So I figured I’d run with a particular bone in many analysts’ shoes: the address bar, and what it really is (and is NOT). As a helpdesk agent, and as a PC technician, I’ve fielded calls from users who didn’t know the difference between the Address Bar, and the Search Bar.
You see, when we ask somebody to type an address into the Address Bar, and you type it into the Search Bar, it causes different reactions on your computer. This is especially problematic when typing such things into a company-owned computer instead of your home PC (the reason for that is the subject of next week’s post).
Here’s a screenshot showing the difference on Google’s page.
And MSN’s home page (the default home page of Internet Explorer):
In the Address Bar, one can type the search terms you want (i.e., what you want to search for), OR, you can type in the URL or web address. A URL starts with “http”, and has dots and frequently slashes in it. A good example is “http://www.google.com”. Later browsers sometimes leave out the “http://” portion, but it is assumed. It’s there, but the browser doesn’t show you, for simplicity’s sake.
In the Search Bar, you should only type in terms you want to search for. You can phrase it like an actual question:
“What is the omnibar in Google Chrome?”
or, you can simply type in a few key words. Remember here that the more you type, the more specific your results will be, but the more likely that a page you need will not show up in the listings. So more is not better, here.
However, if you type only one word, you may have too many results, making it difficult to find a good page.
Here’s the main tip to take away from this: Don’t type the web address (URL) into the search bar. Yes, it may get you eventually to where your going, but it takes a lot longer, and sometimes counterproductive (which we’ll cover next week).
Remember that a URL is an address. Just like the address on your house. So typing a URL into the Search Bar is like writing down the address on a piece of paper, driving over to the local post office, and asking them what address this address is at. See what you did there? You asked what address that address is at….kinda redundant, isn’t it? And once you bring intranets into the picture, that may turn up a negative result.
So URLs (web addresses) into the Address bar, and search terms into either the Address Bar or the Search Bar.
Questions, comments or feedback? Comment below or email me at jackrockblc+blog@gmail.com
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