Simple Searches - case sensitivity, phrases, wildcards, required and prohibited terms. The results ("hits") are ranked by a scheme based on where the query terms are found, their proximity and frequency. I generally find this approach too murky for all but the simplest searches.

There are instances where simple searching can powerful, such as when query terms are rare. But most of the time I recommend moderately simple Boolean searches. Overly simple searches will bury you in too many hits and confirm the worst Web stereotypes, overly complex searches will be too restrictive due to the lack of a calibrated vocabulary.

Advanced Searches - The same rules for capitalization, phrases, wildcards apply, with the addition of Boolean searching, proximity operators, and logical groupings.

AltaVista now offers assistance with refining search terms via the new Refine feature. Available from any search results page, Refine offers additional, related terms to add to a particular search query. The HTML version presents categorized tables of related terms, allowing addition or exclusion of individual search terms and then resubmitting the search. The evolution of this, and similar aids in other major search engines, will do much to make searching more effective in contexts like the Web where one has to calibrate oneself to the vocabulary on the fly.