WEB STRATEGIES

1.       The web is a useful information retrieval system, but it does not replace books and periodicals.  Web resources are many times NOT the first place to look for information.  Use critical thinking skills to determine the best resource for the type of information you need.

2.       Try using library web resource pages since it is an organized and helpful way to find useful web sites.

3.       Decide which type of web tool you will use:

• Search Engines [e.g., Google] -- They are more complete and are usually searched by keywords.  Deals well with narrow issues or questions.
• Directories [e.g., Yahoo] -- They are more organized and group information by subject broad searchable categories.  Deals well with broad issues or questions.
• "Help" or "Search Tips" information gives the best search strategies for the web tool being used.

4.       Become comfortable with a few different web search tools in case your favorite search tool does not give you what you need on a particular search.

5.       How old is the web page information?  When was the web page last updated?  It may not be very current.

6.       Evaluate web information you find, just as you would the accuracy of information from any other source. 

7.       What are the credentials of the person or organization authoring the web site?  Education and government web sites "tend" to have more credible information.  The reliability of web information varies greatly because anyone can put a page on the web.  There are over 500 billion web documents so . . . . . Use With Caution!

8.       The domain name in a web address can help you determine what kind of site it is.  (E.g., .com = commercial; .edu = education; .gov = government; .int = international entities; .mil = military; .net = network entities; .org = nonprofit organizations.)  Limiting your search by domain name can be useful when using a web search tool.

9.       Keep a bookmark or favorites list of web pages that you want to use frequently.  Remember to organize your bookmarks into folders so you can locate them easily.

10.     On a Google Search Results page, use the "Cached" link of a site listing to view your search terms highlighted.  Otherwise, use the "Find" option under the "Edit" button on the toolbar to locate specific words on a web page.

11.     Look for useful web page links like "A-Z", "Links", "Online Resources", "References", "Search", or "Statistics".

12.     You can always click the "Stop" button if you feel like you're waiting too long for a web page to load.  Try to load the web page again, and it will usually load faster the second time.

13.     You may get an error message when you are trying to connect to a web page.  This usually occurs because the host computer that holds the files you want is busy or down, or the web browser gives up because the connection times out.  Try to load the web page again because it might load the second time.

14.     Sometimes web addresses change.  If you get an error message trying to connect to a web site, you could shorten the web address to include the address only up to the domain name.  Then try to find the appropriate link on that site and connect to what you were originally trying to access.  [E.g., shorten http://www.spu.edu/depts/library/ to http://www.spu.edu]  Or, do a Google: Advanced Search by using the "exact phrase" box to search for the site name.

15.     ReMemBer:  URLs (web aDDreSSes) are soMeTImEs caSe SenSiTive.  UPPER and lower case can matter so be sure to type a URL exactly as you find it written.