Internet Research: Finding Websites, Blogs, Wikis, and More

Internet Research: Finding Internet Research: Finding Websites, Blogs, Wikis, and Websites, Blogs, Wikis, and

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The Internet vs. the WebThe Internet vs. the Web

Internet: “the world’s largest computer network made up of millions of computers. It’s really nothing more than the ‘plumbing’ that allows information of various kinds to flow from computer to computer around the world.”

Web: “one of many interfaces to the Internet, making it easy to retrieve text, pictures, and multimedia files from computers without having to know complicated commands.”

Other Internet protocols and interfaces include e-mail, chat rooms and bulletin boards, internet mailing lists, newsgroups, and databases accessed via Web interfaces.

Search EnginesSearch Engines

“databases containing full-text indexes of Web pages” like white pages

Issues with Search EnginesIssues with Search Engines

The cost of crawling can be high.Web crawlers are “dumb.”Users can have unrealistic expectations and

limited skills.Because people want immediate results,

they cannot be thorough.Search engines are biased toward text—

though this is changing.

Main Functional Parts of a Main Functional Parts of a Search EngineSearch Engine

Crawler or spider – a computer program that “crawls” a website and sends information back to the database

Database – collection of information from websites crawled

Indexing program – a program that indexes words in the database

Retrieval engine – the computer program that takes your keywords and brings back the hits

HTML interface – what you see on the search engine’s website

Typical Retrieval and Ranking Typical Retrieval and Ranking FactorsFactors

Popularity of the page Frequency of terms Number of query terms that are matched Rarity of terms Weighting by field Proximity of terms Weighting according to the order in which the searcher entered terms Word variants (and/or truncation) Case-sensitivity Analysis of documents in database Relevance feedback applied to retrieved records Date

Comparing Results from Major Comparing Results from Major Search EnginesSearch Engines

Thumbshots.com Ranking

Information Needed for Reviews Information Needed for Reviews of Internet Search Tools*of Internet Search Tools*

Default operation Advanced searching Operators (Boolean,

proximity, truncation, etc.) Case sensitivity Field searching

Limiters Stop words Sorting/ranking Display Other features Strengths and weaknesses

* See Search Engine Features Chart for explanations

Sample Search EngineSample Search Engine

AOL Search

List of Search EnginesList of Search Engines

4R x T Wiki: Search Engines

Meta and Multi Search EnginesMeta and Multi Search Engines

Both meta and multi search engines search other search engines, directories, and so on rather than their own databases.– A meta search engine combines results from the

search.– A multi search engine displays results from

each database separately.

Additional Information for Additional Information for Metasearch Engine Metasearch Engine

DemonstrationsDemonstrations

Databases (search engines, directories, etc.) available for searching

Sample Metasearch EngineSample Metasearch Engine

Search.com

List of Meta and Multi Search List of Meta and Multi Search EnginesEngines

4R x T Wiki: Meta and Multi Search Engines

Web DirectoriesWeb Directories

Web directories are “collections of links to Web pages and sites that are arranged by subject” like yellow pages

Web Directory ModelsWeb Directory Models

Closed models rely on paid workers to choose links and are subject to some quality control– Yahoo!– About.com

Open model directories rely on volunteers and can develop quality-control problems– Open Directory Project

Issues with Web DirectoriesIssues with Web Directories

Directories are inherently small.They may have unseen editorial policies.They are not always current.They may provide lopsided coverage.They may charge for listings.

Advantages to Web Advantages to Web DirectoriesDirectories

Human beings are involved in assigning web sites to specific categories making your hits more relevant.

The databases are small, so you get fewer hits.

Sample DirectorySample Directory

Yahoo! Directory

List of DirectoriesList of Directories

4R x T Wiki: Directories

Invisible WebInvisible Web

“Text pages, files, or other often high-quality authoritative information available via the World Wide Web that general-purpose search engines cannot, due to technical limitations, or will not, due to deliberate choice, add to their indices of Web pages. Sometimes also referred to as the ‘Deep Web’ or ‘dark matter.’”

