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The
Basics of Munky Search |
The
World Wide Web has a vast amount of information contained within
it on just about any topic you can imagine. The problem with this
immense repertoire of data, then, is how to find the particular
information you're interested in.
The
best way to begin is to come up with a search strategy. What kind
of information are you looking for? Are you just beginning your
research and want to find very general information? Are you looking
for more granular information? Do you already have something very
specific in mind that you want to find?
To
enter a query into Munky, just type in a few descriptive words
and hit the 'enter' key (or click on the "Go" button)
for a list of relevant web pages. Since Munky only returns web
pages that contain all the words in your query, refining or narrowing
your search is as simple as adding more words to the search terms
you have already entered. Your new query will return a smaller
subset of the pages Munky found for your original "too-broad"
query.
Choosing
keywords
For
best results, it's important to choose your keywords wisely. Keep
these tips in mind:
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Try
the obvious first. If you're looking for information on
Mozart, enter "Mozart" rather than "music".
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Use
words likely to appear on a site with the information you
want. "Luxury hotel Paris" gets better results
than "really nice places to spend the night in Paris".
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Check
spelling. One of the easiest mistakes to make when searching
for information is to misspell your query. If you get few
or bad results, check to make sure you've spelled everything
correctly, or try alternate ways of spelling your words
(e.g. color vs. colour or center vs., centre). |
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Use
Synonyms. Sometimes using different words or more common
terms that mean the same thing can greatly improve your
results. For instance, you may be more successful using
the keyword "TV" rather than "television"
or "tired" rather than "fatigued". |
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Be
Specific. Don't be afraid to tell a search engine exactly
what you're looking for. Use precise terms to get the most
relevant results. For example, search for "Subaru dealerships
in Omaha" rather than "station wagon" if
you're looking to buy an Outback. If, however, this doesn't
work and you get too few results, you may have to... |
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Make
your search more general. There are times when your search
can be too specific, and you'll get no results. If this
happens, try broadening your query topic. Searching for
the generic product category, for instance, may return
better results than searching for specific product names
or numbers.
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Automatic
"and" Queries
By
default, Munky only returns pages that include all of your search
terms. There is no need to include "and" between terms.
Keep in mind that the order in which the terms are typed will
affect the search results. To restrict a search further, just
include more terms. For example, to plan a vacation to Mexico,
simply type: "Mexico Vacation".
Automatic
Exclusion of Common Words
Munky
ignores common words and characters such as "where"
and "how", as well as certain single digits and single
letters, because they tend to slow down your search without improving
the results. Munky will indicate if a common word has been excluded
by displaying details on the results page below the search box.
If
a common word is essential to getting the results you want, you
can include it by putting a "+" sign in front of it.
(Be sure to include a space before the "+" sign.)
Another
method for doing this is conducting a phrase search, which simply
means putting quotation marks around two or more words. Common
words in a phrase search (e.g., "where are you") are
included in the search.
Capitalization
Munky
searches are NOT case sensitive. All letters, regardless of how
you type them, will be understood as lower case. For example,
searches for "george washington", "George Washington",
and "gEoRgE wAsHiNgToN" will all return the same results. |
