For example, if you want to find pages that have references to both Microsoft and Xbox, the video game console released by Microsoft, on the same page, then type this: + Microsoft + Xbox. The search engine will display pages containing both Microsoft and Xbox.

Here is an example of how the use of + improves the search. When searching for Xbox using Altavista, a popular search engine, 709,161 pages are displayed. However, with the use of the + symbol, the number of pages is reduced to 66,654.

Sometimes, you may want to use a search engine to find pages that have one word on them but not another word. This is when you should use the - symbol. For example, if you want to look for information about Microsoft but do not want to be overwhelmed by pages relating to Xbox, you could type this: Microsoft - Xbox.

When we looked for pages with both Microsoft and Xbox we used the + symbol. The search engine brought back pages that have both those words on them, but there is no guarantee that the words are near each other.

You could get a page that mentions Microsoft in the beginning but then does not say much about Xbox.

The use of a 'phrase search' can be a much better way to get the answers you are looking for.

You tell a search engine to give you pages where the terms appear in the exact order you specify and you do this by putting quotation marks around the phrase, like this: 'Microsoft Xbox'. Only pages that have those words in that order will be listed.

After you have mastered the + and - symbols, you can combine these symbols to target your searches even more closely.

Besides using the symbols, you can use more than one search engine or subject directory. Do not forget that the more specific the search term, the more accurate the results will be.

Here are some of the more powerful search engines:

To learn more about other search engines and searching tips, you can visit the Web site searchenginewatch.com