How to learn and find things on the internet
June 3rd, 2008
Everybody on the web knows more than I do.
Let that one slosh around for a bit. It’s a good thing.
Little Johnny down the road might not know more, but taken as a whole, the entire posting population of the internet collectively has something new for you to learn.
The trick is to find the bits that you need, amidst all the noise.
Make Google your friend
Right now. If you ever plan on learning anything, you’ll of course have to find it. Even if you know what you’re looking for, you can greatly increase your chances by using Google (or any other search engine) effectively. It takes practice and a bit of trial and error to get the right tack when talking to your search engine.
Most search engines provide a way of refining your search. For example, take a look at Google’s front page, and you’ll see an “Advanced Search” link. Follow it, and you find all sorts of useful ways to narrow down a search that may be too broad to find anything. Many of the boxes have a quick tip to let you use these options in the main search box. For example, you could be searching for things related to a red bull, but not want to have all of the energy drink links dominate your results, so you would exclude the word “drink” from your search.
Google has a great Advanced Search Tips page that covers many examples and options.
They also have a more complete list of search features to help you find anything from specific files to weather forecasts to currency and unit conversions.
Wikipedia
Let’s face it, you’ll end up there anyway. Wikipedia is, by their own description, “The biggest multilingual free-content encyclopedia on the Internet.”
The great thing about Wiki is that its content is collaborative. For the most part, anybody can edit and contribute to the definitions on the site, and that makes it extremely well-rounded and powerful. Many people worry about the potential for corrupt entries, and they do happen on occasion, but not as often as one would think, and with far less permanence than a misprint in a printed reference.
Wiki entries always have so many eyes on them that errors get sorted out in a very timely fashion, and many entries on controversial topics tend to police themselves, sporting disclaimers or caveats if they are needed.
Chances are, Wikipedia will be fairly high up on the list of search results for most topics. It’s a rare topic that doesn’t have a wiki article. You might not find a specific answer to your question, but you almost always have a good high-level overview.
Community
A good search and a browse of wiki pages will help with many problems and questions, but if you need more specific advice, find somebody (or a group of somebodies) who has gone through it all before you. As we said in the beginning, there’s bound to be somebody out there with more experience than you.
Forums, blogs, and news sites with attached forums are yet another way to track down answers to your topics. Find somebody passionate about a subject, and you’ll find they are passionate about sharing their knowledge.
Make sure you perform your due diligence, however — don’t make the mistake of treating your fellow web-dweller as a substitute for work or research you could do yourself. They will help and respect you as long as you are willing to put in the needed effort, and have shown that you’re willing to treat them with the same respect.
That means making sure you’ve searched the FAQ, forums, and archives before asking your questions. Many times, you’re not the first person to need an answer to a particular question, and there may be a section devoted to your specific concern.
If you’ve reached the point where you need to ask, make sure you do so appropriately. Read enough questions to find out what information is usually included by others, and make sure you follow the rules of the forum. Make your subject line informative, and avoid ‘me too’ comments.
Never post with a subject like, “Need help, pleeeeze” – be concise and descriptive.
Always remember to be polite, and follow up on the results, especially if the other members were able to help you with your questions. In that way, you’ll be helping others that follow.
Tags: Google, howto, internet searching, learn, wikipedia
One Response to “How to learn and find things on the internet”
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There’s a good article on IanHoar.com that relates to this, and the overload of information that we face in our day-to-day… the data we face on a daily basis is overwhelming, and we have to constantly ask ourselves if it’s worth it. There’s a book in our house that talks about the ‘loser zones,’ the useless activities that do nothing for us. At some point, we’ve got to separate the wheat from the chaff.