Keyword Searching
Keyword Searching
- large databases with millions of documents and billions of words
- maintained by spiders or web-bots
- advanced search methods for precise results
Alta-Vista, Excite, Google, HotBot, Lycos, and WebCrawler are popular.
Alta Vista is the preferred search engine for searching using keywords, phrases, or questions in the search box. The AltaVista search engine covers over 250 million Web pages. A family filter is available. Plus, AltaVista searches more than just text. You can use special keywords to search for matches in such things as page titles or domains. Or use it's Media search features to locate pictures, sounds and movies.
Launched in late 1995, Excite grew quickly in prominence and has been eating its competitors. In July 1996, Excite purchased the Magellan search engine and directory. In November 1996, it acquired WebCrawler. Combined, Excite says that all its services give it more reach than Yahoo, top ranked by PC Meter. However, Magellan has continued running as a separate service, and WebCrawler is supposed to do the same. Perhaps they'll one day be all merged together.
Excite also runs a directory, Excite Reviews. Editors surf the net to find new listings, and they may also add sites based on submissions. Getting in here is good, because its far more likely a site will be found.
(Formerly Inktomi) launched in May 1996, HotBot was "Wired's" entry into the search engine market. Now part of the Lycos network, Hotbot is an award-winning smart, sophisticated search engine with more than 40 tools to help users better articulate their searches and get relevant search results quickly and easily. Hotbot also provides tools to allow users to search for multi-media files.
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Around since May 1994, Lycos is one of the oldest of the major-league search engines, Lycos is well-known, well-used and has key links. Lycos also runs the Point rating service and the A2Z directory.
Point used to be an independent company and is one of the oldest rating services. It claims to list the top 5% of all web sites. Point used to much-talked about after launching in 1995. Since 1996 on, the hype has to died down. Editors take submissions, but sites are added at their discretion.
Use parentheses to group search terms. The search: (vegetable and garden) not flower will retrieve documents that contain the word vegetable and the word garden but not the word flower.
