Search Tools for the Internet

Adapted from: Kathy Schrock<http://www.capecod.net/schrockguide/>

M. Rosettis St. Augustine CHS

Agenda

• Definition of a search engine• How a search engine works• Definition of a subject directory• How Subject Directories work• Meta Search Engines• Improving your Internet Use: search

strategies that work!

What is an Internet search engine?

• An Internet tool which will search for sites containing the words that you type in as a search term

• Search engines search their own databases of information

What are some search engines?

Google

AltaVista

HotBot

Excite

Teoma

How does a search engine work?

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

• Each search engine has its own way of doing things – read the Help Files

Search engine’s database

index

Spider or Robot

Every word on the page

or some words on the

page

Finds new pages or changed

information on a page

Internet

Search Engine’s Server

LAUNCHES

VISITS

CRAWLS

LOCATES

RETURNS

PRODUCES

SEARCHES

RECEIVES

How does a search engine work?

User

What do the search results mean?

• Results are presented in order of relevance

• Beware: Web page designers often try spamdexing (embedding search terms many times in a hidden field)

• Engines use different methods of

collection – don’t be afraid to search using a number of Search Engines

What is an Internet subject directory?

• Organizes Internet sites by subject

• User works down a series of menus

• Smaller than search engines

• Maintained by human beings

What are some subject directories?

Google

Yahoo Canada

Internet Public Library

Look Smart

About

Directory’s searchable

index

Internet

Directory’s Server

VISITS

PRODUCES

SEARCHES

RECEIVES

Directory Employee

EVALUATES

ADDS and “CATALOGS”

Directory’s browsable categories

BROWSES

How does a directory

work?

User

Choose a subject from the top menu

Navigation by clicking on links

Choose a category

Number of Web Sites

How can I improve my use of search engines?

• Read the help files

• Learn about truncated searches

• Learn about Boolean searching

• Learn about wildcard searches

Truncated Searches

• A special symbol which allows you to search simultaneously for several words with the same stem

computer

Comput* computers

computingcomputer careerscomputations

Wildcard Searches

• Let you search for numerous word versions

• Use the “?” symbol in your search word

• Example: m?n = man or men or msn wom?n = woman or women

Boolean Searches

• Let you to broaden a search

• Let you to narrow a search

• Operate differently in each search engine

How do I narrow a search using “and”?

• Using and will only provide links to sites which have BOTH of these words present

How do I narrow a search even more?

• Using and twice will limit the search even more

• You will only get

pages that include

all THREE of the terms

How do I narrow a search using “not”?

• Using not narrows the search by telling the search engine to exclude certain words

• AltaVista uses the

form and notelementary

How do I broaden a search?

• Use of the word or will broaden a search

• Use or if two words

may be used

interchangeably

• Can use or more than once to get very broad

Google: Advanced Search

HotBot : Advanced Search Options

Yahoo Canada : Advanced Search Options

What is a ‘Meta’ Search Engine?

• does not create its own information database

• It searches the databases of other engines

• Allows you to look through many pages from different search engines at once

• Best to use only when you are having trouble locating information on your topic

What are some Meta Search

Engines?

Hints for searching

• Use unique keywords• Check your spelling• Use quotation marks around phrases • Try using different search engines• Read the help files

Adapted from: Kathy Schrock

http://www.capecod.net/schrockguide/

M. Rosettis - School Library Information Centre - St. Augustine C.H.S.