1. Uploaded by: CarAutoDriver
Search Engine Strategies
. . . Beyond Yahoo and Google
Presented by
Linda J. Goff,
Head, Instructional Services
CSUS Library
LJG 8/11/04
Fall, 2004

2. Today’s Agenda
Web Structure, Jargon & definitions.
How search engines think and work.
Picking the right web search tool.
Searching techniques & tips.
Evaluating your sources -
thinking critically about information.
Demonstration.
CSUS Library
Instruction
Fall 2004

3. Glossary
blogging Metasearch
browser Invisible Web
cache phishing
cookies portal sites
html SacLink
telnet
http
URL
hypertext link
CSUS Library
Instruction
Fall 2004

4. What is the World Wide Web?
The World Wide Web
(WWW) is a global
interactive, dynamic,
cross-platform,
graphical hypertext
information system that
runs on the Internet.
CSUS Library
Instruction
Fall 2004

5. The Web is Growing Exponentially
Over 10% of
World is
connected!
Internet users
estimated to
be 605.60
million as of
September
2002.
CSUS Library Source: http://www.nua.ie/surveys/how_many_online/
Instruction
Fall 2004

6. 3 Main Types of Search Tools:...
Web Directory - Hierarchical -
organized in a classification
system.
Standard Search Engine – uses
mathematical algorithms and
boolean searches for keyword
searches
Expert Pages – reviewed list.
CSUS Library
Instruction
Fall 2004

7. Expert Pages
Infomine - Scholarly Internet Resource
Collection http://infomine.ucr.edu/
Librarians Index to the Internet
Information You Can Trust http://lii.org/
The WWW Virtual Library
http://www.vlib.org
CSUS Librarian Guides:
http://library.csus.edu/guides/
CSUS Library
Instruction
Fall 2004

8. Now Web search tools can ...
Search multiple search engines
simultaneously.
Find sites that answer natural
language questions.
Ranks sites by how many links have
been made to them.
Sorts matches into folders by
categories.
Have advanced searching features
CSUS Library
Instruction Or - a combination of the above.
Fall 2004

9. Metasearch engines
Search simultaneously across
multiple search engines and
displays top sites in each:
– Dogpile.com
– Vivisimo.com
Warning: Some now charge for higher
listings, e.g., Overture
CSUS Library
Instruction
Fall 2004

10. Natural Language Search
Type your questions in Natural
Language, e.g., AskJeeves.com
Analyzes words, grammar and
syntax, and uses "templatics" to
look for patterns in the way
questions are asked.
Jeeves responds with one or more
closely related questions that it
already knows the answer to.
CSUS Library
Instruction
Fall 2004

11. Part 2
How Search
Engines Think
Search
Engines
and Work

12. Most search engines and
databases use Boolean
Operators to create search
statements, e.g.
(domestic or family) and
(violence not sexual abuse)
CSUS Library
Instruction
Fall 2004

13. Boolean Operators
AND requires both terms to
appear in the items that are
retrieved.
OR requires either term to
appear in the items that are
retrieved.
NOT excludes a term.

14. Boolean Search Strategy
a AND b a
family and violence b
a OR c a
family or domestic c
b NOT d b
b
violence not sexual abuse d

15. What Search Engines Don’t Search
„Bots only crawl the visible web
which is only about 20% of
everything that is on the
Internet.
They don‟t look at the “Deep
Web”, or “The Invisible Web.”
CSUS Library
Instruction
Fall 2004

16. Invisible Web contains
Commercial databases that
charge a fee, e.g., library research
databases of periodical articles.
Sites that require membership or
a login.
Searchable pages such as
catalogs, phone books or
directories, e.g.AMA Physician
Search.
CSUS Library
Instruction
Fall 2004

17. Library Databases Access
Authentication automatic for users
with Web access via CSUS and
SacLink.
CSUS users with other Internet
Service Providers (AOL, Prodigy
etc.) must create a P.I.N. in EUREKA
for authentication to access Library
databases.
To connect from off campus go to
http://www.lib.csus.edu/databases/help/page.
CSUS Library
Instruction
Fall 2004

