Just enter your first name and valid email address below, then click theHow To Find Anything Online - Part 1
This article is guest posted by James Barnes.
I got to thinking about one of Carl’s emails….about how, as a web site owner(I own/run 12 different web properties), you can get some pretty simple questions from folks that are just starting out. They tend to ask many of the same questions over and over again. Even with web sites in different niches, when you come up #1 in the serp’s(search engine result page) for anything, someone is bound to ask those questions eventually. Could some of them been my competitor? I’m more than sure a few were!
So, In the spirit of giving back what was gave to me, I offer to anyone just starting out, this humble guide of how I got started, and continue today, making money online. But Be warned. I’m an idiot when it comes to writing, so be prepared for run-on sentences and grammar problems, ok? I would like to add that no-one, not ever, not even once, has emailed me or taken the time out to say, “Hey James, you misspelled ______”. Enough Said.
But First…
Lets get something straight right now. EVERYTHING, and I do mean EVERYTHING you ever wanted to know about ANYTHING internet related is out there and online just waiting for you to read it, learn it, and implement it. Whether it be internet marketing, web design, SEO, or setting up that damn new wireless network that for some reason won’t connect to your printer, you just have to find it.
And well, it doesn’t cost a darn dime to do that. You just have to go out there, find it and take what you need. Being a self-proclaimed “Thug Marketer”(yes, I’m coining a new term here), I’m literally taking knowledge from everywhere and everyone I can and yes, ACTUALLY USING IT. It’s really as simple as that.
So I guess you could call this post, “How Do I Google For What I Want” or maybe better, “How To Find Anything Online”.
You Gotta Crawl Before You Can Walk & You Gotta Walk Before You Can Run
Ok, I think you get the gist of it. It simply amazes me when I give a client, friend or other(yes, I sometimes create sites for others) a url over the phone and within a few seconds they come back and tell me they can’t find it. They say a bunch of stuff is coming up, but not what I said would. If you don’t know the difference between a search bar and an address bar, would you please, for the love of God, click on the word “Help” at the top of your browser window and actually read on how to use your browser. You know where it’s at right? In Firefox it goes:
File Edit View History Bookmarks Tools Help
Click on it and learn. Once you learn the shortcuts of getting around your browser, you will, over time, save countless hours which can be much better spent on more productive chores. I started using the net alot in 1995 around when Carl was probably born. Sorry Carl, had to say it ;) I started using Netscape 1.0 and the very first thing I had to learn was how to use the browser.
It also doesn’t hurt to know how to get around your operating system quickly, whether it be Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, or whatever. By the way, AOL is killing off the Netscape Browser this February. Farewell to thee Netscape and thank you. Enough said about that.
So You Can Walk Now. So What.
Millions are now online doing exactly the same thing. Looking for information, using services, shopping, communicating, collaborating, researching, etc. More and more people are learning how to find whatever they want online.
But, if you are wanting to make money online, What is going to separate the wheat from the chaff, so to speak, is the amount of time YOU are going to spend searching for what you want AND determining the quality of the information returned to you. TIME. Yes TIME is the key.
Additionally, a mentor of mine once told me this, “Laser Focus = Success” period. Once you focus on that one bit of information you are searching for, stick with it. It’s so very easy to get sidetracked when searching and learning new things, so FOCUS and QUIT SCREWING AROUND. Find what you need and GET BACK TO WORK.
Are You Ready To Run?
Alright, let’s get to the nitty-gritty of this post. You need to learn to search, and search good. When you find what you need, you need to search some more to determine the quality of what you found. Now I’m not saying you absolutely MUST determine the quality of your results, but if you find others using that same info, it’s a good bet that it’s something you can use.
There are many guides on how to search, but one in particular seems to stand out. Learn it and you will gain an unfair advantage over the average person when it comes to finding what you want online. Oh, it doesn’t hurt to think outside the box too. For example, Read Carl’s post about getting .edu and .gov links.
When you finally get good at searching, you will find that more and more often, the info you need will be in the little snippet of text that Google returns with each result.
There is no monetary gain for me in any of this post or any of my future posts. No affilliate links or incentive of any kind. I think that it’s just time for me to give back. So without further adieu:
Here is a link to a free guide that will show everything you need to know on how to use Google to search and much much more: http://www.googleguide.com/
Alot of what you will learn will be applicable in most any search engine when searching. Additionally, with that same link, you can learn about crawling, page rank, spiders etc.
Read it. Learn it. Use it.
Feeling Lucky? Go ahead. Google Me. You know you want to.
James L. Barnes
Next up - How Do I Make A Website? - Part 2
Social Bookmark
2 Comments →
Nice post. First sorry for any english mistakes, it is not my native language. Well, particularly I think people are to lazy to do or find something. How many people want to do websites, blogs or manke money online, but cannot do anything by himselfs. I have a blog about japanese language, one of my most popular posts is about “how to write your name in japanese”. It is there, a complete how-to-do, just read, learn and do it. No mystery, just do it! But I keep receiveing comments and emails asking me “can you tell me my name in japanese?”. In the beginning I used to answer, but know I just say “See here[link]”. This kind of poeple will never learn a language, will never make a website or blog, will never make money online, etc., because they simply cannot do anything without other people help. Your post is good, but maybe useless, because the people who need it will not read.
Wow! This is my read of the day :) Keep up the good work!
-Mike