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jsebasti@umich.edu
Have you tried to do a search on the Internet lately? The Internet is supposed to be a wealth of information, but most searches feel more like drinking from a fire hose. When I decided to write an article on searching the Internet, I searched for "search engine" on Yahoo! and found 11 category and 1587 site matches. Instead of wading through thousands of search results, there are ways to improve how you search so that you get the information faster.
Using Categories
You can improve the searches that you conduct at sites like Yahoo!, Excite, and Snap! by using the filters they have already created (often called categories). For example, if you are looking for information on laptop reviews, you can drill down a category, such as Computers, then Laptops, then Reviews. This will be much faster than entering "laptop review" as a search. A good rule of thumb is: if your topic is general, go for Categories first. If your topic is very specific, use advanced search functions (discussed below) and go for a search engine. Even when you perform a search, sometimes the best next step is to explore the categories presented on the search result page. Sure, you can click on a link to a given site, but you may be narrowing your options too soon. Click on a category and you have the chance of seeing many web sites, not just one.
Using Advanced Search Functions
All of the big search engines have advanced search functions. While the following may not work on all search engines, they work on most of the big ones:
(sum) Use Double Quotes Around Words that are Part of a Phrase - If you put quotation marks around your search terms, you will get search results that only contain that exact phrasing. If you leave off the quotation marks, you will get results that contain any of the words that you typed in.
EXAMPLE: enter "University of Michigan" to get results which contain those words in that exact order. Entering University of Michigan without the quotes will return any site which talks about universities and mentions the state of Michigan.
- Specify Words that Must Appear in the Results - Attach a + in front of words that must appear in result documents.
EXAMPLE: enter Sprint+telecommuncications so that you only get instances of Sprint which also mention telecommunications.
- Specify Words that Should Not Appear in the Results - Attach a - in front of words that must not appear in result documents
EXAMPLE: enter Sprint-running so that you avoid instances of Sprint when talking about running.
- Document Section Restrictions - Attaching one the following operators to the front of a search word will restrict the search to a certain document sections.
t: - will restrict searches to document titles only. The document title
is the words that appear at the top of your browser when you reach a Web
page.
EXAMPLE: joe boxer versus t:joe boxer
u: - will restrict searches to document URLs only. The URL is the actual
Web site address (for example, the Business School URL is www.bus.umich.edu).
EXAMPLE: intel versus u:intel
- Wildcard Matching (*) - Attaching a * to the right-hand side of a word will return left side partial matches.
EXAMPLE: searching with cap* will return sites that contain words such as capital, capitation, or Capstone.
- Combining the Syntax - You may combine any of the query syntax as long as the syntax is combined in the proper order. The proper order for using the syntax is the same order that the operators are listed on this page. That is, +, -, t:, u: and lastly *.
EXAMPLE: (correct) +t:football -American versus (incorrect) t:+football -American
Using Specialized Sites
Many sites specialize in filtering the web -- weeding out the best, the newest, the weirdest sites available. Some sites feature a different link every day or week. Bookmark some of these starting points to quickly find the specific information you need. Here are some examples:
- If you are looking for information on computers, you can go to the Web site equivalents of popular technology magazines like computerworld.com, pcweek.com, or informationweek.com.
- When looking for sports information, you can consult sports network Web sites like espn.com, cbssportsline.com, or cnnsi.com.
- For company information, consider Web sites like forbes.com, fortune.com, or msnbc.com.
Using Sites That Search For You
If you tend to look up the same information on a regular basis, there are lots of services that can look up the information for you. The big portal sites like Yahoo! have functions which allow you to customize a Web site with the subject areas in which you are interested. In addition, there are many services that focus on delivering customized information. These sites charge a small fee (usually around $5/month), but it may be worth it for you based on the time you save. In addition, these sites which charge often have access to resources not readily available on the Internet. For example, newspage.com allows you create a personal Web site where you can enter industries, company names, or subjects in which you are interested. On a daily basis, newspage.com updates your Web site with the latest news from 3000 resources on the information you entered.
