Lesson 3: Using Search Engines and Metasearch Engines
What’s the key to search engines and metasearch engines? Keywords! This lesson guides you through making the most of keyword searches.
Lesson 3 Overview
Objectives
In this lesson you will learn how to:
- Choose the best keywords for your query
- Search for phrases
- Use Boolean Logic operators
- Use required and prohibited search operators
- Access some of the best search engines and metasearch engines
Search Engine and Metasearch Engine Review
As you learned in Lesson 1, a search engine permits you to search its index of web pages by specifying one or more keywords that relate to your topic. While a directory is designed for browsing through topics, a search engine cuts to the chase when it comes to finding very specific information.
Likewise, a metasearch engine also utilizes keyword search techniques. However, a metasearch engine provides you with a unique interface that allows you to simultaneously perform a search at more than one search engine.
You will use a search engine or metasearch engine when the topic you are looking for is fairly narrow, or you want to use a special search technique (such as phrase searching or Boolean Logic.)
Metasearch Engine Limitations
When using a metasearch engine, it is especially important for you to read the help files or FAQ associated with the tool. Since a metasearch engine does not maintain its own index, and instead relies on the indexes of other search tools, you will want to read the FAQ to see what tools are being searched. Each metasearch engine’s list of searched resources will differ.
You will also want to look into how the tool’s search results will be displayed, so you will know how to interpret the results. Each metasearch engine has its own way of ordering or ranking search results. Some will separate results by tool (in other words, results from Teoma will be listed separately from results from Google or AllTheWeb); others may rank the results in order of the probability of a page meeting your query results. Read the help files to find out.
Additionally, with metasearch engines, there is no web-wide standardization of query formats. Some tools will let you use phrase searching or Boolean Logic, while others may not. Some tools may use an asterisk to indicate a wildcard character search, while others may use a dollar sign. Since most metasearch sites don’t have the ability to translate a complex query into the appropriate language for each individual index being searched, it is best to keep your searches simple, and read the help files!
Did I mention that you should read each tool’s help files?
‘Nuff said.
Supplemental Reading
For each of the sections in this lesson (as well as all of the other lessons in this course), you will be required to do some supplemental reading in The Extreme Searcher’s Internet Handbook, by Randolph Hock (CyberAge Books). The reading pages have been carefully chosen to compliment the online lesson materials.
If you have any questions about the supplemental reading or the posted lesson text, post a message on the classroom message board. Likewise, if you have comments or feedback about the supplemental reading, or resources that you would like to share with your classmates, be sure to post a message on the classroom message board.
