Introduction

When using the internet, you can’t avoid searching for information.

Whether you’re a student, a professional, or in any role, you’ll likely need to look things up.

In today’s era, where AI like ChatGPT is becoming ubiquitous, I believe “searching skills” are more important than ever.

Let me use an example. Imagine you run into a problem and ask someone for advice.

How many of you have been told, “Just Google it”?

In simpler terms, it means, “Did you try looking it up before asking?”

“But I don’t even know what to search for!!” You might have felt this way.

So here are my personal tips for effective searching.

For example, imagine you encounter an error message while programming.

Here’s an example error, quoted from Browser Does Not Launch When Using Vivliostyle Preview on WSL Ubuntu:

$ vivliostyle preview
✖ launch =launch =Target page, context or browser has been closed
Browser logs:

<launching> /home/<username>/.cache/ms-playwright/chromium-1112/chrome-linux/chrome --disable-field-trial-config --disable-background-networking --enable-features=NetworkService,NetworkServiceInProcess --disable-background-timer-throttling --disable-backgrounding-occluded-windows --disable-back-forward-cache --disable-breakpad --disable-client-side-phishing-detection --disable-component-extensions-with-background-pages --disable-component-update --no-default-browser-check --disable-default-apps --disable-dev-shm-usage --disable-extensions --disable-features=ImprovedCookieControls,LazyFrameLoading,GlobalMediaControls,DestroyProfileOnBrowserClose,MediaRouter,DialMediaRouteProvider,AcceptCHFrame,AutoExpandDetailsElement,CertificateTransparencyComponentUpdater,AvoidUnnecessaryBeforeUnloadCheckSync,Translate,HttpsUpgrades,PaintHolding --allow-pre-commit-input --disable-hang-monitor --disable-ipc-flooding-protection --disable-popup-blocking --disable-prompt-on-repost --disable-renderer-backgrounding --force-color-profile=srgb --metrics-recording-only --no-first-run --enable-automation --password-store=basic --use-mock-keychain --no-service-autorun --export-tagged-pdf --disable-search-engine-choice-screen --no-sandbox --allow-file-access-from-files --disable-web-security  --lang=en --user-data-dir=/tmp/playwright_chromiumdev_profile-7QTpYX --remote-debugging-pipe --no-startup-window
<launched> pid=1818
[pid=1818] <process did exit =exitCode=127, signal=null>
[pid=1818] starting temporary directories cleanup

(Note: <username> is a placeholder that varies by user.)

Sometimes, searching the entire error message doesn’t yield helpful results.

In such cases, it’s a good idea to break down the keywords and search for those.

For example: try searching for phrases like “vivliostyle browser can’t launch” or “vivliostyle preview context or browser has been closed.”

The specific keywords may differ depending on the issue, but keyword-based searching is a skill worth learning.

As the title of this article suggests, Google is often the go-to search engine.

While there are other options like Yahoo or Bing, the search engine itself is less important than refining your search results.

For instance, let’s say you’re looking up information about Python’s print function.

Many of the top results will likely be sites that have optimized their SEO (efforts to rank higher in search results).

This often includes programming schools or affiliate blogs.

Unfortunately, these are sometimes filled with ads or superficial content and may not be very helpful.

When possible, look for official sites or documentation.

This isn’t limited to programming—any subject with official documentation is a good place to start.

While official documentation can sometimes be written in a confusing way or in another language, it’s often more reliable than wasting time on unhelpful content.

If official documentation doesn’t make sense, turn to specialized sites for your topic.

For example, in cooking, you might check recipe-specific platforms like Cookpad.

For engineering or programming, platforms like GitHub and Stack Overflow are invaluable.

If there are specialized sites related to your query, it’s worth exploring them.

Be cautious of sites that only appear to be specialized.

For example, there are pages that simply retranslate content from Stack Overflow.

How to filter such sites from your search results will be covered in a separate article.

2024-12-15 Note: I wrote an article Use U Blacklist to Do Your Search

Is Searching Even Necessary?

While I’ve covered search tips, it’s also worth asking yourself whether searching is necessary in the first place.

If another method solves the issue more efficiently, then there’s no harm in skipping the search.

Consider whether your question is appropriate to ask now or if it’s better to seek advice directly.

Conclusion

Break down keywords when searching, use official or specialized sites, and consider whether searching is even necessary.

By keeping these three points in mind, you may find them helpful in your future endeavors.