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Internet Navigation and Community
Searching The World Wide Web
Directories (including Selective and Review Sites)
- About.com
- Formerly called The Mining Company, About.com is a large collection of subject-oriented web directories compiled and maintained by human expert guides who come from a variety of backgrounds and have an active interest in their subject. About.com emphasizes the "human touch" by including a photograph, biographical details, and email contact information for all of its guides.
http://about.com/
- INFOMINE: Scholarly Internet Resource Collections
- Sponsored by the University of California, INFOMINE contains over 22,000 links to internet resources of relevance to faculty, students, and research staff at the university level. The links are organized into subject categories that can be searched or browsed. All items in INFOMINE are selected, annotated, and indexed by academic librarians.
http://infomine.ucr.edu/
- Librarians' Index to the Internet
- "An annotated subject directory of more than 6,200 Internet resources selected and evaluated by librarians for their usefulness to users of public libraries. It's meant to be used by both librarians and non-librarians as a reliable and efficient guide to described and evaluated Internet resources." The sites are currently classified into over 1,900 subjects.
http://www.lii.org/
- LookSmart
- This directory of about 1.5 million Web sites is indexed into more than 100,000 categories. The categories are developed and refined by a staff of professional taxonomists and editors. LookSmart now also offers business and premium magazine and periodical content from the Gale Group.
http://www.looksmart.com/
- Open Directory Project (DMOZ)
- The Open Directory Project is a large collaborative experiment in web indexing. It claims over 24,000 volunteer editors who select and organize high-quality web sites into over 250,000 categories for fast access. It's motto is "HUMANS do it better."
http://dmoz.org/
- Snap
- Snap's editors have organized selected web sites into a directory of over 60,000 subject categories. Snap claims its sites are selected on the basis of providing comprehensive, easy-to-find, up-to-date information on a given topic. Sites which show topic expertise, present their topics in a lively manner or provide a particularly innovative approach to the subject at hand are designated as "Editor's Picks."
http://www.snap.com/
- Yahoo!
- The oldest and most popular web directory uses over 100 human editors to select and classify web sites according to a multitude of subject hierarchies. Easy to browse and search, Yahoo! now combines the benefits of its directory structure with a search engine that draws upon the large Google database (see below).
http://www.yahoo.com
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Search Engines
- AllTheWeb.com (FAST)
- One of the newest and largest indexes to the web, FAST offers a no-frills search screen in both simple and advanced mode and a powerful retireval engine that can deliver relevant, precise results. Works best with multiple search terms or exact phrases.
http://www.alltheweb.com/
- AltaVista
- AltaVista's database indexes one of the largest available collections of web pages, and its search engine allow you to search for both text and other kinds of online content (image, audio, and video files). Many other advanced features are also available. Searchers who prefer a less busy screen should try AltaVista's Raging Search interface.
http://www.altavista.com/
- Excite
- Mid-size database aims to be your personal portal to web resources, with a variety of customizable screen features in addition to the basic search engine. The "My Excite" customizable features require you to create an account.
http://www.excite.com/
- GO.com
- The former Infoseek was purchased by the Walt Disney Internet Group and relaunched as GO. The site functions as a search engine and web "portal" offering personalized features and email.
http://www.go.com/
- Google
- Google's uncluttered search screens provide access to one of the largest web indexes available. Search results are ranked in part by the search engine's use of link popularity to assign the rank of a site.
http://www.google.com/
- HotBot
- Although HotBot's web index is not as large as others, it offers powerful search tools and a sophisticated retreival engine that can help you obtain many relevant sites. Examine the options on the side of the screen and try the "Advanced Search" mode to test its accuracy.
http://hotbot.lycos.com/
- Rocketinfo Search Engine
- Rocketinfo's specialized search engine is designed to provide access to current news articles and other information available on the web, with the option to search as far back as five days. Rocketinfo relies on approximately 5,000 selected news sites for its content, including the Associated Press, CNN News, and the Washington Post.