Avoid the Internet Altogether
Although the Internet is great, as a student you have access to other resources, located in the Kresge Library, which may be more valuable than the Internet. Lexis-Nexis is a database of news resources from around the world, many of which are not available on the Internet. Lexis-Nexis also allows very detailed searches and is fast. Bloomberg is a service which provides detailed financial information and up-to-the-minute stock quotes. You may have also heard of this other thing in libraries--it's called a card catalog. By using both Internet shortcuts and non-Internet resources, you can get the information you need as fast as possible.
howarda@umich.edu
Website: http://www.evc-club.com/
Have you ever considered starting your own business? Would you like to work for a start-up when you graduate? Considering the Venture Capital industry? Just want to learn more about how companies get started and grow?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should consider joining the Entrepreneur and Venture Capital Club (EVC). The club's goal is to further the educational and professional goals of prospective entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. In order to achieve this goal, we organize speakers, other educational events, and social gatherings with a focus on entering the venture capital industry, running start-ups, and discussing other small business issues.
Two highlights of this year's activities include the 3rd Annual Entrepreneur's Forum and the 2nd Annual Startup AdVenture Business Plan Competition. The Entrepreneur's Forum will take place on Saturday, October 31, 1998 and will feature Bill Bartmann, the dynamic Chairman of Commercial Financial Services, Inc., as the keynote speaker. Commercial Financial Services purchases, restructures, and resolves non-performing consumer loans. The company has purchased and managed more than $14 billion in consumer loans and is the largest direct purchaser of charged-off credit card loans in the United States.
A few of Mr. Bartmann's credits include:
- "1997 National Entrepreneur of the Year" - NASDAQ, Ernst & Young, and USA Today
- "The 1997 8th Fastest Growing Company" in the United States - Inc. Magazine
- "Blue Chip Enterprise" award - U.S. Chamber of Commerce
- "1998 Smithsonian Computer World Award"
- "One of the 20th Century's Most Extraordinary Achievers" American Academy of Achievement "Golden Plate Award 1998"
Additionally Harvard Business School is conducting three case studies on Commercial Financial Services in Entrepreneurship, Systems, and Training.
The forum also includes breakout sessions with entrepreneurs and investors (with a focus on hi-tech entrepreneurial opportunities in the 21st century), and provides several networking opportunities to members during panels and the luncheon following the event.
Additionally, the 2nd Annual Startup AdVenture Business Plan Competition is scheduled for late Fall. The 1st Business Plan Competition was held last February and was sponsored by Netscape. Teams of three or four students had 48 hours to develop a business plan for a consumer-based Internet company and presented the results to a panel of seven venture capitalists. The event was a huge success, and the judges were extremely impressed with the quality of the business plans. This year we plan to build on last year's success and have an even better competition.
Additionally, other activities the club has planned for the year include:
- Venture Capital Breakfasts - Host breakfasts with selected venture capital professionals.
- Educational Speaker Series - Speakers discuss entrepreneurial issues, including acquiring a business, starting your own business, securing financing, diversity in business, and more.
- Database of contacts - Includes venture capital and start-up firms in Ann Arbor and elsewhere to facilitate job searches.
- Resume Book - Sent to hundreds of small businesses and venture capital firms throughout the country.
- Internship Program - Places MBAs into local start-ups and venture capital firms (sponsored by the Administration).
- Seminar on Kauffman Fellowship Fund - Facilitates students' chances of gaining this prestigious and competitive fellowship that places students into venture capital firms.
- Business Incubator meetings and Happy Hours- Members discuss new business ideas, select student-run businesses to fund, and network with each other.
- Events conceived of and executed by YOU!
If interested, visit our great new website at http://www.evc-club.com/ Or, you can contact me or Ian Hinke, Club President (ihinke@umich.edu) if you have any questions or would like to join.
Technology | Corporate | Global Blue | Alumni