Linda Ferrara

SLM521 Spring 2005

Search Engines: the index to the Internet

General Search Engines

Google - This is the run away winner of all general search engines! It has the largest database of web pages. I set my personal home page to Google because I find it to be the most useful. It is quick, comprehensive, and I like the brief, but clear descriptions it provides for each link. It is a good place to start when searching for information for anything or anyone! www.google.com

Teoma – This search engine was new for me, and I love it! After trying out some of the better known general search engines, I found this one very user friendly, aesthetically pleasing, clear and concise descriptions for each link, and I really liked the “Refine – suggestions to narrow your search” when I was less than precise. I also learned, after choosing it for this list, that it is owned by AskJeeves, which may have something to do with its straightforward approach to searching the web. www.teoma.com

Kids’ Search Engines

Yahooligans! The Web Guide for Kids – Kids love Yahooligans. They all know it. They are comfortable with it. It is colorful, friendly, safe, and most importantly, good at finding what they need quickly! http://yahooligans.yahoo.com/

Ask Jeeves Kids – I really think kids love color and graphics. This is another site that looks inviting and comfortable for kids. Also, the fact that they can search by writing a question seems so natural and user friendly. I like that you don’t see commercial advertisements and/or pop-ups either, and it does a great job at searching for information. http://www.ajkids.com/

Images Search Engines

Google – Once again, Google comes out on top! It advertises itself as “the most comprehensive image search on the Web,” with more than one billion images available. I find that it is not only comprehensive, but also easy to use and safe for children. There are parental controls to censor for appropriate images and when you open Google, you don’t automatically see images that may seem inappropriate and/or advertisements. http://images.google.com/

Altavista – I appreciate Altavista for much the same reasons I chose Google. It is advertisement-free, user friendly, fast, and comprehensive. There is a simple to use family filter and pull-down menus to help narrow your search. http://www.altavista.com/image/default

News Search Engines

Yahoo –I like this site’s organization and the way it puts its comprehensive news stories into categories. It is easy to find what you’re looking for at a glance. I like the pictures. This site is accessible for all ages. http://news.yahoo.com/

Google – I like Google as a news search engine for much the same reason I like Yahoo. It’s quick. It’s clear. When you open up to it, the news is right there at a glance. It is easy to use for all ages. http://news.google.com/nwshp?hl=en&gl=us

Shopping Search Engines

Bizrate.com – Talk about easy to use! Most of the many search engines I tried in this category have the same features, but this one is clear and easy to use. I return to it all too often, so that alone says something for its helpfulness! I like that you can find so many products with such a huge selection of vendors, ratings of vendors, and complete pricing information. You can also find shopping information for the UK or France.http://www.bizrate.com/

Pricegrabber.com – This site has a lot of the same features as Bizrate.com. In fact, it seems almost identical once you get there. I found that it too gave ample choices for comparing vendors, ratings, and pricing information. I like that this site has an option to find USA shopping information in Spanish, as well as shopping information for Canada, Mexico, or Brazil. http://www.pricegrabber.com/index.php?site_version=www

Note: I have chosen categories that are useful to my everyday existence – school (teaching and studying) and whatever little time I have left!