What if I'm still having trouble finding something on the Internet?

Reconsider your search strategy. A keyword search on a search engine usually gives better precision if you use more words. But you may need to try synonyms or use other terms that more uniquely define your objective.

Most search engines support searching for a phrase by using quote marks. "Washington Park Arboretum" will first look for the whole name, rather than sites that have these three fairly common words scattered somewhere in the text.

For a word like iris that has numerous non-horticultural meanings, trying including some other identifying word like plant or flower.

Many search engine support rejection of a site if it contains a particular word or phrase. Typically this is done by putting a minus sign in front of the word. So if you're looking for bulbs that produce tulips rather than lumens, enter bulbs -light.

Web Search Strategies is well-designed and extensive tutorial by Debbie Flanagan on improving your success in searching the 'Net.
http://www.learnwebskills.com/search/main.html

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Last modified:
Wednesday, 10-Sep-2008 12:46:22 PDT