A search engine is an Internet tool that searches a database of information about the Internet for sites based upon key words you choose as search terms. It provides results in the form of links which contain the term or terms you're looking for.
Subject directories organize Internet sites by subject, allowing you to choose a subject of interest and then browse the list of resources in that category.
A metasearch engine is a search tool that doesn't create its own database of information, but instead searches those of other engines.
Below are several informational sites where you can learn the basics as well as the fine points of searching on the internet. If you are new to web searching, please take the time to learn how you can optimize your search using the appropriate search engines and search methods.
100Hot.com...100 most popular web sites in many categories, including newspapers.
about.com...excellent source for web guides on popular topics...an academic collection of "sites" on many subjects, each overseen by a "guide." Uneven quality but often worth consulting.
AllTheWeb.com ...a very large engine that offers links to specialized searches such as for MP3s, FTP items, pictures, etc. The advanced search employs drop down menus for specifying word and domain filters.
AltaVista...one of the largest search engines on the Web, AltaVista provides keyword searching with some powerful additional features. It is worth reading the Help information provided.
Ask Jeeves ...innovative online search service that processes plain-language queries with surprising accuracy...answers to millions of questions from evaluated sites.
Dogpile...once a favorite meta search engine, Dogpile now uses paid listings. Keep this in mind when evaluating search results. Results are listed by search engine.
Excite...search the web at large using keywords or a peruse a group of over 65,000 specially selected websites.
GigaBlast...Gigablast is a new search-engine that looks set to challenge Google.
Google... fast, relevant results due to its extensive use of popularity ranking of web sites... added strength is Google's inclusion of more file formats than other search engines index—formats such as PDF, Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
HotBot...dropboxes provide a user-friendly interface for keyword searching and by "exact phrase", a person's name, a term in the title of a webpage, and so on...this large seach engine rivals AltaVista for numbers of webpages indexed.
Hotsheet...provides access to both search and multi-search engines as well as links to wire services, investing services, and much more. This site is a true treasure trove of links!
Infoseek...search the Web, Usenet, and newswires. Has two databases: Ultrasmart, which is a directory, and Ultraseek, which is a keyword search engine. Also offers a customized news service.
iLOR...powered by Teoma, iLOR calls itself a "Research Engine." iLOR Search results have many more options than regular search sites. When you pause your cursor arrow over a search result using iLOR, an option menu appears that offers several useful and easier ways to explore the results that are relevant to your search and ignore the ones that are not...fun to use!
ixquick...uses a star rating system. One star is given for each search engine that placed a site in its top ten. The theory is that a site appearing in multiple top ten lists is likely to be relevant. Like Dogpile, ixquick tries to translate a search query into the syntax of each search engine. Search options include web, news, MP3, and pictures.
Librarians' Index...superbly annotated and carefully selected gathering of valuable web sites on many topics.
Look Smart...employs human editors to select and categorize web sites. LookSmart has partnered with AltaVista to be the extensive search engine that engages after a query of LookSmart's database.
Lycos...compiled by Carnegie Mellon University, provides a ranked list of search results.
Metacrawler...searches six search engines and produces a ranked, annotated list of sites.
Metor...a new search and retrieval system that integrates information from hundreds of databases whose contents can not be reached by traditional search engines. Metor includes specialized databases, archives and catalogs for highly targeted information.
MSN...features a large web pages database that includes information from Encarta, MSNBC and other news sources, popular sites taken from DirectHit, as well as directory listings.
Northern Light..a powerful and easy to use search engine, Northern Light research engine uses patented classification intelligence and precision relevancy ranking to search websites.
Open Directory...the stated goal of Open Directory is "to produce the most comprehensive directory of the web by relying on a vast army of volunteer editors." Critics note that the volunteer-nature of this type of service can lead to uneven subject coverage and potential bias. Use the subject listings or search by keyword or phrase to navigate the site.
ProFusion...allows the choice of search engines or chooses what it believes are the best three. Special feature: offers an alert feature that notifies you of new websites in your area of interest.
qbSearch...a metasearch engine that provides up to 20 results on one page with links that open to a new browser window. It has a Quickbrowse feature that allows you to open and scan several pages from search results in one window.
Researchville...bills itself as "centralized searching." Researchville has a channel menu to the left which allows you to make a query and then choose which of channels you want to use to find results. Channels include news, directories, reference, opinion, multimedia and sponsored links.
Savvy Search...Searches 20 search engines at once.
Search.com...a meatasearch engine that provides a good advanced search option with a advanced search guide menu.
Starting Point...a comprehensive site that provides searches on several different search engines, directories and business and reference tools. It also includes new sites listings and a real time games search.
SurfWax...taps the major search engines including Google. Results are merged and ranked by relevancy. Results with a magnifying glass icon beside them have quick summaries (SiteSnaps) that may be viewed before deciding to summon the page. Options for sorting, number of results displayed are available. Nice customization features. An excellent metasearch engine.
Teoma...Teoma, which means "expert" in Gaelic, determines the authority or quality of a site's content, by using Subject-Specific Popularity. Subject-Specific Popularity ranks a site based on the number of same-subject pages that reference it, not just general popularity. Besides listing search results, a portion of the screen provides topical groupings (folders) of results by keyword. On the right are experts' links leading to sites that list pages on related general subjects.
Top99.com...the "Popularity Search Directory"...ranks the top 99 web sites using "consumer intelligence to comprehensively rank the most popular websites by industry category on a monthly basis."
Vivisimo... searches a selection of high-quality resources and presents results in a very useful way... has a preview feature. Performs document clustering (based on titles, URLs, and short descriptions) so that users may browse the results by hierarchical categories. Very interesting and effective approach.
WebCrawler...a metasearch engine that includes commercial (sponsored) and non-commercial results. The current WebCrawler product is designed to identify the intent of a user's search. If the search term is determined to be commercial in-nature, a blended mix of results weighted towards sponsored results would be displayed. In the case of a non-commercial term, the blended mix of results would be weighted towards research-driven results.
WiseNut...a LookSmart company.. searches using its "WiseGuide" which automatically generates categories that are semantically related to the words in your query. The advanced "WiseSearch" provides a mini-tutorial on effective searching.
Yahoo ...Yahoo is actually both a subject guide and a search engine. Searches include not only Yahoo's web site subject directory listings that are selected and indexed by people, but also a Google-powered database of web sites. Search results are organized into helpful subject categories.
Zapmeta...a fast meta-search engine with an easy-to-use interface and a well-done help file...includes web sites, directory and MP3.