http://www.rocketinfo.com/2corporate/searchengine.html
- Teoma
- Relatively small index to the web works well with popular search queries. Worth using for two special features: (1) the "Refine" feature offers you additional (and narrower topics) to provide more precise results after you do an initial search; and (2) the "Resources" feature provides links to pages function as directories about topics related to your search.
http://www.teoma.com/
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Metacrawlers
- Dogpile
- Popular, easy-to-use metaengine submits your search terms to 14 different search engines and directories and displays results from each on successive screens.
http://www.dogpile.com/
- Ixquick
- Powerful metasearch tool you can use to find web sites, news, MP3s, and pictures. Unlike some other metacrawlers, Ixquick combines and ranks results from its multiple sources into a single list based in part on the rankings assigned by the source engines. It also eliminates duplicates.
http://ixquick.com/
- MetaCrawler
- MetaCrawler's web searches 15 different search engines simultaneously in one search. The results are combined in a single list, and the "Power Search" advanced settings allow you to place limits on your search for more precise results.
http://www.metacrawler.com/
- ProFusion/Intelliseek
- Offering 12 different "search channels" grouped loosely around popular subject areas and information sources, ProFusion offers an easy-to-use interface that allows you to customize your search according to a menu of search tools. It also features broken link detection and search tracking.
http://www.profusion.com/
- Search.com
- Search.com's site claims that queries submitted to its metasearch engine will search over 700 different search engines simultaneously and combine the results into a single list.
http://www.search.com/
- Vivísimo
- This meta search engine uses other search engines to obtain web pages and then and classifies and organizes the results on the screen through a special document clustering technology developed by the programmers.
http://vivisimo.com/
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The "Invisible Web"
An increasing amount of valuable material on the web is effectively "invisible" to searchers because search engines are either unable or unwilling to include this material in their databases. Examples of "invisible web" content have included documents in non-HTML formats such as Adobe PostScript (.ps), Adobe Acrobat PDF (.pdf), Microsoft Word (.doc), Excel (.xls), and PowerPoint (.ppt), and information stored in thousands of large databases, directories and catalogs like ERIC and PubMed. Although some search engines like Google are getting better at making unusual formats more "visible" to searchers, it is important to understand what most search engines miss and how to find it. The following tools can help.
- Direct Search
- Created and maintained by library and information research consultant Gary Price, Direct Search "is a growing compilation of links to the search interfaces of resources that contain data not easily or entirely searchable/accessible from general search tools like Alta Vista, Google, or Hotbot. Although these `general' tools are essential for the retrieval of Internet based data, searchers often fail to realize that a massive amount of information is not easily or entirely searchable/accessible via these search tools. Material `hidden' from the general search tools is said to reside on the Invisible Web." Price also produces a weekly newsletter, The Virtual Acquisition Shelf & News Desk, that contains the latest information on invisible web resources.
http://www.freepint.com/gary/direct.htm
- InvisibleWeb.com
- A directory of over 10,000 databases, archives, and search engines that contain information that traditional search engines have been unable to access.
http://www.invisibleweb.com
- Invisible-Web.net
- Companion site to the book The Invisible Web: Finding Hidden Internet Resources Search Engines Can't See by Chris Sherman and Gary Price (Call Number: ZA4450.S54 in the Cheng Library) includes a directory of some of the best resources the Invisible Web has to offer. The directory selects resources that are informative, of high quality, and that contain worthy information from reliable information providers not visible to general-purpose search engines.
http://www.invisible-web.net
- ResearchIndex: The NECI Scientific Literature Digital Library
- ResearchIndex is a scientific literature digital library that aims to improve the dissemination and feedback of scientific literature, and to provide improvements in functionality, usability, availability, cost, comprehensiveness, efficiency, and timeliness. ResearchIndex indexes Postscript and PDF research articles on the Web and employs several sophisticated features, including automatic citation indexing.
http://citeseer.nj.nec.com/cs
- Those Dark Hiding Places: The Invisible Web Revealed
- A practical guide to the various sources of invisible web content designed and implemented by Robert J. Lackie, Assistant Professor-Librarian at Rider University in New Jersey.
