Imagine that the Encyclopaedia Britannica has lost its index, that the pages have all been ripped out and thrown into a number of heaps, around the world, in no particular order. That gives some idea of how the mass of information is made available on the internet. How do we start to find information on a specific topic?
Unless you do not have to worry about telephone bills, you have to consider how to find information as quickly as possible. Time is also at a premium for most of us. Immediate access to the internet is through browser software, generally supplied by service providers. They offer a variety of services, often including a browser.
Most browsers have facilities that enable users to search for a topic. Netscape has Net Search and Net Directory buttons. But these browsers themselves call on the services of a search engine to find a list of sites available on specific topics, often giving a choice of more than one search engine. Netscape's Communicator not only gives a list of categories but also a list of other search services, all from the press of the one Search button on the toolbar.
Browsers always allow users to find sites. The quickest way to find a site is to type in a URL (Uniform Resource Locator), by clicking on the box near the top of the screen, deleting whatever is there and, to be on the safe side, typing the whole of the address: for example http://www.multimap.com/.
However, if a user does not know the site URL or wants to see what is out there on a specific topic, that is a different story. How many of us have typed in a topic such as 'sex' and got a huge number of site addresses to choose from (10,001 in Internet Explorer: why the odd one?). The choice may even include items about Middlesex or Sussex, depending on the search method. It would take a lifetime to visit all those sites: not much good if your cat has had a litter and you want to know how to sex them, or you need some advice on your love life. So here are a few tips on how to get straight to the heart of the matter.
First, the browser software can be used to find a search engine. Some search software URLs are shown in the panel with this article: type them as they appear and press the Return key. The URLs are easy to remember, as they all have the same format: http://www.seach-engine-name.com. Once the search engine webpage has been loaded it should be possible to find help or a 'getting started' tutorial, if needed. Most users, whether through lack of patience or time, do not want to be bogged down with reading instructions, and just have a go.
Even so, unless you know how to be more specific, these searches can result in thousands of matches, and most are irrelevant. No two pieces of search software will produce the same results. Search engines have different methods of finding topics, and one will be better at finding a topic than another. Some search indexes of titles; others search indexes of key words. It is a case of switching from one browser to another if you cannot find what you want. Most home pages of the search software have a Help or Hints button. You can click this to view and print the instructions to help with detailed syntax.
Most give some instructions similar to these found useful for Altavista's advanced search. Typing a single word will generate the usual thousands of results, but there are other ways to refine a search. Typing 'and', plus another relevant word should help quite a bit, but if you are still inundated with an unreasonable number of results try the advanced search.
Double quotes around words keep them together: for example 'Spice Girls AND kittens'. This may not help discover the sex of your kittens or help with your love life, but it may be more interesting... Using the word 'or' between words will even more results. The more that words have 'and' between, the fewer the irrelevant matches.
When you find a page that answers your problem you may even discover links to other relevant pages. Websites often suggest other pages. When you find a useful site that you may wish to visit again click the mouse on the Bookmarks or Favourites button and then click on the option to add the URL to your private list, which you can give a name to, such as Mylist.
