The Extreme Searcher's Internet Handbook: A Guide for the Serious Searcher

Front Cover
Information Today, Inc., 2007 - Computers - 326 pages
An essential guide for anyone who conducts research on the Internet--including librarians, teachers, students, business professionals, and writers--this fully revised handbook details what users must know to take full advantage of Internet search tools and resources. From emerging search tools Ask.com and Windows Live to standbys Google and Yahoo!, the major search engines and their myriad of services are thoroughly discussed. Recent additions to the Internet realm--RSS feeds, podcasts, alert services, wikis, and blogs--are explained, as well as tried-and-true search tools, including web directories, newsgroups, and image resources. For those with little to moderate searching experience, friendly, easy-to-follow guidelines to the world of Web research are provided, while experienced searchers will discover new perspectives on content and techniques.
 

Selected pages

Contents

Basics for the Serious Searcher
1
A Very Brief History
2
The New Web
7
General Strategies
12
Content on the Internet
15
ContentThe Invisible Web
20
Copyright
23
Citing Internet Resources
25
Quotations
162
Foreign Exchange RatesCurrency Converters
164
Weather
165
Gazetteers
166
ZIP Codes
167
Statistics
168
Books
170
Historical Documents
174

Keeping UptoDate on Internet Resources and Tools
26
General Web Directories and Portals
29
Selectivity of General Web Directories
30
Searchability of General Web Directories
31
The Major General Web Directories
32
Other General Web Directories
39
General Web Portals
41
Summary
46
Specialized Directories
47
How to Find Specialized Directories
48
What to Look for in Specialized Directories and How They Differ
49
Some Prominent Examples of Specialized Directories
50
Search Engines The Basics
63
How Search Options Are Presented
65
Typical Search Options
66
Search Engine Overlap
71
Result Pages
72
Search Engine Accounts
73
Search Engine Shortcuts
75
Desktop Search Programs
76
Search Engines The Specifics
79
Yahoo
97
Windows Live
112
Askcom
119
Additional General Web Search Engines
126
Visualization Search Engines
129
Groups Newsgroups Forums and Their Relatives
133
Groups
134
Mailing Lists
146
Instant Messaging
150
An Internet Reference Shelf
153
Criteria Used for Selecting the Tools Covered
154
Encyclopedias
155
Dictionaries
157
Combined Reference Tools and Almanacs
159
Addresses and Phone Numbers
160
Governments and Country Guides
175
Company Information
178
Associations
181
Professional Directories
182
Colleges and Universities
185
Travel
186
Film
187
Sights and Sounds Finding Images Audio and Video
189
Images
190
Audio and Video
201
News Resources
219
Finding NewsA General Strategy
220
News Resource Guides
222
Major News Networks and Newswires
224
Newspapers
227
Radio and TV
229
Aggregation Sites
230
Specialized News Services
236
RSS
238
Alerting Services
240
Finding Products Online
243
Looking for ProductsA General Strategy
244
Shopping Malls
246
Price Comparison Sites
248
Auctions
252
Product and Merchant Evaluations
254
Buying Safely
255
Becoming Part of the Internet Publishing
257
Weblogs
259
Podcasts
263
Conclusion
273
Glossary
275
URL List
285
About the Author
307
Index
309
Copyright

Common terms and phrases

About the author (2007)

Randolph Hock is the owner of Online Strategies, a company that trains Internet researchers and creates and presents courses on searching the Web for professional associations, government agencies, schools, and businesses. He is the author of The Extreme Searcher's Guide to Web Search Engines and a frequent contributor and columnist for professional publications, including The CyberSkeptic's Guide to Internet Research and Online. He lives in Vienna, Virginia.

Bibliographic information