November 1, 2007 – Vol 1, Issue 24

A recent report by Autobytel concluded that 72.3 percent of Americans experience “search engine fatigue” (either “always,” “usually,” or “sometimes”) when researching a topic on the Internet.

To make matters worse, more than three out of four (75.1 percent) of those who experience search engine fatigue report getting up and physically leaving their computer without the information they were seeking – either “always,” “usually” or “sometimes.”

Even the best searchers among us get frustrated sometimes. Sometimes, you just need to start someplace besides the regulars to start off better. We’ll show you a few of those great engines.

And we’re throwing in a few tips that should help you just search better.

Secret Agent.

Just between us, right? Try Agent55 – the U.S. version for starting your search.The Agent55 network is currently searching a total of 351 search-engines in 45 categories, making it the world’s most extensive meta search service. You can even (without being a total tech-head) add your favorite search engine to the list if it’s not there already.

We’re pretty particular, if you didn’t know that already. And this meta-search is awfully sweet. Take it for a spin. (But keep it to yourself.)

Intermezzo.

Did you know that 64% of the nation’s 117 million online gamers are actually women, according to Nielsen Entertainment’s third annual Active Gamer Benchmark Study?

We came across this study on a recent project. I’m telling you, this job never gets boring.

Since we were thinking about gaming and the theme this week is search, here is a very nice Game Search Engine – Gameskoot. It’s handy for finding news surrounding the category, learning about games and the industry.

And let’s not forget finding cheats.

Go Fisssh.

fisssh! was designed as a new type of search experience, where aggregated search results are displayed in an editorial format.It searches web, news, blogs, videos, podcasts, info, jobs, social and shop and provides you with a rich, diverse and exciting set of relevant search results. But, as an added bonus, we always seem to find something unexpected and interesting in the results.

We’ve tested this on several searches and find that it gives results we don’t see elsewhere. So if your search is broad and you need a good place to start narrowing it down or just to get some articles under your belt, try it.

We think you’ll like it.

Tips.

1. Read the search tips for the search engine you use most. You will learn the syntax that works to keep phrases together (usually quotes), how to insist that a word be included (usually a +before a word), and how to be sure a word will not be included (usually a -before a word). We promise this will make you more efficient. Really.2. Set your preferences on the search engine to the most results possible. Doesn’t sound like much, but it saves a lot of time. We promise.

3) Select the most descriptive words. Brainstorm thoroughly.

* Use at least two keywords.
* Place the most important words or phrases first.
* When possible, use unique, rare or unusual keywords.
* Use nouns and objects as keywords. Do not use the so-called “stop words” such as “what,” “where,” “the,” “in,” “and,” etc. Many search tools ignore them.
* Avoid redundant terms and complicated query structures.
* The more specific the search term, the more relevant your results will be. (We know it sounds obvious!)
* The secret to constructing a professional query is to type words you expect to find in the matches.

Having trouble constructing your search? Drop Wendy a note. She loves to help with this stuff.

Stump the Researcher.

A loyal reader asks: What do you think of Rachel Ray? Is she a force of good or evil?

You must have meant to ask Andrew, our resident foodie. Read on…

And submit your own question – send an email!
Click here for the answer. It’ll just take a minute.
Search has become a part of our every day lives. It doesn’t have to be time consuming or frustrating. Knowing where to start and some simple tips will make it painless.

And we’re here to help.

See you in two weeks!