Beyond Google: Getting the Most Out of Searching the Internet A free workshop sponsored by The Chapel Hill Public Library & UNC’s School of Information & Library Science

Web Search Tools Search Engines: Search Engines: –Google, AltaVista, AlltheWeb MetaSearch Engines: MetaSearch Engines: –HotBot, Ixquick Directories: Directories: –Yahoo Portals (Super Directories): Portals (Super Directories): –Excite, MSN, Netscape

Deep Web Search Tools Gateways Gateways –Internet Public Library Internet Public LibraryInternet Public Library –Infomine Infomine –Digital Librarian Digital LibrarianDigital Librarian –Librarians' Index to the Internet Librarians' Index to the InternetLibrarians' Index to the Internet Databases Databases –WebMD (health information) WebMD –Expedia (travel) Expedia –Roller Coaster Database (roller coasters) Roller Coaster DatabaseRoller Coaster Database –MySimon (comparison shopping) MySimon

But how do they work? Crawler-based Search Engines Crawler-based Search Engines –Listings are generated automatically using software (spiders) that “crawl” the web and index sites. Google Google Human Powered Directories Human Powered Directories –Humans index the sites into various categories Yahoo (kind of) Yahoo (kind of)

Meta Tags Intended to help searchers identify relevant pages My World

Creating a Search: Two Approaches Do you want to: Do you want to: –Browse around ? –Locate specific information ? –Learn as much as you can on the subject ? Solve your own mystery: Solve your own mystery: –What, Where, When, How, Why

Let’s Solve a Mystery! Julia works in downtown Chapel Hill. While on her lunch break one fine spring day, she sees a flash in the sky! She looks up to see a bird about the size of a crow diving at high speed after what looks to be a pigeon. The bird then swoops out of sight. Julia is captivated by the gray and white bird with a crooked black and yellow beak. Julia works in downtown Chapel Hill. While on her lunch break one fine spring day, she sees a flash in the sky! She looks up to see a bird about the size of a crow diving at high speed after what looks to be a pigeon. The bird then swoops out of sight. Julia is captivated by the gray and white bird with a crooked black and yellow beak.

What do we know? Who/what ? gray and white bird, size of a crow, crooked black and yellow beak Who/what ? gray and white bird, size of a crow, crooked black and yellow beak Where ? downtown buildings, town of Chapel Hill, NC Where ? downtown buildings, town of Chapel Hill, NC When ? Daytime in the Spring When ? Daytime in the Spring How ? Fast-flying, possibly hunting pigeons as prey How ? Fast-flying, possibly hunting pigeons as prey Why ? Never seen it before. Is it migrating? Is it lost? Why ? Never seen it before. Is it migrating? Is it lost?

Jack Kerouac said, “Be concrete like a street.” The best queries start with concrete, things, objects, nouns. BirdCrowBeak Chapel Hill Spring Hunter Pigeon Migration

Consider Your Terms I want to know more about a bird I want to know more about a bird –One term: bird I want to know more about a bird that hunts I want to know more about a bird that hunts –Two terms: bird, hunter I want to know what birds that hunt live in the Southeast I want to know what birds that hunt live in the Southeast –Three terms: bird, hunter, Southeast

Think like a Thesaurus Bird that hunts Bird that hunts –Bird of prey –Hawk –Eagle –Owl –Falcon Southeast Southeast –Southern –North Carolina –Chapel Hill

String Terms Together into Phrases Try these searches in Google:Google bird of prey = 353,000 “bird of prey” = 67,200 “bird of prey” “North Carolina” = 1,800 “bird of prey” “North Carolina” spring= 453

Boolean! AND + AND + Falcon +migrate +spring OR OR Falcon (grey OR gray OR yellow) NOT – NOT – Falcon (grey OR gray) “North Carolina” –car –miami –shoe

Tricks of the Trade: Try These… Exact quotes Exact quotes “North Carolina Falconers Guild” Nesting Nesting Falcon (grey OR gray OR yellow) “North Carolina” (falcon OR falcons) Truncation Truncation Bird* Advanced Search Advanced Search

Searching is Organic Review words and phrases found on relevant pages and use them to focus your search Review words and phrases found on relevant pages and use them to focus your search Click on the “Similar Pages” link Click on the “Similar Pages” link