5 tips for better web searching in less time

Most of us use search engines every day, but few know how to make the most of those searches. Given the enormous amount of information on the Internet, almost any search you do will yield thousands, or even millions of results. But if they aren’t the right results, they don’t do you any good. And who has time to spend trawling through loads of “sort of useful” information?

Fortunately, there are a few tricks to help you better focus your searches − so you get the information you need in less time. Here are five “search engine best practices” to try next time you need to search.

1. Use quotes to find a specific phrase

In order to find an entire phrase in a search, enter quotation marks (“ ”) around the terms. For example, the search query butter apples orangewillyield results containing any mention of those words, whereas “butter apples orange” returns only results where those words appear together and in that order in either the title, the URL of the website or the keywords in the document.

2. Use + or – for more targeted word searches

Adding the plus sign (+) or the word AND before a word will require that it be found in all of the search results. Conversely, the minus sign (-) before a word, or the word NOT, requires that it not be found in the search results.

3. Describe what you need with as few terms as possible

Generally, the more words you use in a search query, the more results you’ll get. But that doesn’t mean you’ll necessarily get more useful results. So starting with fewer words helps you keep your searches focused. And even if you don't find what you need, the results will likely give you a good idea of what additional words are needed to refine your results on the next search.

4. Use search engine advanced search options

Many search engines give you the option to do an Advanced Search. You can filter results by date, language or other criteria. Advanced searching also makes the process of searching for specific words (as described above) fast and easy. You can even do site-specific searches.

5. Skip searching and sign up for alerts

If you find yourself frequently searching the same terms to find new information, you can save time by signing up for alerts. For example, if you frequently search for news of your favourite sports team, Google Alerts will send you daily, weekly, or “as it happens” e-mail updates. Another option: Microsoft’s new search engine, Bing, offers RSS feeds for its web search results that you can subscribe to inside any feed reader. Just add “&format=rss” (without the quotes) to any Bing search URL to convert it into a feed.

In addition to these tips, it’s a good idea to explore the features and functionality of different search engines to see which one is right for your needs and fits your preferences. Apart from the well-known Google, there’s Bing, Ask, and Dogpile, just to name a few.

Happy searching!

Courtesy: http://www.hp.com/

How to avoid workplace drama?

Drama: it’s great for the movies or television, but not so great in the workplace. Work is stressful enough without the added burden of backstabbing, gossip and strategically placed comments. So how can you keep your focus in the right place – on your job – and avoid any unnecessary workplace dramatics? Here are five suggestions.

1. Choose sides carefully (or better yet, not at all)

At some point in your career, or at many points, you’re going to get caught in a dispute between two or more factions. While it may seem politically advantageous to align yourself with management, or more loyal to align yourself with your peers, either route can backfire. The best strategy is to try and stay as impartial and neutral as possible – just focus on your own responsibilities, and deal with people on both sides of the conflict equally and fairly.

2. Be direct, but not confrontational

If you have a disagreement or problem with someone at work, you generally have three options. You could:

a) Ignore the problem and hope it goes away;
b) Complain bitterly about this person behind their back;
c) Talk to the person directly to try and resolve the issue.

Guess which is the most likely to achieve the outcome you want?

Talking directly with someone is always the best way to get your concerns out into the open and hopefully work out a compromise. Try to bring up your concerns in a neutral way; address the issue, not the person. To avoid sounding accusatory or confrontational, use “I” or “we” statements to bring about a collaborative solution. For example, instead of: “You never get your work done on time,” try: “I feel like that last project didn’t go as well as it could have. What can we do differently next time to make sure we meet our deadlines?”

3. Be careful what information you share

It can be difficult to resist the temptation to repeat things that have been told to you in confidence, or repeat a juicy rumour you heard at lunch. But if you’re serious about getting ahead, resist you must. Revealing sensitive or confidential information (such as impending company layoffs or account losses) can only do harm to your reputation, or even your job. Some companies have very strict policies on how and when information can be shared – policies that, if broken, could possibly even result in termination of your contract. So don’t take the risk!

4. Be friendly and cooperative

While it’s important to focus on tasks and be professional, it’s a smart idea to stay on good terms with colleagues. That means always being polite, friendly and willing to help someone out. This doesn’t mean you have to say “yes” to everything, or offer any grand gestures; simple things like offering to help change the toner in the photocopier, or always greeting your colleagues at the beginning and end of the work day, can mean a lot. If you build a reputation as a pleasant person who doesn’t just care about himself, you’ll be less likely to find yourself the target of malicious gossip, and more likely to move up the career ladder.

5. Stay positive

It’s natural to sometimes get frustrated and angry with your work. But no one wants to work with someone who is constantly complaining. A perpetually negative attitude (“I can’t stand working here”; “The boss is such a jerk”; “I’ll never get promoted”) just feeds on itself, making you and everyone around you miserable. So try to focus on what you like about your job: your great colleagues, the flexible hours or the opportunities to learn new skills. And if you do have a complaint, try to offer a solution so that you’re turning something negative into a positive.

Courtesy: www.hp.com

A very touching moment

Year : 1975 Situation : Last day of school

Arjun Singh and Pargat Singh are very close friends.

The whole school talked about their friendship. They had been friends right from their kindergarten days. They have studied together, roamed around together, sat together in school.

, ate together. They both wanted to become Police officials and serve the country.But today was a day they always dreaded. It was their last day together.

On their way back from School Arjun started talking

Arjun : Bro! I am moving to a different city to study. I will miss you man

Pargat: I will miss you too mate. But nothing can break our friendship. We will at least meet once every year.

Arjun: Yes that is a dealand they parted with tears in their eyes...

As time went by, both got busy with their work life. They kept their promise for two years and after that they moved on with their own lives and in the process Arjun lost his contact with Pargat. Time went by and both became Police Officers.

Year: 2009 Venue: The Police station where Arjun works

Tring... Tring...Arjun picks up the call and he gets a pleasant surprise..."Is this Arjun?""Yes. Who is on the line?"" Bro. Its Pargat! I just found out that you are posted in this station"
Tear drops welled up Arjun's eyes

Arjun: Where are you?

Pargat: I am standing outside the Police station. Come Out

Arjun: Is it? I am coming right away.

Arjun rushed out of the Police station and saw Pargat standing outside. They were seeing each other for the first time after thirty years. He wanted to go and hug his friend. But he could not hug his friend. It was a very touching moment for both of them :SCROLL…….

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Have you ever seen a touching moment like this?