The Best Tools for Finding Information When Google Isn't Enough

Specialty Tools Can Find Answers Google Isn't Looking For

Google does a great job of searching web sites, and it's no slouch in the field of instant answers, either. However, not every question can be answered by the first page of results. Here are some other resources you should include in your repertoire, as well as what they're useful for.

Wolfram Alpha Crunches Big Numbers and Statistics

The Best Tools for Finding Information When Google Isn't Enough

Wolfram Alpha is to Google's answer cards as movies are to paper flip books. Google will tell you everyday things like how many ounces are in a cup. Wolfram Alpha can tell you about median salaries in a given field, or perform key financial calculations. You can even estimate your blood alcohol content. The site is excellent at in-depth research and calculations that go beyond web search results.

The Wayback Machine Shows You the Internet of the Past

The internet is constantly changing and what you're looking for may have either been removed or changed. Archive.org is a non-profit organization that keeps track of public domain movies, audio and text. One of its most useful tools, though, is the Wayback Machine. It crawls websites and saves a snapshot of the sites it visits. You can view any site in its archive as it appeared in the past. It's not completely comprehensive (an almost impossible task), but you can view years worth of history for major sites.

Topsy Analyzes Twitter's Real-Time Data Stream

Twitter encourages real-time sharing, which means it's uniquely positioned to share information on current events. It's also incredibly dense and difficult to sift through. Topsy makes it easier. It can filter by time range, collects videos, photos, or links, and even analyzes sentiment. It can even determine which accounts have the most influence on a topic. If you're trying to get the hang of a breaking news story, Topsy can give you something of a bird's eye view.

Use Forums to Get Answers From Real People1

Not every question has a simple, direct answer. If your problem is too specific and obscure, or if you need personal advice and experience, forums are an excellent place to get unfiltered input from human beings. With forums, you tend to have two options: general sites that have answers for just about everything, or specialty forums that tend to attract like-minded experts in the field you're looking for. Here are some of the best resources to start your search with.

Reddit Hosts Virtually Limitless Sub-Communities

To the average person, Reddit is a place where people post funny pictures, share links to current events, and occasionally interview famous people. However, users can create subreddits that focus on whatever they want. Sub-forums already exist for topics including personal finance, relationships and sex, science, and plenty others—and they're not very easy to find on Google. Reddit can even help you find useful subreddits. So, if you want to crowdsource an opinion, heading to Reddit and using their search function can turn up a lot you wouldn't otherwise find.

StackExchange Answers Your Questions Categorically

Much like Reddit, StackExchange has sub-communities devoted to particular topics from bicycles to beer. Unlike Reddit, however, it's specifically centered around asking and answering questions (as opposed to sharing news or funny pictures). The sub-sections also aren't user-created, so there aren't quite as many as Reddit, but the site does focus on curating professional, high-quality responses. If you can't find an answer to a question you're looking for, or you simply want to get answers from people who know what they're talking about, this is a great place to start. Of course, start by searching for your question in case someone else has already asked it.

Enthusiast Forums Bring Experts Together

If you're not getting the answer you need (or you just want to dive deeper), enthusiast forums are an excellent resource. Not only do they bring together some of the most interested people on a given topic, but they create massive archives of discussions that you can search through to find answers to questions that only one other person asked several years ago.

There are nearly as many forums on the internet as people, but here are some of the most useful and active ones for various topics:

XDA (Android and Windows Phone): XDA is an excellent resource for people who want to root their phones, troubleshoot problems, or find new and interesting apps. It's not only Android phones, either. You can find information for Windows Phone and even some iOS posts.
SlickDeals (Deals and Personal Finance: SlickDeals forums are useful getting information on credit card interest rates, career discussions, and tips on how to find your own deals. It's not all coupon alerts, so if you haven't dived in, take a look.
BodyBuilding.com (Fitness and Exercise): Accountability is essential for getting in shape or learning to eat well. Bodybuilding.com is one of the largest forums for health and fitness around (and in fact one of the largest on the internet in general).

These are just a few, but there are tons of others for nearly every topic imaginable. From anime to music, architecture to aviation. Many forums can be dense, but don't be put off by walls of text. Use built in search options, or if the site doesn't have great search tools, you can at least use the site: operator on Google itself.

Learn the Fine Art of Finding Quality Sources

Google often spoils us by giving us exactly what we're looking for (assuming we ask the right question) in the top few search results. However, just because something is the top result doesn't mean it's right. Whether you're using Google or other resources, there are a few helpful rules that can help you get the right information you need.

TechieNews