Search the WEB

6 Things to Know Before Searching the World Wide Web

The World Wide Web is a fantastic resource for finding information about any subject. It's like having the biggest library in the world right at your school. (Of course, it's full of electronic documents only, not books, magazines and newspapers.) But it isn't the most "user-friendly" library. In fact, it may be useful to think of the "Web" as a library with a less-than-perfect card catalog system. This brief tutorial is designed to help you find information on the Web in an efficient and productive manner. Follow these simple steps and then use the links at the bottom of this page to conduct your own searches.

1. The First thing to know is that the World Wide Web contains a small number of sites that can be used to search the rest of the Web for sites that mention a particular subject, word, or phrase. You have probably heard of these sites, and you may already have used some of them. They have names like Yahoo, Infoseek, and Lycos.

2. The second thing to know is that these special searching sites are divided into two categories: Search Engines and Directories. What's the difference? Well...

Search Engines are sites that use special software called "robots" to automatically scan the Web and catalog every page on the Internet in their directories.

Directories are sites that use humans to categorize and list web sites by subject.

3. The third thing to know is the advantages and disadvantages of using a search engine versus a directory.

Search Engines have the advantage of being more comprehensive than directories. While no search engine lists every site on the Web (sites come and go every minute of the day), they list many more sites than do directories. This is a benefit if you are trying to research a slightly obscure subject. But it can also be a disadvantage; for example, if you search for a more general subject like "presidents" you will find 854,688 sites (using Infoseek) that mention the word. Also, search engines list every "page" within a web site, so if a site about presidents has 250 pages in it, and each mentions the word president, then that site will be listed 250 times in your search.

Directories have the advantage of being created by human beings. They don't list every site, but they list most of the big and/or important ones, and they categorize them by subject. This is a benefit if you are looking for a particular web site, like, for example, the White House (http://www.whitehouse.gov). But it can be a disadvantage if you are trying to find something out about a more obscure subject, like "President Millard Fillmore".

4. The fourth thing to know is when to use search engines and when to use directories. You will probably be best off using a combination of both when you research a subject. It may be easiest to start with a directory to find a small number of sites that can help you get started learning about your subject. When you are ready for more in-depth research, a well-targeted search using a search engine can help you find more detailed and specific information.

5. The fifth thing to know is how to phrase your searches or "queries" when you use a search engine or a directory. Most search engines and directories use what are known as "Boolean Commands" to help you target your searches. Boolean Commands consist of words like "And", "Or", "Not," and "And Not." Generally, you want to search for something more specific than just "presidents". Instead, you might focus your search by typing "presidents and Roosevelt". In this case, the search engine or directory will list sites that contain references to both presidents and Roosevelt. Or you might want to broaden your search by typing "presidents or congressmen". Then you would get a list of sites that mention both presidents and congressmen, but not just one or the other.

Here is a summary of Boolean Commands and what they mean:

AND: Retrieves results where both of the terms in the search are included. For example, "presidents and congressmen" will retrieve web sites that contain both words.

OR: Retrieves results where either of the terms in the search is included. For example, "presidents or congressmen" will retrieve web sites that contain either word.

NOT or AND NOT: Will exclude web pages with the particular term. For example, "presidents not congressmen" will exclude web sites that contain the word "congressmen".

6. The sixth thing you need to know is where these search engines and directories are. The table below contains a list of search engines and directories, with hyper links to them, and the particular Boolean Commands that work with them. You will probably want to try several of them for each search since they will offer different results. Good luck searching!