23USECG27 - Internet and its applications Unit 5 1

Unit V: Search Engines – Web Directories – Microsoft Internet Explorer – Searching for
Information – Bigfoot, Infospace, Whowhere, Yahoo- Subscriptions and Channels – Web Sites
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SEARCH ENGINES
• In the 1980s, files were stored separately, with no way to go from one file to another.
• In 1991, Tim Berners-Lee developed a network of files connected by hypertext links.
• This network today is referred to as the World Wide Web.
• The popularity of the Web exploded when it became user-friendly and user could
jump quickly from page to page.
• The next thing that was needed was a way for users to find what they wanted.
• That is why search engines were created.

Search Engine
A search engine is an application that retrieves information, based on words or a
phrase that you enter.

Working of a search engine

• A search engine employs a
search agent, called a spider.
• The spider crawls the Web and
looks for information on Web
pages.
• This information is indexed
and stored in a huge database.
• When you search the Web, the
search engine looks through
its database to find entries
that match
• the information you entered.
• Then, the search engine
presents to you a list of the Web pages that it determines are most relevant to your
search criteria.
Searching process
• Dozens of search engines are available on the Web.
• Each search engine gathers information differently.
• Some engines scan the entire Web page in search of information.
• Some focus on the page title.
• Others read keywords and information included in META tags in the HTML code.
• META tags are tags that include keywords about the Web page.

Common search methods

Method Example Results
Multiple words Hawaii vacation Pages that contain all the words
Or
Pages that contain atleast any one
word
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Phrase in quotation “Cats and Dogs” Pages that contain the exact phrase
marks
Plus sign (+) to include +penguins -hockey Pages about penguins, excluding
words hockey teams named “penguins.”
Minus sign (-) to
exclude words
Boolean search cats AND dogs Pages about cats and dogs that do
NOT zoos not mention zoos.

Cats OR dogs Pages that contain one word, either

cats or dogs

WEB DIRECTORIES
A Web directory is a Web site that categorizes Web pages.
• You can browse links to Web pages by topic.
• For example, the Yahoo! Web directory includes categories for Arts and
Humanities, Business and Economy, Computers and Internet, Education, and
many others.
• Each of these major categories contains many subcategories.
• For example, if you click the Recreation and Sports category, you see Sports,
Games, Travel, Autos, Outdoors, and many other subcategories.
• Keep clicking categories to see their subcategories until you find the specific types
of Web pages that you are looking for.
• The advantage of a Web directory over a search engine is that human beings have
categorized the Web pages.
So you can find all the links related to a particular category.
• Web directories are useful for browsing when you don’t know the exact name of
what you are looking for.
• For example, if you want to know which bookshops sell books online, you can
browse to the page that lists online book stores, without knowing the exact name
of a book store.
• On the other hand, search engines are quicker if you are looking for information
• about a specific, unusual term.
• For example, if you need pages about fibromyalgia and aspirin, using a search
engine to search for the terms gives you pages on your specific topic.
• However, several Web sites combine search engines with Web directories

MICROSOFT INTERNET EXPLORER

Study from Unit-4

SEARCHING FOR INFORMATION

• With tens of millions of pages published on the Web, you need to find only relevant
information.
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• Usually, when you search for Web pages by using a search engine, you receive too
many results—for example, a list of thousands of Web pages that contain the terms
that you specified.
• The more that you can narrow your search, the better your results.
• For example, if you’re a bird watcher, it’s better to search for a specific type of bird
(for example, “blue herons”) than to search only for “birds.”
• The key to a successful Web search is to narrow your focus.
• Search engines and Web directories can be used for searching the Web.
• Some search engines are listed below:
Google
• Web address: https://www.google.com
• It is a platform provided by Google that allows specialized information in web
searches, refine and categorize queries.
AltaVista
• Web address http://www.altavista.com
• AltaVista is one of the oldest search engines on the Web.
• To conduct your search, type the word or phrase that you are looking for in the
blank box and click Search.
• The default search language is English. You can also search in other languages.
• Select your language from the drop-down list and then enter your search words.
Excite
• Web address http://www.excite.com
• The Excite home page contains many links related to the most common searches
that people perform.
• You can also enter your search word in a search box and click Search.
• The home page includes:
➢ Links to top news stories
➢ A search box for entering stock symbols to get quick stock reports
➢ A search box for entering your ZIP code, so that you can see the weather
forecast
➢ A place to enter your birth date, to get your horoscope
HotBot
• Web address http://www.hotbot.com
• Type the word or phrase that you are looking for in the search box.
• Use the drop-down boxes to narrow your search (for example, to indicate whether
you’re searching for all the words, an exact phrase, and so forth).
• When you’re ready, click the Search button.
Infoseek
• Web address http://www.infoseek.com
• In addition to the search box, the Infoseek home page contains links to current news and
to categories and subcategories related to a topic.
• You can also search in a language other than English.

