get 265,838 pages, still an outrageous pile to sort through, but at least most of the pages deal only with Windows 3.1.Another simple thing that can enhance your searches involves the use of quote marks.
If you search using keywords "weather" and "Ajo," the search site will look for sites that mention either word, whether they are together or not.
Putting the words between quote marks tells the search site to look only for sites that mention the words together.
For example, Yahoo! delivers 468 sites after a search using keywords "weather" and "Ajo" without quote marks.
But put quote marks around the two, as in "weather Ajo'' and Yahoo! produces a list with just two sites, both with the information you want.
There are other search site tricks and special features too numerous to mention here. Some, for example, .allow users to look,
Just
or search just newsgroups instead of
the entire Web.
Search site tip No. 5: Search sites are always changing, usually for the better. So take a few minutes every few weeks to try a new search site. You might like it better than the ones you've bookmarked.
Google (www.google.com) is a good reason to seek out new search sites once in a while. Google hasn't been around as Iona as, say, Yahoo!, but it offers a unique method of helping you find what you want on the Web.
Among other things, Google uses what it calls "page rank" technology, which examines the link structure of the Web before reporting results of any search.
Google staffers maintain that it's a complicated process, but what it all boils down to is that the most popular Web sites get ranked higher in search results.
Another search site that is trying to set itself apart from the pack is About.com ( http://www.about.com ). The site uses hundreds guides
Web sites.
About.com believes its 'expert guides, who must undergo a "rigorous certification program" and "continually meet strict standards of excellence in user-service and community leadership," help users find what they want more quickly and easily.
As a final search site tip, I'd recommend that everybody check out Search Engine Watch ( http://www.searchenginewatch.com ),
The site offers a ton of infortnation about search sites, including charts that compare search site features and search site popularity.
You'll also find links to reviews of search sites, tips for better searching and news related to search sites.
Another pretty good Web site to remember is called, simply, the SearchPage ( http://www.accesscom.com/~ziegler/s earch.html ). The page offers links to search sites, many divided into subject categories, tips on searching and much more.
Happy searching!