finding information using the internet to search
TRANSCRIPT
Finding Information
Using the Internet to search
Finding Stuff on the Web...
Step One is to understand the difference between– Internet Providers– Browsers– Search Engines
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
Provides access to the Internet– Are national providers such as IBM, GlobalNet,
AOL– Are local providers such as Imperium
Internet Browsers
Need a browser to use and see the Web Browser software interprets HTML and
allows you to see the document page Common browsers are Microsoft Explorer,
Firefox and Safari
Meaning of a URL (unique resource locator)
Search Engines
Software that searches an index and returns matches– Directory or Index--Finds web pages and
returns lists of pages which match the query– Usually compiled manually by submission– Google is an example
Meta Search Engines
Meta search engines pass queries on to other search engines and then summarizes the results.– Dogpile, Ask Jeeves, Altavista
Using Boolean Searches
A Boolean search allows the inclusion or exclusion of documents
Uses AND (+), NOT (-), or OR
Using ORI want information about college
Colleges Universities
OR--looks in both
Using AND
I’m interested in the relationship between crime and poverty.
Crime Poverty
AND--selects ONLY the shaded area
Using NOT
I want to know about radiation NOT nuclear radiation.
Radiation NuclearRadiation
NOT--will give you information about radiation but eliminates anything about nuclear radiation
Using “quotation marks”
Want information about the Lincoln Penny Type in Lincoln Penny and you get all
information about Lincoln and about pennies
Type in “Lincoln Penny” and it gives only information about Lincoln pennies
Like putting in an AND--but better
What if you get NO results
Check spelling Try synonyms or word variations Be less specific--use fewer connectors Try a different search engine
What if you get TOO MANY results? Try to be more specific Use as many keywords as possible
Be more selective--X out what you don’t need
Server problems?
Try again in a few minutes Use a less busy time of day Check your spelling URL may be case sensitive Make sure no spaces
Scan, Focus, Act
Scan--Select what you need--Know what you don’t need--clip, copy, print
Focus--Make sure you’re using the right tool for task--(Michael Jackson’s latest CD)
Act--Plan before you start--
Adapted from Frank Burns
Happy Searching
Searching is
FUN!