Searching the Web
 The Internet is a vast repository of both useful and
useless information. "Surfing the 'net" can be an
enjoyable pastime but when you need information on
a specific topic it's not a particularly efficient means of
sorting through the mounds of online materials. This
lesson looks at several different search tools available
on the Internet.Lesson Objectives: - To introduce Boolean searching concepts. - To examine some of the different ways information is being organized on the Internet. - To examine some of the more popular "search engines" available. The Basics of Searching A continuing proliferation of search tools and indices are making finding useful information on the Internet easier and easier, but there is more to it than meets the eye. This section provides an introduction to keywords and boolean operators. Directories Efforts are being made to categorize and organize WWW pages according to their main emphasis. From these efforts numerous listings by subject have sprung forth allowing for a more directed form of surfing. Indices Computerized processes called "web crawlers" are helping to collect and organize web pages allowing focused searches for specific information. Meta-Searchers As the number of directories and indices increase, others developers have turned to creating search engines that can "search the searchers." Skillbuilders These are extra exercises designed to help you consolidate some of the concepts introduced in this lesson and to expand on some other interesting areas related to this lesson. Checklist I can: - Understand the differences between a directory and an index. - Understand the use and benefits of keyword searching using Boolean operators. - Understand the challenges behind using keyword searching to find specific information.    |