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Web Search Strategies
The first principle of WWW searching:
When you know the Web address of the association or can figure it out by URL guessing, go there. Often it is easy enough to figure out the address by using, for example, a company name or its acronym. For instance, the Orvis company Web site is at www.orvis.com.
For college or university sites, use the same formula with the .edu domain name. Future top level domain names are planned to help segment the addressing system on the Web.
If the first tactic doesn't work, an Internet search directory is the next step you want to consider. YAHOO! is the oldest and best known of these hierarchical search programs. What? You didn't find Johnson State College's website by following the first principle of URL guessing? Try the advanced search mode in YAHOO! and select the exact phrase match for Johnson State College, scroll down the page and click on the hotlink. Thus, even if you didn't know that Johnson State College is not abbreviated in our Web address, you would still find our site.
If you don't want to "drill down" the hierarchical levels of the directories or if your topic is unique or current, the large, fast search engines are the way to go. Many search experts recommend that you become familiar with the search conventions of one or two of the popular programs, because knowing the search language of each search engine can be daunting.
This three-step strategy has become less linear with the evolutionary changes in search engines. For instance, YAHOO! has become both a directory and a search engine. Several sites such as Altavista have added directories or channels to organize the search experience. Nevertheless, it is useful to think conceptually about the search process on the Web, as it helps in deciding which search program to use.
These recommendations are based on a Web site and tutorial developed by Greg Notess, a reference librarian at Montana State University.
Search Programs
Directories
YAHOO!
LookSmart
Vermont YAHOO!
Search Engines