Another factor rarely mentioned is the way the search engines have evolved, and are evolving, the ammount of control the user has over the search. Few people, for example, know what a difference adding such things as quotation marks "", brackets (), and other such little characters can make. Don't believe me? Google the following searches:
1) "frisbee muffin"
2) (frisbee muffin)
3) frisbee muffin
Very contrived example, obviously, but the difference is huge. Look here: www.google.com/help/refinesearch.html for details on how google can make your search much more succesful.
I guess the way I see it, the internet is similar to most things in life -- real value burried in plenty of garbage. You either avoid both the good and the bad, slog through randomly hoping to get lucky, or do your best to improve the odds.
The other thing I'd like to mention are websites, well, such as this one. Hitting a five year anniversary proves the lounge is here to stay, and yet the information available here changes almost every second. For fixed numbers and stats and information, I try to keep the most stable, "official" sites I can bookmarked. For more variable information, and, in particular for "newer" info, I try to keep a few forum type websites within easy access. If I can't google it or figure it out on my own, chances are someone online can point me in the right direction.
gekko
1) "frisbee muffin"
2) (frisbee muffin)
3) frisbee muffin
Very contrived example, obviously, but the difference is huge. Look here: www.google.com/help/refinesearch.html for details on how google can make your search much more succesful.
I guess the way I see it, the internet is similar to most things in life -- real value burried in plenty of garbage. You either avoid both the good and the bad, slog through randomly hoping to get lucky, or do your best to improve the odds.
The other thing I'd like to mention are websites, well, such as this one. Hitting a five year anniversary proves the lounge is here to stay, and yet the information available here changes almost every second. For fixed numbers and stats and information, I try to keep the most stable, "official" sites I can bookmarked. For more variable information, and, in particular for "newer" info, I try to keep a few forum type websites within easy access. If I can't google it or figure it out on my own, chances are someone online can point me in the right direction.
gekko
"Life is sacred and you are not its steward. You have stewardship over it but you don't own it. You're making a choice to go through this, it's not just happening to you. You're inviting it, and in some ways delighting in it. It's not accidental or coincidental. You're choosing it. You have to realize you've made choices."
-Michael Ventura, "Letters@3AM"
-Michael Ventura, "Letters@3AM"