My Second Oral Presentation:
Web Searching
On The Internet
By Albert K. Ne III
Instructions For This Report
My
second oral presentation is from a website that focuses on web searching. This site discusses various methods utilized to do searches while "surfing" the Internet. Subjects on this site included such issues as the difference between directory and search engines, key concepts, synonyms and variant word forms etc. It also reviewed different web sites and offered personalized pros and cons of each separate site. Overall, I found this site to be very helpful in how I now do searches. Prior to doing this presentation, I used search engines a lot and found myself constantly frustrated by the many responses that I would receive. Now, by utilizing the tools that were discussed at this website I find searching a lot less intimidating and a lot more fun.
Questions & Answers
Russ Muramatsu asked:
Q: Are all search engines created equally and which one is the best?
A: No, all search engines are not created equally. Better search engines are usually dependent upon the amount of data that a company has collected and placed into their websites. Every individual has his or her won preference when it comes to using search engines. For myself, I prefer Alta Vista over other search engines (no real reason).
Sheri Lieberman asked:
Q: In your opinion, what is the most effective search engine and why?
A: As I stated in the previous question I think that
Alta Vista is really a good search engine to use. Not only does the site have a lot of excellent material; it also uses different tools to help the searcher navigate the Internet with a higher level of success rate on specific subject matter.
Craig Kawamura asked:
Q: What are all the tools that are available?
A: Some of the tools available on search engines are the + and -- symbols, the phrase searching device and word thesaurus. These, however, are just a very small selection of the overwhelming amount of help that is offered on search engine sites. One such site is
Search Engines. Check it out!
Sean Marrs asked:
Q: What is the most useful skill to know when searching on the web?
A: I believe that the most useful skill to know when searching is patience because when one becomes frustrated during an actual search, they tend to lose sight of what they were searching for in the first place. When one overcomes the frustration and annoyance of being unsuccessful with their searches, they usually find that the process is a lot more enjoyable.
Kyle Micibata asked:
Q: Do specific search engines describe what you presented on their own sites?
A: Yes, some of them do. Alta Vista was one of the sites that actually had a tutorial on it to learn the different techniques utilized during a search. Other sites such as
Infoseek and Excite also have tutorials that lets its users acquire skills to search effectively on the net.
Hyechin Kim asked:
Q: What is the best way to search on the web?
A: I think that the best way to search on the web is to follow these examples.
STEP 1: STATE WHAT YOU WANT TO FIND
STEP 2: IDENTIFY KEYWORDS
STEP 3: SELECT SYNONYMS AND VARIANT
WORD FORMS
STEP 4: COMBINE SYNONYMS, KEYWORDS,
AND VARIANT WORD FORMS
STEP 5: CHECK YOUR SPELLING
By following these five easy steps I think that you will be able to complete your web searching experience with a high level of success. These five steps can be found at the website
Preparing Your Search.
Corey Egami asked:
Q: What do you feel is the most important tip that this site gave concerning search engines?
A: I think that phrase searching was a pretty significant tip seeing that I never knew that it existed. By Surrounding a group of words with double quotes, it tells the search engine to only retrieve documents in which those words appear side-by-side. Phrase searching is a powerful search technique for significantly narrowing your search results, and it should be used as often as possible.
Evelyn Moss asked:
Q: If someone is first learning how to use the net, do you think this web page would be good instruction on how to use search engines?
A: Most definitely. I had an easy time following the tutorial and it didn't use technical jargon to make things more complicated. I think that first time users that go to the site will find it more user friendly and less intimidating. I believe that the
Web Searching site should be a mandatory site for students entering the Psy 409, 459 and 499 classes because it only enhances their knowledge of searching on the Internet.
Carolyn Agmata asked:
Q: What's the most interesting thing you found in your report site, and how much faster is your searches now that you're informed about how to find what you want?
A: The most interesting fact that I found was the
Specialty Databases that were used in certain search engines. For example, there were sites such as Findlaw and Achoo that dealt with specific type of information for its users. Findlaw used information based on the law and court system, whereas Achoo utilized information from the medical field. I thought both websites were extraordinary to visit because of the vast amounts of information.
Jocelyn Manibusan asked:
Q: What search engine do you recommend to use and why?
A: I think that Alta Vista was the most extensive and best organized website dealing with search engine characteristics. Before I was assigned to do my presentation on web searches I always believed that
Yahoo was the best. Little did I know that Yahoo is not even a search engine. I found that it was a subject directory and its characteristics are much more different than search engines. For example, A subject directory is a catalog of sites collected and organized by humans. Subject directories are often called subject "trees" because they start with a few main categories and then branch out into subcategories, topics, and subtopics. To find the homepage for the Atlanta Braves at Yahoo! for example, select "Recreation & Sports" at the top level, "Sports" at the next level, "Baseball" at the third level, "Major League Baseball" at the fourth level, "Teams" at the fifth level, then finally "Atlanta Braves."
Wilfred Lee asked:
Q: Sounds like different searches require you to go to different search engines. How do you know which search engine to use to get the best results?
A: That's just it. Nobody knows. It's a preferential thing. Each individual must use his or her own judgment to uncover the sites that offer the best results for what they are doing. I can only suggest sites that may be of some help, then it would be up to the searcher to utilize that information and expand his search.
Valerie Iinuma asked:
Q: If you were to develop your own search engine, in what ways would you make it different from currently used ones?
A: I would try to make the site as user-friendly as possible. I would also try to keep the site from being cluttered with all the advertisements that they currently use there. Have you been to a search engine lately? Do you see all that extra "junk" that they have on the websites? I would eliminate all that advertisements and use the extra space for more useful subject matter.
I thought that the subject content was very interesting especially because I had never been exposed to the extensive capabilities of search engines. My previous experience with search engines has not been enjoyable. In fact, on occasion I found myself swearing and cursing at the computer because I did not get the results that I was looking for. However, since discovering the different techniques for using search engines, I have fond that with a little patience and some ingenious tools, any search on the Internet can be turned into a pleasurable experience for anyone.
SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS
As my first oral presentation indicated, procrastination is not something one wants to do when lengthy projects such as this one is concerned. Always try to use time management skill to your advantage and utilize that time wisely. Always ask questions about anything and everything that you are not sure of, and never be uncomfortable to help others who are too ashamed to ask for it.
For this project I found the subject to be very practical and helpful. I would want to see this subject taught as part of the curriculum to students taking the cyber-psychology courses taught by the University of Hawaii-Manoa. This, I believe would do great justice for those students who do not have the knowledge of how to use search engines.