WWW Browsing: Search Engines and Directories
One of the easiest ways to access information on the Internet is to use a World Wide Web. The volume and ease of access of information available through web browsers makes the WWW an ideal place to search for information on literaly any topic. To a new user, however, the World Wide Web can seem overwhelming. Often the most difficult aspect of using the Web to find information is figuring out where to start. Fortunately, there are several resources that can help you in your search for information. When you are searching for information on the World Wide Web, it is good to begin by using search engines and directories. If you want some information about specific search engines and directories, you can read reviews written by some experienced web users. For a lengthy list of web search resources compiled by the fine folks at Galaxy (some are reporduced here), check out Miscelaneous Search Resources.
Search Engines:
Search engines are programs that are designed to search for a string of characters (e.g. a subject, keyword, or name) on homepages throughout webspace. Usually you will find a space where you should write a keyword and a button next to it titled "search." Whe you find this space, follow these instructions:
- Simply use the mouse to click on the blank space in order to place a cursor in it (sometimes this step is unnecessary.)
- Type the word for which you are looking.
- Use the mouse to click on the button that say "search." (Often you can just hit return as "search" will be the default command at this point).
Sometimes your web browser will alert you that the information you are sending via the search engine could be intercepted by a third party. You can then hit return to let the program know you are aware of this possibility. (You can also click on a button that will prevent the program from alerting you again during the current session of web browsing. Doing so will eliminate the time consuming annoyance of the alert dialogue.) Once you tell the program what you are looking for, it will being a search and then return a list of "hits," or hotlinks to pages that contain the keyword in your search. To explore any of these pages, simply click on the corresponding hotlink and the program will take care of the rest. To explore any of the other "hits" returned for your search, use the "back" function on your web browser and you will return to your search results. Some of these browsers are more effective than others for different tasks, so it is best to try as many as possible to find the one that returns the most hits.
Directories:
Directories are similar to search engines in that many have keyword search functions, but are different in that they search a catalogue of homepages already on file on the machine(s) associated with the directory service. In addition to the search function, these directories generally have pages sorted by subjects, which are then sorted into categories, much like a card file system in a library, so that you can find the information you would like by seraching through category headings and subheadings. To find the information you want, simply click on categories or sub-categroeis where you think the information might be listed until you find a list of web pages containing that information. As with any subject-category system, you might have to try more than one category to find your information, through the organization in most directories is intended to be easy to follow. The pages catalogued by thes directories are submitted to the owners of the directories by the authors of the homepages or by others interested in seeing the pages classified in the directory.
Other Search Resources:
There are, of course, other search resources that are taylored to search specdific databases. Here are some that you might find interesting: