Google removes Boolean + operator in advanced search

Search giant Google has made adjustments to its advanced search, removing the Boolean + operator from its search options but expanding the functionality of its quotation marks. The move has caused a "big inconvenience" to advanced users of Google's search, with some speculating it had something to do with Google's social network Google+. "I can't believe Google has done this. I use the + command all the time, especially in an age when more and more, Google constantly reshapes a search based on what it guesses a searcher wants, rather than what they entered," said Danny Sullivan from Search Engine Land. He said the move may be connected to potential confusion between the boolean + and Google's upcoming social network Google+. "I am feeling Google removed the plus operator because of Google +, their social network. They do not want Google + confused with the operator, and now typing in + into Google + will auto complete with your friend’s names," he said. The Boolean + operator would guarantee that the search results returned contained that exact term, when placed in front of a specific search term. Google search community manager "Kelly F.", in a forum post, said they expanded the functionality of the quotation marks operator. "In addition to using this operator to search for an exact phrase, you can now add quotation marks around a single word to tell Google to match that word precisely. So, if in the past you would have searched for [magazine +latina], you should now search for [magazine "latina"]," Kelly F said. But PC World noted Boolean operators are as old as search engines themselves, and they're a quick, convenient way to find what one wants from Google. Though the functionality is still there, quotation marks around each term are, obviously, slightly more of a hassle. PC World's Sarah Purewal also speculated the latest move indicates Google wants the + symbol. "After all, to tag people in Google+ posts you currently put the + symbol in front of their name. Perhaps Google is working on a way to incorporate the Google+ social network into its search system, and therefore needed to get rid of the + operator's previous functionality. If that's the case, I'm not sure I like where this is going," she said. — TJD, GMA News