Being a researcher I make substantial use of Google search engines. On the way one picks up some techniques to get the "hits" you are looking for. Here are some pointers and links to primary search operators/meta tags.

For example, looking for a definition for a word you can use define:word

link:www.thaivisa.com will list web pages that have links to TV

use the site: modifier to restrict the search to a specific web site. Example "Visas site:www.thaivisa.com" (without the parenthesis) will look for the term Visas but only on thaivisa.com

Use a "+" sign in front of common words to force Google to add it to the search criteria. Example +the will include "the" in the search

You can use Google for simple math calculations, for example put 45 + 39 in the search box and it will give you the results.

Many more of these search refinement tools can be found below.

Cheat Sheet for the most common used operators.

Google Guide an extensive list of features can be seen here.

If anyone has other search tips please feel free to add them here.

I use the conversion feature sometimes, such as

44 celsius in fahrenheit

800 baht in GBP

.1 parsecs in kilometers (ok, i haven't actually used that one)

The feature guide for google shows a lot of the little extra features

....If anyone has other search tips please feel free to add them here.

I too use Google a lot and know how to get the results I want, so having just found out about the "Google Custom Search" beneath the TV logo I am a happy bunny!

The most common search features I use are:

"put phrases in quotes" - forces Google to search for the exact phrase

+wantthis - makes Google include the word "wantthis"

-dontwant - makes Google skip results that contain "dontwant"