Web Searching

A primary reason that people use the Web is to search for specific information,including text, pictures,music and video.The first step in successful searching is to identify the main idea or concept in the topic about which you are seeking information.

Type of Search Tools

Search engine     : Find information relate to specific topic

Subjec directory : Classifies web pages in an organized set of categories

Search Engine
>Helpful in locating information for which you do not know an exact Web address or are not seeking    a particular Web site.
>A search engine is helpful in locating items such as:

A program that searches documents for specified keywords and returns a list of the documents wherethe keywords were found.Requires the users to enter a word or phrase, called search text or search query.Each word of the search text is known as keyword.

Result of the search is called hits.

Result  from the search engine can be in the form of:

• web pages
• articles
• Images
• Audio

Video and etc.Some Web browsers contain an Instant Search box to eliminate the steps of displaying the search engine’s Web page prior to entering the search text.

Other techniques you can use to improve your searches include the following:

üUse specific nouns.

üPut the most important terms first in the search text.

üList all possible spellings, for example, email, e-mail.

üBefore using a search engine, read its Help information.

üIf the search is unsuccessful with one search engine, try another.

Subject directory – classifies Web pages in an organized set of categories such as sport or shopping and related subcategories.

•Examples of search tools:

  1. AltaVista,
  2. Yahoo!,
  3. Google,
  4. Excite

>A subject directory provides categorized lists of links arranged by subject

>When click on the category link, the subject directory displays a list of subcategory links

>The disadvantage – users have difficulty deciding which categories to choose as the menus of             links presented

Example: