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   Windweaver's updated
 Searcher Guide
   Using the Top Directories and Search Engines

   Which search tool to use and for what purposes
   How to choose your search terms and syntax
   (Or see condensed SEARCHHELPER  page for Net newbies)
 

   BASIC SEARCH INFORMATION
   Preliminary Searching Hints
   Choosing Search Terms and Syntax
   Which Search Engine or Directory to use?

   HOW TO USE....
   Yahoo      Magellan      AltaVista
   HotBot      Infoseek     Webcrawler
 
 

PRELIMINARY  SEARCHING HINTS

1. Choose a search engine, directory or library in accordance with
the kind of search you are doing and the kind of results you are seeking.

2. Consider: Are you looking for a Web site? Information that might
be contained within Usenet? Academic articles that may only be
retrievable with gopher?

3. Determine your aims: Do you want a specific hard-to-find document
on an esoteric subject, or general information on a broader topic? Do
you need to search the entire Web, or is what you are seeking likely
to be found on a number of sites, or only the most popular sites?

4. In making your choice, determine whether the information you are
looking for is likely to be in a page's title or first paragraph, or buried
deeper within the document or site.

5. Use a search engine's advanced features, if available, and read the
help files if you are unclear about its searching procedure.
 
 

CHOOSING SEARCH TERMS AND SYNTAX

1. Enter synonyms, alternate spellings and alternate forms (e.g. dance,
dancing, dances) for your search terms.

2. Enter all the singular or unique terms which are likely to be included
in the document or site you are seeking.

3. Avoid using very common terms (e.g. Internet, people) which
may lead to a preponderance of irrelevant search results.

4. Determine how your search engine uses capitals and plurals, and
enter capitalized or plural forms of your search words if appropriate.

5. Use a phrase or proper name if possible to narrow your search
and therefore retrieve more relevant results (unless you want a large
number of results)

6. Use multiple operators (e.g. AND, NOT) if a search engine
allows you to do so.

7. If you receive too many results, refine and improve your search.
(After perusing the results, you may become aware of how to use
NOT - e.g. Boston AND hockey AND NOT Bruins)

8. Pay attention to proper spacing and punctuation in your search
syntax (i.e. no space when using + means +term not +  term)
 



 

WHICH SEARCH ENGINE OR DIRECTORY?
Do you want....

to browse a subject area?
USE Yahoo, Magellan

to search Usenet?
USE Yahoo, Magellan, Webcrawler,  AltaVista, InfoSeek

to include older gopher files in your search?
USE Magellan, Webcrawler,  InfoSeek

to search as much as the Web as possible?
USE AltaVista, InfoSeek

to search every word on a site or in a document?
USE AltaVista, InfoSeek

to locate an obscure or hard-to-find document?
USE AltaVista, InfoSeek

to locate a fairly popular site or easy-to-find document?
USE Webcrawler, Yahoo, Magellan

to retrieve a large number of results?
USE AltaVista, InfoSeek

to retrieve few but relevant results?
USE Webcrawler (or Infoseek for relevance)

to search only titles, urls or keywords?
USE Webcrawler, Yahoo

to specify in what part of a site your search terms will occur
(including titles, urls and summaries)?
USE AltaVista (adv), InfoSeek

to search reviewed and evaluated sites?
USE Magellan
OR Lycos/Pointcom's Top 5%
 


Directory: Yahoo
URL:  http://www.yahoo.com
SIZE of database:  small
SEARCHES:  Web, Usenet
SCOPE: searches keywords only
RELEVANCE: not organized by relevance

SPECIAL FEATURES: numerous directories available: uses DejaNews
     for Usenet searches; passes on searches to AltaVista
WHEN TO USE : browsing, subject categories, overviews of topic
WHAT TO REMEMBER WHEN USING YAHOO: + - ""
     Yahoo has many specialized search sites and directories.
 

YAHOO HOME PAGE:     http://www.yahoo.com
Use + before a word which must appear
Use - before a word which must NOT appear
Enclose phrases in double quotation marks ("this is a phrase")
Use wildcards * to specify a root and retrieve various word forms
(e.g. sing* will retrieve sing, sings, singing, singer - but also
singe, singular, singularity etc.)
To search within a title use t:word    (e.g. t:astronomy)
To search within a url, use u:word    (e.g. u:harvard)

SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS
CAPITALIZATION:  Capitalization doesn't matter.
ORDER: Combine search operators in this order: +  -  t:  u:  " "  *
 

SEARCH OPTIONS PAGE:   http://search.yahoo.com/search/options
Rather than type in your search terms, choose whether you want to
include all search terms (AND), only one of your search terms (OR)
or an exact phrase.

SEE ALSO Windweaver's Yahoo Review


Directory: Magellan
URL:   http://www.mckinley.com  OR  http://magellan.excite.com/
HELP:   http://magellan.excite.com/magellan/Info/advancedtips.html

SIZE of database:  moderate
SEARCHES:  Web, Usenet, gopher, ftp
SCOPE: searches most words
RELEVANCE: fair organization by relevance
SPECIAL FEATURES: can choose reviewed and rated sites only:
       can read reviews of sites; green light parental safety index
WHEN TO USE : when wanting rated and reviewed sites, parental
       safety ratings, more relevant organization or more academic and
       gopher (older Internet) sites than Yahoo provides,
WHAT TO REMEMBER WHEN USING MAGELLAN:
        USE:   +  before all words that must occur on page
        USE:   -   immediately before words that must NOT occur    
        OR use Boolean terminology:  AND, AND NOT, ( )

MAGELLAN HOME PAGE   http://www.mckinley.com
Use +  or - immediately before words that must or must not occur.
OR INSTEAD, use Boolean terminology:  AND   AND NOT  
        and ( ) around phrases or words which must appear together.

CAPITALIZATION does not matter. Magellan is not case-sensitive.

See also: Windweaver's Magellan review.

NEXT:  Search syntax for AltaVista, Infoseek, Webcrawler, HotBot

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