Searching the World Wide Web
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Considering the immensity of the Internet, you may be wondering how you will ever locate anything specific in all this mess. Internet directories, more commonly called "Search Engines", provide the solution.
Internet Search Engines
Search Engines are a lot like telephone books. They come in
all sizes, and everyone has a favorite. On the Internet, you can easily
find
a couple dozen "name brand" engines, another dozen that are striving to join the name brand group, and innumerable
"wanna-be's". Search Engines have different styles, methods of searching, and display their search results differently. Many engines profess to be all encompassing,
broadbased searches; others limit their searches to certain sites or types of information. The search engine(s) you
will come to use the most will be the one(s) which 1) provide you with accurate, up-to-date information 2) display
the
results of the search in a way which is easy to understand, and 3) consistently work quickly and efficiently, making
good use of your valuable time.
How a Search Engine works
The common way for a Search Engine to find documents for you is to search its database for "keywords" which you type in a "query".
This is a very effective way to find volumes of information on a particular subject very quickly. The engine simply
matches the words in your query to those it finds in the document; then it displays these "search results" for you,
usually ranking them, with documents containing the largest number of matches at the top of the list.
Of course, this can also result in a lot of "cyber-goo" in the results if your query is too broad to be
useful. For example, the query "Colorado" will return literally thousands of documents. If you are really just
looking for information about vacation activities in Southwest Colorado, you might try using "southwest colorado
vacation outdoor summer" and further refining your search with "horseback rides" to get more specific results.
Some Search Engines are organized in categories. To find specific subjects in these engines, you first
look in the general category which fits your topic, then the categories become increasingly refined until they
contain
only documents of a very specific nature. Some Search Engines will allow you to use a keyword search on a specific
category, which can also be very effective.
Tips for Obtaining Good Results
- Be as specific as you can.
- Correct spelling is essential. Include multiple spellings (telemark, telemarque); remember, you are searching
the
World Wide Web!
- Use keywords which are unique to the subject you wish to find.
- Most engines are case-insensitive (no need to capitalize).
- Don't limit yourself to only one or two Search Engines; each have their merits, and you will often find very
different results in each one.
- The better Search Engines usually include a "Search Help" section which shows you how to get the best results
with
that particular search. Use it - it works!
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