monday, november 1, 1999
david hoye
a primer on how to search the web
Having trouble finding what you want on the Internet? Join the club. Although Web-based search sites number in the thousands, finding that specific piece of information or just the right Web site remains a frustrating task for most people.
There are those in Computer Land who claim they can find what they want every time they go ,looking. If you ask me, those people either spend way too much time online or they aren't very picky. The rest of us have a life. We work all day, come home at night and discover that little Johnny needs to know the average rainfall in Ajo to complete a report for school. And, of course, it's due the next day.
Where do you start?
No search site has all the answers all the time. But here's a quick search site primer that will put things into perspective and increase the chances that you'll find what you want the next time you go looking.
First off, search sites come in different flavors:
Diretory's .8 ! ( http://www.yahoo.com ), which categorize the most popular stuff on the Web. Think of them as branch libraries - facilities that offer a healthy chunk of what's available, but not everything.
Search engine sites such as Alta Vista ( http://www.altavista.com ), which actively search what's available online. Think of them as the central library downtown - huge depositories of everything (or almost everything) that's available.
"Meta" search sites such as MetaCrawler ( http://www.go2net.com/search.html ), which search a variety of other search sites.
Specialized directory and/or search sites such as Switchboard ( http://www.switchboard.com ), which provide information in a particular area. Switchboard, for example, helps users locate people and businesses.
Search site tip No. 1: Always start with a directory site, such as Yahoo! They tend to be simple to use, and are likely to point you in the right direction as long as your query isn't too obscure.
Here are two simple examples that show why:
I conducted searches using the keyword "weather." Yahoo! pointed me to 190 categories of Web sites and to 3,592 actual Web sites. Alta Vista, meanwhile, provided a list of nearly 15 million Web pages.
Granted, "weather" is a pretty broad term. But if we were weather nuts and just wanted general weather-related Web sites, Yahoo! would be the way to go. The top of the Yahoo! list pointed- to popular sites related to weather news and science.
Remember Johnny's report on the average rainfall in Ajo? I conducted two additional searches using keywords "average rainfall Ajo."
Yahoo! pointed to 17 Web pages. Each of the top three sites had the information I was seeking Oust under 9 inches annually). .
Alta Vista pointed to 92,680 Web pages. The first site was connected to a different "AJO," the American Journal of Ophthalmology. The second site had the rainfall information I was looking for, but the - third site offered a recipe for something called "Shrimp mojo de ajo.'' Go figure.
Search site tip No. 2: if at first you don't succeed, try a different search site.
Here's an example why: There is a Scottsdale-based company called Sierra Alliance. I happen to know it has a Web site.
A Yahoo! search using keywords
sierra alliance" incorrectly points to a single site maintained by the Alliance for America.
The same "sierra alliance" search on Alta Vista, is 'successful. It'
produces a list with 13 hits, the first of which is the Scottsdale company's Web site.
Search site tip No. 3: Use a
search site that matches the way you like to search. I
For I example, if you like to search by asking complete questions in- stead of keywords, you should try a Web site that supports natural Ianguage.
If you type "What is the average rainfall in Ajo? on Yahoo!, you get nothing. The same question on Web Crawler (www.webcrawler. .com ), which supports natural language searches, provided a list of 44,365 pages,, the first of which pointed to a site with the correct answer.
Another popular search site that supports natural language is Ask Jeeves ( http://www.askjeeves.com ). It has a companion search site for kids called Ask Jeeves for Kids ( http://www.ajkids.com ).
Search site tip No. 4: Learn to use your favorite search site's advanced search features.
Nearly every search
site offers
conduct
the ability m ore
users
specific searches using Boolean logic or other parameters.
One of my favorite tools is sometimes called " search site math."
Relax. We're not talking algebra here. Just the use of simple "+" and signs in front of keywords.
A
As you might guess, the plus sign tells the search engine to include the keyword that, follows. The minus sign does the opposite.
Let's go back to our Ajo rainfall example.
On Alta Vista, if you search using keywords "weather rainfall ajo," you get 534,960 hits.
If you type it in this way, "+weather +rainfall +ajo'' you get 38 hits, the first of which has the information you are seeking.
As for the minus sign, consider a search for information about good old Windows 3. 1.
On Alta Vista, if you search using keywords "windows 3. 1" you get 22.2 million pages that include refgrences to Windows 3.1, 95 and 98.
conduct this search +windows +3.1 -95 -98," you get 265,838 pages, still an outrageous pile to sort through, but at least most of the pages deal only with Windows 3.1.
Another simple thing that can enhance your searches involves the use of quote marks.
If you search using keywords "weather" and "Ajo," the search site will look for sites that mention either word, whether they are together or not.
Putting the words between quote marks tells the search site to look only for sites that mention the words together.
For example, Yahoo! delivers 468 sites after a search using keywords "weather" and "Ajo" without quote marks.
But put quote marks around the two, as in "weather Ajo'' and Yahoo! produces a list with just two sites, both with the information you want.
There are other search site tricks and special features too numerous to mention here. Some, for example, .allow users to look, Just or search just newsgroups instead of the entire Web.
Search site tip No. 5: Search sites are always changing, usually for the better. So take a few minutes every few weeks to try a new search site. You might like it better than the ones you've bookmarked.
Google ( http://www.google.com ) is a good reason to seek out new search sites once in a while. Google hasn't been around as Iona as, say, Yahoo!, but it offers a unique method of helping you find what you want on the Web.
Among other things, Google uses what it calls "page rank" technology, which examines the link structure of the Web before reporting results of any search.
Google staffers maintain that it's a complicated process, but what it all boils down to is that the most popular Web sites get ranked higher in search results.
Another search site that is trying to set itself apart from the pack is About.com ( http://www.about.com ). The site uses hundreds guides
Web sites.
About.com believes its 'expert guides, who must undergo a "rigorous certification program" and "continually meet strict standards of excellence in user-service and community leadership," help users find what they want more quickly and easily.
As a final search site tip, I'd recommend that everybody check out Search Engine Watch ( http://www.searchenginewatch.com ),
The site offers a ton of infortnation about search sites, including charts that compare search site features and search site popularity.
You'll also find links to reviews of search sites, tips for better searching and news related to search sites.
Another pretty good Web site to remember is called, simply, the SearchPage ( http://www.accesscom.com/~ziegler/search.html ). The page offers links to search sites, many divided into subject categories, tips on searching and much more.
Happy searching!