A4.3: Reflection on Searching the WWW

Deidra Darst
9/13/07

What did I learn that I didn’t already know? About an hour ago I thought that I knew all there was to know about search engines. Google is the search engine, right? After visiting several sites concerning search engines I realized that Google, while quite fabulous, is not the one-and-only source I should be using. Finding Things on the Internet: A Tutorial, explained that many sites can only be located by one search engine, and that might not be Google! So, in order to get the most out of your searches you should also search Yahoo! and ask.com. I also learned that there is an invisible web that usually cannot be accessed through search engines (yes, even Google). The invisible web can be accessed through particular databases. One example of this would be the ERIC database. Marshall University pays for access to such databases, so I have access to these because I am a student. ITools, which I had not heard of until today, provides three main categories for information gathering purposes: a search tool, a language translator and a research tool. I tested each category and found them useful. It was also accurate to have all three of those options together on one site. I learned, too, that search engines can only locate sites that have been linked to another site. If a new site is created and has yet to be linked to a pre-existing site, the owner must request that it be added to a search engine.

What surprised me? I was most surprised by the ITools site. In the “tool search” category there is a place to find a person by entering their first and last name. I entered my name and found my address and phone number! I realize that this information could easily be found from other sources, but it was a little frightening that it was that easy to find! (Witness Protection Program, here I come!) I was also surprised to learn from Finding Things that search engines do not really search the web; rather, they search databases located on various servers.

How might what I learned impact my work? The information that I learned will impact my future work. While I sometimes consult Yahoo! or ask.com during research, I mostly rely on Google. I realize now that I am limiting my result possibilities. I will probably consult Keith Stanger’s site in the future as well. His topical “search trees” might direct me to useful search engines. I should definitely utilize other search engines, afterall, that is why they exist!