"Some days you find all the answers,
and some days you can't buy a clue for any amount of money!"

Two ways to find information on the WWW are:

1. Humans organize and catalog Subject Directories. These directories are good for broad subject searching of established sites.
    
2. Search Engines rely on computer programs called spiders or robots to crawl the Web and log the words on each page. A keyword (single word) typed into a search box causes the search engine to scan its database and return a file with related links. These are good for specific topic searching.

Examples of subject directories:

• Yahoo (http://www.yahoo.com) is for adults - Search Tips (http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/ysearch/)
   
• Yahooligans (http://www.yahooligans.com) is for kids - Search Help (http://www.yahooligans.com/docs/info/help.html)
   
• Open Directory (http://dmoz.org) - founded in the spirit of the Open Source movement, maintained by a community of volunteer editors - Help (http://dmoz.org/help/helpmain.html)
   
• LookSmart (http://www.looksmart.com) - Help (http://search.looksmart.com/?tb=web&qt)
   
• About.com (http://www.about.com) - a directory with a twist...Guides, experts in their field, maintain top areas Help (http://www.about.com/gi/pages/homehc.htm)
)
 
• Argus Clearinghouse (http://www.clearinghouse.net) - a directory of top rated Web sites - FAQ (http://www.clearinghouse.net/faq.html)

  Note: This site is no longer maintained and is migrating appropriate listings to the Internet Public Library.
   

• Internet Public Library (http://www.ipl.org/ref/)
   
• Librarians Index to the Internet (http://lii.org) - Help (http://lii.org/search/file/help)
   
• The WWW Virtual Library (http://vlib.org)
   

Select one of these subject directories. Next click on a topic of interest to you. This will bring up a list of directories or documents related to the general subject listing. Continue to make choices and "burrow" down to a page you may enjoy reading.

Examples of search engines:

• Google (http://www.google.com) - Help (http://www.google.com/help/index.html)
   
• MSN (http://www.msn.com
   
• Lycos (http://www.lycos.com) - Help (http://help.lycos.com/LycosHelp/help/search/htdocs/search_1_help.htm)
   
• HotBot (http://www.hotbot.com) - Help (http://help.lycos.com/LycosHelp/help/hotbot/htdocs/hotbot_1_help.htm)
   
• Northern Light (http://www.northernlight.com) - some folks are willing to pay
   
• Seek7.com (http://www.seek7.com) - everyday search engine

Select one of these search engines and enter a keyword (something that interests you) into the white search box. Click on the Search or Go button and the search engine will search its database for a list of "hits" or pages containing your keyword. Explore your results.

Some search engines allow one to type a phrase (group of words) enclosed in quotation marks into the search box. Click on the Search or Go button and the search engine will return a file with related links.

Select one of the above search engines and type tiger woods into the search box. Click on the Search or Go button. How many "hits" did you receive?

Next type "tiger woods" into the search box (be sure to include the quotation marks.) How many "hits" did you receive this time?

Did you get more or fewer "hits" the second time? In your opinion, which search came up with the most useable "hits"?

A Metasearch Engine does not have its own database of sites. It searches the databases of other search engines.

Examples of metasearch engines:

• DogPile (http://www.dogpile.com) - searches the databases of 13 search engines
   
• Ixquick (http://www.ixquick.com) - Searchenginewatch ranks this metatsearch tool tops, along with Dogpile
   
• C4 (http://www.c4.com) - searches the databases of 11 search engines
   
• Query Search (http://www.queryserver.com/web.htm) - translates complex queries into the appropriate syntax for each of 11 engines; sorts results by relevance, subject, content, or site
   
• Mamma.com (http://www.mamma.com) - searches the databases of 14 search engines
   
• MetaCrawler (http://www.metacrawler.com)
   
• ProFusion (http://www.profusion.com) - searches the top 1000 search sources
   
• CNET Search (http://www.search.com) - searches the databases of 12 search engines
   
• One Seek (http://www.oneseek.com) - displays Web chains

Select one of these metasearch engines and enter the keyword that you used above. Click on the Fetch, Go, Find It, or Search button. How many "hits" did you receive? How does this compare with the number of hits you received in your earlier search?

"At last count, search engine Google was perusing 1.3 billion Web pages, which isn't even 20 percent of the capacity under just the ".com" top level domain.", according to a December 23, 2000 article in ZDNet News by Ben Charny. Each day thousands of new sites are added to the Web.

