Jennifer Postal
SLM 521
September 26, 2004
Top Search Engines
The internet is
filled with so many different web sites filled with an enormous amount of
information. From news to shopping to
educational resources the internet has become an important research tool. Search engines were created in order for
users to find information that they need.
There are several different types of search engines including News, Kid
Safe, Shopping, Song Lyrics and Sports.
The list that follows is search engines that I find helpful for me to
use on a daily basis.
News Search Engines
This site gives
users the opportunity to “search and browse 4,500 news sources updated
continuously”. When a user searches Google
News, the news sources are arranged so that the most relevant appear
first. The service is also available for
several different countries so that users in other parts of the world have
headlines that are tailored to their needs.
http://news.google.com
Yahoo! News gives
users the ability to customize their information including the ability to
choose content, color and the order of information on the front page. On the left side of the front page users can
click and get information on national as well as world news, business news,
entertainment news, sports news as well as other genres of news. Audio and video of news is also available on
this site.
http://news.yahoo.com/
Out of the three
search engines that I used in the news category, this seems the least
helpful. It is very bare bones; there
are no pictures on the front page which is unlike the other two search engines
that I looked at. One of the good things
about this site is that it allows users the opportunity to narrow down their
search by having a date range and a specific topic drop down box.
http://www.altavista.com/
Kid-Safe
This site gives
kids easy access to things that would interest them. Games, TV, Movies, Jokes and Reference are
just some of the things that a kid could click on. It is very kid friendly with cool graphics,
text and colors. There is also a guide
for parents about their kids being safe on the internet.
http://yahooligans.yahoo.com/
This website touts that they list
only the “best” kids sites on the net and each site is approved before it is
listed. It should be noted that even
though the site has this claim, no internet certificate, government entity or organization
supports it. Users are given the opportunity to search for educational as well
as fun sites. Just as with the other kid
safe search engine reviewed this site contains bright colors and cool graphics
to grab the attention of the kids that it targets.
http://www.kidsites.com/
Shopping
Shopping
has become a part of life on the internet.
Users of this site are able to search items in a variety of categories
including toys, games, music, DVD’s, books and electronics. This website offers “low prices as well as
free shipping on orders over $25”. The
site is easy to navigate; users can browse by category or search by specific
item.
http://www.buy.com/
Users
can search for anything on this website including, clothing, appliances,
electronics, computers and jewelry, either by category or by item. Reviews of products are also listed which is
helpful when deciding between items.
http://www.bizrate.com/
Song Lyrics
This site allows
users to search using artist name or the name of the song. It also includes a listing of the top 5
artist and lyrics that are searched. In
addition, users can listen to specific songs that are chosen by clicking on the
Play of the Day area. New lyrics are
added daily as well.
http://lyrics.astraweb.com/
In this site users
can search for song lyrics by browsing artists on the front page. This is not good if you don’t know the name
of the artist. If you click on advanced
search, you will be able to search using the song title. Ads appear on this site which can be
distracting to a user when trying to find information.
http://lyricsfind.com/
Sports
As the site claims,
“This worldwide sports search engine lists more than 20,000 of the very best
sports Web sites from around the world, and is packed with information on
athletics, baseball, basketball, boxing, cricket, golf, horse racing, ice
hockey, motor sports, rugby, soccer, tennis and more.”. This is the place to be if you need any kind
of sports information. The site is very
easy to use, just put in a word and watch the results come.
http://www.aardvarksport.net/
This
site gives the sports enthusiast anything and everything that they could
want. From photos to standings to
headlines of the day’s top stories, it is all here on this website. Users can also use their search function for
more information.
http://sports.quickfound.net/