Search Engine Tutorial - Internet, Basic Search
Tips, Search Symbols, Subject Directories, Metacrawlers, Spiders, Images
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There are a gazillion Web pages out there - no exaggeration. Most
of us can't even find the letter "z" on the keyboard. That's where
search engines come in. The problem with search engines isn't that they
don't find the info you want but that they find too much info. Keep
reading to find out how to narrow down your search and find exactly what
you're looking for.
So how do
search engines work?
Search engines put together a database of sites by sending "spiders" or
"robots" to crawl through the Web, going from link to link. When spiders
get to a Web site, they index most of the words on the available pages.
When you use a search engine, the engine scans its database of sites to
match your keywords to those same keywords in pages in the database.
Basic Search Tips
It's easy to improve your search results. All you need to know are
some basics. Some search engines have menus to do this but for others
you have to enter the right commands. The following basic commands
should be plenty of info for most people and should work in most of the
major search engines.
Be Specific
The more specific you are, the more info you'll find. Tell the search
engine exactly what you're looking for. For example, if you're looking
for science experiments, enter
School Science Fair Projects instead of science projects. If you know it's a chemistry experiment, add the word chemistry to your search.
The + Symbol`
Put the most important terms in your search first. To make sure the
search finds pages with all the words you're looking for, put the +
symbol in front of each word. For example, if you're looking for info on
Britney and Justin (like if they're still together) then enter +Britney +Justin. Only pages that have both words will be on the list.
The - Symbol
If you're looking for something specific but don't want tons of other
info that's not related to your topic, use the - symbol. For example,
if you're looking for info on
Tony Hawk but don't wanna read about his games, enter Tony Hawk -Pro -Skater -game -Playstation.
Using Quotation Marks
When you put your search terms in quotation marks, it's called a
"phrase search." The search engine will give you pages that have the
terms in the exact order of the words in quotations. For example, if
you're looking specifically for a biography on Sarah Michelle Gellar,
enter "
Sarah Michelle Gellar Biography" and see what comes up.
Combining Symbols
Once you know how the above symbols work, try combining them to
narrow down your search. A better search, than using a bunch of
subtractions, might be to do the following: "
Kylie Minoque" -Fever -"CD Review"
Booleans
Booleans (pronounced boo lee ans) can be used in most major search
engines when they allow some kind of advanced searching. The most
popular boolean operators are AND, OR and NOT. Booleans are a lot like
the + and - symbols. AND means "include all of the words," OR means
"include any of the words" and NOT means "exclude." For example, if
you're looking for info on music and dancing enter music AND dancing.
Your search will bring back sites that only include both those words.
Learning To Use Search Engines
The Search Begins Here
Most Popular Search Engines
Google
This is one of the
best search
engines out there. You don't have to deal with the advertising or
search directories that other search engines include. Google lists your
search hits according to what sites are the most popular and most
visited. There's also an 'I'm Feeling Lucky' search option. You click on
the 'I'm Feeling Lucky' button and conduct your search as normal except
it takes you directly to the first site on the list. Apparently the
first site that Google gives you is the best site. This isn't always
true but it can save you time if you know exactly what it is you're
looking for.
Yahoo
Yahoo was one of the earliest search engines on the net. It hasn't
continued to be the best though. You can't do advanced searches to limit
the amount of hits your search will receive like most
other search engines.
Yahoo's site is also a place where you can shop, check your horoscope,
email and the day's weather forecast. Yahoo also has a great subject
directory.
Excite
Your search results are sorted not by how popular the sites are but by
which sites match your keywords the best. However, Excite's site is
really cluttered. If you can find the search tool sandwiched between
advertising, news and more advertising, then it will do the job. You can
search for images here as well, so that's an added bonus.
MSN
Like so many of the other search engines, MSN has tons of shopping
options. It also has the top news headlines, a link to your Hotmail
account and lots more. The actual search tool is located on the far
right of the page, so it's easier to use and locate than Excite's.
AltaVista
AltaVista
updates its database (that's where your search results come from)
daily. They have over 31 million Web sites in their database, so you're
bound to find what you're looking for. It's also a really neat and tidy
site. It offers a subject directory, news and ad links - all clutter
free.
Where To Go For Images
Have you ever had trouble searching for pictures on the web? If you
need pictures but don't feel like spending hours inspecting hundreds of
sites for the perfect pic then hit a search engine image bank.
For example, if you head to
www.mamma.com,
click on the box marked The Web, scroll down and then click on images.
Type whatever it is you're looking for in the search box the same way
you would if searching for a Web site. The result will be tons of great
images at your
fingertips.
Remember though that many pictures are copyrighted and cost money to
download. Make sure you check whether the image you want is free before
you download. Some
other search engines that have image banks are
Google and
AltaVista.
Subject Directories
If you're looking for info on popular topics,
commercial
sites, products or a specific interest, use a subject directory.
They're usually smaller than search engines but they're created and run
by
humans, not
spiders or
robots.
Directories are also good if you don't know what you're looking for.
Most directories have a keyword search option so you don't have to dig
through almost-related topics. For example, if you're looking for math
help but don't know exactly what kind of help or math you need, check
out a subject directory on math. There's tons of sections that might
lead you to exactly where you're looking instead of having to sort
through thousands of pages at a
major search engine. If you're looking for something specific, it's better to go with a search engine. Yahoo and
LookSmart are examples of Subject Directories.
What are MetaCrawlers?
MetaCrawlers are search engines that send your search questions out
to most of the major search engines all at once, unlike a singular
search engine like Google that just searches its own database. The
results from a search on a metacrawler are usually grouped according to
the search engine they were found on. You can also search for
images through a metacrawler. Here are Kidzworld's Top 5 MetaCrawlers:
By Charyn Yi
( LAI JIA YI )
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