IT
In this regular column Charles Zealey, of ITSolve, covers all aspects of business and personal computing. If you have a question about IT matters, e-mail it to Charles at: itmatters@itsolve.co.uk
WHAT do you think are the greatest changes of the last 10 or 15 years? Perhaps mobile telephony, or low cost air travel, or...?For many of us the advent of the internet, and more particularly the ability to search for, and find, information stored in the most obscure places would come very high on the list.
Seek and you will find
If you want information, Google is your friend. As well as the other search engines of course. Want a cheap flight? Google it. Want a holiday cottage in Sardinia. Google it. Want to catch up with an old friend? Google them. Want to know more about a recent acquaintance? Google them. Want something translated into Portuguese? Google. On second thoughts, perhaps not.
Still, from phone numbers, to product specifications, from spare parts, to holidays, Google is frequently the way to find what you are looking for.
Searching more effectively
Investing a little time in learning more about ways of searching will almost certainly help you to find the information you require more quickly and efficiently. Google itself has some good tips on the Advanced Search page.
- Start by being specific. Enter the key words describing your requirement, for example 'holiday cottage Sardinia sea' will do better than 'holiday Sardinia'.
- Use detail. Put in a full manufacturer's part number to source spare parts, or a complete phone number to find out who your missed call was from.
- Use quotes. Google uses quotes to force a search for a whole phrase. So ‘“holiday cottage” Sardinia sea’ will not tell you about adventure holidays in Sardinia, just about holiday cottages.
I feel lucky
Spend some time honing your skills in this area and your effectiveness in finding information will increase, and give you even more time to reflect on the way the world has changed in the last 10 or 15 years.
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