What’s the meaning of life?
Where’s the best place to buy sponges?
Where do freckles come from?

The Internet has opened up a world of information immediately available. Try these methods to find answers online:

1. Google Search.
   This is an obvious one. Enter the main keywords of your question into Google and you’ll get tons of results. And don’t waste your time with Yahoo search; Google is proven to return the most relevant results. Microsoft’s new search engine, Bing, may be worth checking out though. It has a more visual approach to search and may be more useful in come cases.
2. Facebook.
   Put your question into your Status Message. All of your friends will see it, and you’ll get tons of trustworthy answers within minutes.
   

   Facebook Status Message

3. Yahoo! Answers.
   This is a great development that has proven incredibly useful. Go to http://answers.yahoo.com to post your question. Within 24 hours you should have a number of responses, and often these come from very knowledgeable people. Of course you can’t trust these responses blindly, but often you’ll be surprised at the quality of the answers.
4. Wikipedia.
   Often your Google search will result in a Wikipedia entry as one of the top results. Wikipedia is a great starting point to any search on a popular topic. It’s quite the encyclopedia on almost all topics, and since it can be edited by any user, you should exercise caution, so use it as a springboard for leads that you should validate before you put in any essay or report.
5. Twitter.
   You probably don’t have an account yet, but if you’ve amassed a large following, ask any question in a tweet and you’ll get a ton of answers. You can also search Twitter and see anyone’s up-to-the-minute tweets on a topic.Twitter search is especially good for movie reviews hot off the presses. Supposedly that’s why the Bruno movie underperformed. It was projected to earn $50-million in its first weekend but flopped bringing in only $30.4-million. Time Magazine attributes this to moviegoers expressing their displeasure with the movie on Twitter upon leaving the theatre, spreading word through the social stratosphere.
6. YouTube.
   Surprisingly, YouTube is now becoming a viable resource for solving real-world problems. You’ll find tons of tutorials and how-to’s on this multimedia search engine including sports tips and DIY guides to computers and home renovations.

If you haven’t tried Yahoo! Answers yet, give it a go. It’s probably the least known of these options, but often the most helpful.

Just search for productname reviews.

You should easily find some reviews sites with customer reviews. And don’t just limit this to products. Look up reviews for renovation contractors and other businesses you’re thinking of doing business with.

Of course you can’t trust every review, but after you’ve browsed through a few sites, you might find a lot of complaints about a certain model of phone, etc. I did this before choosing a phone carrier (I’m glad I didn’t go with Koodo Mobile) and then when choosing a particular model.

While there are individuals and companies who will post fake reviews (good or bad), it’s still worth reading, especially across multiple reviews sites.

Facebook

You can also try asking your friends through Facebook. Simply inquire in your status message, and in less than 30 minutes you should have a few trustworthy opinions and suggestions. If you’re not on Facebook yet, get on it, you’ll love sifting through family gathering photos from long lost elementary school peers you never speak to.

The information is out there  so there’s no excuse for a bad purchase.