Searching the Internet

There are literally millions of web pages with more being added every day. Web pages exist on every subject under the sun - as well as hundreds of other subjects as well. Although the Internet contains a wealth of information, for that information to be of value, one has to know how to access it.

There are many so-called 'search engines' to enable Internet users to find information. Here are some well-established search engines. If you click on the underlined text, they will open for you.

Write down three things you notice about these search engines.

One thing you will have noticed on each search engine is a space to type some text for what you want to look for. In Alta Vista type Burgess Hill and click on the Search button. How many results are found? - write this down. Have a look at the first 10 results. What do you notice about them?

Now do the same in Lycos and Yahoo. Do you get the same results? What differences are there? Make some notes on what you have observed.

Here are some other information sources. Have a look at these too. Do you notice any differences between these and the other three search engines? Try searching for Burgess Hill again. Do you get the same results as previously? Don't forget to make a note of what you observe.

  • Google - this search engine has become the one most people think of when they think of internet searches!
  • BBC - apart from access to various BBC sites, the BBC has a very good and generally reliable search facility
  • Britannica- access the Encyclopedia Britannica on-line with links to other sites

As you search for information, you may find you are visiting pages that you want to return to at a later date. You can mark these by bookmarking them or, in Internet Explorer, adding them to your Favorites. To add a pafe to your Favorites, click on the Favorites on the menu and then click on Add to Favorites. Click on New Folder and give that folder your name. The folder will then appear in the list of folders you can save the web page details to. Ensure it is highlighted and click OK. If you have already created a personal folder, just ensure it is highlighted before clicking OK. You will be able to return to that page by clicking on Favorites and choosing your folder. You will find all the sites you have bookmarked listed there.

Click here for some notes on quality of information or here for some search practice.