There is an ocean beyond the Pacific, beyond the Atlantic, even beyond all the seas these two encompass. This ocean is full of living organisms that you and I frequently catch. We sail this ocean much as we are doing now, and its creatures are those that feed us information. This ocean is the internet. The nets we cast here bring us interesting finds, but often little in the way of edible bounty.

The internet is so vast that it has become a very large entity to search when trying to find information. I can spend hours on a search engine, wandering through pages of data that may or may not hold that kernel of information I need, all the while remembering useless bits that I come across. Advertisements have done a great job at parodying this.**

How do I sift through a net of inedible species to find the one that will feed me? The answer is perseverance and a little know-how.

The know-how comes with the knowledge and practice of the advanced search; in other words, choosing the right type of net to use. I identify the types of sites that I want to see (.edu, .com, .org); add date ranges; and select small expressions (always careful to use quotations around these expressions). These three techniques guide me to an area of the internet where I’m sure to find the best catch, but they do not guarantee the catch.

Perseverance is really the key to the best catch because fishing the internet takes time; especially when we are looking for that byte that is the start to something grand. The advanced search will help with a better location, but perseverance helps to pick through what is in our nets, and with this picking comes patience. You need to have both in order to read through a multitude of websites; otherwise, you may find yourself with information that is dubious or, at worse, erroneous.

Our nets are all unique, but all of them are cast into the sea with the same purpose. It is knowledge that helps the catch but it is perseverance that wins it. The proper skills to fish are available to us. We only need to practice them if we want to feed our minds properly.

** You may watch one of these commercials in the media window above.

Copyright © Tyler Gant 2009
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