Using DuckDuckGo as a link dropper
Update 1/27/2012: The new short URL for DDG is http://ddg.gg so use that in place of http://dukgo.com
I’m often chatting with someone or sending an email and I want to link them to a search for something, or even just the first result in a search for something. For example, if someone asks me what I use to take screenshots, I could link them to the first search result for “lookit screenshot.” The problem is, I don’t want to actually have to run the search and copy the link address for this.
So, since I’ve been using DuckDuckGo lately instead of Google, I looked there for a solution. Turns out it’s simple.
- DDG has a shortened URL at http://dukgo.com that’s quicker to type
- You can type http://dukgo.com/whatever to run a search for whatever
- If you want to search multiple words, separate them with an underscore (e.g. http://dukgo.com/something_else)
- If you want to link to the first result instead of the search, preface it with “f/” (e.g. dukgo.com/f/something_else)
So there you go. In the first example, I could just shoot my friend the link http://dukgo.com/f/lookit_screenshot to link him to the first result for a search for “lookit screenshot.” Big time saver.
