How to search like a pro: top tools to use
Internet-based research is now dominating any form of research we do. This include things about your daily life such as which restaurant to visit or products to buy, business research about purchase decisions, news research and off course scholar research for academic journals that are all online. Let’s take a deeper dive into things you can do to search like a professional:
Let’s start with the basics: The internet has been a game-changer in many ways. Thanks to search engines like Google, millions of people use the internet to search for all kinds of information on people, places, events, and objects. From historical data to live camera feeds of random locations, if it’s not mentioned on the internet, it probably doesn’t exist.
The tools you might use will probably depend on what you are looking for. Here is a brief list of some of the most useful search tools out there.
Search for People
Are you interested in looking up an ex? Or would you quite like to trace a long-lost relative? Whatever your preference, there’s a search tool you can use.
Genealogy websites like ancestry.com are great if you want to research your family tree and trace long-lost family members. Sign up, give the site some details, and see what information is out there. Genealogy websites have access to vast databases of historical information, such as census reports, births, deaths and marriage records.
If the person you are looking for is alive and kicking and not necessarily related to you, use Nuwber.com to trawl public databases for their name. You can also use Nuwber to reverse lookup telephone numbers, addresses, and email addresses. The site cross-references information from multiple sources to build a list of people with the name you are searching for.
You can also use Facebook and LinkedIn to search for people. Both sites have powerful search engines. Be aware, however, that some accounts are hidden from view and not searchable if the user locks down their security settings.
Search for Places
Big search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing are a good place to start if you need information about a place. Checkout pages on travel websites and local government websites. Whether you want to visit the place or learn more about it for a school report, search engines are your best friend.
Search for Deals
The internet makes it incredibly easy to find deals. Use shopping comparison sites to search for the latest deals on specific products. Google has a shopping comparison search engine, but there are other comparison sites worth trying too. These sites scrape the data from target sites, so they can provide up-to-date information on a variety of products, including flights, insurance products, fashion items, and more.
Never buy anything without searching for a better price online.
Search for Facts
Fact-checking is easy to do when you have internet access. If it’s quiz night and your friend claims elephants have a gestation period of 15 months, do a quick online search to see whether he’s right.
There is a ton of historical, current, and irreverent information online. You will have to sift through a lot of junk and use your judgment when deciding if a fact is true, but it’s a whole lot faster than browsing encyclopedias at the local library.
Search for Videos
If you’re looking for a video, visit YouTube, a video-based search engine. There are millions of videos uploaded on YouTube and it’s now the second-largest search engine in the world. Need to find a cute cat video to restore your faith in humanity? Looking for a video to teach you how to fix a leaky faucet? YouTube has all this and more.
Whatever you are searching for, there is a tool out there to help. Use search engines for basic information, but if you need more in-depth results, try a people search tool like Nuwber.