Aaron Takahashi's Report 3 (409a)

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Web Search Engines

*Search Engines*
Excite!	(Uses own database, UseNet, UseNet classifieds. Boolean-and, or, and not).
Lycos	(Uses Boolean, Can find Word Fragments, Option for Exact Matches)
Metacrawler	(No internal database, applies the databases of many other search engines)

Comparing Engines

Learning Experience

My definition of a search engine.....

A search engine is device that anybody can use to find what they need while online. There are many different types of search engines that do a wide array of searches. One of these types of searches is the basic searching of an internal database. These searches can allow such searches as "Boolean" which is the "and, or, not" type of search, Lycos features this type, but each engine has it's different ways of express this Boolean type.

Another type of search is the use of many other databases and then take a summary of the results, this method is used by MetaCrawler. This allows a wide range of results that you wouldn't find by just using one database.

There are also other types of engines that search other than the web. There are engines that search the Usenet group listings as well as the various Newsgroups that are available. These are not directly related to the web but can also provide a wide variety of interests.

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Inexperienced?

The first time I used a search engine I really didn't have the slightest clue on where to start, all I saw was that blank space where you type in your topic and I clicked on the search button. This is what I call the "No Brainer" technique! If you think about it, this really takes no thought processes to do, however you probably end up with hardly anything that you were planning on finding.

In order to get the best results from your search, you must take the time out to read about each search engine that you decide to use. Then when you feel that you've found the right one to suit you, then you can use the advanced search options and get exactly what you want everytime you touch the keyboard!

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From the Experts!

Generation One

Nicole Gustie explains her first experience with the search engine called "Web Crawler."

Generation Two

A raving review of the search engine Excite is given by Christina Kealoha as she describes her first experience with Excite!

Generation Three

Please help to better our searches with each generation says Robin Miller, Robin keeps an updated database with anonymous reviews of different search engines. Also helpful if you need help with a search.

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Comparing Engines

A simple search with Excite had already brought up over 500,000 results and I don't want that so I narrowed it down. Using Boolean logic I typed in my topic using the word "AND" and I came up with a more reasonable number of hits. I also noticed that if you can narrow it down considerably, then it takes the engine less time to actually load it's pages.

I first tried a "No Brainer" search with Lycos and I came up with more than 10,000 hits. However, when I used the exact word command (.) combined with a Boolean "AND" command in Lycos then I found a few things that were different. First there were a drastically reduced number of hits, and second, I found nothing except for what I was looking for! I found so many things about our generational curriculum and especially about Dr. James and his research.

So if you can understand the basic concept on how search engines work, you can navigate the world at your fingertips!

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Learning Experience

I have learned a great deal from the results of this report. In my attempts to help you "the reader", I have discovered that I have moved away from using just one search engine. I used to use the Excite search engine all the time, but since I have now learned how to use various search engines like Lycos, Metacrawler, Webcrawler, etc. I can practically figure out which engine would give me the best results that I'm looking for. Also, it makes you feel good to read about someone else's good experience with the same engine that you're using....at least you know that it worked for someone!

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