Search Engine - Search Engines
The Sunday Age
Sunday September 15, 2002
google.com
Since the amazing Google burst on the scene, for some it is the only search engine. A combination of link-based "importance" rankings and fast return times make this a very likely place to find what you're looking for, first time.
Google keeps improving, with a recently added feature that corrects misspellings, and the ability to search newsgroup postings as well as the wider web. On September 11, 2001, it acted as a news source by "mirroring" busy news sites.
From time to time, the whimsical staff trick up the logo with Christmas, Easter or other appropriate decorations.
dmoz.org/
Really a directory rather than a search engine, the Open Directory project draws on about 36,000 volunteers classifying everything from cooking (subtitle: gifts in a jar) to religion (155 results for the Fourth Way).
Its results are free to anyone, and widely used in the "search" functions of other sites.
If you like what you see and fancy yourself as an expert in your pet topic, you can volunteer to help with the Herculean task of putting everything on the web into a neat filing system.
askjeeves.com
Ask Jeeves promises a more personalised search service; instead of just keywords and Boolean phrases (using plus, minus and quote signs), it encourages you to enter a fully phrased question.
But the results don't differ that much from other engines, complete with "sponsor's" ads. It's a reasonably family-friendly service; look for a cute pussy cat and you'll be warned that the next page may contain adult content, instead of the results coming straight back.
Most search engines have some kind of window into what people are looking for; Ask Jeeves keeps its link on the front page.
Recent up-and-coming searches terms included Lord of the Rings on DVD, Clint Eastwood and 2003 car models; perennial favourites with the crowd Pamela Anderson and Anna Nicole Smith were in the overall winners for a week in August.
searchenginewatch.com
Not a search engine but a site about them, searchenginewatch is a great place to learn how to drive the search site of your choice.
It has a comprehensive list of specialised search sites with reviews and ratings, a "how to" covering search techniques, and a business-news area detailing how companies are trying to make money from the search game.
For number geeks, it can tell you how many searches are being done on the major sites and how many web pages they list - no search engine covers them all.
Unsurprisingly, its news area is dominated by the doings of Google.
© 2002 The Sunday Age
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