Stop Browsing the Web Finding huge quantities of info-garbage on the Web is easy. Finding good, relevant information takes good tools and know-how.
Browsing is dead. Random, serendipitous clicking from link to link just doesn't work anymore. The Web has grown large-more than 120 million Web pages thus far. Only focused, intelligent searches will deliver what you're looking for. Finding huge quantities of info-garbage on the Web is easy. Finding good, relevant information takes good tools and know-how. Let's say I want WINDOWS Magazine tips for using PowerToys, Microsoft's free Windows 95 user-interface utility. I could start at Yahoo or one of the other indexed sites and drill down through the categories until I reach WINDOWS Magazine, then drill down in the magazine's site until I reach the tips page. But at the speed of the Web, that could take a while. I'd be better off using a good search engine, such as Digital Equipment Corp.'s AltaVista site. Clicking on the Advanced tab, entering "Windows Magazine" AND "Win95 Tips" in the Selection Criteria box, then "PowerToys" in the Results Ranking Criteria box gives me exactly what I'm looking for-a direct link to WINDOWS Magazine's tips page,
My example shows how using a good tool right saves time. That's what this month's cover story is all about: timesaving tips, techniques and software that make the Web work hard for you, rather than the other way around. Our exclusive special report will help you not only find information; but see and hear it; sort, store and use it; publish it; and even promote what you've published. Find it. Our special report includes guides to all the great search engines you know and love, plus some awesome search resources you may not have heard about. We'll also share a few of our best secrets for great searching. See and hear it. Some of the most compelling information isn't text, but video, sound or even virtual worlds. Getting all that takes an updated, compatible browser and all the right plug-ins. Our special report tells you exactly which are best. Sort, store and use it. The information you find on the Web is of little use if you don't manage it properly. We'll tell you exactly which Windows utilities are best for helping you find, sort and store Web data. Publish it. Our guide tells you all about the latest and greatest hardware and software for designing, building and maintaining a rich and secure multimedia site. Promote it. What good is a great site if nobody sees it? Our report delivers promotional secrets of the pros. Speaking of promotion, let me tell you why WINDOWS Magazine knows how to "Rev Up the Web." WinMag editors are responsible for designing, building and maintaining our Web site. Most magazines that host Web sites contract the job out. And most Web sites-even many with PC-oriented content-are hosted on UNIX servers rather than on a version of Windows. Our Web server is a fully redundant dual-processor Intergraph 650 running Windows NT Server 4.0 and Microsoft Internet Information Server. It's connected to a T1 line here in our editorial offices in Jericho, N.Y. Webmaster Paul Silverman and our editors and contributors update the pages on the site. When editors host sites, they really host them. For example, I host the Win95 site (http://www.winmag.com/win95), and editorial director Fred Langa hosts the BrowserTune (http://www.winmag.com/flanga/browsertune/btstart.htm) and HotSpots(http://www.winmag.com/flanga/hotspots.htm) sites. We not only write the content but the HTML as well. When we write about Web issues, we speak from our experiences over the past three years. So if you're looking for the ultimate Web information, go straight to the source. Join me, my fellow WinMag editors, top vendors and other readers this month for a special "Rev Up the Web: Tips, Techniques and Free Software" event. You'll find it all at http://www.winmag.com/cover. Contact editor Mike Elgan at his Web page (http://www.winmag.com/people/melgan) or at the e-mail addresses here.
|
