How to be a safe and smart searcher

Several keywords will help to find better results

Use more than one keyword when you are doing a search. If you want to find out about seagulls, for example, search for bird seagull and not just “ seagull” — because seagull might also be the name of just about anything else, from a hotel to a documentary film.

Avoid common words

Don’t use words like ‘a’ or the’ in a search. These aren’t always helpful and are usually unnecessary.

Remove unwanted results

Adding a minus symbol (-), for example, seagull-hotel-film, would leave out all references to hotels and films.

Check your spelling

Make sure that you spell every word in the search box correctly. The smallest typing mistakes can bring unwanted results — especially when the mistyped word exists.

Have a filter(过滤)

It’s a good idea to filter your online searches, especially when you are searching for pictures. Ask an adult to help you add a filtering system. There are lots of filtering software options available.

Experiment with different search engines

Keep trying until you find the one that’s best for you. Some search engines personalize the results, so check out the choice of using a search engine that doesn’t do this and you will get different results.

Reliability is very important when you are searching on the internet

Always ask yourself, “Is this reliable? Don’t make the mistake of believing everything you see. Some websites are unreliable and some information is false. Check your information on other websites before accepting it.

a. Ignore small spelling mistakes.                                       

b. Choose your search engine carefully.

c. Avoid terms like “a” or “the” in a search.

d. Use only one keyword in a single search.

e. Compare information from different sites.