Four NETS for Better Searching
Posted by Steve Denniston on March 24th, 2008
Bernie Dodge, best known as the creator of the webquest, has written an article titled Four NETS for Better Searching. It has been available on the web for a few years, but was recently updated. This article shares four key ideas to keep in mind when searching for information on the Internet:
Start Narrow – To use Dodge’s reasoning, “If you know what you’re after, why not start by asking for it as precisely as you can.”
Find Exact Phrases – You will find this most helpful when looking for exact phrases such as proper names of places, people and specific resources.
Trim Back The URL – Many sites have content within folders, and in some cases, folders within folders. Try removing the last part of the address. You will often find more information on your topic. It is also a way to troubleshoot if you get the dreaded “page cannot be found” message. By trimming back the address, you may find the web site creator simply moved the file to a different location.
Look for Similar Pages – Google has advanced search functions that takes key words and ideas in your search term and finds similar pages.
In the article, Dodge provides some worksheets on which you can test the ideas he presents. Worth taking a look.