Finding information on the Web

The Internet contains a wealth of information that is readily available. That's the good news. The bad news is that the Internet contains so much information that it is often difficult to find what you are looking for. Browsing, while interesting and enjoyable, is not a very efficient way to locate specific information. This chapter introduces the concept of a search engine, a program that systematically searches the Web for documents on a specific topic.

We begin with an explanation of how search engines work and why they are essential. You will learn that many search engines are available and that the same query can return different documents via different engines

You will find that a search often yields too many documents (hits) that are only marginally relevant to your query. You will also learn that a search that is too spe­cific may not yield any documents at all, making it necessary for you to use mul­tiple engines for the same query.

Suffice it to say, therefore, that searching is a trial and error process. Accord­ingly, the chapter describes a variety of search techniques to maximize your chance for success. We explain why it is important to use several different search engines. We introduce the concept of Boolean operations and describe how to qualify a search using different logical operators. We also distinguish between searching the Web versus searching a specific site; for example, you may search the Web to locate an online bookstore, then search the resulting site to find a specific book. As always, the chapter gives you the opportunity to apply the conceptual infor­mation through hands-on exercises at the computer.

AVOID TRAFFIC JAMS

Rush hour traffic is always tedious, whether you are on the city streets or the Information Superhighway. Sometimes it can't be helped, in that you have to go to work at a certain time or use the computer lab when it's open. Try, however, to avoid the peak hours during the middle of the day when traffic on the Web is busiest and response time is very slow. Go to the lab early in the morning or late at night. Not only will you (almost certainly) be guaranteed a computer, but you will avoid rush hour on the Internet as well.