search class

Don’t Get Angry

Major Pieces of the Internet

• Communication with other personal computers

• The World Wide Web

World wide Web

Web Consists Of:

SEARCHINGSEARCHING the Internetthe Internet

Terms to Know for Successful Searching

Web Address

Internet Browser

Search Engine

Anatomy of a Web Address

http://www.learner.org/exhibits/parkphysics/

ISP Address

Network Domain

Directory on the Server

File NameHypertext Transfer Protocol

World Wide Web

WEB BROWSER

A browser is an application (program) that allows people to connect to the World Wide Web

The most common browsers are Netscape and (MS) Internet Explorer & Mozilla

What is a Search Engine?

A program that works like a card catalogue for

the InternetIt locates sites that have

key words identified by the user

How do you get from your web browser to a search engine?

You have to type in the “address” or URL of the search engine you want to use

For example…

You would enter the “address” or URL for a search engine, using browser’s “address” line

www.looksmart.com

General Search Engines

AskJeeves www.aj.comExcite www.excite.comGo www.go.comLookSmart www.looksmart.comLycos www.lycos.comNBCi www.NBCi.com

catalogue information from a variety of web sites

Speed-rated Search Engines

Two search engines that are supposed to be FAST and good for general

useGoogle

www.google.comAll the Web

http://alltheweb.com

Metasearch Engines

BetterBrain www.betterbrain.comDogpile www.dogpile.comInfozoid www.infozoid.comIqseek www.iqseek.comMamma www.mamma.comOneSearch www.onesearch.comSherlock Hound www.sherlockhound.comSurfWax www.surfwax.comWebcrawler www.webcrawler.com

search multiple search engines simultaneously

Specialized Search Engines

Medexplorer (Medicine)www.medexplorer.com

CNET (Technology)www.cnet.com

CareerPath (Careers)www.careerpath.com

Kids’ Search Engines• AskJeeves for Kids www.ajkids.com

• CyberPatrol www.route616.com

• CyberSleuth-Kids www.cybersleuth-kids.com

• DinoSearch www.dinosearch.com

• DMOZ dmoz.org/Kids_and_Teens

• Kid Sites www.kidsites.net

• KidsClick! sunsite.berkeley.edu/KidsClick!

• Yahooligans yahooligans.com/

• Zeeks Search www.zeeks.com

More Art than Science

Searching

Five Steps to Effective Searching1. Choose your words carefully and

establish a “search phrase”

2. Know synonyms and varied spellings

3. Know how to widen or narrow your search

4. Know some Web Searching Basics 5. Learn to use one or two search

engines well

Establish a “search phrase” and choose your words carefully

There is a world of difference between searching

“Hate Crimes” and

“Anti-Hate Crime Legislation”

Know synonyms and varied spellings

“Hate Crimes”

are often also called “crimes that violate

civil rights” or

“Civil Rights Violation Crimes”

With some topics, know alternative spelling—

color might be colour

theater might be Theatre

The right “search phrase” can make a world of difference

AnthraxProduced 228,000 hits

in .15 seconds on Google

“cutaneous anthrax” Produced 7 hits in .17 seconds on Google

Prioritize the terms in your search phrase

Some search engines will produce results by word order, with the first term being most

important

“Atlanta zoo” +pandaspandas +“Atlanta zoo”

could produce different results on some search engines that search

by word order

Other tricks to know when searching

Use lower case when searching Example: ibm, imac, nato

Use multiple words to narrow searchExample: “great lakes” and shipping

Use similar wordsExample: lesson, tutorial, class, seminar

Use plus and minus signs for “and” and “not”

Use a combination of “tricks”

Examples"marine mammals" –whales

computers workstations +network +security

A recent search experience

What I was looking for:Lesson plans for Intermediate grades that show the elements of of a short story—plot, characters, etc.

What I used as a search phrase:"Language Arts" +intermediate +lessons +short story

What results that produced:First (best) hit was an index:http://www.col-ed.org/cur/lang.html of about

• At home, on a 56K modem, using Google• 2420 results in .14 seconds • First (best) hit was an index

What to do when your search produces too many results

Try to be more specific by adding more keywordsTry to use as many relevant keywords as possible; it will help to narrowly identify what you're looking for.

1,742,598 results

What to do when your search produces insufficient (or no) results

Make sure your spelling is correctBroaden your search; use fewer keywords, or add synonyms Try variations on words Use a metasearch engine