Google Search: Freeware: Get Rid of Unwanted Sites

I was using Google to search for freeware.  My search produced a bunch of websites that did not give me what I wanted.  This post briefly describes some steps I took to get better search results.

First, I modified my search to eliminate some sites that were giving me a combination of freeware and shareware.  For purposes of this particular search, I figured that any freeware of good quality would have been noticed and commented on by a number of people.  People selling software had a number of strategies to obscure the fact that they were not offering freeware.  Not to blame them -- they worked hard on their software, and they wanted to make some money for it -- but what I was searching for wasn't important enough to buy.  If there was a freeware solution, great; if not, I'd just skip it.  So the modified search I used was this (assuming I was searching for software related to "mouse" and "cursor"):

mouse cursor freeware -shareware -"free download" -"free trial" -"free to try"

This got through one set of unwanted results, but I wasn't done.  Now I was getting a bunch of websites that offered all kinds of freeware, but none providing what I was looking for specifically.  They just seemed to put up any freeware that seemed remotely related, and that wasn't helping me.  I was doing this search in Firefox, and I knew of two ways to get rid of these sorts of sites in Firefox.  (There probably were similar solutions in Google Chrome, but I didn't check.)  One approach was to install the Web of Trust (WOT) add-on, and look for its colored rings next to the search results.  These, I had found, were helpful but sometimes alarmist. 

Another approach, which I used in conjunction with WOT, was to install the OptimizeGoogle add-on, and start to build up its list of list of filters.  The steps here were, first, to install the add-on, and then, in Firefox, go into Tools > Add-ons > Extensions tab > OptimizeGoogle > Options > Filter.  My list of filters was still growing, but at this point the list was as follows:

http://*.recipester.org/*
http://*.neevia.com/*
http://*.headkeys.com/*
http://headkeys.com/*
http://*.all-freeware.com/*
http://*.softducks.com/*
http://*.topshareware.com/*
http://*.top4download.com/*
http://*.xentrik.com/*
http://*.fileguru.com/*
http://*.software.informer.com/*
http://*.filebuzz.com/*
http://*.bestfreewaredownload.com/*
http://*.windows7download.com/*
http://*.freedownloadscenter.com/*
http://*.winsite.com/*
http://*.easyfreeware.com/*
http://*.brothersoft.com/*
http://*.filetransit.com/*
http://*.macshareware.com/*
http://*.fileheap.com/*
http://*.informer.com/*
http://mac.download3000.com/*
http://*.mac360.com/*
http://*.freemacware.com/*
http://www.downv.com/Mac-software-download/*
http://*.downloadatoz.com/*
http://*.ptf.com/*

I saved that list (Export from the filter list) for when I would have to reinstall Firefox.  With this list in place, Google searches in Firefox that found any of these websites would now give me a small, greyed-out line to let me know that my results were being filtered, but would focus on the remaining sites.  This, I found, reduced distraction and saved time in other searches.

Suggestion to Yahoo! Answers

Dear Yahoo:

I was using the RSS feed for Social Science - Other.  I received a million questions a day.  Many were re-posts of previously asked questions to which I had provided thoughtful answers. 

I want to be able to block (1) questions that I have already seen, (2) selected individuals, and (3) questions of a certain length (e.g., less than 15 words). 

I also want to be able to label and subcategorize questions for other potential answerers to see.  One approach would be to offer the thumbs-up-thumbs-down option for questions as well as for answers.  Ideally, if someone clicks on the thumbs up, they will see a drop-down list of reactions, including mine; and if they click on mine, they will see the comment I have added, e.g., "Seems to be a student looking for an easy answer to a take-home test question."  My followers, if any, will also be able to see my filtered list of questions.

I want to be able to automate the provision of those filtering comments.  That is, I want to have a half-dozen of my favorite comments readily available.  I am viewing a question.  I want to tell the poster to do a web search, narrow it down, and come back with a more specific question.  I don't want to have to type that out.  Likewise, I may also want to tell the person that it sounds like a take-home test question, and I'm not inclined to help people do their homework.  I type these into my list of favorite answers; they appear when I'm viewing a question; I select the ones that apply; and I'm automatically on to the next unanswered question.

My list of favorite answers can be partially selected from a pre-provided list.  One favorite answer may include an automatically generated Yahoo! search of the web, responding to key terms in the question.  That is, I want to be able to check a box for "try this search" and, perhaps, to modify the automatically generated search before posting it.

I want to be able to save my favorite answers in paragraph form.  For example, if I write a paragraph to answer a question about the Civil War, or if I see a good answer that someone else has provided (perhaps saved in directory form), or if there's a Best Answer that already seems on point, I want to be able to get to that quickly, and to direct the poster to it, rather than reinvent the wheel.