It is becoming increasingly difficult to find what you want and easy for your own site to get lost. NO single engine yet searches ALL sites on the Web. Identical searches using different engines will give different results. We hope the following tips will help!

When trying a new search engine, read the Help, Tips, or FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) that appear as a link from the beginning page.

"Minutes spent, getting to know how a search engine works,
will save you hours of search time in the future."

• Ask Jeeves (http://www.aj.com) - ask a question in plain English, backup metasearch
  Help - (http://static.wc.ask.com/docs/help/index.html?o=0)
   
• Excite (http://www.excite.com) - check out the "Search for more documents like this one" feature
  Help - (http://help.excite.com)
   
• Google (http://www.google.com) - returned pages ranking is based on the number of important pages that link to it; currently only search engine to include .pdf files
  Help (http://www.google.com/help/)
   

Explore the Help, Tips, or FAQ link on the first page of some of these search engines. Which search engine has a unique way to restrict your hits to a single best choice?

There are several search tools we think are more suitable for students.

• Yahooligans (http://www.yahooligans.com) - a good first site to visit, designed for ages 7 to 12
   
• Ask Jeeves for Kids (http://www.ajkids.com) - ask question in plain English, backup metasearch, links to kid safe partner sites
   
• Altavista Family Filter (http://www.altavista.com) - click on Settings link to setup Family Filter and eliminate objectionable search results
   
• AOL for kids (http://search.aol.com/cat.adp?from=SEARCHHOME&id=471237) - this directory links only to sites that are safe for kids
   
• KidsClick! (http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/KidsClick!/) - this directory lists about 6400 Web sites, compiled by librarians
   
• Lycos SearchGuard (http://searchguard.lycos.com) - fill out a small form (with password) and turn on SearchGuard
   
• FactMonster (http://www.factmonster.com) - contains encyclopedia, almanac, and dictionary; contains homework center, geography center, U S information center, people center; doesn't use " " yet, and seems to default to OR
   
• Berit's Best Sites forChildren (http://www.beritsbest.com) - directory of safe, reviewed, Web sites for children up to age 12
   
• MadSci.org (http://madsci.org) - the library that never sleeps
   
• Awesome Library for Kids (http://www.awesomelibrary.org/student.html) - 19,000 carefully reviewed resources, including the top 5% in education
   
• Awesome Library for Teens (http://www.awesomelibrary.org/student5.html)
   
• Awesome Library for College Students (http://www.awesomelibrary.org/college.html)
   
• ThinkQuest Library (http://www.thinkquest.org/library/) - contains 5000 Web sites built by kids for kids
   

Using a topic with which you are familiar, perform the same keyword search in multiple student sites to see what "hits" are returned. This is a good way to establish your favorite search tool as a student or as an adult.

Note: Because students searching for multimedia pieces to add to school projects is more common than ever before, don't miss Section 11 - Finding Graphics, Sound, and Video (with Students).

Know the terminology or vocabulary of the topic you are researching, i.e., quilters have a common vocabulary and scientists have a common vocabulary. This helps you define the query and avoid an excess of unwanted information.

• All4One(http://all4one.searchallinone.com) - searches the databases of four search engines
  
  
• Dogpile(http://www.dogpile.com/) - searches the databases of 15 search tools
   
• Looksmart (http://www.looksmart.com) - good family search engine by Reader's Digest
   
• Search (http://www.search.com) - check out the "directory" link and the "research by topic" link
   

You want to buy one of those three-cornered hats worn in the American Revolutionary War. Hint: What would you type for your keyword? Next, think of the language of your search and see if you can choose a more precise word or phrase that may get you better results. Hint: That three-cornered hat is called a "tricor".

All good search engines use Boolean or logical search operators when performing keyword searches.

AND or +

• Baroque AND composer - both words must be on the page
   
• +Baroque +composers - both words must be on the page
   
• Baroque +composers - composers must be on the page
   

OR - Between two spellings of a word, synonyms, or singular and plural words:

• grey OR gray - one or both words must be on the page
   
• city OR urban - one or both words must be on the page
   
• dog OR dogs - one or both words must be on the page
   

AND NOT or -

• cubs AND NOT baseball - eliminates pages containing word following NOT
   
• music -instrumental - eliminates pages containing the word following -
   

You can nest boolean operators with parentheses: (hardware OR software) AND Internet

NEAR or "quotes around a phrase"

• global NEAR warming - requires words have a close proximity on the page
   
• "Bureau of Indian Affairs" - requires these words be together as in a phrase on the page
   

