For best performance and viewing, please update your browser to Netscape 7.0, or IE 5.0 or greater.
Northern New England's Largest Internet Service Provider
GWI: Great Works Internet Technical Support
Residential services Business services About us Technical support About your account
Using the Internet Dial Up Support Email Support Web Page Help Broadband Support Phone Support Internet Security Contact Support
Text size smaller normal larger largest
SEARCH TIPS

When you search the Internet, do you feel like you're looking for a needle in a haystack? Have you put a term in for searching and received a million potential sites? The following tips will help you find just the information you are looking for.
TIP #1: Be Specific as Possible.

If the list of potential sites seems quite long, narrow your search by being more specific. For example, try 'accounting job' instead of just 'job'. If you find you are not getting enough sites, then you can be more general. In this case 'accounting job' may work better than 'entry level accounting job'.
TIP #2: Get the Spelling Correct.

Many Internet searches yield poor results due to incorrectly spelled words used in the search.

TIP #3: Use Unique Key Words.

If you are searching on a specific topic, use unique key words specific to that topic.
TIP #4: Use Your Internet Math.

The use of basic Internet math can greatly speed up your search process. All you need to know is a few symbols:

  • Put a plus (+) sign before words that must appear. These are your "anchors".
  • Put a minus (-) sign before words that you want to exclude. You are "filtering" these words out.
  • Put quotes ("…") around words that must appear together in the order you specify. An example might be "fly fishing".

Keep in mind that words without these modifiers are treated as optional, which means it is not mandatory that they appear in the sites.
TIP #5: Try More Than One Search Engine.

It is always a good idea to try your search on at least two different search engines. Since each search engine operates slightly differently, they can sometimes yield different results.
TIP #6: Use "Search Help".

Many search engines feature a help section that provides tips on getting the best results. Using these tips will improve your search results on that specific search engine.

There is a lot of information on the Internet, and sometimes it seems overwhelming. If you use these six basic search tips, your searches will be easier and you should find what you are looking for.