TIP

Tip #1:

Find two to three good search tools to start your searches with

Search Engines: Google, AltaVista, AlltheWeb, Teoma

• searches entire text of pages for your keywords or phrases
• computer ranked results
• you have to evaluate findings

Visit at least two of the listed search engines or engines you have previously used. Enter the same simple keyword search in each engine. How many pages did you get in your results?

Keyword(s): ________________________

Site 1 - # of sites ____________________

Site 2 - # of sites: ___________________

Subject Directories: About.com, Yahoo!, Librarians' Index

• sites organized into categories by humans
• does not search entire text of pages
• sites are often evaluated and annotated

Visit at least two of the listed subject directories or directories you have previously used. Try to conduct the same simple keyword search that you used for the search engines. How many pages did you get in your results?

Site 1 - # of sites ____________________

Site 2 - # of sites: ___________________

Tip #2:

Know how to use your favorite search engines' "Advanced Search" abilities to narrow your search criteria

(Example shown using Google's Advanced Search.)

• Example: Searching for sites regarding a local unconventional production of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, simply entering Romeo and Juliet in Google, you will get approximately 353,000 hits.

WITH ALL OF THE WORDS: Use this field to list all the words that would always appear on the perfect page.

• Adding the words unconventional, 2002 and play, you have now reduced the results to 394 sites

In the search engine that received the most results for exercise #1, find that site's Advanced Search. In the "with all of the words" field, list all of the additional words that you would want to appear on the perfect page: __________________________________________

__________________________________________

How many results do you have now? _______________

WITH THE EXACT PHRASE: Whenever possible, search for an exact phrase if the words are always listed in that order and format.

If the search engine does not have this field as an advanced search feature, use quotation marks around the phrase to indicate you want it searched as a whole.

• By narrowing the search with romeo and juliet in quotation marks or as an exact phrase, you have reduced your search to 270 sites

In the "with the exact phrase" field, list any appropriate phrase for your search:

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

How many results do you have now? ______________

WITH ANY OF THE WORDS: enter any synonyms that you want included in your search.

• Searching for baltimore and/or maryland reduces the findings to 88 pages

In the "with any of the words" field, list any keywors and associated words that may be interchanged on your perfect page:

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

How many results do you have now? ______________

WITHOUT or NONE: use this field to list multiple meanings of your search words that you do not want to show up in your results.

• Finally, eliminating the word movie (because we are looking for plays), we reduce the results to 68 pages

In the "without" field, list all of the associated words that you do not want on your perfect page:

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

How many results do you have now? ______________

Tip #3:

Trim the URL

Often, a webmaster will reorganize the site, and a link will be "broken". When this happens, you can simply back out of each portion of the link until you find a page that works, then try to re-enter through that page's links.

This skill is also useful if you find a site that really interests you, and you want to see if there are other "nearby" sites that you may also like.

Note: sometimes you may get the response that you are not authorized to view that page... don't stop trying! Usually you can regain access at the homepage (see example below). Other times, the homepage may not be something you are interested in.

Go to: http://nancykeane.com/booktalks/avi_true.htm

While researching the author Avi, you decide you want to see what else this site has about him... so back up the address to http://nancykeane.com/booktalks/

And this site has you really interested, so you want to see what other authors and booktalks Nancy Keane has to offer... http://nancykeane.com/

Try these other sites and list other treasures you were able to find:

http://www.esc20.net/etprojects/formats/scrapbook/ spring2000/space1/

 

http://www.west-bend.k12.wi.us/webquest/ms/author/ Default.htm

 

http://teach.fhu.edu/technology/EDU330/Medieval times.html

Example: if you were to open http://www.plainfield. k12.in.us/hschool/webq/webq31/food.htm you would find a nutrition-based WebQuest.

If you back up to http://www.plainfield.k12.in.us/hschool/webq/webq31/ you will be told that you are not authorized to view this page.

But don't stop trying! Once you back out to http://www.plainfield.k12.in.us/hschool/, you will have access again, and may be able to find more interesting projects!

Tip #4:

Look for "similar pages" once you've found a format or topic you like

Compare the "like:" or "similar" functions of at least two search engines, to see how many similar web sites you can find for:

http://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/coasters/reviews/

 

http://gamespot.com/

 

http://www.hauntedamerica.com/

 

Example: You really enjoyed reading book reviews by other students at www.spaghettibookclub.com. Let's see what other sites we can find that are similar to it:

Using the "like:___" command, AlsaVista shows us 12 similar pages:

Google gives us 26 similar pages, using its Advanced Search "Similar" field:

Tip #5:

Look for pages that link to a page that you like

Another method of finding similar pages is to find the pages that link to the page you enjoyed, assuming that they will be similar.

Compare the "link:" function or "Links" field of at least two search engines, to see how many similar web sites you can find for:

http://disney.go.com/park/homepage/today/flash/

 

http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/scooby/

 

http://pbskids.org/zoom/reviews/

Let's see what other sites we can find that are linked to spaghettibookclub.com:

Using the "link:___" command, AlsaVista shows us 11 similar pages:

Google gives us 2,440 similar pages, using its Advanced Search "Links" field: