SEARCHING THE WEB
There are many web sites designed to help you find information on the web. Some are directories organized with topical, browsable menus. Others are called search engines which enable users to search by keywords and phrases. Feinberg Library has selected a web page full of links to these sites -- click here to view it.
Feinberg Librarian Dennis Kimmage has prepared an excellent guide to searching the Web called HypeResearch: Using Web Subject Directories and Search Engines. I highly recommend it as a good, up-to-date overview.
Because most search engine default to a freetext search mode, it is important to use advanced techniques to get greater precision in your results. Click on the following links for some general search engine tips and shortcuts . It is always a good idea to consult the Help and Search Tips screens when using a search engine to determine what techniques are available and how to use them properly. For a good example of how you can but these techniques to work for you in the search engine Google, you may click here.
While search engines can be useful for finding information, they often can be misleading. Consider the Google bombing incident involving George W. Bush as a miserable failure and the word count trick on the sea monkey web page (highlight the white space between the red and blue text).
For a critical look at Google, read the news story "Google for a grade: UW class to study popular search engine."
For a great web site on web use trends go to http://www.pewinternet.org. In particular, check out the recent report on search engine use and users' confidence in their ability to find the information sought and in the quality of the information retrieved.
For some recent developments in web searching technology, see the CNN story "Better search results than Google?"