18. Choose based on your
Information Need
Try Noodle Tools:
http://www.noodletools.com/de
bbie/literacies/information/5loc
ate/adviceengine.html
CSUS Library
Instruction
Fall 2004

19. Search Engine Comparisons
Most have built-in search tips or
help screens.
Boolean operators, phrase
searching and other limiters are
often available.
Be aware! Some now charge for
higher page placement e.g,
Overture.
CSUS Library
Instruction
Fall 2004

20. Handout
See “Searching the Web”
handout of special search
features and URLs for most
popular search engines.
http://libweb.uoregon.edu/guide
s/searchweb/srchweb-info.html
CSUS Library
Instruction
Fall 2004

21. Part 3
Search Tips World
& Strategies Wide
Web

22. Reading Parts of the URL
http://www.lib.csus.edu/databases/
The part before the colon is the access
method or protocol, (hypertext
transfer protocol).
The part after the double slashes is the
net address or domain name of the
computer where the resource is
located.
The directory path and filename
come after the next slash.

23. Common Codes in Domain Names
edu - higher net - computer
education networks
com - commercial int - international
firms (+22 million) organizations
gov - government State or Country of
agencies origin:
mil - military (US) – uk (United
org - general Kingdom)
noncommercial – ca (Canada)
organizations – ca.us
(California.
United States)

24. New Suffixes added by ICANN,
effective Spring 2002
.info (anyone) .museum (accredited)
.aero (Airtransport
.biz (business) industry)
.name .coop (business
(individuals) cooperatives)
.pro Kids.us (Content
(professionals) and technology
restrictions)
CSUS Library
Instruction
Fall 2004

25. Think critically about the
information you find on the Web...
Anybody can publish
anything on the Web.
There are no editors and
no central authorities.
There are no guarantees that
the site you find will be there
next time you look.
CSUS Library
Instruction
Fall 2004

26. Questions you should ask when
evaluating a Web page:
Who is the author or sponsor?
What authority/expertise do they have?
What is the purpose/scope of the page?
Is it current? When was it last updated?
How complete and accurate is the
information? Does it have a bias?
How usable is it? Do the the links work?
CSUS Library
Instruction
Fall 2004

27. You must...
Examine assumptions and
possible biases.
Distinguish between fact and
opinion.
Compare and contrast related
pieces of information from other
sources (print and online).
CSUS Library
Instruction
Fall 2004

28. Bogus sites proliferate
POP! the First Human Male Pregnancy
– http://www.malepregnancy.com
Dihydrogen Monoxide Research
– http://www.dhmo.org/
Clones-R-Us
– http://www.d-b.net/dti/
CSUS Library
Instruction
Fall 2004

29. Sites need to be examined
carefully and compared
Martin Luther King Jr. – A Historical
Examination
– http://www.mlking.org
The King Center
http://web.archive.org/web/200102081
60923/http://thekingcenter.org/
– http://www.thekingcenter.com/
CSUS Library
Instruction
Fall 2004

30. Web Searching Tips
Use unique words or phrases.
Check spelling !
Use synonyms or multiple spellings
(e.g., marijuana marihuana)
Try more than one search engine.
Use words like “research” or
“policy” to find more scholarly sites.
Use domain limit feature e.g.,
Domain:edu or domain:gov
CSUS Library
Instruction
Fall 2004

31. Citing Electronic Sources
Look for it on the Library Home
Page under Databases and
Periodical Indexes. Look on the left
for Guides For General & News and
click on Citing Electronic Sources.
The URL is...
http://www.lib.csus.edu/guides/budge/eo
graphy.htm.