http://library.rider.edu/scholarly/rlackie/Invisible/Inv_Web.html
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Guides To Searching and Information About Search Tools
- BrightPlanet's Search Tutorial: Guide to Effective Searching of the Internet
- Excellent step-by-step guide provides thorough coverage of the best techniques and strategies for finding information on the web using search engines. Takes you "under the hood" and explains in clear language how to conduct a good search. The bottom line: "Your ability to find the information you seek on the Internet is a function of how precise your queries are and how effectively you use search services. Poor queries return poor results; good queries return great results. Contrary to the hype...the fact remains that search results are only as good as the query you pose and how you search. There is no silver bullet."
http://www.brightplanet.com/deepcontent/tutorials/search/index.asp
- Choose The Best Search For Your Information Needs
- Debbie Abilock, a Librarian at the Nueva School in California, has designed this page as a short, practical guide to search tools for a variety of different needs. Set up as a directory; just scan and go.
http://NuevaSchool.org/~debbie/library/research/adviceengine.html
- Finding Information on the Internet: A Tutorial (University of California, Berkeley Library)
- Site developed and maintained by academic librarians covers all aspects of internet research, from using web browser software to appropriate search strategies and tools for various types of problems.
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/FindInfo.html
- Search Engine Guide
- Includes a directory to over 3,500 search engines, plus news about search engines and the search engine industry, and information on using search engines to market web sites.
http://www.searchengineguide.com/
- Search Engine Showdown
- Search engine companies make a lot of claims about what they can do, and this site reviews them with a critical eye. Reviews, statistics, practical advance, and other helpful resources.
http://www.searchengineshowdown.com/
- Search Engine Watch
- Continuously updated, this site closely covers the world of search engines. It provides annotated directories, reviews and statistics, searching tips, and related resources.
http://www.searchenginewatch.com/
- SearchIQ
- SearchIQ offers "independent reviews and rankings to help you make informed choices in selecting search tools." Here you'll find critical evaluations of search engines, directories, and metacrawlers based on their design, search customization and assistance, comprehensiveness, speed, accuracy, and quality of results.
http://www.zdnet.com/searchiq/
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Internet Community
Electronic Mail and Mailing Lists
- What is LISTSERV? (Instruction and Research Technology, William Paterson University)
- Overview of internet discussion groups (listservs) - what they are, how to use them, how to find listservs in your subject area.
- Did you know that your class can have a listserv of its own to discuss things via e-mail?
- Did you know that listservs can be set up here at William Paterson University to support research, clubs, or other university activities?
- If you have questions about listservs at William Paterson University, contact Robert Harris at IRT.
http://www.wpunj.edu/irt/listserv/
- CataList, The Official Catalog of LISTSERV Lists
- L-Soft International, which produces the widely used LISTSERV software for electronic mailing lists, maintains this online database of almost 42,000 mailing lists. The contents can be browsed and searched.
http://www.lsoft.com/lists/listref.html
- Free Email Providers Guide
- Database of 1300+ free electronic mail account providers in over 85 countries. Most citations include descriptive annotations. You can search or browse to find email providers based in different countries, those offering special email features or functions, and those focused around special interests. The guide also includes an FAQ, a glossary, news and reviews.
http://www.fepg.net/
- Liszt, The Mailing List Directory
- If you're wondering whether there is an electronic mailing list (discussion group) organized around your topic of interest, this is a good place to find out. Organized as both a search engine and a directory, most mailing lists found in Liszt include descriptive information and instructions for signing up.
http://www.liszt.com/
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Usenet Newsgroups
- Deja's Usenet Archive
- Web-based archive of Usenet discussion groups and messages, now hosted by Google. Browse or search.
http://groups.google.com/googlegroups/deja_announcement.html
- Tile.Net/News: The Complete Reference to Usenet Newsgroups
- Easier to use as a search engine than as a directory. Find newsgroups on a variety.
http://tile.net/news/
Last updated: 9/9/02 1:18:35 PM
