Google and More Search Engines and Web Based Directories, how to target a search and evaluate the...
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Transcript of Google and More Search Engines and Web Based Directories, how to target a search and evaluate the...
Google and More
Search Engines and Web Based Directories, how to target a search and evaluate the results
Most users want a single search engine that delivers 3 key features:
Relevant results
Uncluttered easy to read interface
Helpful options to broaden or tighten the search
www.google.ca
Google is king of the search engines. It is fast, relevant, and the largest single index of web pages available today.
Google offers good extras with maps, images, news etc. all in one place.
There are ways to refine a search to avoid an overwhelming number of results
Field Searching
Title FieldTitle field searching allows the user to: Focus on the main topic Find more relevant web pages It’s good to use when searching for places,
people, events and popular topics
Intitle: will search the first word in the title and the following words anywhere.Exampleintitle:hurricane katrina intitle:recycling students teachers
Allintitle: will search all words in the title field.Exampleallintitle:recycling students teachers
Domain (site) Field This allows the user to: Search within a full domain name, i.e. within
a specific site such as gc.ca Or to restrict the results to a specific top-
level domain, .edu, .orgExamples site:gc.ca copyrightsite:gc.ca h1n1spelling exercises site:edusite:edu nutrition
Domain Field – Benefits
Very good way to narrow searches, especially if you want to explore a particular website
The user can restrict results to a type of website such as academic sites or government sites
File Type Field
Allows the user to restrict their search by specific file types such as ppt, xls, pdf.
Examples
filetype:xls organic crops
filetype:ppt organic crops
Definition Field
A very quick way to access definitions
Allows user to listen to the correct pronunciation.
Examplesdefine:elegydefine:ebitda
Tips for Google Be as specific as you can with your search
statement eg. war of 1812 causes, not just history of wars
Use ~ to include synonyms for some words eg. rockies ~guide will include synonyms for guide such as map, tips, help, pathfinder etc
Use phrase searching to avoid stop words eg. “how to knit” or “one small step for a man”
Alternatives to Google
Why bother? Search a different index of webpages View search results that are compiled by
different rankings Use additional features not available with
http://duckduckgo.com
- no clutter, no spam, very clean spartan look
- “zero-click” information, all your answers are found on the first results page
- offers prompts to help clarify what question you are really asking
- additional goodies
http://yippy.com
- a Deep Web search engine that searches other search engines for you
- reaches pages that are harder to locate by a conventional search
- it clusters the results
www.hakia.com
- intelligent search, matches by concept or idea rather than word
- sites are selected and evaluated, so fewer results but more reliable
www.exalead.com/search
-Very visual with bookmarks for each site
-Suggests related terms
-Can limit search by file type and site type
http://ca.yahoo.com
- more like a web portal than just a search engine
- has tabs for images, video, news, etc.
- has “also try” tips and related searches
- results can be filtered by time
Subject Directories
Websites are organized by subject or category
Allows users to find information when the precise need is unknown
Provides reliable websites selected by experts
Subject Directories – Examples by Coverage
Selective
Internet Public Librarywww.ipl.org
Awesome Librarywww.awesomelibrary.org
Canadian Emphasis
Library and Archives Canada
http:/www.collectionscanada.ca/caninfo/ecaninfo.htm
Virtual Reference Library
http://www.virtualreferencelibrary.ca
How to Evaluate a Website
The user must consider the following: Accuracy Authority, the person/organization behind the site Purpose, to inform or to persuade Objectivity Currency Coverage, does it go into enough detail for the
user’s needs Popularity, have many people linked to the site