Search Engine Reviews: FAST Search and Google

» pecanfudge - Fast Search

Fast Search is even better since they have updated it to include an advanced search feature. I use it frequently and I find the "must include in text" feature very useful.

-- posted by pecanfudge

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» David_Poulson - Fast Search is good!

Hi Paula,

Nice to see that you are still producing quality reviews. Thank you.

Fast Search is the only other (general) search engine I use after Northern Light - which still remains my search engine of first choice.

Last week I wasted several hours doing an evaluative study of a number of major search engines (I won't embarrass the owners by giving their names) and it just confirmed what I already suspected. That none of them are good enough to be considered as viable alternatives to my two favourites.

I'm not saying that they would not necessarily suit anybody else: it's just that for my own particular needs, they all seem inferior in one way or another to Northern Light and Fast Search.

I found NL especially helpful in Thailand last month (where I was teaching at Chiang Mai University). With the greatest of ease, for example, I located four full-text, freely accessible, electronic journals dealing with Teaching English as a Second Language. This was like handing over four paid subscriptions, plus several years back-run of each journal and I can tell you, it was very much appreciated.

The "Special Collection" feature of NL was also very exciting to university staff who are seriously deprived of English-language material.

Best of all for the Thais though was "www.findarticles.com" about which I'll say nothing more because it's outside of the scope of this topic.

Best Wishes,

-- posted by David_Poulson

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» PaulaD_3 - FAST and Northern Light

Hi -

Thanks for your comments.

Since my article was published last August, FAST has greatly improved its search capability by adding the Advanced Search mode.

David - I agree both Northern Light and FAST are great for research, but I also wouldn't overlook Google.

-- posted by PaulaD_3

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