Finding Information on the Web

You now know how to connect to a web page once you've learned its URL.  But how do you find resources on the Web if you don't know the address?   Fortunately, there are many effective methods for finding information on the Web.

Follow Links
Web pages usually include links to other sites with related content.  By clicking on one of these links, you can connect to another Web site without typing the URL.

Browse Subject Indexes or Directories
Subject indexes are collections of Web sites organized by topic and subtopic.  They are built by humans who select, review, and evaluate web sites.  They are similar to using an online or card catalog subject search.

The advantage is that they are especially useful for finding broad topics. 
The disadvantage is that only a limited number of sites are indexed. 

Choose your favorite hobby or interest and browse through the following directory.

• Librarians Index to the Internet http://lii.org
• B&ECPL Reference Desk http://www.buffalolib.org/referencedesk/

Search Engines
A search engine is a Web site designed to perform searches of the Net.  Although impossible, most search engines try to reference every page on the Web.  Because they are built by "Robot" programs and not people, results are not organized, selected or evaluated.

The advantage is that it allows very precise searching of an enormous number of sites.
The disadvantage is that you are often faced with far too many web sites in the results.

• Google http://www.google.com

Note:   Commercial search engines may show ads related to the search you enter. This can result in surprising ads in some cases.

Portals
Portals are all purpose Web sites offering directories (subject collections), search engines, e-mail, chat rooms, news, weather, travel, and stock information.  Portals are helpful starting points for directed use of the Web.  As commercial sites with advertisers, they want to attract users and continually add features as they become available.

Try searching your name in the search tools on one of these portals.

Search Tip
Use each search tool's Help resource for suggestions on how to improve your search skills.

Check out Finding Information on the Internet: A Tutorial http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/FindInfo.html  from Berkeley for an introduction to the Web, a glossary of terms, and tips for searching.

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