NETRESEARCH: FINDING INFORMATION ONLINE

Whether you're using the Internet to research statistics for a report, find free software, or track down an old college roommate, it pays to locate online information rapidly. But the Net is a very big, disorganized place and it can be difficult (and costly) to locate just the information you want, when you need it. If you rely on a list of Web sites, the list goes out of date. If you rely on particular features of search programs, they change. No single method of searching will find everything you seek. So what can you do to make your searches efficient, effective, and inexpensive?

In NetResearch, you'll learn successful search techniques that work with any Internet search programs, present or future, by using your instincts to track down what you need. Intuition, unlike printed lists of sites and obscure search-engine commands, doesn't go out of date — it grows. NetResearch presents strategies of the Internet's expert searchers: how to choose effective starting points, follow hunches, narrow down possibilities, and even overcome failure by looking at search possibilities from different viewpoints.

Whatever your profession or avocation, NetResearch teaches you how to locate the information you need in the constantly changing online world. It covers the Internet, America Online, CompuServe, Microsoft Network, and Prodigy, and includes quizzes for practicing your research skills or teaching others how to search effectively.

Dan Barrett attempted his first search on the Internet in 1985, when he typed "ftp * . " and received an indecipherable error message. Since then, things have improved a bit (thank goodness), and Dan has worked as a UNIX system administrator, university instructor, software engineer, industry consultant, and Usenet newsgroup moderator. Currently, he is working on a Ph.D. in computer science at the University of Massachusetts.

Dan is the author of Bandits on the Information Superhighway, also from O'Reilly & Associates, and has published dozens of articles in popular computer and music magazines. His monthly column, "Net Smarts," appears in Keyboard Magazine.

When he's not navigating the Net, Dan likes to compose and record progressive rock music, play competitive volleyball, and cook. He and his wife, Lisa, reside in Boston.

"Most approaches for finding in formation have focused on 'where,' but have paid little attention to 'how.' Instead of simply pointing to a set of resources, Dan Barrett's book provides a foundation for developing the skills to utilize the variety of resources available on the Internet, whether seeking facts and statistics, software, or people and companies." ~~ Mike King, Manager, CompuServe's Internet Forums

"Mr. Barrett presents a useful and concise guide for both novices and experts who would like to learn new and better ways to search for things in the ever-changing World Wide Web. He focuses on exercising your intuition and developing search strategies, and avoids relying too much on Web sites that may not be around next year." ~~~ Larry Warner, Software Engineer, Geoworks