Internet helps people find information<\/p>\n
A few weeks ago, an Indonesian weekly magazine reported that
\nIBM had a low-cost alternative to the pricey, but immensely
\npopular, Microsoft Office.<\/p>\n
It was, according to the magazine, called \"SmartSweet.\"<\/p>\n
We all know that Big Blue has never marketed any product
\ncalled by that name. One can readily guess that what the reporter
\nreally meant was \"SmartSuite,\" a set of applications from Lotus
\nDevelopment, which is owned by IBM.<\/p>\n
Today, such an error could have been avoided easily, had the
\nreporter -- or his editor, for that matter -- taken some time to
\ndouble-check the accurate spelling of the product's name.<\/p>\n
Certainly, he or she could have called up the source that had
\ngiven the reporter the information, or sent an e-mail. They could
\nalso have simply gone to the world's largest repository of
\ninformation: the Internet.<\/p>\n
The Internet has revolutionized the way we do everything --
\nespecially the way we get, and verify, information.<\/p>\n
In fact, there is so much information on the Internet that
\ngetting the right equipment to navigate it has quickly become a
\nchallenge in itself.<\/p>\n
Still, that you do not even have to leave your desk and go to
\nthe public library to get the information you need means that
\nthere has been a fundamental change in your life.<\/p>\n
Search engines are the right tools with which to find the
\nneeded information.<\/p>\n
According to 101Register.com, there are over 600,000 search
\nengines currently available on the Web; the major ones are Yahoo,
\nAOL, Lycos, Hotbot, Excite, Altavista, MSN, Ask Jeeves, Netscape
\nSearch and Northern Light. If you would like to read a review of
\neach of them, just go to
\nhttp:\/\/www.101register.com\/topengines.htm.<\/p>\n
You will need to learn effective search techniques at each of
\nthe most widely used search engines on the Internet, so that you
\ncan locate the information you need in the shortest time
\npossible. Learn an advanced search, too -- and learn it now,
\nbefore the time comes when you will urgently need to find a piece
\nof key information for your work.<\/p>\n
Each search engine has its own strengths and weaknesses.<\/p>\n
Northern Light, for example, is popular among researchers.
\nSome search engines are free to use, others charge a fee --
\nparticularly, if you want to access their special collection.
\nTherefore, it is a good idea to try each of the major search
\nengines and make a short list of the ones you find the most
\nhelpful, and convenient, to use.<\/p>\n
Today, information is pulled not only from the Internet as we
\naccess it through search engines, but also via the search robots
\nthat comb the Web for the information that you seek.<\/p>\n
Information is also pushed into your computers, from PDAs and
\ncellphones to late breaking news, stock prices and corporate
\npress releases. You name it, it is being shoved at you.<\/p>\n
If you really want to stay on top of things -- from the war in
\nAfghanistan to the condition of Jakarta's traffic and so on --
\nyou can register and request regular downloads from the source.<\/p>\n
For example, you can go to www.cnn.com and click on the \"E-
\nmail Services\" menu item. From there, you can request several
\nnews updates -- say, health news and weather reports, to be e-
\nmailed to you daily.<\/p>\n
A growing number of Web sites, such as the New York Times,
\nmeanwhile, offer customized contents, with the right format, to a
\nmobile device of your choice.<\/p>\n
One thing you do need to keep in mind, however, is that you
\nwill have to download the messages regularly to avoid exceeding
\nthe storage quota in your ISP's storage server. The news sources
\nwill automatically close your account if the news updates they
\nsend you bounce several times in a row.<\/p>\n
The Internet is a mammoth warehouse of information. You could
\nspend your entire life learning new things just by browsing the
\nWeb, and you would still be exploring but a fraction of what it
\nfully has to offer.<\/p>\n
It has become increasingly easy to use, too, and can be
\naccessed through any number of types of device-personal computers
\n-- PDAs, cellphones, pagers, wireless computers as well as fixed
\ntelephones, Internet appliances, and so forth.<\/p>\n
The Internet really makes information available at your
\nfingertips, and you have no reason not to be better informed.<\/p>\n
-- Zatni Arbi<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/internet-helps-people-find-information-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }