Date: Tue, 4 Mar 1997 17:14:16 -0800
From: Sara Winge <sara@ora.com>
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 4, 1997
PRESS ONLY--FOR REVIEW COPIES, CONTACT:
Sara Winge
707/829-0515
sara@ora.com
http://www.ora.com
FIND IT FAST ON THE INTERNET WITH "NETRESEARCH"
O'Reilly Releases Guide to Internet Power Searching
SEBASTOPOL, CA--Finding things on the Internet is an everyday challenge
for the millions who have come to depend on the Net's vast information
resources. Navigating through the Net's morass of data can make the
user feel like Goldilocks, longing for information that's not too much
or too little, but "just right." O'Reilly & Associates' new book
"NetResearch" helps Internet users quickly find exactly what they're
looking for in the constantly changing online world.
Information and locations on the Net change at a dizzying pace, but
"NetResearch" is built to last. It shares the strategies and techniques
of master Internet searchers--methods that readers can use successfully
whether they're looking for information on mutual funds, demographics,
plane schedules, or beer. Those who use the power searching techniques
described in "NetResearch" will learn how to think like the masters
when they go looking for something on the Internet. The book also
covers America Online, CompuServe, Microsoft Network, and Prodigy, and
includes quizzes to help readers practice research skills.
In "NetResearch," author Dan Barrett offers these Internet Searcher's
Rules for the Road:
1. Carefully choose a starting place. Like the old saying says,
sometimes "you can't get there from here." Different starting points
may lead to different results.
2. Don't assume failure too quickly. When a search program responds
"nothing found," don't give up. Try a few variations on your search. If
these don't produce results either, you can still try other starting
places, programs, and search techniques.
3. Don't assume success too quickly. Even when you locate what you
need, there might be another source of information available that is
better. Don't be too loyal to one Web site or one search technique.
Keep an open mind. Experiment.
4. Think about your route. Even if you reached your goal, there might
have been a faster way to get there. Pay attention when a search
strategy provides quick results: the same strategy might be usable in
other situations.
5. Know your tools. Read the manual. Use the online help. Try out
all the commands and options. Make sure your search software is the
latest version, or at least a recent one.
6. Intuition is your best search tool. The Internet changes rapidly,
and so does the software we use to access it. Knowledge, on the other
hand, accumulates. As you learn from experience, you'll get
progressively better at tackling new situations.
The Net is a big, disorganized, inconsistent place. As anyone who has
ever gotten 17,000 responses to a search engine query knows,
constructing a focused search saves time and aggravation. With the help
of "NetResearch," readers will learn effective search techniques to
locate just the information they want, when they need it.
# # #
NetResearch: Finding Information Online
By Daniel J. Barrett
1st Edition February 1997
240 pages, ISBN: 1-56592-245-X, $24.95 US