You can get the answer to almost any question almost instantly using the Web -- as long as you don't care whether the answer is correct.
Don't get me wrong, a search engine such as Google is a wonderful tool. In just seconds it will sift through what literally is a world of information on even the most obscure topics. And the right answers are out there -- it's just that they often are buried in a scrap heap of wrong answers.
Search engines are tools. As is true when using tools like hammers and saws, less than skilled use can create a painful mess. Anyone who has hammered their own fingernail instead of the nail that was the intended target can testify to that. Today we'll look at ways that will help you get the answers you need with less pain.
I don't have to wrack my brain to find an example of an online search gone wrong. As usual my own bumbling provides a fine example. Recently I was trying to find an answer that involved Georgia's civil law codes. I was delighted to get my answer within a minute or two with a Google search that included -- as you'd expect -- the search terms "Georgia" and "law."
The answer was clear and to the point. That alone should have told me that it couldn't be Georgia law. Then I realized I was reading the legal codes for the nation of Georgia, located a bit north of Russia.
With that sort of evidence of my own search skills, I'm going to turn to a long-dead expert in navigation -- Ferdinand Magellan -- for help. After all, he earned the label the Great Navigator when he became the first person to sail from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific. He found his position with an astrolabe by taking a fix on the sun and, at night, on stars. He also knew it wasn't enough to steer by a single star. The more stars the more accurate the position report.
It's the same with a Web search. You'll ordinarily get page after page of results. Read through a bunch of those answers instead of grabbing the first one that sounds credible. Your ears should perk up when you find that most of the sites agree on the same answer. There's truly safety in numbers both in navigating by the stars and with a search engine. While it's still possible that a dozen Web sites will all be wrong, you've increased the chances that the answer is correct.
Magellan also would tell you that some stars make better guideposts than others. The star Polaris, for instance, seems to stand almost motionless in the sky, so it's easy to find. That's made it a favorite of navigators. But all stars are not created equal. It's the same with websites.
So, when shifting through the answers returned by your search, pay special attention to brand-name websites -- places manned by those with enough expertise to provide accurate information. After all, the good thing about the Web is the same as the bad thing about the Web: Anyone can easily create a Web site. So I could, in just a few minutes, create a site that offered tips for at at-home brain surgery. And I could make that website as slick as any professional one. But though it might sound polished and look great, the information on it would offer little real help to would-be brain surgeons.
So stick with the pros. Professional sites are usually easy to spot. If you're looking for computer information, then sites created by large computer and software companies would fit in that list. Or commonly recognized experts at places such as Cnet.com would be a good source. No matter the topic of your search, common sense should be able to tell you which sites are the most credible. As a for instance, if I wanted information on astronomy, then sites run by national astronomy magazines and university astronomy departments would be high on my list.
We've been talking about search engines as tools. And they are. So it's important to understand how a tool works. Luckily the major search engines provide instructions that do just that. For instance, with Google, this site explains the basics of creating a good search: www.google.com/support/websearch/. You'll get tips that help you structure a search -- ways to use the right words and techniques. Poor technique in creating a search can create a mishmash of bad information. For instance, a search like this:
german shepherd
will return any page that mentions either Germans or shepherds. So if your intent was to find out about the dog, then a search like this:
"German Shepherd"
will work better. That tells the search engine you are looking for both those words, found together.
The search engines themselves provide helper tools that will structure the search for you. On Google's main page, you will see a link called Advanced Search. While that label may make you think it'll be complicated, something for advanced users, it's just the opposite. Clicking on that link will bring you to a search form. By filling in the blanks on that page, you can come close to automating the process of creating a search that will work better than blindly typing a few words in to the main search box.
For instance, in my own search for Georgia law, I could have used that form to confine the results to the State of Georgia in the United States, or to eliminate any results from the other Georgia.
Searching the Web really is a modern miracle. And if you do it right there's a fine chance of getting the right answer. For most purposes, when done right, it's all you need. But when an answer is crucial to your job, your life or your bank account, consider turning to a resource that was around when I was a child: the reference department at your local library.
Tell the librarian Magellan sent you.
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