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Internet Search Tools

Adapted from Kathy Schrock’s PowerPoint entitled

“Successful Web Search Strategies”

Kathy Schrock’s complete PowerPoint available at: http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/shows.html

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What are Internet search tools? Tools that help you locate

information and Web-sites on the Internet

Search engines Subject directories Meta search engines

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What is an Internet search engine? A search tool that will search for

sites containing words that you designate as a search term.

Search engines search their own databases of information

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How does a search engine work? Deploys a robot program called a

spider or robot designed to track down Web pages, follow the links these pages contain, and add information to their own database

Each search engine has its own way of organizing and displaying your results

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How do search engines differ? Different databases are searched

The degree of detail collected differs

The level of sophistication of the “robot” differs

Relevancy rankings differ

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How does a search engine know about documents on the Web?

If the search engine “spiders” or “robots” find the site on their fact gathering missions

If the publisher of the document registers it with search engines (sometimes this is done for a fee)

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Search engine example

Google

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What is an Internet subject directory? Organizes sites by subject

Users work down a series of menus

Smaller than search engines

Maintained by humans

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Subject directory example

Yahoo

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Which is better, a search engine or subject directory? Personal preference

Directories allow the user to form the search, but may not use common terms

Search engines allow the user to use common language, but may lead to lots of hits

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What is a “meta” search engine? A meta search engine doesn’t

create its own database of information

It searches databases of other search engines

Allows you to sift and see what is out there. Example - Dogpile

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How do I prepare to search? Formulate your question carefully

Identify keywords

Select synonyms and other word forms to refine your search

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How do I improve my use of search tools?

Read the help files

Use wildcard searches teen* (picks up teenage, teenagers, or teens)

Use Boolean search techniques AND, OR, NOT to focus or broaden your search

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Where can I get help choosing a search tool? “Choose the Best Search”

http://noodletools.com/debbie/literacies/information/5locate/adviceengine.html

NoodleQuesthttp://www.noodletools.com/noodlequest/

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How do I determine if my search engine meets my needs? How easy was it to figure out how

to search? Were the help files adequate? Were the amount of results

adequate/overwhelming? How current were the results? What else makes it good? (...Any

unique features? How are results organized?)

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The End