Preparing To Search The Internet

Search Effectively,

Search Efficiently,

Search Strategically!

Surfing is not searching.

“Computers download information—• They do not teach you to think.• Computer education imparts

technical skills;• It does not impart knowledge.”• John Rosemond

“Not all the information that exists in the world is on the Internet--

Not all the information that is on the Internet is accurate.”

An hour on the Web may not answer a question that you could find within two minutes of picking up a reference book.

Getting Started Searching• URL’s• Searching techniques• Search engines

URL’s• Uniform Resource Locator• The web “address” that connects you with a website• Goes in the address bar at the top of the screen • Gives you information about the website

Parts of a URL http://www.starwars.com/seminars.html

• http://--hypertext transfer protocol:• the language computers use to “talk” to one another

• www—world wide web:• the body of information connected by the cables and computers of the Internet

• .starwars—domain name:• the structured, alphabetic-based, unique name for a computer on a network

• .com—top level domain:• gives an idea of where the document is stored

• /seminars—file name: • a folder within a website

• .html—hypertext markup language: • the computer language used to format documents

Top Level Domains• .edu—higher education• .k-12—elementary and secondary schools• .com—commercial• .gov—government agency• .mil—military• .org—general noncommercial organization• .net—computer network

Who Pays For The Internet?

• Advertisers pay for Internet websites.• Popups and banners are trying to influence your spending

habits.• The information on commercial sites--.com—may be presented

in such a way as to encourage you to buy a particular product.

• Be wary of URL’s with a ~ in the address—this indicates a personal homepage and does not guarnantee accuracy.

How Do You Find What You Need?• Libraries and department stores are planned.

• No one is in charge of organizing the Internet.

• Well-prepared searches will eliminate useless hits and wasted time.

Search Strategies TipsKeyword Searching and Creating a Query• Use AND to connect the terms you want to see. (+)• Use NOT to exclude terms you don’t want. (-)• Use OR to include similar terms. (*)• Use quotation marks around “names” or phrases• Use lower case for all proper nouns, except for

acronyms

What Do You Use To Search?• Search engines

• Subject directories

• Subscription Databases

– Speciality Search engines

Search Engines• Are like the index in the back of a book• Let you search for specific words and

topics• Use robots known as spiders to search

for information.

Examples:• Google• Ask.com• Yahoo• MSN.com / Bing

Subject Directories--

•Are like the table of contents in front of a book

•Let you search for concepts or subject categories

• Go from general to specific.

•Sites are added by people.

Examples:• Internet Public Library• Yahooligans• KidsClick!• Fact Monster

Instead of looking through the categories in a search directory, you can put in your terms in their search bar, but it will only look through the sites that have been included within that directory—not the entire web, unless indicated.

Subscription Databases--• Paid subscription to web-based

reference tool with educational preference based on end user

• Filters built to select for education and students who use service

• Specialty Search engines are good for finding targeted items like pictures, maps, addresses…

Examples:• New Book of Knowledge• Netrekker• Ebsco • Culture Grams

Specialty Search engine.. • Picture machine or map quest

Remember….• Hits are returned and ranked according to-- • How many times terms appear on the page• How often terms appear• How close terms are to each other• How near the top of the page the terms are found

• The best results will appear on the first page

• No two search engines are alike. Try another search engine, or rephrase your terms if you don’t get good results.

More Searching Help--• Keywords (try using synomys)

• Combine important words

• Change the order of the words

• Try different websites depending on your information need

Evaluating Websites“Let the buyer beware”

Book publishers weed out inaccurate information.No one checks the Internet for accuracy.

Before you start using the information--

EVALUATE!

Who Made it? • What is the domain of the site?

• Is the information accurate? • Is the information current? • Is it relevant to your topic? • Is it well organized and easy to use?

You leave “electronic footprints” wherever you go on the web.

Remember …

•Good Information in•Means Good information

out…