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Net Search EnginesNet Search EnginesThe Which, Why and HowThe Which, Why and How
Net Search EnginesNet Search EnginesThe Which, Why and HowThe Which, Why and How
Tim LandeckTim Landeck
[email protected]@alisal.org
Handouts/PowerPoint available at:Handouts/PowerPoint available at:
www.alisal.org/tech/conferenceswww.alisal.org/tech/conferences
Presentation Focus
• WHICH: Differences Between the Engines
• WHY: 2 Ways to Search– Search Engines Vs.
Directories• HOW: Refining Your Search
Queries
Which Search EngineDo You Use?
• Yahoo• Excite• Alta Vista• MSN• AOL • HotBot • Ask Jeeves• Google
• GoTo• Magellan• Lycos• Web Crawler• BigFoot• MetaCrawler• DogPile • Direct Hit
The Problem
• Too many hits for my query• Can’t find what I am looking for...is
it there?• How to formulate words to get what
I want– Boolean and Web Boolean
• Which Engine to use*
What is a Search Engine?
• Computer w/ special software (robots, Spiders, or Crawlers) that indexes and catalogues the Internet into a database
• Active 24 hrs/day• Systematic approach to indexing
sites• Creates a database that you search
through a web site
Two Ways to Search the Web
• Search EngineProgram that searches database of Key Words relating to Web pages
• Directory (index)Category - subcategory - another subcategory
When do you use which method
• Do you have a specific object in mind:– Email address of your old college
roommate– S.J. Mercury has to say about the
ILOVEYOU virus• Or do you want to just Amass knowledge
– Everything about Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
– All Trackball vendors on the web• Narrow & Specific Info = Key Word Search • Broad and General = Web Directory
(Human Reviewed)
Examples of a Web Directory Search
• You want to create your own Web Page, but don’t know the first thing about what it takes....
• Web Directory like Yahoo– Computers and Internet: WWW:
authoring
Searching By Key Word Search
Engines• You are planning a trip to the Galapagos
Islands and want to rent a boat to travel between the islands....– If you search for Galapagos boats you
will get results on both the word Galapagos and boats.
• So, you have to learn the specifics of Keyword Indexes....
Basic Boolean
• AND (+) result must contain all words joined by AND (Saturn AND planet) = Fewer Hits
• OR result must contain at least one of the words (elevator OR lift) = More Hits
• NOT (-) result cannot contain word after the term NOT (nirvana AND Buddhism NOT rock NOT music) = Fewer Hits
“Advanced” or “Web” Boolean
• ( ) - groups portions of queries together: math AND (software OR lesson)
• “PHRASES”- query on a phrase: “space, the final frontier”
• CAPITALIZATION- Bill, bill, Gates, gates, Digital, digital, Lotus, lotus
Review Boolean
• Books AND endangered AND species NOT owls
• Saturn AND planet NOT (car OR automobile)
• (dogs OR cats) AND "pet care” AND books NOT clinics
What do Search Engines look for?
• Title of Document – Internet Explorer: My Home Page
• Headings - Welcome to The Ark School• Repeated words on the page• Words closest to the top of the page• Meta Tags in the <HEAD> of your HTML
document• Hyperlinks
– Great PowerPoint Projects
ExciteFeatures...
• Concept-based Search Engine... it will try to figure out what you mean, instead of just what you say (write).– determine meaning by calculating the
frequency with which certain important words appear.• HEART appears with: coronary, artery,
lung, stroke, attack, etc. VS. flowers, candy, love, passion, etc.
• Confidence Percentile Ranking• Personal Start Page (My Excite)
Excite
• Simple, uncluttered design• Large database• Search on results• Cache Feature• “I’m Feeling Lucky” option• Google ToolBar for Windows & I.E.• Ranks in part according to how many
links a web document has from other web sites (Popularity)
Google ToolBar
• Increases your ability to find information from anywhere on the web - Quick to install
• Automatically appears along with the IE toolbar.
Google ToolBar
• Google Search: Access Google's search technology from any web page. • Search Site: Search only the pages of the current site.• PageRank: See Google's ranking of the current page.• Page Info: Access more information about a page including similar pages, pages that link back to that page, as well as a cached snapshot.• Highlight: Highlight your search terms as they appear on the page.
Ask Jeeves
• The first natural language search service
• It is a question-answering system allowing anyone to ask a question in plain, simple English without having to use keywords or Boolean search strings.
• “The future of web navigation” • Provides an Ask Jeeves for Kids
(filtered) option (www.ajkids.com)
www.aj.com OR www.ajkids.com
Happy Searching!Happy Searching!Happy Searching!Happy Searching!May all your searches be abundant with May all your searches be abundant with
accurate and appropriate hits, from accurate and appropriate hits, from now until eternity. now until eternity.
;-};-}
Tim LandeckTim Landeck
[email protected]@alisal.org
Handouts/PowerPoint available from: www.alisal.org/tech/conferences
