All too often, the context that you crave has not yet been created. Until someone reads your mind and instantly links you to information that is relevant to your immediate need, you can use search engines to help find the Internet information you need.

Search engines can give direction to your browsing and, when used wisely, can save you time. It helps to know basic Boolean logic (which links search terms using AND, OR, and NOT statements), but it is usually more important to read each engine's search tips. There are seemingly endless numbers of search engines, but one of the following five types will usually help you find what you need:

Comprehensive directories, such as Yahoo! and Infoseek, organize hundreds of thousands of sites into easy-to-browse categories. When you search these sites, you're really searching their database of sites. This kind of search engine usually returns a reasonable number of fairly relevant sites, but if the one you're looking for hasn't been entered into their database it won't show up in your search results.

Qualified directories like LookSmart, Britannica Internet Guide, and The Mining Co. add varying levels of qualification and commentary to the sites they list. Because they have to do a lot of work to prepare their listings, they don't include as many sites as the comprehensive directories, but the information you find in searching these sites is usually highly relevant to your query.

Search "bots" like HotBot and AltaVista constantly scan the Internet and index every page they find. These sites come pretty close to listing everything on the Internet. Of course, this often gives you search results like "159,868 documents match your query." When using these sites, specify your search terms as precisely as possible.

Search aggregators like MetaCrawler and SavvySearch submit your query to a number of search engines and then aggregate the results on one page. Since they scan all of the various types of search engines, these can be useful places to begin a search project.

People directories like WhoWhere and Four11 can help you find long-lost friends -- or that interesting person whose business card you lost.

As with any other computerized endeavor, be sure to save your work regularly. Web browsing means taking note of where you've been. So once you find a site that interests you, add it to your browser's "bookmarks" or "favorites" list to return to it easily during future browsing sessions.

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