There are 3 basic Internet search devices: search engines, directories, and meta indexes.

An Internet SEARCH ENGINE is an interactive tool for locating information on the Internet. The search engine consists of: 1) a database of keywords and Internet addresses (Universal Resource Locators or URL's), and 2) a query interface which allows users to submit words or phrases to the database to look for matches. The search engine database is created by software agents (called "robots" or "spiders") which are designed to explore and create keyword lists from Internet web pages. The computer uses relevance ranking to place the queries which best match your search words at the top of the results list sent to you.

INTERNET SEARCH ENGINES ARE GOOD FOR QUESTIONS WHICH ARE VERY SPECIFIC.

Internet DIRECTORIES are subject lists of Internet web pages. The lists are usually created by human beings. Some subject directories have annotations, and some directories rate sites. Internet directories are usually arranged hierarchically by subject. Many directories have a query interface which allows you to search for terms in that subject hierarchy.

DIRECTORIES ARE GOOD STARTING POINTS WHEN YOU HAVE A BROAD TOPIC OR ARE NEW TO THE INTERNET.

A META INDEX is an interface that sends your search query to multiple Internet search engines. Since no Internet search engines covers all of the millions of Internet web pages, meta search engines are a quick way to complete a broad search of the Internet. However, the query interfaces of search engines differ so that it is difficult to reliably submit complex searches-searches with multiple terms, Boolean logic, nesting, field searching, phrases, adjacency, or truncation-through a meta index.

META INDEXES ARE GOOD FOR QUICK SURVEYS OF INTERNET RESOURCES IF YOU HAVE A SIMPLE QUERY.

Send comments and suggestions about this page to: Corryn Crosby-Muilenburg
Last Updated: March 4, 1998

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