Search Guide
This guide explains how to use Artivism Media's search functionality effectively. Learn about operators, filters, and strategies for finding exactly what you need.
Basic Search
Start with simple keyword searches:
climate activism
Finds all content containing both "climate" and "activism"
"Black Lives Matter"
Use quotes for exact phrase matching
Advanced Operators
AND (default)
All terms must be present (this is the default behavior):
protest AND video
OR
At least one term must be present:
"climate change" OR "global warming"
NOT
Exclude terms from results:
activism NOT "social media"
Combining Operators
Use parentheses to group operations:
(protest OR demonstration) AND video
Filters
Use filters to narrow your search results:
type:video
Options: video, audio, image, document, link
date:[2020-01-01 TO 2020-12-31]
Use ISO date format (YYYY-MM-DD)
location:"New York"
Search by city, country, or region
license:"CC BY"
Filter by Creative Commons license type
author:"Jane Doe"
Search by creator name
Query Strategies
Start Broad, Then Narrow
Begin with general terms, then add filters or more specific keywords:
- Start: "social movement"
- Add filter: "social movement" AND type:video
- Narrow: "social movement" AND type:video AND date:[2020 TO 2023]
Use Synonyms
Include alternative terms with OR to catch variations:
(protest OR demonstration OR rally) AND "climate"
Combine Text and Filters
Use both keyword search and filters for best results:
"Black Lives Matter" AND location:"United States" AND type:video
Good vs. Bad Queries
✅ Good Queries
"climate activism" AND type:video
Specific, uses filters
(protest OR demonstration) AND date:[2020 TO 2023]
Uses synonyms, date range
author:"Jane Doe" AND license:"CC BY"
Clear filters, specific
❌ Bad Queries
activism
Too generic, will return too many results
video about protest in new york in 2020
Natural language, not structured
a OR b OR c OR d OR e
Too many OR terms, lacks focus
Common Errors
Solution: Try broader terms, remove some filters, check spelling, use OR for synonyms
Solution: Add more specific keywords, use AND operators, apply filters
Solution: Check parentheses balance, use quotes for exact phrases, verify filter syntax
Solution: Verify filter names (type, date, location, license), check date format (YYYY-MM-DD)
Tips & Best Practices
- Use specific terms rather than generic ones
- Combine text search with filters for precision
- Use quotation marks for exact phrases
- Start broad and narrow down gradually
- Save useful queries for future reference
- Use the Timeline and Map tools to complement search