Compare search results for: "earthquake highway damage" versus earthquake NEAR highway

Capital letters

• Tiger Woods - may decrease your "hits" when searching for proper nouns
   

Using an asterisk *

• ball* - broadens your search to include balloons, balls, and other words that begin with ball
   

Examples:

• Altavista (http://www.altavista.com) - in AV Simple Search, use +/-, use AV Advanced Search for AND, OR, AND NOT
   
• Profusion (http://www.profusion.com) - parallel Web searching, merges results, removes redundancies, and clusters hits, therefore, Boolean searching may help
   

 
• NBCI (http://www.nbci.com) - may use +/- or AND, OR, AND NOT
   

Using AltaVista, NCBI, or Profusion, try a search for a topic of your choosing. Using these search operators, try to improve your search a second time. Note the number of "hits" after each search.

Many search engines now allow you the opportunity to conduct a Power or Advanced Search. While they are each a little different, advantages include finding pages from a specific time range, providing an easy format for using advanced search syntax, and allowing you the option of setting your own preferences. Here are a few of the search engines that provide such features:

• Altavista - Advanced Text Search (http://www.altavista.com/web/adv) more info click on Help on that page
   
• Lycos - Advanced Search (http://search.lycos.com/main/adv.asp?echo=&loc=pro)
   
• Vivisimo - Vivisimo (http://vivisimo.com) - Try Clusty
   
• Yahoo - Advanced Search (http://search.yahoo.com/search/options)
   

Click on one of the above options and conduct an advanced or power search.

Try these specialized engines to find people information (phone numbers, addresses, e-mail addresses, personal home pages), business information (telephone numbers, addresses, maps with directions), and topical information (politics, law, health).

• Superpages.com (http://www.superpages.com) - a whole new kind of Yellow Page over 16 million business listings
   
• BigFoot (http://www.bigfoot.com) - global e-mail addresses, business listings
   
• People Search (http://people.yahoo.com) - online white pages
   
• SwitchBoard (http://www.switchboard.com) - e-mail, phone numbers, addresses, personal home pages, business listings
   
• QwestDex (http://www.dexonline.com) - online white and yellow pages
   
• WhoWhere (http://www.whowhere.lycos.com) - e-mail, phone numbers and addresses, personal home pages, Find a car, Find an apartment, Auction classifieds
   
• Health Atoz (http://www.healthatoz.com) - health and medical sites
   
• Merck Medical Reference (http://www.MerckHomeEdition.com) - interactive edition contains annotations, illustrations, audio pronunciations
   
• Med Explorer (http://www.medexplorer.com) - answers search query without having to wade through promotional sites or non-relevant sites
   
• All Politics (http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/) - political news and commentary (Times and CNN)
   
• FindLaw (http://www.findlaw.com) - legal resources
   
• CNET Online (http://www.cnet.com) - Web, computer products, and shareware info
   
• Google Linux (http://www.google.com/linux) - search for information on Linux
   
• Internet Public Library (http://www.ipl.org/reading/news/) - online newspapers around the world
   
• News Link (http://newslink.org) - online newspapers
   
• Topix.net (http://www.topix.net) - NEW March 8, 2004 - World's largest news site

 
• MarcoPolo - great resources and lesson plans for educators working in K12 or with K12 teachers

 
• Xrefer (http://www.xrefer.com) - contains encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauri, and books of quotations; all cross-referenced
   
• Map Quest (http://www.mapquest.com) - pinpoint U. S. location down to street level, click on E-mail link at right of map window to send your map to a friend, click on a button to the right of map to get a printer-friendly map then use your browser's print option

Search WhoWhere for your own telephone number and address. Put your address into MapQuest and get a map of how to get to your house. Try these other specialized search tools:

• Beaucoup (http://www.beaucoup.com) - lists over 1200 engines, directories, and indices around the world
   
• Info Space (http://www.infospace.com) Find people, businesses, almost anything
   
• Metor (http://www.metor.com) - offers a large selection of specialized searches
   
• Search (http://www.search.com)

You have just wrecked your car and need a part from a junk yard. OK, I found a specialty search engine for car parts...try Junk Yard Dog

Searching for graphics on the Web is not refined yet. One of the foremost sites to search for Web clipart, however, can be found at About.com or try these sites:

• Altavista (http://www.altavista.com) - click on Image tab
   
• Ditto (http://www.ditto.com) - searches images
   
• Google (http://www.google.com) - click on the Images tab
   
• Yahoo (http://dir.yahoo.com/computers_and_internet/ graphics/) - Yahoo's graphics directory search
   
• FAST Multimedia (http://multimedia.alltheweb.com) - suggest you search from the advanced search screen

 
• iStockphoto (http://www.istockphoto.com) - royalty free photos. Yes, there is a small charge.

