Internet 101: Photography 4 U

Photography Searching I am going to show you how I begin a search for photography. You can change photography to any topic and it works about the same. First, as I suggested in another entry, Internet 101: Search Engines and Directories on 3 1 2007, lets use a directory since we don't know as yet just what we are seeking.

So http://www.google.com/ first and type " photographi " into the search box, that line with the Search button to click, and click it. Duh, I misspelled the word and google helpfully and not too rudely, says Did you mean: photography . I click photography and we start our search. Take a few moments to look at the page. There is a definition near the top. If you click this you are taken to http://www.answers.com/photography&r=67 with the root URL http://www.answers.com/ . I right click most links to open in a new window.

The photography page there is overflowing with excellent material and I begin reading the dictionary definition, several encyclopedia articles, a history article with its own clickable links and at the bottom of the page is a directory to help me narrow my focus plus some foreign language versions of the word, photography.

By now I am on my way. I click stock photography and http://www.answers.com/ has a page on this branch of my topic. The method of searching is the same for most any topic you choose.

Let's take a different route and go directly to a search engine, http://www.google.com/ . You CAN use other search engines, I just don't. OK, I type " photography skools " into the search box. Duh 2. So I click photography schools and dig in for some serious surfing. [ A brief aside here. Sometimes the mispeld word can be fun to surf at timz. ]

My next idea to http://www.google.com/ is to look for online tutorials or lessons so I use both these terms after the word photography, " photography tutorials " and " photography lessons. " The order rarely makes a difference to http://www.google.com/ nor does capitalization but I usually put them in the order I think is right. You are thinking first, typing next, sifting / judging the results then USING the results. Its the best of both worlds, you and your computer / the Internet.

One more search for practice. You are seeking " photography fine art prints " for your house or office so you http://www.google.com/ the query. There are paid clicks on the right. I usually do click one to keep google's owners in luxury. Then I sift the information and check out the sites. I like http://www.art.com/ so I click it. If you have a favorite shooter, expand the query to include their name. I will try " Galen Rowell photography fine art prints " and its right there on top, http://www.mountainlight.com/ . Cool, eh?

That is all there is to most searches. You do the thinking, http://www.google.com/ does the finding, you do the judging and using. Vary the words as you like. Find new ways to search with both http://www.quintura.com/ and http://www.webbrain.com/ and look for antonyms at http://www.visualthesaurus.com/ . These three sites are for the more visually inclined. Happy searching and finding.