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Finding
it Online: Internet Research Made Simpler
Contributor:
Philippa Gamse
The
Web can be an incredible tool for professional development
- for finding resources and information, latest practices,
for participating in discussions with colleagues and
independent experts, and for mentoring opportunities.
But the rapid pace of change online makes the amount
of available information bewildering. This article
offers some suggestions for good research techniques,
and for evaluating the credibility of the results.
Table of Contents
Researching
on the Web
Tips for using search tools
Obstacles in searching
Using bookmarks
Using master list sites
Printing & saving information from
the Web
Copyright issues
Using mailing lists & newsgroups
Finding mailing lists or newsgroups
Commercial services
Conclusion:Nirvana or Nemesis?
Researching
on the Web
Various tools exist to help you to find information
on the Web:
catalog-style directories, which are maintained by
human editors who index Web pages and reference them
under categories that are offered to you on the screen,
such as "business", "social sciences",
or "computers".
The best known example of this type of Web site is
currently Yahoo!, at:
http://www.yahoo.com
These directories are useful if you are looking for
information under a broad heading, such as "distance
learning", or "resume services". If
you are interested in an area covered by one of the
categories, this is a great way to begin finding sites
on the Web. And each page that you visit may in turn
refer you to other relevant sites.
However, directories will only return search results
based on the title and brief descriptions of each
site, and they will often only take you to the home
page of any site. Therefore they tend to be less effective
tools for in-depth content queries.
"Spider-based" search engines, are fed by
automated "spider" programs that constantly
patrol the Web, indexing URL's and individual pages.
Unlike the directories, they index every significant
word of every page, allowing you to enter much more
detailed searches. The first few lines, or a description
of each page are shown on the screen, together with
its URL, and if you want to go to that site, you just
click on the underlined link.
There are a number of these sites too. My personal
favourite is Alta Vista - it's the fastest, seems
to index the most Web sites, and allows the most complex
searches. Alta Vista's Web address is:
http://www.altavista.com
These sites vary widely in the number of pages they
index, and the complexity of search criteria they
allow. It is well worth trying the same query using
several different engines, and comparing the results.
Often, you may find that you get too much information
from your search. It is important to think very clearly
about exactly what you are looking for, and to put
in specific search criteria that will really narrow
down the results.
For instance, entering "distance learning"
to Alta Vista returns 254,698 references. However,
adding the term "software" reduces that
to around 600 pages that can then be further broken
down.
Each search engine has slightly different rules for
specifying selection criteria, so you need to check
the instructions for each one (click on the "Help"
button).
Go to the top of the page
Tips
for using search tools
These tools vary widely in the number of pages they
index, and the complexity of search criteria they
allow. It is well worth trying the same query using
several different engines, and comparing the results.
If you are unsure of the timeliness of the Web page
that you retrieve, most of the major engines now include
the date of the pages that they return. If not, your
browser may allow you to view some information about
the document. This should include the date on which
the page was last updated.
Many of my clients complain that they get too much
information from their searches. It is important to
think very clearly about exactly what you are looking
for, and to put in search criteria that will really
narrow down the results.
For instance, entering "consumer reports"
will return about 300,000 references. However, adding
the terms "coffee", and "Chicago",
returns just nine pages that tell me specifically
about local gourmet coffee suppliers.
Each search engine has slightly different rules for
specifying selection criteria, so you need to check
the instructions for each one (click on the "Help"
button). Or, for your more complex research you may
want to seek professional assistance.
Go to the top of the page
Obstacles
in searching
There are a few common problems that you may encounter:
Missing links
Web sites tend to change very frequently, and you
may often encounter referrals to pages that no longer
exist, or that no longer contain your search term.
The spiders visit each page on an average of once
a month, so they cannot be absolutely up to date at
any time.
If you think that the site you are looking for should
still exist, try clicking into the Location box in
your browser, and delete the last section of the URL
(after the last / ). Then press Enter. This will take
you up a level to the referring page, and you may
be able to follow the links it contains to find your
subject.
Domain name not found
If you get this error, try clicking on the link again
immediately. This particular domain name may not have
been referenced by anyone before at your Internet
provider, and is therefore not in their indexes, which
is as far as their server looks on the first request.
But if you request the domain a second time, their
server will do a lookup beyond its own indexes. Often,
you will then be able to access the page.
Foreign languages
If the search engine gives you a page where the first
few sentences seem to be in strange characters, that
site is probably in a foreign language such as Japanese
or Korean. Unless you have special software, your
browser will not be able to display it.
Go to the top of the page
Using
bookmarks
Every Web browser should contain a "bookmark"
(or favourite places) function. This allows you to
record the URL of the page that you are currently
visiting in your own personal directory with one click
of the mouse. You can then return to that page later
by calling up your bookmarks menu, and clicking on
the name of the page that you wish to revisit.
Go to the top of the page
Using
master list sites
Because the Web changes so much, it is a constant
chore to ensure that all your bookmarks are current.
Instead of trying to maintain your own exhaustive
list of links around a particular subject, check for
a master resource site that is updated by a reputable
institution such as a library. The Argus Clearinghouse
is an example:
http://www.clearinghouse.net/
Go to the top of the page
Printing
and saving information from the Web
Your browser should allow you to print out any Web
page currently on the screen. The command to do this
will probably be found in a button on the toolbar,
or under the File menu. However, remember that the
printed page length will depend on your printer setup,
and may not be exactly as it appears on the screen.
You can also save Web pages to your hard disk for
subsequent use in a word processor, spreadsheet, or
database. Pages can normally be saved either in their
tagged HTML version, or in plain text (known as ASCII).
