So You Think You Know How To Use The Internet? A Tutorial for Searching the Internet Mrs. Patricia Powell

Introduction Most people think they know how to search the Internet. It’s easy, right? Just Google it! Wrong! There’s more to searching than just Google. If one wants to find specific information from reliable websites, one has to know where to search. Also one needs to know how to search efficiently and quickly. This tutorial will help! Let’s get started…

Just click a topic to get started! Main Menu Just click a topic to get started! Search Engines Metasearch Engines Subject Directories Gateways The Invisible Web Conducting Searches To check out other tutorials, click HERE. Source

Search Engines What are Search Engines? How do Search Engines work? What are the limitations of Search Engines? What are some examples of Search Engines? Back to the Main Menu

Metasearch Engines What is a Metasearch Engine? When do I use a Metasearch Engine? Back to the Main Menu

Subject Directories What is a Subject Directory? When do I use a Subject Directory? Back to the Main Menu

Tips For Conducting Searches How do I perform a search? The Boolean System Search Lingo How do I know if I am getting reliable information? Back to the Main Menu

Search Engines Think of search engines as file cabinets full of files that have data in them. Machines assemble all of the information and put that information in files. Individual search engines compile their own databases. Metasearch Engines search multiple individual databases. Back to Search Engines

How do Search Engines work? Search Engines use what are called “spiders” or “robots” to move through and sort information. Search Engines make it easier to look for information. Search Engines may not narrow down results enough if one is searching for specific information. Back to Search Engines

No two Search Engines are the same. When one performs a search, he/she will not be searching the entire Internet. A person will be limited to searching within the confines of a particular Search Engine. Back to Search Engines

What Are Some Search Engines? Popular Search Engines include: Google Ask Gigablast Yahoo! Graveyard Sites? What are those? Back to Search Engines

Metasearch Engines Metasearch Engines provide a good idea of what information is available for a particular search. Metasearch Engines narrow down the list of examples. Back to Metasearch Engines

When Should I Use a Metasearch Engine? Metasearch Engines are handy when one is in a hurry to find information and only wants a quick summary. Examples include: Dogpile, Mamma, and Vivisimo Back to Metasearch Engines

What are Subject Directories? Subject Directories are created and maintained by humans—not machines. Subject Directory databases are smaller. Most Subject Directories have partnered with Search Engines. Information is organized with fewer results, which is good if one wants to narrow one’s search. Be aware that sometimes there may be results which show dead links or web pages that have changed. Back to Subject Directories

When Should I Use a Subject Directory? Use a Subject Directory to browse and look for popular topics or general information. Examples: Beaucoup, Looksmart, Open Directory Project Portals include: MSN, Netscape, and Yahoo! Back to Subject Directories

Gateways are collections of different databases and sites. Gateways are put together by librarians, and are organized by subject. If a Gateway is devoted to only one subject, it is called a Vortal. Examples: Expedia, MonsterBoard, The Motley Fool Back to the Main Menu

The Invisible Web “Spiders” or “Robots” cannot index all of the Web. Some sites are password-protected or have firewalls. Experts say up to 80% of the Web is inaccessible. Back to the Main Menu

How Do I Know If Information is Reliable? Evaluate the website. Who is the author of the Website? When was the last update? Are links to information that can be verified provided? Is there an address and or phone number for the author? Is there a place to comment or ask questions? Can sponsors be verified? Is it just an advertising site? OR Back to Search Tips

How Do I Perform a Search? Is the search for specific or general information? Use nouns as key words in searches. Put the most important word first when searching. Use at least three key words with a “+” sign between words. Back to Search Tips

Curious George George Boole (1815-1864) was a mathematician who created a system of logic to aid search results for information. Boole called his system the “Calculus of Thought.” Boole’s idea was to aid searches with keywords. Examples of keywords are “and,” “or,” as well as “not.” By adding these keywords to Internet searches, one can search smarter and faster and get better results. Back to Search Tips

Searching Title search--keyword Domain search--“.edu” “.com” “.gov” “.mil” “.net” or “.org” Host search--information from specific server URL search--specific files on a host site Link search--who is linking to a webpage Image search--looking for a particular image Back to Search Tips

Google provides links to pages that are related to one’s searches. Google was created in 1998 by graduate students. Google is the largest search engine, which means one can find lots of information. Google is user-friendly and caches searches that one has performed in the past. Google provides links to pages that are related to one’s searches. Google supports Boolean. Back to Search Engine Examples

Yahoo! was also created by graduate students. Yahoo! has teamed with Google. Yahoo! is not as user-friendly as Google. Yahoo! supports Boolean. Links are provided to Yahoo! News and regional Yahoo! topics. Back to Search Engine Examples

Graveyard Search Engines no longer in use: The Internet evolves, and Search Engines evolve as well. Back to Search Engine Examples

What if I Need More Information? Tutorials: “Finding Information on the Internet: A Tutorial” http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html “Searching the World Wide Web” https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/558/01/ Back to Main Menu

Sources All information obtained from: http://www.sc.edu/beaufort/library/pages/bones/bones.shtml All images obtained from Bing Images Back to Main Menu