Web Searching

What is Web Searching?

• A primary reason that people use the Web is to search for specific information, including text, pictures, music and video.
• The first step in successful searching is to identify the main idea or concept in the topic about which you are seeking information.

Types of Search Tool :

1. Search Engine :

• Helpful in locating information for which you do not know an exact Web address or are not seeking a particular Web site. 
• A search engine is helpful in locating items such as:
• Images
• Audio
• Videos
• Publications
• Maps
• People or Business
• Blog
• A program that searches documents for specified keywords and returns a list of the documents where the keywords were found.
• Requires the users to enter a word or phrase, called search text or search query.
• Each word of the search text is known as keyword. 
• Result of the search is called hits.
• Result  from the search engine can be in the form of:
• web pages
• articles
• Images
• Audio
• Video and etc.

2. Subject Directory :

• Subject directory – classifies Web pages in an organized set of categories such as sport or shopping and related subcategories. 
• Examples of search tools:
• AltaVista
• Yahoo!
• Google
• Excite
• A subject directory provides categorized lists of links arranged by subject.
• When click on the category link, the subject directory displays a list of subcategory links.
• The disadvantage – users have difficulty deciding which categories to choose as the menus of links presented.