Organize personal web browsing for better use of time
Having multiple websites that are visited frequently can take time to find the site or require keeping a list of web addresses handy. Web browser history can be lengthened if used to maintain site locations. Then there are those Internet searches that take time to find the desired result and may have to be run multiple times before the investigation is complete. What can be done to save time on the web? Having a selection of options to help save time running searches and finding site addresses can help save time in the future.
If the same websites are visited frequently, then bookmark those websites instead of keeping a list of URLs (Uniform Resource Locator, also known as website address) somewhere. Use the bookmark feature in your web browser (or Bookmark in IE) to save URLs with a relevant name for quick access. Another alternative is to find a social bookmarking site to hold all your favorite pages. Find a bookmarking site that best meets your personal needs for ease of scanning and reading. When bookmarking URLs, bookmark the home page of the website or the most frequently referenced page within the website.
If multiple search engines are required in the research, switch to a metasearch site that checks multiple search engines or create a folder in bookmarks/favorites to store preferred search URLs for quick access. Two well-known metasearch engines are metacrawler.com and mamma.com. Many search engines will offer search suggestions to limit the results when writing a data request. Take advantage of these tips for more focused results. Some search engines will keep a temporary history of recent searches so they can be repeated later. This can be useful when you get interrupted during an Internet research project. Normally, the history is deleted after closing the browser.
If multiple blogs or news sites check regularly, set them to display together under a specific account on a site like technorati.com, or if the news site offers a free Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feed, take advantage of that option. Both options will return the latest information instantly via an RSS feed reader or to the account on a specific site. Depending on the configuration of the code on the site for the RSS feed or subscription, updates may go directly from the site to email, to another website, or will require a compatible RSS feed reader for instant viewing. Using RSS means not constantly revisiting a website for updates. RSS options save time and keystrokes.
In addition to saving time, using the old site review or search options keeps your browser history clean and short. When it comes to time management, make the right choice for internet searches to narrow down and focus research results.