Transcript Search Tools & Strategies Review

INTRODUCTION TO SEARCH TOOLS

Search Tools:
 There
are many type of search tools that you can
use to locate information on the World Wide Web.
 Various search tools are developed by different
companies and have different search features and
techniques.
 They search different and overlapping parts of the
WWW.
WHAT ARE THE FOUR
MAIN CATEGORIES OF
SEARCH TOOLS?
INTRODUCTION TO SEARCH TOOLS


NO single search tool searches ALL of the web sites
(there are millions of web sites and more are added
each and every day).
The 4 types of search tools are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Search engines
Web subject directories
Metasearch engines
Invisible Web Tools
(the “Invisible Web” is also known as the "Deep Web")
SEARCH ENGINES
Definition: a computer program that retrieves
documents or files or data from a databases on the
WWW
 Automated software ("robots" or "spiders") scan the
Internet and collect information.
 The search engine interface allows you to search
for certain words or phrases found on Web pages.
SEARCH ENGINES

Advantages:
 Search
engines contain millions of web pages.
 You retrieve results that match the word(s) that you
are looking for.
 Can be useful for searching for unique or specific
topics.
SEARCH ENGINES

Disadvantages:
 Depending
on the search engine, you may get
thousands or millions of results.
 Many of the results may not be exactly what you are
looking for, especially if you are using broad or
common terms.
SEARCH ENGINE EXAMPLES


Examples:
 Google (http://www.google.com)
 Yahoo!
 Bing
Exercise:
For each of the search engines above
1. search for “Vasco da Gama”
2. record the # of hits
3. record the first two web sites listed in the
results.
SUBJECT (WEB) DIRECTORIES

Definition: a WWW search tool organizes Internet
resources by subject headings and subheadings.
Subject directories are usually compiled by human
beings who apply some selection criteria to resources
included in the database

There may be short summaries that describe
the web sites in the directory.
SUBJECT (WEB) DIRECTORIES
 Advantages:
 There
may be a higher degree of accuracy
using web directories for researching broad
subjects or topics.
SUBJECT OR WEB DIRECTORIES

Disadvantages:
 Usually fewer web sites than a search
engine.
 Web directories may not be as useful as
search engines for researching specific or
obscure topics.
SUBJECT DIRECTORY EXAMPLES
ipl2
www.ipl.org
Over 40,000 . Highest quality sites only. Useful, reliable
annotations. Formed by a merger of the Librarians' Internet
Index and the Internet Public Library.
Infomine infomine.ucr.edu
1.
Over 125,000.
Useful, reliable annotations.
Compiled by academic librarians from the University of
California and elsewhere.
About.com www.about.com
1.
Over 2 million.
Generally good annotations done by "Guides" with various
levels of expertise.
DIRECTORY SEARCH TIPS
•In ipl2 or Infomine, look for your subject as you would for
any other purpose, and keep your eyes open for sites that look
like directories. Read through the descriptions. Sometimes
these resources are identified as "Directories, "Virtual
Libraries," or "Gateway Pages."
•In Yahoo! and Google directories, try adding the terms web
directories to your subject keyword term:
EXAMPLES:
civil war web directories
weddings web directories
•In About.com, search by topic and look for pages that are
described as "101" or "guides" or a "directory." About.com is
written by "Guides" who, themselves, often are experts in the
sections they manage. Sometimes they write excellent
overviews of a topic.
"Recommended Subject Directories." Internet and Web Search Guides. UCAL Berkley,
10 Feb 2010. Web. 29 Sep 2010.
<http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/SubjDirectories.html>.
METASEARCH ENGINES
Definition: Similar to search engines but are used
to search more than one search engine at a
time.
 Some
Metasearch engines will also show you a
small number of the "best" web sites from each
search engine based on criteria established by the
metasearch engine.
METASEARCH ENGINES
Advantages:
 You
can search several search engines at one time.
Disadvantages:
 You
may retrieve inappropriate Web sites
depending on how each individual search engine
interprets the search.
METASEARCH ENGINES
Examples:
 Dogpile
(http://www.dogpile.com)
 Kartoo
http://www.kartoo.com
 Mamma
http://www.mamma.com
 Vivisimo
http://vivisimo.com/
THE INVISIBLE WEB or DEEP WEB
Definition: Web sites that are hidden from use by
the general public. Also known as the Deep
Web. Includes specialized databases and
directories.
COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT SEARCH
TOOLS: INVISIBLE WEB
Advantages:
 Can
be useful for specific topics or unique terms.
Disadvantages:
The Invisible Web will not be located by the use
of conventional search engines and directories.
You must know the URL or search using a
search tool specifically created for searching
parts of the Invisible Web.
COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT SEARCH
TOOLS: INVISIBLE WEB

Examples:
 Complete
Planet (http://www.completeplanet.com)
Classify the following sites as either a Search Engine,
Subject Directory or Metasearch engine.
•Dogpile.com
•Live.com
•Lycos.com
•About.com
•MetaCrawler .com
•Open Directory Project
http://www.dmoz.org/
EFFECTIVE SEARCH STRATEGIES
 Before beginning a search, think about what you are
looking for.
 There are strategies that you can use to find
information more efficiently , saving valuable time.
 There are strategies that can also help you increase the
effectiveness of your searches.
 Using Internet for research is to find the BEST and most
RELEVANT resources as quickly as possible.
EFFECTIVE SEARCH STRATEGIES
double quotations (“ ”)
use to look for words in exactly the order in which you
enter them
 “human rights”
 “affirmative action”
SEARCH STRATEGIES
minus sign (-)
use to exclude a word from your results
 vikings –minnesota
SEARCH STRATEGIES
site:
use to limit your search to pages published by certain
groups
 teens
site:edu
 teens site:org
 teens site:gov
SEARCH STRATEGY EXAMPLES
Depression
 Search Terms # of results
depression
depression –great
depression –great seasonal
depression –great seasonal FAQ
depression –great seasonal FAQ site:gov
depression -great seasonal FAQ site:gov symptoms
The Great Depression (historical event)
Search Terms # of results
the great depression
“the great depression”
“the great depression” site:edu “black
blizzards”
“the great depression” site:gov
“the great depression” site:gov “black
blizzards”
PLAYING THE GOOGLE GAME
•At your table with your partners, use the
searching techniques you have learned to
answer the following questions.
•Record the search terms you use and the
number of results for each search.
•The team with the fewest number wins the
game.
Question #1:
Can you explain how the author has
used the raven as a symbol in Edgar
Allan Poe’s poem“The Raven”?
“Edgar Allan Poe” raven symbol site:gov
About 235 results
QUESTION #2
How was Edgar Allan Poe related to Virginia Clem, and
what is the lowest number of results you are able to
get when doing a search about their relationship?
“Edgar Allan Poe” “Virginia Clem” site:gov
2 results
“Edgar Allan Poe” “Virginia Clem” site:org
About 39 results