SURFING THE INTERNET

Surfing the Internet' is not to be confused with the phrase 'browsing the Internet' which refers to exploring the web with a clear-cut objective but without any planned search strategies. Searching the web refers to exploring the Internet with a definite in both strategy and objective.
Surfing the Internet has been likened to the ironic term 'channel surfing', which is used to describe randomly changing TV channels. Its only relation to actual surfboarding has to do with the notion of 'going with flow' when surfing.
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USING OF SEARCH ENGINES

There is an enormous amount of information on the Web! However, there's an easy way for you to find specific information without searching through every site yourself. Just use a search engine. Here are some tips to help you make the most of search engines

How to Use a Search Engine

Most search engines work the same basic way. You type into a search box the information you're looking for and PRESTO! the search engine lists Web sites that contain this information. These results are known as "hits." The words you type into the search box are called "keywords." The keywords you use will greatly affect your results. Other search engines, like Ask Jives for Kids, let you type in questions without having to choose keywords.

Four Tips to Help Make the Most of a Search

1. Make your keywords as precise as possible. If you're looking for information on Tyrannosaurus rex, don't type in "dinosaurs." You'll get too much general information about dinosaurs and not enough specific hits about T-rex.
2. Use two or more keywords in your search. But put the most important keywords first. For example, if you wanted information about what the T-rex ate, you might use the following keywords in this order: Tyrannosaurus rex diet. The search engine will look for Web pages that contain all these words.
3. Make sure you spell the keywords correctly. If you typed "dinasour" as a keyword, your search would turn up empty. If you're not sure of a word's correct spelling, use a dictionary.
4. Always try more than one search engine. Each search engine doesn't look through every site on the Web. Instead, most search engines check Web site pages every once in a while to create their own databases. So when you use a search engine, you're actually looking at one small slice of sites. Different search engines will usually come up with different results. So it makes sense to use more than one.