1. What the Search Engines are up to Now: same ingredients different recipes Karen Blakeman RBA Information Services, UK 02 June 20141Karen Blakeman www.rba.co.uk Internet Librarian International

2. Searching is not quite like cooking Cooking –same ingredients + same recipe = same dish BUT: Searching –same search terms + same search engine same results Search engines have many, many chefs (servers) cooking to their own recipes and varying according to country and intended customer base Add to the Internet/Web search mix: –Desktop search –Enterprise search –Customisation 02 June 2014Karen Blakeman www.rba.co.uk2

3. Possible results 02 June 2014Karen Blakeman www.rba.co.uk3

4. But you do not expect…. 02 June 2014Karen Blakeman www.rba.co.uk4..to end up as:..this

5. A search engines results may vary In content and presentation From one minute to the next –different server being used Country versions –different emphasis –local content –different interface –different search features Different chains or brands –Live.com, Tafiti –Yahoo, Yahoo Alpha, AlltheWeb –Exalead, Baagz 02 June 2014Karen Blakeman www.rba.co.uk5

6. Google Number of hits is often fictional Thousands of different servers around the world, running different versions of the database, search features and ranking algorithms My Google experiment –site:www.charity-commission.gov.uk "makes grants to organisations" –posted to several discussion lists, results from 157 people –majority were 40500, 48600, 49000 hits –a handful reported ca 22000 –Google Canada 5400 –many displayed 78 results –repeat search with omitted results - ca 250 results 02 June 2014Karen Blakeman www.rba.co.uk6

7. 02 June 2014Karen Blakeman www.rba.co.uk7

8. Google News 02 June 2014Karen Blakeman www.rba.co.uk8

9. Google.com vs Google.co.uk 02 June 2014Karen Blakeman www.rba.co.uk9

10. iGoogle 02 June 2014Karen Blakeman www.rba.co.uk10

11. My iGoogle 02 June 2014Karen Blakeman www.rba.co.uk11

12. My Yahoo! 02 June 2014Karen Blakeman www.rba.co.uk12

13. http://www.yahoo.co.uk/ 02 June 2014Karen Blakeman www.rba.co.uk13

14. search.yahoo.co.uk, search.yahoo.com 02 June 2014Karen Blakeman www.rba.co.uk14

15. search.yahoo.co.uk, search.yahoo.com yahoo.co.ukyahoo.com 02 June 2014Karen Blakeman www.rba.co.uk15

16. mindset.research.yahoo.com 02 June 2014Karen Blakeman www.rba.co.uk16

17. http://au.alpha.yahoo.com/ 02 June 2014Karen Blakeman www.rba.co.uk17

18. http://livesearch.alltheweb.com/ 02 June 2014Karen Blakeman www.rba.co.uk18

19. Ask Germany http://www.ask.de/http://www.ask.de/ 02 June 2014Karen Blakeman www.rba.co.uk19

20. Ask UK http://www.ask.co.uk/http://www.ask.co.uk/ 02 June 2014Karen Blakeman www.rba.co.uk20

21. Live Search http://www.live.com/http://www.live.com/ 02 June 2014Karen Blakeman www.rba.co.uk21

22. Live UK vs Live US 02 June 2014Karen Blakeman www.rba.co.uk22

23. http://www.tafiti.com/ 02 June 2014Karen Blakeman www.rba.co.uk23

24. http://www.tafiti.com/ 02 June 2014Karen Blakeman www.rba.co.uk24

25. Original Tafiti 02 June 2014Karen Blakeman www.rba.co.uk25

26. http://www.tafiti.com/ 02 June 2014Karen Blakeman www.rba.co.uk26

27. http://www.exalead.com/ 02 June 2014Karen Blakeman www.rba.co.uk27

28. http://www.exalead.com/ 02 June 2014Karen Blakeman www.rba.co.uk28

29. Baagz 02 June 2014Karen Blakeman www.rba.co.uk29

30. 02 June 2014Karen Blakeman www.rba.co.uk30 What Google's homepage may look like in 2084 www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2005/10/10/opinion/1010opart.html www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2005/10/10/opinion/1010opart.html

31. Dine à la carte images audio/video news blogs, RSS reference peer reviewed papers patents books social and professional networks etc. etc. 02 June 2014Karen Blakeman www.rba.co.uk31

32. Blog searching Google Blogsearch –http://www.google.com/blogsearchhttp://www.google.com/blogsearch Ask – Blogs and feeds –http://www.ask.com/http://www.ask.com/ Exalead –http://www.exalead.com/http://www.exalead.com/ –limit search to Site Type Blog Live Search –http://www.live.com/ and select Feedshttp://www.live.com/ Blog and feed search engines –Technorati, Blogpulse 02 June 2014Karen Blakeman www.rba.co.uk32

33. http://www.intelways.com/ 02 June 2014Karen Blakeman www.rba.co.uk33

34. Gourmet searching The set menu may be fast but may not give you what you want Different country versions –different presentation –different content –different search options –different ranking of results Be aware of different brands Think about the type and format of information you need – the search engines do not always give you the full menu 02 June 2014Karen Blakeman www.rba.co.uk34

35. 02 June 2014Karen Blakeman www.rba.co.uk35 Karen Blakeman Tel: +44 118 947 2256 karen.blakeman@rba.co.uk http://www.rba.co.uk/ Blog: http://ukeig.wordpress.com/http://ukeig.wordpress.com/ This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 LicenseCreative Commons Attribution 2.5 License