and again Google was considered the standard our search tool was compared against. To our delight, Google now offers an affordable version of its enterprise edition--the Google Mini. Even in its mini form, Google delivers the majority of the power and accuracy that users have come to know and love. Some features you will encounter as you use the mini:

  • Speed up your search with Google's "Did you mean?" spelling suggestions
  • Search using synonyms with Google's popular "You could also try" feature
  • View large documents, like PDFs and PowerPoint presentations, as easy-to-read HTML text
  • Identify file formats (i.e. PDF, MS Excel, MS Word) before you click on a link
  • Use simple search strategies to find the most relevant documents

How Does the Google Mini Work?

Google Mini, like Google, is a Web crawler (also referred to as a spider) that indexes Web pages by following hyperlinks. Buffalo State's Google Mini indexes the site each night, so you'll always have fresh search results in the morning. Mmmmm. For pointers on how to unleash Google Mini's search power, visit http://search.buffalostate.edu/basics.html.

Why Do You Link to Cached Pages?

Cached results allow the user to see a short-term archive of a page or file. This feature is especially useful if the college site is unavailable. Because the Google Mini is housed on its own server (http://search.buffalostate.edu), cached pages will be available in the event the Buffalo State Web site is not available. Bookmark this page to search cached pages.

Including Stop Words in Your Search

The Google Mini ignores common words and characters called "stop words," such as "what" and "the." These terms rarely help narrow a search and can slow search results. To include stop words in your query, simply place quotes around your search terms. For example: "What will become of the stop word?" Learn more about stop words.