32. WARNING
Con artists and scams are
proliferating on the Web.
Don‟t use your credit card
number unless you are
assured of a secure system.
Don‟t download unfamiliar
software.
Don‟t give out personal
information.
CSUS Library
Instruction
Fall 2004

33. Browser Configuration Tips
Clear the memory cache before you
begin a search session. It will speed
up your response time.
Use the following path for I.E.: Tools
-> Internet Options -> Delete Files.
For Netscape use : Edit ->
Preferences -> Advanced -> Cache
Delete Cookies at the same screen.
CSUS Library
Instruction
Fall 2004

34. Shortcuts
Use Bookmarks or Favorites
Use Go from the pull-down menus
instead of the Back button or use the
History or right mouse button.
Use the Stop and Reload buttons if
loading a document takes too long.
CTRL ALT DEL will bring up Windows
2000 Task Manager and you can close
the browser if it is not responding.
CSUS Library
Instruction
Fall 2004

35. Part 4
Popular World
Search Wide
Engines
Web

36. US Digital
Media
Universe
Audience
Reach
Home & Work Users
January 2003
KEY:
GG=Google,
YH=Yahoo,
MSN=MSN,
AOL=AOL,
AJ=Ask Jeeves,
OVR=Overture (GoTo),
IS=InfoSpace,
NS=Netscape,
AV=AltaVista,
LY=Lycos,
ELINK=EarthLink.com,
LS=LookSmart,
CSUS Library
Instruction
Fall 2004
http://searchenginewatch.com/reports/netratings.html

37. Billions Of Textual Documents
Indexed as of Sept 2, 2003
KEY:
GG=Google
ATW=AllTheWeb,
INK=Inktomi,
AV=AltaVista,
TMA=Teoma.
CSUS Library
Instruction
Fall 2004 Source: http://searchenginewatch.com/reports/article.php/2156481

38. There are specialized search
engines for almost every topic
For a list of over 3,000 search engines
go to Search Engine Guide:
http://www.searchengineguide.com
For detailed information aimed at search
professionals try
SearchEngineWatch:
http://www.searchenginewatch.com
CSUS Library
Instruction
Fall 2004

39. Most Popular Search Engines
All the Web, AltaVista,
Gigablast, Ask Jeeves, Dogpile,
Google, HotBot, Metacrawler,
LookSmart, Lycos, MSN
Search, Netscape Search,
Teoma, WiseNut and Yahoo!
(Source: SearchEngineWatch.com)
CSUS Library
Instruction
Fall 2004

40. Google.com
Result rankings are based on
the number of links made to the
site from other web pages.
Give you sites that web page
creators have “voted” for with
their links.
An .edu link counts more than
one from a .com page.
CSUS Library
Instruction
Fall 2004

41. Google.com
Most popular search engine &
searches greatest number of
pages (3.3 million)
Special features include
Advanced search, Image,
Froogle, Blogger, Google
Catalogs etc.
CSUS Library
Instruction
Fall 2004

42. Vivisimo.com
Queries one or more web search
engines (Metasearch).
Clusters Documents into groups
based on this information.
Groups the documents Orders the
groups and the documents within
each group.
Displays the hierarchical categories.
CSUS Library
Instruction
Fall 2004

43. Yahoo.com
Originated “Directory” format
to organize sites by subject and
subheadings.
Can personalize: “My Yahoo”.
Geographic versions “Get
Local.”
CSUS Library
Instruction
Fall 2004

44. Teoma.com
Results – ranked list.
Refine – suggestions to narrow
your search.
Resources – link collections
from experts to enthusiasts.
Watch out for “Sponsored”
page results – paid listings.
CSUS Library
Instruction
Fall 2004

45. Hotbot.com
Advanced searching in Hotbot and
other search engines lets you limit
by:
– Language
– Domain
– Region
– Date
– Content etc.
CSUS Library
Instruction
Fall 2004

46. Alltheweb.com
Indexes 3.15 billion pages
(almost as many as Google).
You can customized your
preferences.
Language translator and
language settings.
CSUS Library
Instruction
Fall 2004

47. This PowerPoint presentation
was prepared by:
Linda J. Goff
Head, Instructional Services
University Library
California State University,
Sacramento.
ljgoff@csus.edu
http://www.lib.csus.edu/services/instruction/indiv/
CSUS Library
Instruction LJG:2/16/2004
Fall 2004

48. Search Engine Comparison
Always try more
than one!
http://www.llrx.com
/features/searchen
ginechart.htm
CSUS Library
Instruction
Fall 2004

49. CSUS Library
Instruction
Fall 2004