Computer and Web Articles

Watching friends and colleagues conduct searches for content on the internet often reminds me of that pitiful fly, relentlessly smashing itself against the glass of a closed window when an open window to the outside world lies just a few feet away. Working harder simply can’t compete with working smarter.

“But I spent almost 10 minutes searching for it on Yahoo - it just must not be online.”

I hear statements like this all the time. In the end, brute force usually won’t return the search results you’re looking for - but thankfully a few basic search techniques will.

Quotation marks

Use quotation marks in your searches when you’re looking for something specific. If you’re searching for just any old brewery in Colorado, then a search for Colorado brewery is fine.

If, however, you’re searching for information on a specific brewery in Colorado, such as the Dillon Dam Brewery, use quotations around your exact phrase, like this: “Dillon Dam Brewery” Colorado. This simple technique of using quotes around the exact phrases you’re looking for will instantly increase the quality of your search results.

Be natural

When possible, use search phrases that are more “natural-sounding.”

For example, let’s say you want to know the date of Marilyn Monroe’s birth. Instead of searching for birth date Marilyn Monroe, try Marilyn Monroe born. A subtle change, indeed, but think about how people are likely to write on the internet.

“Marilyn Monroe was born …” is more likely than “Marilyn Monroe’s birth date is …”

Advanced search

Fearful of breaking and/or blowing up their computers, many people head for the hills when they see labels, buttons, or links marked “Advanced.”

Allow me to ask you fearful folk to stop being afraid of such links when you’re searching the web! For example, the “Advanced Search” link on Google isn’t just for advanced users; it simply allows you to set a few preferences regarding your search results.

Clicking on the “Advanced Search” link to the right of the Google text field (www.google.com, of course) takes you to a page where you can determine how many items will show up on your results pages, what language(s) you’d like your results in, and how long ago your results pages need to have been updated.

Seruku!

Have you ever wished you could search through the sites you’ve visited during your travels about the internet? Have you ever tried finding the exact same website you saw, say, a few weeks ago - and failed?

Seruku is a nifty little software company that offers a small, cheap, easy-to-install toolbar that allows you to find web pages that you’ve already seen-even if they’re password- or login-protected.

In other words, if you’ve ever thought, ‘I need to see that thing I saw last week,’ you’ll find this toolbar invaluable.

Intrigued? I sure was. Learn more at www.seruku.com/Toolbar/Toolbar.html.