Activity 4 searching the internet

1. what are the advantage and disadvantage  of using search engines?

   Advantage -

        A.The majority of the work behind search engine optimization (SEO) is a one-off activity, and so is usually charged out at a set upfront fee.

        B.The changes made to your website will probably still be relevant and driving traffic to your site a year from now.

       C.Credibility: most people (research indicates between 60 and 80 percent) will click on the organic results rather than the sponsored (paid) results.

       D.If you rank well in one of the major search engines (Google/Yahoo/MSN), you will most likely show up in the majority of the search engines worldwide.

  Disadvantage-

     A.Changes must be made to your website's code. Normally the changes are invisible to visitors. However, if you have invested heavily in a search engine-unfriendly site, the process can be time-consuming and costly; and occasionally significant changes may need to be made to your site's copy, navigation or design. Of course ultimately, you'll see returns if you commit to the necessary changes.

    B.Results (rankings and traffic) start slowly. You will normally see results within 3-4 months.

    C.There can be no guarantee. As the search engines themselves have the final say, you can't predict how many rankings you'll get for a particular search term or engine; nor can you predict how much traffic you'll get to your site.

2.compare and contrast individual search engines and search meta search engines?

 >>>Finding information on the Internet can be intimidating. The use of search engines can help users of the World Wide Web find subjects easily. We tend to call most search sites "search engines," not all of them are search engines, per SE. The differences between search engines and search directories lies in the way they find and categorize sites. We can compare and contrast major search sites and sample some popular meta searches.

Search engines, such as Alta Vista, Excite, Info seek and Lycos rely on "spiders" or "bots" to troll the web, collecting information on new and updated sites. This information is put into a searchable database we enter when a search query is entered.

Search directories are created manually by people. Each site in a search directory had been screen and categorized by a person. Search engines yield a large quantity of results while search directories yield more quality results.

Using Boolean terms, "and" and "or" can help you hone in on a particular subject. Using quotation marks will enable you to search for a specific phrase.

3.when is it appropriate to use a search engine? when is it appropriate to use a search/subject directory?

>>>Built initially for military usage the cyberspace has grown leaps and bounds, connecting individuals from all corners of the earth during the past few decades. With easy access to information, and the ability to stay in touch with their loved ones, millions of users are addicted to this creation of technology. All these individuals using the internet make it a fertile ground for businessmen who would make profit out of it. One of the better ways to do marketing online is through search engines, where almost every web user eventually stops to get something they require on the internet.

        Let us consider each of these in turn, but first some words about the strengths of subject directories. They are organized and they are selective. When you are not sure of the exact term to search for, browsing a subject directory's subject categories will help you find those keywords. This is actually quite useful for preparing certain search engine searches. Browsing for keywords will also provide a context for your search. Remember: subject directories are usually smaller than search engines, have much more focused and higher quality links, but are poor for exhaustive searching.

4.what is an invisible web or deep web? 

The "visible web" is what you can find using general web search engines. It's also what you see in almost all subject directories. The "invisible web" is what you cannot find using these types of tools.

The first version of this web page was written in 2000, when this topic was new and baffling to many web searchers. Since then, search engines' crawlers and indexing programs have overcome many of the technical barriers that made it impossible for them to find "invisible" web pages.
These types of pages used to be invisible but can now be found in most search engine results:

• Pages in non-HTML formats (pdf, Word, Excel, PowerPoint), now converted into HTML.
• Script-based pages, whose URLs contain a ? or other script coding.
• Pages generated dynamically by other types of database software (e.g., Active Server Pages, Cold Fusion). These can be indexed if there is a stable URL somewhere that search engine crawlers can find.

 5.how do you find an invisible web?

 >>>Is it some kind of Area 52-ish, X-Files deal that only those with stamped numbers on their foreheads can access? Well, not exactly. The term "invisible web" mainly refers to the vast repository of information that search engines and directories don't have direct access to, like databases. Unlike pages on the visible Web (that is, the Web that you can access from search engines and directories), information in databases is generally inaccessible to the software spiders and crawlers that create search engine indexes.

   

There are parts of the Internet that search engines simply can't see. The search engine's  robotic "crawlers" either miss or are locked out of these areas on the Internet.  Behind the barriers lie treasure troves of quality information. Collectively this information is called the Invisible Web.  There are many categories of invisible information missed by the popular search engines.  The most common are:

• webpages that have been intentionally skipped by search engine crawlers
• webpages that are dynamically assembled from online database content
• password protected webpages
• non-HTML resources like image, audio, animation, and PDF files 

 6.Why are these web pages not available on search engines and subject directories?

>>>What is a search engine, anyway? It's a type of website that asks the user to enter words related to the information being sought. The search engine then compares those words with the documents stored in its database of webpages and returns a list of the webpages that match.

Think of a search engine as a trip to a sandwich shop. Instead of looking for a specific webpage, you're looking for lunch. You belly up to the counter and say, simply, "turkey rye bread mustard." Almost immediately, you are swamped with thousands of different types of sandwiches that can be made using those ingredients. It's that easy with a search engine. Just type in the words or phrase you are looking for, and watch the results roll in. But hey — tell 'em to go easy on the mustard.

Using a search engine can be like a visit to a sandwich shop. Simply type in your "ingredients," sit back, and watch the results roll in.

There are a lot of search engines out there, and they all work in different ways. Some search engines — like Yahoo! — require that webmasters register their sites, with the search engine's database in order for them to be returned as search results. Others rely on technologies that take into account various statistics, such as how many people link to a page.

If you pick any two search engines and enter the same term — "skateboarding," for example — then you can be sure they will turn up different results. While many of the same sites will be listed by different search engines, many will not. And remember, the first skateboarding site on the list isn't necessarily the best skateboarding site — or the worst, for that matter. Expect to do a little comparison and some exploration of the results you receive.

You also need to consider the words you use to search. A search for just the word "skateboarding" will yield a ton of results that may or may not lead you to the information you crave. Be sure to tell the search engine exactly what you want through your choice of keywords. If you want to learn more about the history of skateboarding, try searching for "history of skateboarding." If you're looking for a place to skateboard in Washington, DC, search for "skateboarding Washington, DC." 

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