This is an example of the kind of writing I'm doing for it at this point:
Quote:
Conquering the Search Process
Whenever you conduct a search, you have to keep two concepts in mind: scope and relevance. Scope can be defined as the size of the net you want to throw over the ocean of information. Relevance can be defined as how “on the mark” the information retrieved is. Generally speaking, the broader the scope of your search, the more irrelevant information you will retrieve. You need to keep this in mind when devising any search. Before your search begins, ask yourself these questions:
1) What am I looking for? This one sounds obvious. “If I didn't know what I was looking for, I wouldn't be using Google!” Well, you might be surprised how many people start off their searches with only a very vague idea of what they want to find. If you're looking for information on what tigers on the Serengeti eat, you shouldn't search for “big cats”, or even “tigers”, or “tigers in Africa”. Save yourself some trouble and be as specific as possible so you can zero in on the information you want.
2) What am I not looking for? If you can exclude terms from your results, you'll have more relevant results, and fewer links to go through.
3) Can I spell what I'm looking for? Spelling counts, especially when you use the + or - operator. Make sure you know how to spell what you're looking for, or use the wildcard * operator for any part of the search term you don't know how to spell. If necessary, consult Merriam-Webster for the proper spelling, or use Google itself to look up the word. (Google will start suggesting words as you type, so you'll likely find the correct spelling before you've even finished typing.)
4) Is it important if I miss anything? This is a very important consideration in approaching any search. If your goal is to find everything out there on a topic, then you need a broader search. If it's not as important to find everything, you can make the search terms narrower.
By asking yourself these questions, you've put yourself through a miniature version of what a librarian would call a reference interview. Librarians use these to find relevant information for patrons. The purpose of the reference interview is to find out what the user/patron needs, and to get it to him or her quickly. By asking yourself these questions, you might discover that Google isn't even the tool you should be using.
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