Process of Searching the Web

The internet is a very powerful tool.  Anything that one could image about searching for is right there for you.  I have become very familiar with the internet and find it very useful.  I would rather look up something on the internet (example: a telephone number) versus trying to dig out my old, heavy (and probably dusty) Talking Phone Book.  But that is my choice.  Others may not see it that way.  One example is my husband.  He gets very frustrated when he can’t find what he is looking for.  The key is knowing how to search.

You ask – how difficult can it be?  It’s really not difficult.  You just need to remember a few key points.

-         If you want a specific, direct, exactly “as is” topic, be sure to put the search words in quotation

-         The more specific you are, the better refined search you will get

-         Learning about boolean commands could be key to your search (2010, Media Awareness Network)

One thing I learned just recently (not from the book, but shortly prior to starting this class) is that the sponsored results are sites that pay to have their web page displayed at the top of the results.  I honestly thought that those sites where the ones that match more closely to the search.  I never understood why sometimes those sites didn’t give me a good result.  I know now why.  Yahoo! Help has aided me in better understanding why some organizations would pay a premium for the advertisement or for their website to be displayed at the top of the list (2011, Yahoo!).  Marketing is a big factor in the make-up of the internet.  If you are like me, when I search from something on the internet, I review the results on the first page only.  If I do not find what I am looking for, I refine my search.  Organizations need to make sure that their website is displayed and viewed within the first thirty seconds of a person’s search.  The more visibility a website gets, the more hits they will receive.  Don’t be fooled.  Just because they are the first listed does not mean they are the most credible.  From experience, very rarely do I find what I am looking for by these sponsor sites.  Do you find what you are looking with the sponsor/ad sites?

References:

      Boolean Commands, 2010 Media Awareness Network

                  http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/special_initiatives/wa_resources/wa_teachers/tipsheets/search_internet_effectively.cfm

      Sponsor and Paid Listing, 2011 Yahoo!

                  http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/search/sponsor/