Doing Internet Searches

After logging on to the Internet and bringing up the Internet browser, you will want to begin a search. You may know exactly what you want to search for, or you may have only a general idea. In either case, though, you’ll need to know how to go about doing an Internet search. It’s not as straightforward as you may think! There are some tricks to doing searches that may help you to zero in on the exact information you’re looking for.

First, there are search “engines” that exist to help you find what you need. Some are faster than others, some are specialized. Try the search engines listed below by either clicking onto the site highlighted in blue, or by typing its address into the location bar at the top of your browser window.

Google – Fast and accurate.

AltaVista – Search for images, video, audio and news.

Ask Jeeves – Ask a question.

Proteus – Lots of different search engines at your fingertips.

ICYouSee – list of search tools.

Specialized Searches…

Mapquest – Find a location.

Beaucoup – Gateway to many specialized search sites.

NewsIndex – Search for the latest news stories.

FindArticles.com – Find Magazine Articles.

Yahoo.ca – Good starting point for Canadian info.

Canada 411 – Canadian source for phone numbers, e-mail, etc.

About.com – About uses people to help you find your way around.

Search Tips…

1. Use quotes to keep words together. Use a “+” in front of a word for emphasis!
2. Be aware that there are many different ways to find information on the Net.
3. Use a search engine for finding information on a specific topic (e.g. oil spills) and subject directories for finding “sites” (e.g. environmental sites. Use a news index to find information that has appeared in a newspaper.)
4. Pick two or three favourite search engines and learn to use the advanced features at these sites. Take advantage of special features such as "more like this" or “cached” pages.
5. Be as specific as possible. The more precise, the better (e.g. search for “Lamborghini”, rather than “sports cars”.
6. Use singular, rather than plural words and use capital letters with care. (Many search engines will ignore case if the term is in small letters, but recognize case when a word is in upper case.)
7. Place the most important word at the start of your search. Use a plus sign (no space) in front of terms you want to include and a minus sign in front of terms you want to eliminate from your search (e.g. “Chretien+pepper spray”).
8. If you are unsuccessful in your search, try using a metasearch tool.
9. Use special services to find Usenet messages, e-mail addresses, software, audio files, etc.
10. When saving bookmarks, take time to add a description to the “properties” field. This will help you find things later. Better yet, investigate some of the bookmark managers. You will find a selection of these at Tucows.

Things are always changing on the Net. Remember to sample new search engines and directories occasionally to find out what new features and services are available. to keep up with the latest search engine information, visit SearchIQ.