Question: Sometimes it seems to take forever to find the exact information I need on Google. How can I do a search that’s more efficient?

Answer: To increase the efficiency of your searches, try these techniques:

1. Use quotation marks.
   When searching for something specific, try using quotation marks to minimize the guesswork for Google search. When you put your search parameters inside quotation marks, it tells the search engine to search for the whole phrase.
   
   For instance, if you search for Puppy Dog Sweaters, Google will search for content that contains those three words in any order. However, if you search “Puppy Dog Sweaters,” it will search for that phrase exactly as you typed it. This can help locate specific information that may be buried under other content if not sorted out correctly.
   
   
2. Use a hyphen to exclude words.
   Sometimes you may find yourself searching for a word with an ambiguous meaning. An example is Mustang. When you Google search for Mustang, you may get results for both the car made by Ford or the horse. If you want to cut one out, use the hyphen. When you enter Mustang – cars,” it tells the search engine to search for mustangs but to remove any results that have the word car in it. This tip can save you lots of time when doing searches.
   
   
3. Use a colon to search specific sites.
   There may be an instance where you need to Google search for articles or content on a certain website. For example, if you enter Wayne Gretzky site:nhl.com, Google will search for all content about the famous hockey player, but only on NHL.com. All other search results will be removed.
   
   
4. Use the asterisk wildcard.
   When you use an asterisk in a search term on Google search, it will leave a placeholder that may be automatically filled by the search engine later. This is a brilliant way to find song lyrics if you don’t know all the words.

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Census scams can take different forms, so stay alert. Some scammers may come to your home, pretend to work for the U.S. Census Bureau, and try to collect your personal information to use for fraud or identity theft. Others may call you or send emails or letters for the same purposes.

First of all, know that the Census Bureau will never ask for your Social Security number, your bank account or credit card numbers, anything on behalf of a political party, or money or donations.

If someone visits your home to collect a response for the 2020 Census, you can do the following to verify their identity:

• First, check to make sure that they have a valid ID badge with their photograph, a U.S. Department of Commerce watermark, and an expiration date.
  
  
• If you still have questions about their identity, you can call 844-330-2020 to speak with a Census Bureau representative.

Here are additional things to keep in mind:

• Don’t share your Social Security number, bank or credit card account numbers, or your mother’s maiden name. The Census Bureau won’t ask for this type of information.
  
  
• Don’t trust emails claiming to be from the Census Bureau. This agency sends letters to invite individuals to take part in its surveys. If you get an email from the Census Bureau, it’s probably a scam.
  
  
• Don’t trust caller ID. Call the Census Bureau’s National Processing Center to verify a telephone survey.

A key way to identify scam websites is to look at the website address. All valid Census Bureau websites will always have “.gov” at the end. 2020census.gov provides key information about the 2020 Census and how to respond. My2020census.gov is the direct website address you can use to respond to the 2020 Census online.