The internet has made it so much easier to get the information you need about the topics you are interested in, with a simple click of the mouse. But sometimes we also get so much information, it is difficult to know where to begin when its time to sort through it all!

One of the most popular search engines available today is "GOOGLE". The Google Toolbar will highlight and jump to selected search terms on any webpage. It can also enable users to search for information on websites that may not have extensive search capabilities. It is a free, downloadable program that can be found by clicking HERE.

Following are some tips that will make your web searching a little bit easier.

1. Search With a Focus - There are four rules for making a focused search using Google. There are:
   1. Use a PLUS SIGN before words which must absolutely be included in your search.
   2. Use a MINUS SIGN before words that you want to exclude from your search.
   3. Use QUOTATION MARKS around any two or more words when you want to find a phrase exactly as you have entered it.
   4. Use OR to retrieve search results that match any one of a number words. (example = mall OR store OR shop)
2. Search Without Stops - Stop words are small, common words that many search engines ignore, or don't stop for, when searching for pages that match your search. This is because they are so common that they wouldn't generate meaningful results. They are words like where, how, about, and, if, be & the.
3. Search the Suggested Alternate Spellings - Google now suggests alternate spellings for search terms that appear to be misspelled. This can some in quite handy if you aren't sure of the correct spelling.
4. Bring Back Sites from the Dead - Have you ever found a website that appears to be very promising, only to get the "Page Not Found" error when you click on the link? With Google, this doesn't always mean that the information is gone forever. Go back to the Google search page and look for a link to a "cached" copy at the end of the Google description and URL. This should bring up a copy of the page as it appeared at the time that Google indexed that page.
5. Find Related Sites - If you find a site that you really like and want to find more, GoogleScout can help you find sites with similar content. Go back to the Google search page and click on the Similar Pages link. This feature is particularly helpful if you are researching a specific topic.
6. Follow the Trail - Once you have found a useful website, its likely that websites that are linked to it may also be useful. Use the link: command along with a web address to find pages which have links to that website. (example - link:msn.com )
7. Search Within a Site - While many major websites have their own search boxes, many small, personal sites do not. Again, Google can help with that! Just enter the search term you are looking for (example - trees) followed by the site command and the web address of the site you wish to search. For example, tree site:www.extension.psu.edu
8. Cover Your Bases - When you REALLY want to make sure you haven't missed a good website about your topic, enter allinurl: followed by the topic in the Google search box. (example - allinurl:sunflower ) You can also combine multiple search terms or use other operators such as OR to help focus your search. A similar command is also available to search for words contained within a title (example allintitle:sunflower )
9. Find People, Maps and More - If you're searching for U.S. information, Google can do so much more than just search Web pages. The lookup information they provide through the search box has been expanded to include street maps, street addresses and phone numbers. Enter a first and last name, city and state to find a phone number. You can also use reverse lookup by entering a street address, city and state, in the Google search box.
10. Pictures from the Past - Google's image search feature makes it easy to find photos on the Web. Just click on the images tab on Google's homepage and type in a keyword or two to view a page full of image thumbnails. To find images of specific people or places, be sure to put it within quotes. Click on the image to take you to the page where the photo is located.
11. Glancing Through Google Groups - Check out the Google Groups tab, to find even more information on a topic or to learn from the questions of others by searching though the archives going back as far as 1981. BUT be ware, this can be a bit time consuming!
12. Narrow Your Search by File Type - Finally, when searching the web, you may see that not all search results are traditional web pages. They can also be .PDF (Adobe), .DOC (Microsoft Word), .PS (Adobe Postscript) and .XLS (Microsoft Excel). With Google, you have the option to view them in their existing format, OR to use the View as HTML link. This is extremely convenient if you don't have the application that is needed to open the file type or when computer viruses are a concern.

WWW Virtual Library is the oldest catalog of the web. Unlike commercial catalogs, it is run by a loose confederation of volunteers, who compile pages of key links for particular areas in which they are expert; even though it isn't the biggest index of the web, its pages are widely recognized as being amongst the highest-quality guides to particular sections of the web.

GoGuides

Dogpile

AltaVista

MSN

Ask Jeeves