Mod 7 Web and Email Search Engines
Using Search Engines:
Commonly used search engines:
Google : http://www.google.com
AltaVista : http://www.altavista.com
Yahoo : http://www.yahoo.com
Excite : http://www.excite.com
A search engine like Google will only search through
a list that it maintains of sites that have been registered with that
particular search engine. This accounts in part for the widely differing
results you sometimes get when you search using different search engines.
Also each search engine has different criteria for ranking search results,
i.e. the order in which search results are displayed on your page. These
search results are often displayed 10 per page, with a brief summarily
about each site that it has found matching your requirements.
You should use two (or more) words or a short phrase rather than a single word when using a search engine. Try to use unique words that directly relate to what you are searching for. For example if you require companies selling computers in the UK,type `computer sales,UK` rather than just `computers`.
Using + and " symbols with search engines:
If you search using two words such as computer sales, then often a search
engine will go off and find all the pages that it knows about relating
to "computer", "sales" and "computer sales".
This could include all types of sales, not just computer sales.
To get round this problem most search engines allow you to insert a + symbol between your words, this means that you only want to find pages containing all your words.
Sometimes you would be better enclosing your search phrase with quotation (") symbols. This will then mean that you want to find the exact phrase that you have entered.Search engines often offer advise on refining your search.
More Search Tips:
Use lowercase text in your searches. When you use lowercase text, the search service finds both uppercase and lowercase results. When you use uppercase text, the search service only finds uppercase results. Example: When you search for california, you'll find California, california, and CALIFORNIA in your result pages. However, when you search for California, you'll only see California in the result pages.
Use wildcards. By typing an asterisk (*) at the end of a keyword, you can search for multiple forms of the word.Example: Try big*, to find big, bigger, biggest, and bigwig.
Include or exclude words. To make sure that a word is always included in your search, place a plus sign (+) immediately before the keyword (no spaces) in the search box. To make sure that a word is always excluded from your search, place a minus sign (-) immediately before the keyword (no spaces) in the search box.Example: To find recipes for chocolate cookies without chips, try recipe cookie +chocolate -chips.