Best general search engine: Google

I love Google! It is the only search engine that I use most of the time. It finds such a wide variety of things with every search that there is usually no need to look anywhere else. I also like that you get a small excerpt of what each site is going to look like. That way, you can decide where you want to go before you even click on a link. They even have a news ticker that you can sign up to receive. It sends you updates about any news that comes up with a keyword in it that you have searched. You are alerted by a noise when the new news arrives. http://www.google.com

My second choice: Yahoo

If I can’t find what I am looking for on Google, I always turn to Yahoo. I used to use Yahoo for everything and I guess I liked it because it was powered by Google! But, they are their own separate entities now, so I have gotten used to using them separately. I also enjoy Yahoo groups. My one friend is a musician and I keep up to tabs with him by using groups. http://www.yahoo.com

Best Image Search Engine: Google

Yes, I chose Google again. I like how I can search for something, then hit the image link at the top of the page and find any images that go along with the topic. It finds images quickly and gives you a wide selection of large thumbnails so you can see if an image is fuzzy or crisp. Many of the sites it gets images from are filled with pictures, so you can find more on the topic you are searching right at that site.

My Second Choice: AltaVista

I guess I like AltaVista because it is set up almost the same as Google. It is easy to navigate and finds really good images. Once again, you can search a subject, then click on “images” and find a picture to go along with your topic. I use these sites a lot to enhance my blog. http://www.altavista.com

Best Government Search: USAJobs

This is a search engine of jobs for the United States Federal Government. It lists jobs all over the world after you enter a few fields of info about the job you are interested in. I like it because it shows me lots of jobs (which I am always looking for), gives advice on how to get a federal job, and even searches jobs for grad students. It has a huge database of careers and you can register your resume with them so applying is very easy. http://www.usajobs.com

My Second Choice: Firstgov

I discovered Firstgov when I was looking for USAJobs. There is a link on this page to USAJobs as well as hundreds of other government sites. Right now the front page is focusing on info about Katrina. The site is easy to navigate because it is set up for citizens, businesses and nonprofits, federal employees, and gov-to-gov. You can find your representative and email them, link to your local government’s homepage, and learn more about e-gov, an electronic government initiative. http://www.firstgov.com

Best Medical Search Engine: PubMed

This search engine came highly recommended to me by the man who taught my Medicinal Plants class. He used to work for the USDA and swears by PubMed. My experience with it is from undergrad work where I would access ERIC at McDaniel. ERIC is a journal article search developed by the makers of PubMed, the National Library of Medicine. At PubMed, you can find articles on just about any drug you could possibly want to know about. It will also give you the structure of a drug and the taxonomy of animals used in drug research. http://www.pubmed.com

My Second Choice: WebMD

One of my biggest concerns with searches and sites that claim to be medical is that you never know who has written the articles. When I started using this search, I would check the info on the site against books and the site was always accurate. I now trust WebMD if I want simple information on diseases. The info is written in a language that the common person can understand easily, and I think that is important for people to their disease and any diseases that their loved ones may have. The only thing I don’t like about it is that they have ads and they sell products for drug companies in the sidebars. http://www.webmd.com

Best Crafty Search: About.com

Say what you want about my hobbies, I love to craft. But even I need inspiration or help sometimes. So, when I need a new knitting pattern or beading idea, I go to About.com. I like what I find because it is information written by a person. Usually this person makes a living doing their craft or just knows an awful lot about it. They provide other links to craft sites and usually give step-by-step instructions on how to do a pattern. My favorite thing about it is the pictures that come along with the instructions. They make doing a tough knit-purl a cinch. http://www.about.com

My Second Choice: Ask.com

Jeeves knows everything. He finds me numerous sites where I can get the help I need. I just ask him, “What does sst, p mean?” and he is off! The answer comes quickly with a link to a site that can tell me what to do. Surprisingly, it is usually About.com. http://www.ask.com