Week 5: Using Search Engines.

LECTURE:

Today's lecture was all about search engines.

Examples of search engines include:
*Google
*Yahoo
*Alta Vista

Some problems that may occur using search engines include:
*Important information is often hidden.
*Too much information comes up, sometimes over a million pages will appear.
*We do not know the quality of the information.
*Limited relevance or quality filtering of results.
*Misuse of page scoring or ranking.
*Current "broken" links still appear.

TUTORIAL:

In tutorials today we listed some strategies to search effectively. I have to do an online quiz and will need to summarize what I have learnt so far about using search engines.

Strategies to overcome problems involving search engines from www.monash.com/spidap.html:
*Use Advance Search.
*Inverted commas " "
*Boolean Search - AND OR NOT.
*Try different/similar keywords.
*Try using exact phrases.

Search engine tips or strategies:
*Use several search tools.
*Read search tips or help information on search engines.
*Use several keywords.
*Guess a location.
*Use Web Directories: If you are clear about the topic of your query, start with a Web directory rather than a search engine. Directories probably won't give you anywhere near as many references as a search engine will, but they are more likely to be on topic.

Screenshot of my quiz



I used Google and advanced search to find my answers to the quiz. I used keywords and inverted commas as well as phrases. These were very effective and helped me to find the answers very quickly.

Summary so far about this module:

So far I have learnt that I need to use a variety of different search engines, not just GOOGLE! There are too much information on the Internet and not all of it is valid, true or a reliable source. I need to evaluate websites and information found on the net first before I use it to make sure the information isn't false or bias or even made up! Using the search tips or Boolean search it helps to find the right information fast!

READING 1: "Robert Harris-Web Search Strategies"

This article has plenty of search tips listed including: key words, phrases and boolean search techniques.

READING 2: "The History of the Internet: (Chap 4- Search Engines)"

This reading discusses the same tips as the reading above. It also has facts about the history of the net.

READING 3: "Search Engine Optimization for Companies"

I think this website is well worth looking at if you have a small business and you wish to make the most of your business website.