This option should be offered to you in the "Save
As" dialog box on your screen. You will probably
want to save documents as ASCII text unless you are
studying HTML, and specifically wish to see the source
code for a particular page.
Remember that you will only save the text of the page
by using the File menu "Save As" command.
Images that you see within the Web page actually come
from separate files. However, many browsers will also
allow you to capture these graphics files. In Netscape
for Windows this is done by pointing to the graphic
and clicking on the right mouse button. Check your
own browser manual for specific instructions.
Go to the top of the page
Copyright
issues
Much of the information that is available on the Web
is in the public domain - that is, free to be used
by you after you download it. However, if you see
a copyright notice you should certainly respect it.
And if you are intending to quote someone, it is courteous
to request their permission first-use the e-mail address
given on the Web page.
Go to the top of the page
Using
mailing lists and newsgroups
Many people forget that there is more to the Internet
than the World Wide Web! I strongly encourage my clients
to explore electronic discussion lists and newsgroups.
These exist for an incredibly diverse list of subjects,
both of professional and recreational interest. Subscribing
to them can give you access to a group of world-wide
experts that you probably could not find by any other
means. Of course, as with all forms of research, you
need to exercise your own judgement as to the quality
of information-there are also many people masquerading
as experts!
The main difference between the two is that messages
posted to an electronic mailing list will automatically
come to your online in-box every time you collect
your e-mail. An active list will generate a good deal
of traffic, and your in-box can quickly overflow.
If you decide to subscribe to one of these groups,
check whether it has a "digest" version.
This sends out messages in batches under a contents
list which can be quickly scanned for items of interest,
and then deleted.
A newsgroup is essentially a bulletin board, which
you have to remember to check for new postings. Most
Web browsers now incorporate a newsgroup reader-if
yours does not, your Internet provider should be able
to supply you with one of the freely available programs.
Often there will be both a list and a newsgroup devoted
to the same, or similar subjects. Whichever you decide
to use will depend on whether you like to have the
material "in your face" from the mailing
lists (my personal preference), or whether you would
rather leave your mailbox clear, and go search the
newsgroups when you are ready. Of course, you can
do both!
Go to the top of the page
Finding
mailing lists or newsgroups
You can search for mailing lists and newsgroups on
particular subjects by using one of two World Wide
Web sites:
http://www.liszt.com
gives you a Searchable Directory of E-mail Discussion
Groups, and:
http://www.dejanews.com
will refer you to the Deja News Research Service that
allows you to search for newsgroups.
For both of these sites, you supply your subject of
interest. The sites will then return a list of relevant
mailing groups, with instructions on how to subscribe,
or obtain further information on each one, or a list
of newsgroups with recent postings on your topic.
Some of the search engines can also be set to look
for newsgroup postings that contain your keywords.
In Alta Vista, this is done by changing the Search
box from "the Web" to "Usenet".
Scanning the results of your inquiry will give you
a good idea of newsgroups that might be useful to
you.
If you join one of these discussions, you need to
follow some basic (but unwritten!) rules, known as
"Netiquette", which tell you how to behave
on the 'Net. The two most important of these are:
Don't blatantly advertise!!
Unsolicited commercials are very much frowned upon
in these areas of the Internet. However, if you respond
to questions, or offer advice, you can achieve great
recognition for yourself as an expert, and work in
some subtle references to your services at the same
time!
Ask specific questions
If you ask a question, make it easy for people to
reply. Queries such as "Does anyone know anything
about widgets?" are unlikely to attract any (polite)
answers. Make your posting short, and very clear as
to what you need.
Go to the top of the page
Commercial
services
Commercial services such as America Online and CompuServe
can also be great sources for research if they have
forums that meet your needs. CompuServe has real online
librarians who can answer your questions, as well
as extensive searchable databases (which are really
not yet available on the Internet) around a whole
range of subjects from cars through health, finance
and the law. It can also produce clippings from a
number of local newspapers. America Online has a wealth
of information about Chicago, both recreational and
business-oriented, including Crain's Chicago Business,
and Crain's Small Business. Both services also offer
resources and forums where members can discuss issues
relating to small and home-based businesses. They
provide listings of, and clickable links to Web sites
for categories such as company and stock research.
I do recommend that you check them out.
Go to the top of the page
Conclusion:
"Nirvana or Nemesis?"
I used to call one of my presentations "Nirvana
or Nemesis", because that's really how it is
when you are researching on the Internet. Sometimes
you can strike gold, and find exactly what you need,
and other times your search will result in a lot of
dead ends and frustration. And there's no one to complain
to on the Internet, because, unlike the commercial
services, no one is in charge!
However, if you don't find what you need, it's worth
trying again after a couple of weeks. The 'Net is
constantly changing - over 3,000 Web pages are added
every day, and you never know what you might find
on a return visit.
.
© Copyright Philippa Gamse, 2003. All rights
reserved.
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| Authors
background |
Philippa Gamse, "CyberSpeaker"SM.
Professional Speaker and Business Strategy Consultant.
Philippa's clients come from a wide range of
industries, government, small business and associations
in N. America and Europe. They include P&O
Cruises (UK) Ltd., Novartis Pharmaceuticals,
RE/MAX, the American Society of Association
Executives, the National Tour Association, and
the National Imagery and Mapping Agency. Philippa
is frequently interviewed by national media
in the USA for her expertise in successful eBusiness
strategies and emerging trends.
This article was originally published in Insights
- the journal of the Northeast Human Resources
Association. The article also appears at Phillippa's
website: http://www.CyberSpeaker.com/;
email: pgamse@CyberSpeaker.com.
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