My editor told me to write for this column. But I had no clue as to what I should write. So I sat browsing the Net, but frustration soon gripped me. You?ll know what I mean if you?ve ever tried searching for a website that is tailored to your needs, and even Google, the last resort of the Net-confused, has ditched you. Then this idea hit me. I thought of writing on good strategies for searching the World Wide Web.

There are three smart and commonsense steps to be taken after you go to a search engine like Google, Alta Vista or Ask Jeeves. First, type in a general term (?movies?). Then add modifiers to further define and narrow your topic (?new Bollywood movies?). Last of all, be as specific as you can (?new Bollywood movies Shah Rukh Khan?) and submit your search. Adjust your search based upon the number of responses you receive (if you get too few responses, submit a more general search; if you get too many, add more modifiers).

To learn all this and more go to www.noodletools.com, a great site if you are really interested in smartening your web searches. Once you have opened the page, go to ?free tools? and click ?Choose the Best Search for Your Information Need? link. The strategies are given in a user-friendly, tabular form. The left column displays FAQs about Net searches and the right one gives links to the best engines suitable for your needs. For example, if you need a few good hits fast, then the strategy column will guide you to Google and Yahoo!Search. It will also inform you that Google has the largest index results ranked by general popularity.

Go and feel the world at your fingertips. Happy surfing!

Monojit Dasgupta

monojit@abpmail.com