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How can I narrow down a search on the Internet?
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Use several key words
- if you are searching for 1980s pop music, use the key words 'music' and '80s'
in your search for better results. Be sure to spell the words correctly to minimize getting an error page.
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Be as specific and precise as possible
- like searching a library catalogue, the more specific the
search is the more effective it will be.
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Be careful when using punctuation marks
- some users search by typing a question. For example:
'What is 80s music?' This option allows the search engine to come up with several sites that may be of
interest to the user. Compared to a target-specific search, this option has more flexibility by delivering a
wider range of topics under 1980s popular music.
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Speed up the search by using Boolean expressions
- these expressions are AND, OR, and NOT.
The Boolean expressions can be used to connect words and phrases in a search request.
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Use the '+,' '-' signs
- for certain search engines, the signs '+', '-' before a word respectively include or
exclude it. Do not include a space between these signs and the searched words.
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Refer to the search engine's Help pages
- it may offer relevant tips or offer shortcuts that you might
have missed. The Help pages also give a guide on how to properly use the engine and get better results.
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Try using synonyms or re-phrasing the search
- for example, instead of '80s' you can use the word
'eighties' or "lunar expeditions" for "moon expeditions." At the same time try to refine the search by
adding specific details.
What are the cookies?
A cookie is a small piece of information written to the hard drive of an Internet user whenever the user visits
a Web site that offers cookies. Although cookies are tiny files (around 255 characters and 4k of disk space),
it contain miscellaneous information such as the name of the Web site that issued them, pages viewed by
the user, log-in names and credit card numbers that have been supplied via forms.
When information such as a name, hobbies and educational background is voluntarily provided to a Web
site, the information is packaged into a cookie before it is sent and stored in the Web browser for later use.
The next time you visit the same Web site, the browser sends the cookie to the Web server that uses the
information, for example, to present you with customised pages.
Are cookies a threat to privacy?
A cookie is a simple piece of text and by itself represents no threat. Cookies cannot access the hard drive.
The browser can save cookie values to the hard disk, but that is the most it can do to a system. On privacy,
Net users can be as anonymous as they want to be. Besides, nobody can reveal personal information than
the user himself. Web servers allow the tracking of surfing habits and other information that are released and
collected. Cookies can be used as a tracking device, but a cookie does not have the capability to read the
hard drive or find details of your lifestyle.
Can a virus attach itself to cookies?
Viruses attach themselves to program or executable instruction files, and most cookies are made up of or
stored in text and data files. Computer experts say that a cookie has never hosted or spread a virus, and it is
unlikely to happen because cookies do not have a feature that will make it easy for a virus to attach itself. For
more information on viruses, refer to the corresponding FAQs section.
