Browse and Search More Effectively

The Internet has become such a pervasive part of our culture that many people use it without thinking much about the way they go about it. For the most part, we learn by doing. That usually works, but there are a few things you can learn that will make your online experience much more productive - specifically, how to choose a browser and search more productively.

Choosing a Browser

A web browser is an application that allows you access to the Internet - the one you open when you go online. Many people don't give much thought to which browser they use, but each type has its strengths and weaknesses. Choosing the right browser can make your online experience better.

In the early days of the Internet, Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer battled for the larger share of the market. Internet Explorer proved to be the browser of choice at the time, but as the Internet has evolved other browsers have come into the forefront. Today, IE competes with Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Opera, and Apple's Safari, among others. Different browsers display websites differently and offer a variety of advantages to users including add-ons, developer tools, pop-up blockers and others. Research the differences to determine which browser is best for you.

Searching More Efficiently

Search engines largely determine the things we see on the Internet, and knowing how to use them well will help you find what you're looking for. Google has some indicators you can use in your searches to help return better results. Here are some things you can do to make your searches more efficient.

• Specific searches. Google's specialized fields can help narrow search results significantly. Use Google Images, Maps, News, Shopping, Books and other fields to search within a certain area.
• Quotation marks. Putting quotation marks around a phrase signifies to Google that you want results that match the entire phrase, not just one or two of the words. This is helpful when searching for specific types of things, like "baby shoes" or "gas stoves."
• Similar terms. You can signify that you'd like results for terms similar to the one you submitted by putting a tilde (~) before the term. If you're searching for baby shoes, for example, changing your search to "~baby shoes" would also return matches for things like "children's shoes" or "toddler shoes."