Search Tools

Directories

Search Engines

Meta Indices

What are Search Tools?	Search tools are sites on the internet which enable users to locate desired information. Success with searches is dependent upon what kind of tool is being used and the strategies employed.
	Each type of search tool works differently and though they all can be utilized in a similar manner, each has special features designed to work only with that site. After learning the basics, it is a good idea to invest the time in reading the help pages for your favorite sites.

Types of Search Tools

Directories

	Directory or index sites are generally arranged in menu fashion. The opening screen provides a list of broad subject categories which in turn lead to ever-narrower topics. It is arranged hierarchically. Users continue clicking on subjects until they find the desired subject. Most also offer a keyword search feature which allows quicker access to the desired topic. The more well known directories include Yahoo, Yahooligans (Yahoo especially for kids), LookSmart, and Magellan.
	Advantages	Directories work best when the user is not sure of appropriate keywords or just wants to browse. Yahoo contains one of the largest databases of web sites on the internet. Sites like LookSmart and Magellan have a staff which constantly reviews sites in its database with the intention of providing only worthwhile material. Yahooligans provides sites appropriate for students.
	Disadvantages	It can take several clicks to get to an actual list of sites for the topic of interest. Using the keyword search on each will make using this tool much more efficient. If the site does not review pages in its database, the quality of the search could be affected. Almost all directories allow users to submit pages to its database. If there are no reviewers of the pages before being posted, pages are placed where the person submitting the page feels it is best appropriate. This may limit the searcher's ability to retrieve an appropriate page. If no review to submissions is conducted, then the quality of the page is unknown to the searcher.

Search Engines

	Search engines maintain databases of websites gathered by using a program called a spider. Spiders crawl the web and bring back sites to enter into the database. Search engines also allow users to submit sites. The sizes of the databases vary greatly and can affect the results. Using keywords, search requests produce lists of sites for the user reducing the number of clicks necessary to get to actual websites.
	Advantages	The user can look for specific words or phrases rather than general subject areas. The search returns a list of hits which send the user directly to a web page. The "hits" are ranked based on how well they match the search query, usually with the best listed first.
	Disadvantages	The quality and size of the databases vary widely. Search strategies affect the results. If the user is unaware of basic search strategies, results may be spotty. Different search engines may return different results. Each engine has its own methods of displaying and ranking results. Users need to be aware of secrets of the site to get the best results.

Comparing Search Engines	Search Engine	AltaVista	Excite	HotBot*	InfoSeek	Lycos	Northern Lights	Web Crawler
	Size (in millions)	140	55	110	30	30	67	2
	Results at a time	10	multiples of 10	10, 25 (mutliples of 25)	10, 20 (titles only)	multiples of 10	25	10, 25, 100
	Display	Standard, Compact, Text only	Summary, Titles only, Sort by site	Full, Brief, Titles only	Summary, Titles only	Standard, Summary, Detailed	None	Titles only, Summary

Statistics from Search Engine Watch

* HotBot has a large database and generally returns appropriate sites. However, their advertising policy allows suggestive ads.

 

Meta Indices

	A meta index searches several engines at one time using the same strategies as search engines. The layout is often the same and the user may not even realize they are using a meta index. Hits which are returned usually list the search engine from where it was returned.
	Advantages	Since the same search on different engines return different sites, the request to several sites at once can bring back the most relevant results. The same strategies for using search engines apply to meta search engines. The most well known are Metacrawler, Mamma and Search.com.
	Disadvantages	Most of the meta searhers take only a limited number of hits from each site. There is also a time limit after which the engine will move on to the next site. Since each engine has different criteria for relevancy of the search, the results received may be missing appropriate sites. The process could also be skewed by internet traffic interference.

What Are Search Tools?

Searching Strategies

Location and Access of Information

Evaluating Skills

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