Searching the World Wide Web

Searching For Information
On the World Wide Web
A New Surfer's Guide

Willie W. Webfoot talks about the World Wide Web

"The fundamental principle of science, the definition almost, is this: the sole test of the validity of any idea is experiment."

—Richard P. Feynman

One of the biggest problems people encounter when they first start exploring the web is finding things. This page provides you with pointers to the various search engines and indexes and a few hints on using them. Happy Surfing!

Indexes | Search Engines | Other Resources

Index Sites - Good Places To Find General Information
Index style sites organize information in some kind of structure. The structure is designed by a human being. The advantage here is that human intervention can lead to more selective resources, many index style sites feature the "cream of the crop" in a given subject. The down-side is the same, the web changes so quickly that it is virtually impossible for a mere mortal to stay on top of everything.

Hint Remember that most of the indexes depend on people submitting information in order to stay up-to-date. In other words, just because you don't find what you're looking for at one place doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. Sometimes it takes a few searches in different places to find information that you can use. The thrill is in the hunt!

Yahoo: The grand-daddy of indexes, Yahoo is a very popular site that allows you to browse information by category or to search for information by entering key words. It is well organized and easy to use, an excellent resource.

Tradewave Galaxy: Lots of information, nicely organized and fun to browse.

The World-Wide Web Virtual Library: One of the best things about using this resource is that it has the feel of a regular library. Somehow it seems like you should be quiet while you are visiting. Like a few of the other general sites, the descriptive lines provided with each link really help you save time.

Internet Public Library: A public service organization and a learning/teaching environment at the University of Michigan School of Information.

There are of course, more great sites for looking up general information, plus sites devoted to "cool" links, "hot" links, and a host of other indexes. Why not try out some of these links and see if you can find a few sites that appeal to your tastes and interests?

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Search Engines - Great Ways to Find Specific Information
Search engines work with a little less human intervention. They send out spiders that work their way through sites and catalogue the content. Each one works a little differently and some are more powerful than others. If you are interested in learning more about this subject, dig into the FAQ index at Bot Spot.

The best way to get relevant results from a search engine is to take the time to read the help files. For more general information about search engines and how they work, visit the Consumer's Guide to Search Engines page.

Search Engine Sampler

Alta Vista Search Engine: This engine boasts some powerful searching capabilities; you can search for web sites, newsgroups and even for people.

Excite: This is yet another mega-resource that searches through millions of documents for you.

Google: Search the WWW, images, newsgroups, and news feeds.

Infoseek: Infoseek's newest offering is Go.com. Why not take it for a test spin?

MapQuest: Locate street addresses, print out maps, and find turn-by-turn driving directions to any address you enter. MapQuest also offers a yellow pages service to help you locate businesses.

Maps On Us: Another map, route, and yellow pages services.

WebCrawler Searching: Web Crawler works in a similar fashion, and it does pay to be specific with it. Again, like all search engines, the data base can only find what it thinks you are looking. You may have to run your query several times with different key words to find the answer you need.

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A Few Other Handy Starting Points
There are many guides and many more search engines available to aid you in your quests for information. There are also a variety of sites dedicated to searching out and cataloging the best of the internet. If you find yourself enjoying trying out different ways of looking for information, then check out the following:

The Weekly Bookmark: "The Weekly Bookmark is a site designed to inform, instruct, and support the internet community. Using the web, distribution lists, discussion lists, and web forums, we hope to reach that goal."

The Internet Sleuth: Search through 1,500 databases of information. Nicely done!

Starting Point: Like the Internet Sleuth, Starting Point allows you to power search or browse through categories to find hot sites in a wide assortment of categories.

Blue Planet's Coolest Picks for Today: "BLUE PLANET'S COOLEST PICKS FOR TODAY is designed to bring to you the best of the web in the areas of entertainment, literary sites, kid's sites, music, health, women's issues, homepages, etc. Also, check out our new WEB BUILDING SITE for great links to graphics, html tutorials, web design shareware and lots more."

URouLette: This site will let you spin the virtual wheel and will then transport you to a random location.

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