Four Types of InvisibilityFour Types of Invisibility

Opaque Web—“files that can be, but are not, included in search engine indices”

Private Web—“technically indexable Web pages that have deliberately been excluded from search engines”

Proprietary Web—“content that’s only accessible to users willing to register to use [it]”

Truly Invisible Web—material that cannot be indexed by a search engine’s web crawler for technical research

Sample Invisible Web Search Sample Invisible Web Search ToolTool

IncyWincy: The Invisible Web Search Engine

List of Invisible Web Directories List of Invisible Web Directories and Search Engines and Search Engines

4R x T Wiki: Invisible Web Search Tools

WeblogsWeblogs

A weblog is “a Web site with frequent, dated entries listed in reverse chronological order. The entries have links and commentary and often an opportunity for others to comment.”

“Enter the Web log. Quickly conjugated to "Weblog," the shift of a space makes "we blog," and the shortened version is "blog." It has become the "in" technology of the moment on the Net.”

Advantages and Advantages and Disadvantages of BlogsDisadvantages of Blogs

“Despite the many purely personal-focused blogs and opinionated pontificating of others, Weblogs offer access to breaking news, rumors, evaluations, and other information that might not otherwise be readily available from our traditional databases. Above and beyond their information value, the software for creating blogs is basic content management software, and it can fulfill purposes well beyond the keeping of an online diary.”

Sample BlogSample Blog

ResourceShelf

Sample Blog Search EngineSample Blog Search Engine

Google Blog Search

List of Blog Search EnginesList of Blog Search Engines

4R x T Wiki: Blog and Social Media Search Engines

WikisWikis

A wiki is “type of website that allows the visitors themselves to easily add, remove and otherwise edit and change some available content, sometimes without the need for registration. This ease of interaction and operation makes a wiki an effective tool for collaborative authoring. The term wiki can also refer to the collaborative software itself (wiki engine) that facilitates the operation of such a website, or to certain specific wiki sites, including the computer science site (an original wiki), WikiWikiWeb, and the online encyclopedias such as Wikipedia.”

Sample WikisSample Wikis

Wiki Wiki WebWookieepedia

List of Wiki Directories and List of Wiki Directories and Search EnginesSearch Engines

4R x T Wiki: Wiki Directories and Search Engines

Web RingsWeb Rings

“Similar sites are grouped together in rings and each site is linked to another by a simple navigation bar. Rings form a concentration of sites, allowing visitors to quickly find what they are looking for. Each Ring is created and maintained by an individual web site owner called the RingMaster. RingMasters determine the look and feel of the Ring, approve and manage member sites, and encourage other sites to join. RingMasters help to develop virtual communities based on the Ring topic.”

Finding Web RingsFinding Web Rings

WebRing Directory and Online CommunityRinglink Webring Directory

Finding Listservs and GroupsFinding Listservs and Groups

CataListGoogle GroupsNing Social NetworksYahoo! Groups

Finding Message Boards and Finding Message Boards and ForumsForums

BoardReader.com

Finding Websites Using Social Finding Websites Using Social Bookmarking ServicesBookmarking Services

Delicious (search box on main page)– Explore tags

DiggFurlStumbleUpon

Wikipedia's list of social bookmarking sites

Bookmark Search EnginesBookmark Search Engines

thagoo/Xmarks

Using Google AlertsUsing Google Alerts

Google Alerts

MiscellaneousMiscellaneous

Browsys FinderfindingDulcineaiResearch ReporterJoongelSymbaloo

List of Other Search ToolsList of Other Search Tools

4R x T Wiki: Other Search Tools

SourcesSources Curling, Cindy. “A Closer Look at Weblogs.” LLRX.com

15 Oct. 2001. 8 July 2002 <http://www.llrx.com/columns/ notes46.htm>.

Notes, Greg R. “The Blog Realm: News Sources, Searching with Daypop, and Content Management.” Online 26.5 (Sep./Oct. 2002). 20 June 2003 <http://www.infotoday.com/ online/sep02/OnTheNet.htm>.

Sherman, Chris, and Gary Price. The Invisible Web: Uncovering Sources Search Engines Can’t See. Medford, NJ: Information Today-CyberAge Books, 2001.

“Wiki.” 8 Oct. 2006. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 8 Oct. 2006 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki>.