|
Quick Search Engine Tips - And Finding Info On the Web |
|
|
|
Sunday, 22 July 2007 |
|
Some of these so-called tricks are actually well known are common knowledge for many people. So here's a cool little guide for the noobs!
Below are some great tips to help you find relevant information when using search engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN, or the internet in general.
1. Use the word "AND" - instead of spending an extra click or so to tell google to only include results that have all your search-terms, you can simply use the word "AND". For example, one might want to search Los Angeles car repair. A good way to use AND would be to type in [los AND angeles AND car AND repair]
2. Search as a phrase - people often don't understand how to search as a phrase. Often, there will be times when the order of your searchterms are important, like when you are searching up an error message or need to find information on a very specific industry phrase. You can easily search as a phrase by including quotation marks like: ["good car repair"]. Searching as a phrase is a great way to find computer help by typing in your computer error messages as a search-phrase!
3. Use the "-" sign - Often, you will get results that you don't want. For example, I was trying to find information on lcd monitors, so I searched [lcd monitors] but the problem was that I kept getting results that were leading me to sites that were selling LCD monitors. The simple fix is to just include the "-" infront of words you don't want included. So I typed [lcd monitors -prices] and found a ton of great results right away! You can use as many "-xxxx" searchwords as you want until you've narrowed down the results to find what you need.
4. Use EBAY - Have a quick question or wondering about a very specific detail about something? If you can't find the answer, try searching for the item on ebay. The sellers there will usually offer every single little tiny detail about any product you could be wondering about and even give comparisons to alternative products. Ebay is also a great way to find out what fair market value is for anything.
5. Use Newegg Reviews - Newegg sells more computer parts than any other online store I can think of. They have one of the widest bases of user reviews and you can easily find information about any computer parts and comparisons to alternative products there as well. All you have to do is go to their site and search up the product and then read the user reviews.
6. Yahoo! Answers - I have to admit. Yahoo answers is a pretty good way to finding an answer to any question that you might have. Great for finding information on anything like products, travel tips, love guidance, or expert un-biased knowledge on anything in life!
7. Wikipedia.org - an excellent place to get deep explanations on educational subjects as well as formulas or well-explained book material. You can also find useful biographies on anybody and subject matter.
8. Define - to find the definition of any word, simply search "define _____" into the search engine.
I hope these have proved helpful. Feel free to add your own or I may add more to these myself. I can't remember all but this is what I can rattle off my head in 5 minutes.
 |
