Example of searching for specific topics:
- Open a web browser.
- Type www.yahoo.com
into the Location/Address field on the screen.
- Type California in the search field and
click on the Search button.
- How many web sites were found? _____________
(The number of web sites in the search result can be found in
the upper left hand corner of the screen. Found 369 categories
and 7703 sites for California.)
- Find the Next Search field and type in California
Flowers. Click on the Search button.
- How many web sites were found? _____________
- Find the Next Search field and type in California
Poppy. Click on the Search button.
- How many web sites were found? _____________
- Were there fewer and fewer sites found with each
search? ___________
- Why or why not? __________________________________________________
How does the search work?
Most search engines and directories assume that you want all the
words in the search field to be in the results. It is important to
check the help section of search engines and directories for specific
strategies.
What are Boolean Operators?
Boolean operators can be used to be more specific in searches.
California and flowers
|
Search Field Entry
|
Operator
|
Meaning of Operator
|
|
California and flowers
|
And
|
Both the words California and flowers will appear
in all of the search results.
|
|
California or flowers
|
Or
|
Search results will have either California or
flowers in the results. This will result in more web pages than
the and operator.
|
|
California and not flowers
|
And Not
|
Search results will have California, but all
sites with flowers will be omitted from the results.
|
Search Engines Vs Directories
| |
Search Engines
|
Directories
|
|
Definitions
|
A web site where search results come from the
entire Internet.
|
A web site where specific web sites are added
to a database after being screened. Searches only search the
database and not the entire Internet.
|
|
Strengths
|
You are the one who decides if a web site is
important or not.
New web sites are more likely to e included
in the results.
|
It is possible to browse through predefined
categories that have been set up by people who have screened
the web sites in the database.
|
|
Weaknesses
|
Searching can be frustrating for beginners.
Not all search results are considered good quality.
|
Sites for specific topics may not be included
in the database. Someone else is making the choices of what
will be in the search results.
|
Examples of Search Engines and Directories
