Caught up in the web?
Finding your way around the World Wide Web
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Nick's |
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Tricks |
So you finally get your modem installed correctly, battle with your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to get a valid User ID and password, and get yourself on-line.
It's time to find out what this World Wide Web (WWW) is all about.
A stab in the dark
You select a suitable search engine and type in Exotic Ice Cream, hit the search button, sit back and wait for the exact page you are after to be displayed.
To your amazement the search engine returns over 800,000 matches.
The suggested matches vary in topic from Newfoundland Pack Ice Floes to Las Vegas Exotic Dancers, neither of which seems particularly appropriate.
There has to be a better way!
Most people using the Web for the first time find it frustrating that there does not appear to be an index available to find exactly what they are looking for.
Unlike other catalogue systems we are used to, Web-based search engines rely on a database of keywords that link to individual documents held on thousands of computers spread around the globe.
Are we then doomed to wading through thousands of pages of inappropriate material looking for the information we require?
Getting closer
The main problem with our search so far lies in the fact that by default, the majority of search engines use a "Match Any" algorithm, which means that it will select pages that contain any of the words that you enter.
One of the easiest ways to improve the results is to use a "Match All" search.
By entering a plus (+) sign or an "AND" between the search words we will only retrieve pages that contain ALL the search words.So a search on Ice+Cream will get us far fewer pages but may still include Las Vegas Ice Dancers in Cream Lurex Swimsuits.
Similarly, using a minus (-) sign or "NOT" will omit pages that contain the word following it so entering Ice+Cream NOT Vegas will fix up the problem above.Using "Phrase" searches will get us even closer to a result.
Using quotes to surround the search words will force the search engine to retrieve only documents that include the search words as an exact phrase.
Entering "Ice Cream"+Exotic should narrow down the results to those with content that is more appetising.
And closer still
Depending on your requirements, there is no guarantee that the pages come from the correct country or from the company that you require.
Many search engines allow for advanced searches that will allow you to include criteria for title, domain, URL (Universal Resource Locator), or even the exact host.
Here are a few examples: "Ice Cream”+Exotic+domain:au (some search engines use host: or site: instead of domain:)
Result: - Only Exotic Ice Cream pages on sites located in Australia (.au).
"Ice Cream"+ltalian+title: Cassata (some search engines use intitle: instead of title:)
Result: - Italian Ice Cream pages with Cassata in the title.
"Ice Cream"+url:Baskin (some search engines use inurl: or just u: instead of url:)
Result: - Ice Cream pages located on a site with Baskin somewhere in the site address/URL.
This can be useful if you do not know the exact address of the site you are after.
Another useful example allows you to find out how many sites have links to your own Web site.
By entering link: http://www.bowls-queensland.org/ the search engine will give a list of all documents with a link to the Bowls Queensland home page.
Be specificWhen searching, the key is to try to be as specific and imaginative as possible.
A search on Cassata above would have given more accurate results than the original Ice Cream search.
It pays to think laterally and look for the more obscure things about the subject.
The results can also be quite surprising.
A few to tryThe Web has many search engines available; here are a few of the more common ones.
AltaVista at http://uk.altavista.com/
Yahoo! at http://www.yahoo.com/
MSN at http://search.ninemsn.com.au/
Google at http://www.google.com.au/ (my personal favourite)
Next article. . .In my next article I will be covering computer settings and memory management. Remember if there is any topic that you would like me to cover, or have any questions please e-mail me onJust for fun
If you are always looking for the correct meaning of a word and the dictionary is not handy, check out the Macquarie Dictionary on-line at http://www.macquariedictionary.com.au./
Want to know what's on the front page? Then check out www.newseum.org. This Web site has the current front pages from 150 newspapers covering 24 countries worldwide. A very good site that includes everything from the Daily Telegraph in London, to the Indian Express in New Delhi, India.
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Just ask Nick... If you have a question for Nick or know of a great web site, you can email Nick on: nickstricks@bowls-queensland.org |
Reprinted with permission from Queensland Bowler, March 2003 - Page 24 © Nick Wolverson 2003