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| If you've somehow never gotten around to learning what a Boolean search is and are sick of sifting through multi-page results that never really hit the nail on the head, here is a quick lesson on how to conduct faster, more effective searches on the Internet. Best of all, these tips are simple and easy for the kids to learn. |
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| A helpful hint to finding information you need online with a search engine is that the more accurate your request is, the better your results will be. Hence, don't be afraid to make your needs known. Be succinct. If you're interested in finding some free Windows downloads, don't ask for "Windows" or "downloads" or even "Windows downloads." Ask for "free Windows downloads" or better yet, "want free Windows downloads." |
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| The little-used "+" symbol in the upper right hand of your keyboard can be a searcher's best friend. Here's how you use it. Looking for Backstreet Boys tickets for some young fans in your household? Don't just enter "Backstreet Boys." Instead, enter: +backstreet boys +tickets. This way, your results will only include pages that have both words. |
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| Even with this two-worded search, I should still be overloaded with search results. Hey, let's make it an even slimmer search. Say I am looking to score Backstreet Boys tickets to their Florida shows only. I'll narrow my search to:
+backstreet boys +tickets +florida. Ask and ye shall receive. |
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| Sometimes, you'll want to find pages that focus on a specific subject, but want to exclude pages that deal with a related, but for you, unrelated or irrelevant aspect of that subject. The "- " symbol lets you exclude with ease. Imagine your child needs some information about President Kennedy for a class report, but you don't want him poring over pages of the presidents reported fling with Marilyn Monroe. For this, you might try a search using the – symbol that looks like this: jfk –marilyn monroe |
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| Similarly, perhaps you are looking for information specifically about tigers, but don't want to deal with sites devoted to Bengalese or striped tigers. Try this: Tigers –bengal -striped |
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| You'd be surprised how well this simple search-building method works with safe search engines. This system can be used to insure that pages containing objectionable language and taboo topics will be avoided. Simply use the "-" symbol followed by the word or topic you wish to avoid, such as: –drugs, -sex, -violence |
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