Searching the Web

Lesson 1: Tool Type Primer

General and Specialized Directories

What is a Directory?

A directory search tool organizes an index of web pages into a hierarchy of broad subjects such as Business, Computers, or Reference. It then breaks these broad subjects down into subcategories. For example, under the Business category you might find subcategories such as Business Law, Customer Service, and Regional (to name only a few).

A good directory continues to break down these subcategories into many additional subcategories, thereby creating an easy-to-browse collection of information that you can point-and-click your way through.

• See Figure 1.1 on page 8 of The Extreme Searcher’s Internet Handbook for an example of the Yahoo! directory home page.
• See Figure 2.1 on page 29 of The Extreme Searcher’s Internet Handbook for an example of Yahoo! directory subcategories.
• See Figure 2.5 on page 38 of The Extreme Searcher’s Internet Handbook for an example of the LookSmart directory home page.
• See Figure 2.6 on page 38 of The Extreme Searcher’s Internet Handbook for an example of LookSmart directory subcategories.

Most directories harvest and organize their collection of web pages by hand, using editorial staff or volunteer contributors to build the hierarchy, review and select web pages for inclusion, and then categorize and cross-index the pages. Humans are much better suited for this task than computers. For example a person would be able to tell the difference between a spoof and a page containing real information, where a computer would not.

However, not all humans think alike. Therefore a healthy grasp of synonyms is indispensable when looking for information in a directory. For example, you may be looking for information on a new allergy remedy that you’ve seen advertised on television. One directory might have this type of information under “medicine” while another might have it under “pharmaceuticals,” and yet another might have it under “drugs.” You need to be flexible in your thinking for more successful searches.

What’s the Difference between a General Directory and a Specialized Directory?

A general directory covers a very wide group of topics, with no focus or emphasis given to any one area. For example, Yahoo! and other general directories like it covers topics as diverse as chowder recipes, business economics, visual arts, fitness and psychology – everything from soup to nuts!

A specialized directory, on the other hand, focuses in on a very specific topic, field, or discipline. For example HealthFinder.gov is a specialized directory that focuses specifically on health topics, while ChemDex.org is a specialized directory that zeros in solely on chemistry-related links.

• See Figure 3.2 on page 55 of The Extreme Searcher’s Internet Handbook for an example of the EEVL directory home page. This specialized directory focuses on Engineering, Mathematics, and Computing.
• See Figure 3.4 on page 60 of The Extreme Searcher’s Internet Handbook for an example of the Kidon Media-Link directory home page. This specialized directory focuses on newspapers and Internet news resources.

When Should I Use a General Directory?

Use a general directory when

• Your search subject falls into a somewhat broad category, such as
• General information about a hobby
• General information about a place you want to visit
• You are on a “fishing expedition” where
• You’re not exactly sure what you are looking for and just want to explore what’s available
• You want to learn some of the vocabulary involved in a given topic in order to do a more specific search at a search engine
• You only want to view pages that have been reviewed and hand picked by an editorial team

When Should I Use a Specialized Directory?

Use a specialized directory whenever you can find one! (Finding a specialized directory will be covered in Lesson 2.) A specialized directory will usually serve as your shortest path to the best available resources on any given topic – so take advantage of them wherever they exist.

Gimme More!

Lesson 2 introduces you to a variety of general and specialized directories.

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