A Librarian Looks at Google Dorking

August 24, 2020

In order to find solutions for their jobs, many people simply conduct a Google search. Google searching for solutions is practiced by teachers to executives to even software developers. Software developers spend an inordinate amount of their time searching for code libraries and language tutorials. One developer named Alec had the brilliant idea to create “dorking.” What is dorking?

“Use advanced Google Search to find any webpage, emails, info, or secrets

cost: $0

time: 2 minutes

Software engineers have long joked about how much of their job is simply Googling things

Now you can do the same, but for free”

Dorking is free! That is great! How does it work? Dorking is a tip guide using Boolean operators and other Google advanced search options to locate information. Dorking, however, does need a bit of coding knowledge to understand how it works.

Most some of these tips can be plugged into a Google search box, such as finding similar sites and find specific pages that must include a phrase in the Title text. Others need that coding knowledge to make them work. For example finding every email on a Web page requires this:

image

Yep, dorking for everyone.

After a few practice trials, these dorking tips are sure to work for even the most novice of Googlers. It will also make anyone, not just software developers, appear like experts. As a librarian, why not assign field types and codes, return Boolean logic, and respect existing Google operators. Putting a word in quotes and then getting a result without the word is — how should I frame it. I know — dorky.

Whitney Grace, MLS, August 24, 2020

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