Finding Graphics, Sound, and Video with Student

Finding graphics, sound, and video for student projects but keeping them in safe, educational areas is very important. We suggest the following sites:

• Altavista (http://www.altavista.com) - Click on the Images, MP3/Audio, or Video tabs. Be sure Family Filter is on

 
• Ask Jeeves for Kids (http://www.ajkids.com) - Click on the Clipart book in the book statck on the main page. Search for clipart, graphics, sound, audio, movies, video. Search by file type such as .gif, .jpg, .midi, .qt, .mov

 
• Awesome Library for College Students (http://www.awesomelibrary.org/college.html) - find Teens and Students search sites in Searching with Students, section 6, of this tutorial - Click on Technology link, then Clilp Art and Graphics link or Multimedia link.

 
• Education World (http://www.education-world.com) - Search for clipart, graphics, sound, audio, movies, video. Search by file type such as .gif, .jpg, .midi, .qt, .mov

 
• KidsClick! (http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/KidsClick!/) - Click on the Picture Search Tools link or the Sound Search Tools link.

 
• MarcoPolo (http://www.marcopolo-education.org) - go to the Advanced Search and enter the subject of your search and the type of media you would like in your results. Guaranteed great finds!

 
• Yahooligans (http://www.yahooligans.com) - Search for clipart, graphics, sound, audio, movies, video. Search by file type such as .gif, .jpg, .midi, .qt, .mov

Keep in mind that there are limitations to some of the areas that you search. You may not always find what you are looking for the first time, but don't worry, keep on trying. Below are a few tips to remember for tougher searches.

1. Know how the search engine/directory works best.
    
2. No two search engines or directories have the same exact information. If you don't find what you are looking for in one search engine, switch to another and try again.
    
3. For searches on very specific or unique topics try using a metasearch engine first. These search tools will search the databases of multiple search engines, saving you time and frustration.
    
4. If a simple search doesn't work, try doing a power or advanced search.

Also keep in mind the following:

• Dynamic sites, such as CNN or various financial sites, are difficult to index because they change so frequently.
   
  • Moreover.com - the most powerful news database, does search dynamic content (over 1800 handpicked sources); refreshed every 15 minutes
     
• You can search through specialized search engines dedicated to specific areas of interest such as Medical, Business, Youth, Yellow and White Pages, etc.
   
• The "Invisible Web" consists of information, such as technical papers, company information, census data, government documents, reference work, and library catalogs, stored in databases and inaccessible to software spiders. Try the following search tools to search select databases and to open your eyes!
   
  • Those Dark Hiding Places (http://library.rider.edu/scholarly/rlackie/Invisible/Inv_Web.html) - helpful information on searching every corner of the Web
     
  • Invisible Web (http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/InvisibleWeb.html)
     
  • Gateway to the Invisible Web (http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/2158321) - Resource Discovery Network (RDN)
  • ProFusion (http://www.profusion)

Explore different search engines to find your favorites.

For more search engines to explore, check the following:

• Yahoo's Search Engine Category (http://dir.yahoo.com/computers_and_internet/ internet/world_wide_web/searching_the_web/)
   
• Search Engine Colossus (http://www.searchenginecolossus.com/)
   
• Beaucoup (http://www.beaucoup.com)
   

To compare search engines and learn how they work, check the following:

• Search Engine Watch (http://www.searchenginewatch.com) - explains how search engines work
   
• CNET's Search Engine Shootout (http://www.searchengineshowdown.com - The User's Guide to Web Searching
   

 
• Research Buzz (http://www.researchbuzz.com) - offers a free newsletter with great ideas for researchers

These tips and some practice should help you make better searches!

Most of the Internet search programs are based on keyword searches of site registrations. In order for friends and potential customers to find your Internet site you need to register your site with all of the major Internet search tools. This can most easily be done by going to a site such as:

• Register.com (http://www.register.com) - register your site with multiple search engines; read up on how to promote your online business
   
• Network Solutions (http://www.networksolutions.com) - register your site with multiple search engines; read up on how to grow your online business