X-Ray Search Like an Expert

This class is presented in two parts:

• Wednesday, April 17 (9 AM to 10 AM Pacific Time) - Part 1 - X-Ray Fundamentals
• Thursday, April 18 (9 AM to 10 AM Pacific Time) - Part 2 - Further Considerations and Use Cases

X-Ray searching refers to using the site: operator to refine your searches and quickly identify relevant data from a target website or domain. With the increasing decentralization of data, X-Ray search skills have become critical for identifying and leveraging new sources of information.

Part 1 introduces the fundamentals of why and how to perform X-Ray searches, including a step-by-step process to use for any search scenario. You'll learn how to identify data rich resources and precisely tune your searches with ease using complementary search operators and natural language patterns.

In Part 2, we'll dive deeper into analyzing search results for common and repeatable patterns that reveal exactly the information you want to find. We'll also demonstrate practical use cases for X-Raying, including templates and applications for sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, GitHub, and more.

Take your sourcing skills to the next level by learning to X-Ray like an expert!

Part 1 Outline - X-Ray Fundamentals

• Why X-Ray?
• X-Ray Basics
• Google Basics Refresher
• URL Anatomy & How site: Works
• Supplemental Operators - inurl: and intitle:
• The Asterisk Exception/li>
• X-Ray in Images
• Identifying Common and Specific Elements
• URLs
• Titles
• Common words
• X-Ray As a Process
• Identify Interesting Sites
• Find Target Pages
• Derive the Template
• Testing Your Templates
• Determine if a Site Can Be X-Rayed

Part 2 Outline - Further Considerations and Use Cases

• Use Cases and Examples for Popular Sites
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Github
• Contact Databases
• Professional Associations
• Beyond Profiles - More Ways to X-Ray
• site:less X-Ray
• Cross-Domain Search
• Leverage Common Platforms