Effective Internet Search Strategies Kristin Trace Technology Consultant Western School Board of Prince Edward Island

What is the best tool for the job? DIRECTORY? SEARCH ENGINE? Some services combine both as an option

DIRECTORY?

SEARCH ENGINE?

Some services combine both as an option

Directories are Most often they come in a drill down format Topic (Games) Sub-Topic (Video, Role Playing, Board...) Subject (Action, Simulation...) etc

Most often they come in a drill down format

Topic (Games)

Sub-Topic (Video, Role Playing, Board...)

Subject (Action, Simulation...)

etc

Directories are (con’t) HUMAN SORTED The list of links has been selected for inclusion on the site If the human is a specialist in their field these can be wonderful resources But they can also include sites which pay for their inclusion and/or ranking

HUMAN SORTED

The list of links has been selected for inclusion on the site

If the human is a specialist in their field these can be wonderful resources

But they can also include sites which pay for their inclusion and/or ranking

Example Directory Sites http://dir.yahoo.com/ www.about.com http:// www.dmoz.org / (Open Directory Project) http:// lii.org / (Librarians Index to the Internet) www.google.com/dirhp

http://dir.yahoo.com/

www.about.com

http:// www.dmoz.org / (Open Directory Project)

http:// lii.org / (Librarians Index to the Internet)

www.google.com/dirhp

Search Engines Computer Sorted Results are based on a really complicated equation! Computer finds keywords YOU need to be specific to find what you really want

Computer Sorted

Results are based on a really complicated equation!

Computer finds keywords

YOU need to be specific to find what you really want

Search Engine Examples Alta Vista http://www.altavista.com/ Google http:// www.google.com AlltheWeb http:// www.alltheweb.com / HotBot http://www.hotbot.com/ Excite http://search.excite.com/

Alta Vista http://www.altavista.com/

Google http:// www.google.com

AlltheWeb http:// www.alltheweb.com /

HotBot http://www.hotbot.com/

Excite http://search.excite.com/

Boolean Strategies Pick your keywords college course computers PRACTICE: Go to www.google.com and type in the phrase college course computers

Pick your keywords college course computers

PRACTICE: Go to www.google.com and type in the phrase college course computers

Boolean Strategies AND or + will retrieve results with all of the keywords College and Course and Computers PRACTICE: In Google type in College and Course and Computers Do your results change? Probably not…google defaults to and

AND or +

will retrieve results with all of the keywords

College and Course and Computers

PRACTICE:

In Google type in College and Course and Computers

Do your results change?

Probably not…google defaults to and

Boolean Strategies OR Used for synonyms If you can’t think of any synonyms you can use a thesaurus A quick and easy one is www.visualthesaurus.com PRACTICE: Find synonyms for PROGRAM curriculum, syllabus, course of study

OR

Used for synonyms

If you can’t think of any synonyms you can use a thesaurus

A quick and easy one is www.visualthesaurus.com

PRACTICE:

Find synonyms for PROGRAM

curriculum, syllabus, course of study

Boolean Strategies PRACTICE Go to google and type in college program OR s yllabus OR course of study computer Remember you do not have to type in AND since google defaults to inserting it between all words Different results?

PRACTICE

Go to google and type in college program OR s yllabus OR course of study computer

Remember you do not have to type in AND since google defaults to inserting it between all words

Different results?

Boolean Strategies AND NOT or – Tells the search engine to retrieve results eliminating keywords commonly found with another keyword PRACTICE Go to google and type in maple leaf Notice how many references there are to hockey?

AND NOT or –

Tells the search engine to retrieve results eliminating keywords commonly found with another keyword

PRACTICE

Go to google and type in maple leaf

Notice how many references there are to hockey?

Boolean Strategies AND NOT or – (con’t) Now try maple leaf –leafs (there cannot be a space between – and leafs) Are your results different?

AND NOT or – (con’t)

Now try maple leaf –leafs

(there cannot be a space between – and leafs)

Are your results different?

Boolean Strategies Phrases Putting your keywords in quotations marks will return results exactly as is It removes the default AND in Google PRACTICE: Type in Kristin Trace Now type in “Kristin Trace” Are your results different?

Phrases

Putting your keywords in quotations marks will return results exactly as is

It removes the default AND in Google

PRACTICE:

Type in Kristin Trace

Now type in “Kristin Trace”

Are your results different?

Boolean Strategies in Combination You can use all these tools together Example Kristin Trace –microsoft – regiment NOW LET’S GET PICKY Up until now you’ve searched for keywords from entire webpages

You can use all these tools together

Example

Kristin Trace –microsoft – regiment

NOW LET’S GET PICKY

Up until now you’ve searched for keywords from entire webpages

Boolean Strategies Title Finds information from the web page title Practice Type in +title:”high school” now type in +title:”high school”+Prince+Edward+Island

Title

Finds information from the web page title

Practice

Type in +title:”high school”

now type in +title:”high school”+Prince+Edward+Island

Boolean Strategies Domain Limiting your search to a domain allows you to specify a specific body .com: a commerical bu siness .edu: an educational institution .gov: a government organization (US) .org: a non-profit organization .mil: a military site (US) .net: a network site .ca: a Canadian site http://ftp.ics.uci.edu/pub/websoft/wwwstat/country-codes.txt

Domain

Limiting your search to a domain allows you to specify a specific body

.com: a commerical bu siness

.edu: an educational institution

.gov: a government organization (US)

.org: a non-profit organization

.mil: a military site (US)

.net: a network site

.ca: a Canadian site

http://ftp.ics.uci.edu/pub/websoft/wwwstat/country-codes.txt

Boolean Strategies Practice +domain:ca +mad +cow Try +mad +cow without the domain command and note the difference

Practice

+domain:ca +mad +cow

Try +mad +cow without the domain command and note the difference

Boolean Strategies host When you’re looking for a specific page on a host site and you are not quite sure how to navigate to it and that site does not have a search engine PRACTICE +host:www.edu.pe.ca +kinkora

host

When you’re looking for a specific page on a host site and you are not quite sure how to navigate to it and that site does not have a search engine

PRACTICE

+host:www.edu.pe.ca +kinkora

Boolean Strategies URL When you want to look for a specific work in a URL PRACTICE url:dog +basset hound

URL

When you want to look for a specific work in a URL

PRACTICE

url:dog +basset hound

Boolean Strategies Link This finds pages linked to a page you are interested in Goes a long way to the validity of the information PRACTICE: Let’s see who is linked to the WSB Site: +link:www.edu.pe.ca/wsb/

Link

This finds pages linked to a page you are interested in

Goes a long way to the validity of the information

PRACTICE:

Let’s see who is linked to the WSB Site:

+link:www.edu.pe.ca/wsb/