The internet is a pretty big and scary place for someone new to it. It can also be quite intimidating for a person just getting started with it and needing to find information. There all sorts of questions you are left wondering as you stare at that computer screen. Where do you start? What should you be looking for and how do you look for it in the first place? That is where the search engines come in.

The search engines are a great place to start off any search inquiry. Even the most advanced and skilled internet user starts their inquiries with one of the search engines. Although the search engines and directories each have their own unique and subtle differences, there are a few basic search commands each share in common.

These command tips, while seemingly generic, will greatly increase your chances of finding the answer to whatever search questions you may be asking. Don't be afraid to try new methods; experiment a little with your Web search strings and see what happens. Here are some basic tips and guidelines for you to follow as you get started.

• Keywords – The basic premise is to try and keep it simple. Use narrowed down keywords when trying to find something through a search engine. It will prove to be a more successful than randomly picking out a search term that vaguely has something to do with what you are trying to find. For example, if you were searching for news on a car crash, you'd end up with more results back than you could possibly use; however, if you narrowed that down to a search on local car crashes in your local area you’ll be more successful.



• Phrases – Put your search inquiry in quotes in if you're looking for an exact phrase. If you don’t, there is a chance the results will come back with a huge number of unneeded results. Use "short haired dogs” as an example. The search results for that inquiry will come back with these three words in proximity to each other and in that specified order.



• Use negative keywords - Broaden or narrow your work by using negative keywords. For example, you are searching for articles on government bonds, but all you get is results for Barry Bonds. Simply combine a couple of search engine basics to get your intended results: "government bonds" -Barry. Now your results will come back without all those articles about baseball.



• Wildcards – Try to use "wildcard" characters for a broader search in most search engines and directories. These wildcard characters include *, #, and ?, with the asterisk being the used the most. Apply wildcards when you like to broaden your search. For example, if you are looking for sites that discuss racing, don't search for race, search for race*. This will return pages that contain the word "race" as well as pages that contain "races", "racing", "race enthusiasts", "racing circuits", and etc.



• Don't Give Up - If you're just starting out learning how to use the internet, stick to it and don’t get frustrated. It is easy to become overwhelmed information overload that is available to you, especially when you're searching for something very specific. Keep trying, and don't be afraid to try different search engines, search phrase combinations, or different search techniques.



• Guess – Take a shot and make an educated guess about the location of a particular site if you some basic knowledge of how a site’s URL is constructed. For example, commercial sites use an ending of “.com", college and university sites use “.edu”, and non-profit organizations normally try to stick with “.org”.