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xu.tutor: Evaluating Websites
3.
Finding information on the Web
Methods
There are three
common ways of finding information on the Internet:
- Typing a
known Internet address in your browser (example)
- Using a subject
directory (example)
- Using a search
engine (example)
Typing a
known address is the fastest and most direct way of finding
information on the Internet. However, you must enter the Internet
address exactly.
Subject directories
were the first finding aids on the Internet. Subject directories
collect links to different webpages, organize them by subject, and
allow users to tunnel through them to find the information they
want. They are generally organized by human reviewers. If you simply
want to "surf" the Internet, a subject directory is a good place
to start. Many subject directories are now adding reviews or comments
to the webpages they include. Examples of subject directories are:
| Subject
Directory Name |
Internet
Address |
| About.com |
http://about.com |
| Librarians
index to the internet |
http://www.lii.org |
| Yahoo |
http://www.yahoo.com |
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Search engines
are constructed quite differently from subject directories. They
rely on computer "robots" or programs that find webpages on the
Internet and index them automatically. Search engines store the
web pages they have discovered, so that they will always be there.
Although search engines cover the Internet more comprehensively
than subject directories, they often generate irrelevant hits. There
are a wide variety of search engines. Some of the better known shearch
engines are:
| Search
Engine Name |
Internet
Address |
| Ask Jeeves |
http://www.ask.com |
| Google |
http://www.google.com |
| Hotbot |
http://www.hotbot.com |
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Comparison
One of the most
notable differences between subject directories and search engines
is their size. In April 2001, Open Directory (one of the largest
subject directories on the web) had 2.6 million links indexed while
Hotbot (a mid-sized search engine) had 500 million webpages indexed.
The reason for the size disparity is simple. Directories generally
rely on human editors to compile their database. The search engines
rely on computerized robots that can work 24 hours a day 7 days
a week.
Summary
| Criteria |
Subject
directories |
Search
engines |
| Construction |
database
created by human editors |
database
created by computerized "robots" |
| Coverage |
selective |
comprehensive
|
| Currency |
not
as up-to-date |
very
up-to-date |
| Content
searched |
subject
categories |
a
portion of the Internet |
| Similar
to |
subject
heading search |
keyword
search |
| Size |
smaller
number of indexed websites |
large
number of indexed websites |
| Use
for |
broad,
well-established topics |
new,
unusual topics |
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