Matthew C. Winner

Search Engines

May 20, 2006

 

Dear students,

 

I tested 21 search engines in order to narrow down a list of quality search engines that provide the most useable information, are the easiest to use, and provide the most appropriate ranking of websites generated. These search engines can help you find what you’re researching while sifting out any unnecessary information. Select from either of the Student Safe Search Engines to help find information to support your research. The other sites may come in handy for your older siblings or parents, but the Student Safe Search Engines will be perfect for you!

 

Enjoy!

 

-Mr. Winner

 

Search Engines that Make the Cut

 

 

Student Safe Search Engines

 


KidsClick! (go to KidsClick!)

 

KidsClick! is a kid-safe search engine developed and maintained by librarians. The site is easy to navigate and students can click through a series of directory subject links to find more information on what they’re researching or they can simply type the key word(s) into the inquiry box. Results are listed alphabetically and contain a brief summary of the site’s content, a reading level of the text, the subject of the site, and they even note whether the site contains “many”, “some” or “no” illustrations. This is a great resource for kids, parents, students, and teachers!

 

Yahooligans! (go to Yahooligans!)

 

Yahooligans! is the kid-safe version of Yahoo! and it is packed with user friendly features, just like it’s big brother. It’s results are ranked in order started with most frequently visited websites based on the inquiry. The search engine is very easy to navigate and the search results also feature encyclopedia links and a special “Ask Earl” section where student’s email inquiries on ranging research topics are answered. A “buzz” link in the directory allows students to access a list of the most frequently visited sites via Yahoooligans. Lots of fun things to discover here!

 

 

General Search Engines

 

Ask.com (Formerly Ask Jeeves) (go to Ask.com)

 

The Ask.com search engine proved to be the best general search engine tested. The search results are listed a combination of the level relevance to the inquiry and sites most frequently visited. The engine features the ability for users to “Narrow you search”, “Expand your search”, and, in some cases, investigate “Related names” based on the topic inquiry. Sponsored sights are listed separately and highlighted in a text box at the top of the results. The engine is easy to use and yields high quality, highly relevant results.

 

Google (go to Google)

 

Google is a very well known search engine and rightly so. Tabs allow users to narrow their search to images, news, maps, groups, and froogle, which gathers topic-related merchandise from a variety of Internet sources. An "I'm Feeling Lucky" button automatically takes you to the first web page returned for your query. The site is easily navigable and users can quickly find what they’re searching for.

 

Here’s a good one that didn’t make the cut:

 

Gigablast (go to Gigablast)

 

It might not be perfect, but it’s gouda! Users of Gigablast will enjoy its “Giga Bits” feature, which gives related topics to the search and a percentage regarding the relevance to the inquiry. The site als includes a categorization note with each of the results yielded as a sort of explanation of why it came up in the search.



Metacrawlers and Metasearch Engines

 

Vivisimo (go to Vivisimo)

 

Vivisimo stood out among the other meta search engines I tested because removing or adding articles such as “and”, “the”, and “of” did not significantly change the search results. The site also offers cluster results to help users narrow their search. Sponsored sites are listed separately and results are ranked by number of hits to the site. I liked this site because it was clean, easy to navigate, and it produced accurate results.

 

Fazzle (go to Fazzle)

 

Fazzle allows users to specify the search engines through which results are obtained. Users can even specify the website’s nationality. Each search yields a “Best Pick” which isn’t always what you were searching for, but the engine also allows user to preview site links before actually going to the site. I picked Fazzle because of the capability for users to specify their method of searching.

 

 

Government Search Engines

 

FirstGov (go to FirstGov)

 

FirstGov is the US Government’s official web portal. The sites are ranked by relevance to the search. The site is powered by Vivisimo and features a cluster collection of related topics. All results are

government websites, not just government approved or sponsored sites. If you need information straight from the source, this is the place to get it!

 

Google US Government Search (go to Google US Government Search)

 

This site is a stripped down version of the standard Google website. It does not have any tabs, but still lists a collection of sponsored sites in a highlighted box at the top of the results page. The difference being that all results are from government websites. This is a great site for the same reasons that make Google a great site: reliable results and a user friendly format that makes finding what you need easy.

 

Here’s a good one that didn’t make the cut:

 

SearchGov.com (go to SearchGov.com)

 

SearchGov.com uses Google to produce search results. That being said, the one feature users can benefit from is the links directory on the home page. The directory links to a number of executive, independent, state, and local agencies and serves as a great list of quick links.

 

 

Travel Search Engines

 

Orbitz (go to Orbitz)

 

Orbitz is a top-ranking travel search engine which claims to feature unbiased reviews of travel destinations and accommodations. Flight choices, departure times, hotel rankings and price per person results are presented in an organized matrix display. I love this site because it is so easy to use and it provides a long list of results and options for the user.

 

SideStep (go to Sidestep)

 

Sidestep works through other travel search engines to identify the best deal on travel accommodations. Results are listed based on hotel rankings from independent critics. The user can choose from a variety of flights and packages. SideStep is great because it gives users a lot of freedom to choose the vacation package that’s best suited for their needs without having to worry about sponsorships competing for their business.

 

 

Search Engines Tested:

 

General:                                  Meta:

Google                                      Dogpile

Yahoo!                                      Vivisimo

Ask.com                                    Excite

Gigablast                                   Fazzle

Lycos 

 

          Kids:                                        Government:                          

Ask for Kids                               FirstGov

Kids Click                                   Google US Government Search

Yahooligans!                                        SearchGov.com

Dibdabdoo                                 USGovSearch

 

          Travel:

Expedia

Travelocity

Orbitz

SideStep

 

 

Searches Performed:

 

The White House

Milk

Mexican Immigrants

Jon J. Muth

Animated light bulb

Buzz sound clip

Pets in the classroom

 

Searches Performed on Travel Search Engines:

 

Non-stop flight from Baltimore, MD to San Antonio, TX from 05/24/06 to 06/07/06 with hotel accommodations and/or travel package where available

 

Best available flight from Baltimore, MD to San Diego, CA from 05/28/06 to 06/14/06 with hotel accommodations