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How can I find information? |
The more
precise your search, the better. If you have a precise filename, you've got the best
chance of finding what you want. Many search
engines and meta-search engines now have facilities for searching for software files,
etc). There are an increasing number
of web and FTP sites which hold public domain copies of a wide range of classic texts,
specialized fields like medicine and law, etc. There are also numerous search
engines that will allow you to search across a number of search engines for specific items
such as business advisory. Organizations
are generally
easier to find through a search engine. But even then it is not always easy especially if
the organization does not have a web page of its own. If you know an organization's
domain name (i.e.: the bit of
the web address before .com) you can use it to find all kinds of details. For example,
CNN.com, finmart.com.my, sch.com.my, webranet.net,
my8.com., jaring.com.my, etc. Today, some of the most popular
search engines on the Net are Yahoo, Netscape, AOL, Altavista, Lycos, etc, each with its
own particular strengths on our Links Page. No search engine covers 100% of the Net.. |
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The trick with
using a search engine is to know what each is good for and to look carefully at the hints
and tips that they offer. For example some engines will only search for a precise phrase
if you put it in quotes - such as: "Malaysia+Business+Advisor”. Most search engines treat key
words as potential parts of words. If you find you have got too many articles, you can
often make the search more specific by adding words you want to see (e.g.: finance) Often you do this by using
symbols (+ and -) or logical terms (AND and NOT). Check the rules for the search engine
you are using. Some require wild-cards such as * to stand for missing letters. And many of
them allow increasingly sophisticated ways of refining your search, by suggesting useful
key words or popular web pages. "Meta" search engines
use various techniques to search across a number of engines at once. They can often be
customized for different types of search allowing you to select which search engines you
want to use, and many offer a number of specialist categories, including many databases
that are not covered by normal search engines. One excellent meta-search engine is
Profusion http://www.profusion.com/. Profusion combines search results in a single list
(avoiding duplication). It's fast and easy to use, and can also check that the links are
still live. Often confused with meta-search
engines are "multi-" search engines. Essentially they do the same job, sending
your search terms to a number of search engines at once, but they do not try to combine
them. Instead they display the results from each search engine in separate windows. Two
excellent multi-search engines are Search Spaniel http://www.searchspaniel.com/ and
theinfo.com http://www.theinfo.com. When you enter your search
terms, they open a new window for each of the search sites individually. Most of us tend to be lazy and
stick with just a couple of search engines that we are used to. One bonus that comes with
using a multi-search engine is that you get a chance to see new engines you may never have
seen before, and to catch up on the latest advances of those you may not have touched for
months (or even years!) Thus it can be a quick way to test the strengths and weaknesses of
different search engines against each other. The World Wide Web is by no means all there is to the Internet. Indeed there are other areas which can be just as useful for finding information, and perhaps the most important of these is Usenet. There are currently 24,000+ newsgroups, covering just about every subject you can imagine.
With
WebRings, groups of sites
on a topic are linked together so that you can move easily through the sites, forwards and
backwards or even at random. In theory, a WebRing should also provide a certain guarantee
of quality. You can search for WebRings at http://www.webring.org/ringworld/. A site that works on similar lines is Etour.com. When you sign up with Etour you give them your preferred topics out of a list of hundreds, and every time you log in, they'll present you with a different but specially prepared random tour that will take you to web sites that fit your personal interests. A kind of do-it yourself WebRing. There are also extra functions, built into a window at the bottom of the screen - such as the ability to rate each site with a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down. The ratings are themselves displayed, so that you can see how many people liked or disliked each site in turn. |
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FINMART
FreeAdvice® is the leading business advisory site for business people doing business in
Malaysia. It provides advice relating to most common business problems and to help
business people to understand the way how business should be properly conducted, but is
not a substitute for personal business advice from the respective professional and
experts. You are welcome to view FINMART FreeAdvice® for your own personal,
non-commercial purposes, and subject to our legal disclaimer and conditions of use. |
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