"SEVEN HABITS OF EFFECTIVE WEB SEARCHERS"

~ Searching the Web isn't hard. Finding what you're looking for is the challenge.

Effective searchers develop habits that help them cut through the clutter and noise on the Web to quickly locate what they need. Here are seven of these habits that can help you master the art of finding just about anything on the Web.


***Study Search Engine Help Files

Believe it or not, most people never bother to click the "help" link found on all of the major search sites. This is a shame, because spending an hour or so learning how to master the specific commands and options offered by search engines pays off hugely, helping you avoid hundreds of hours of fruitless searching.

Search Engine Help: Documentation and Resources on the Web provides an overview of what's available. Links at the end of the article take you directly to the help files offered by the seven major search sites.


***Use The "Three Strikes" Rule

Don't let the similarity between the appearance and apparent function of search sites fool you into thinking they are all alike. They aren't. Search sites not only cover different parts of the Web, they use different rules and procedures to analyze your queries and decide what results you will see.

If you've tried a query a few times and aren't getting anywhere, switch to another search engine. Don't waste time thinking up keyword variants or constructing elaborate Boolean queries.

Give a search engine the same number of chances a baseball batter or a convicted criminal gets: three strikes and it's out.


***Don't Play Favorites

Just as you have favorite foods, people, cars, and so on, it's natural to have a "favorite" search engine. In one sense, this is good‹regular practice helps you master a particular tool.

But don't succumb to the temptation to rely solely on one search engine for all of your needs. Instead, try to use several search sites on a regular basis, to get a feel for which ones work best for specific types of searches. Over time, it will become automatic for you to select the "best" search engine for each query from among several that you know well.


***Use Natural Phrases, Not "Keyword Salad"

All of the major search sites will give you better results if you use two or three word phrases in your queries rather than entering keywords that aren't grammatically related.

Natural language recognition is a relatively recent addition to the major search sites. If you're still using "keyword salad" queries‹entering a keyword and a bunch of synonyms‹try using normal phrases instead. You might be surprised at your results.

Infoseek, Yahoo, and HotBot are particularly good at recognizing natural language phrases.


***Use Boolean Operators Selectively

Boolean operators (and, or, not) allow you to construct very precise queries that theoretically should give you very precise results. Unfortunately, this isn't necessarily the case, for two reasons.

First, search sites implement Boolean operators in slightly different ways. A Boolean query entered at AltaVista might be interpreted differently by Lycos' query parser. If you're going to use Boolean operators, be sure you understand exactly how each search site implements them.

Second, despite its apparent simplicity, Boolean logic is anything but simple. A misused "not," or a poorly "nested" phrase can lead to wildly inappropriate results.

A very good Boolean primer, with helpful illustrations and examples, is Boolean Searching on the Internet, from the University at Albany Libraries.


***Use Specialized Search Sites

There are strong parallels between television and the Web. In the early days of TV, a few major networks dominated, and choice of shows was limited. Today specialty networks carry programming on hundreds of subjects.

Similarly, while the major search sites are drawing most of the queries today, new, highly specialized search sites are coming online every day. These sites provide deep, focused coverage of Web sites in their area, making searching a lot easier.

All of the net links on this site point to specialized subject search directories. Specialized directories that don't fit into a specific category are included in the specialized search sites category.


***Keep Up With New Developments

The major search sites constantly add new features and try to improve their "edge" over competing search sites. It's relatively easy to keep up with new developments, and your search results will benefit.

Danny Sullivan's Search Engine Watch is an exceptional resource for Web searchers. The site is loaded with great information about the major search sites and how they work. Danny also publishes a twice-monthly newsletter featuring news and information about the search engines.

You can also get good updates directly from press releases issued by the major search sites. Daily Diffs' Internet Search Engine News page tracks press releases, showing you at a glance when there is new official news from a variety of search sites.

Effective searching requires a blend of learned skills, common sense, and a bit of clever intuition. Practicing these seven habits of effective searchers will help you master the fine art of finding what you're looking for on the Web.