Lycos
• Web address http://www.lycos.com
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• To conduct a simple search, type the word or phrase in the search box and click
the
• Go Get It button.
• If you want to refine your search, click the Search Options link and
• make your selections on the search form.
Northern Light
• Web address http://www.northernlight.com
• When you search for words or a phrase, the results are grouped into Folders. You
can open the folder that most closely matches the type of information you want.
WebCrawler
• Web address http://webcrawler.com
• The WebCrawler home page provides a quick way to obtain information about a
community.
• Enter a ZIP code to see all kinds of information about the selected city
Yahoo!
• Web address http://www.yahoo.com
• In Yahoo!, information is organized into categories. When you conduct a search,
your results show the Yahoo! categories that match your search, as well as the Web
pages that meet your criteria
Other search engines include
• Answers.com, at http://www.answers.com
• Ask Jeeves, at http://www.askjeeves.com

FINDING PEOPLE
• Looking for people on the Web is an easy way to locate a phone number or address
when you don’t have access to phone directories.
• The information that you find in Web-based personal directories is from public
sources, such as yellow pages, or is added by the individuals themselves.
• You can search for a person’s e-mail address, or a phone number and address.
• Personal directories are expanding to contain links that you can use to search for
companies, maps, etc.
People Search websites include
➢ Bigfoot
➢ Infospace
➢ WhoWhere
➢ Yahoo

BIGFOOT
• Web address http://www.bigfoot.com
Conducting a search
• By default, the People button is selected on the Search Bigfoot box when you
access the Bigfoot home page.
• Enter the name of the person you want to find.
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• To search for a person’s e-mail address, select the E-mail box to search for a
person’s phone number and address, select the White Pages box.
• If you’re looking for a white pages listing, click the Advanced Directory Search
button and enter the person’s city and state of residence.
• Click the Search tab to start the search.
• The results are listed in alphabetical order.
• You can also search both e-mail and white pages entries.
Adding yourself to the directory
• Click the Join Bigfoot Free button on the Bigfoot home page.
• Follow the directions on the screen to complete your directory listing.
Removing yourself from the directory
• If you are listed in your local white pages, you are probably listed in the Bigfoot
directory.
• To see whether you are listed, and to remove your name from the directory, click
the Advanced
• Directory Search link and enter your name, city, and state.
• When the listing appears, follow the directions onscreen to remove your name
from the directory.

INFOSPACE
• Web address http://www.infospace.com
Conducting a search
• Click the Phone Numbers link on the InfoSpace home page.
• Enter the name of the person you’re looking for, select the city, state/province, and country
of residence, and then click Find.
• If you’re looking for an e-mail address, click the Email Search link, fill in the person’s name
and location, and then click Find Email.
Adding yourself to the directory
• Conduct a search for your own name.
• Click the link to add or update your information.
• Click the link and follow the instructions onscreen.
Removing yourself from the directory
• Search for your listing in the directory.
• With your listing displayed, click the e-mail link at the bottom of the screen and follow the
directions onscreen.

WHOWHERE
• Web address http://www.whowhere.lycos.com
Conducting a search
• Enter the first and last name of the person you are looking for in the home page.
• Select either the Email or the Phone & Address button.
• Then click Find.
• If you don’t locate the person, click the Advanced link, enter the city and state,
and then search again.
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Adding yourself to the directory

• On the WhoWhere home page, click the Free Directory Listings link.
• You can add your e-mail address, home page on the Web, or toll-free number to
the directory.
• Click the link for the item that you want to add, and follow the directions on the
screen.
Removing yourself from the directory
• Click the Write Us link on the WhoWhere home page.
• Send an e-mail indicating that you want to be removed from the directory.
• Be sure to include all of your directory information, so that your record can be
located and deleted

YAHOO
• Web address http://people.yahoo.com
Conducting a search
• To search for an e-mail address, enter the person’s first name, last name, and
domain, and then click the Search button.
• To search for a phone number, enter the person’s first name, last name, city, and
state, and then click the Search button.
Adding yourself to the directory
• Currently you cannot add or edit an e-mail entry in Yahoo! People Search.
Removing yourself from the directory
• Go to the Yahoo! help page
• Click the E-mail Removal Form link to remove your e-mail listing, or the
Telephone Removal Form link to remove your phone number listing.

SUBSCRIPTIONS AND CHANNELS

Subscriptions
• When we subscribe for magazine and newspaper, you sign up and pay to receive
information on a regular schedule.
• Subscribing to a Web page is similar, but no fee is involved.
• You mark the page to which you want to subscribe in Microsoft Internet Explorer,
and set up a schedule to receive downloaded information.
• The term subscription is also used when you sign up with a broadcast service on
the Internet.
• A broadcast service sends information to you from different news sources that
you select.
• Your subscription is free.
Channels
• A Web channel is like a channel on your television set—you go to the channel
whenever you want to see what's new.
• A channel is a Web site that has been set up to deliver information.
• For example, it could be your company website that shows updated employee
announcements.
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• For your convenience, you subscribe to a channel, have the channel page
downloaded to your computer, and read the channel offline whenever you want.
• For both subscriptions and channels, you don't have to download the information
to your computer.
• You can choose to be notified that a site has been updated.
• However, if you elect only to receive notification, you have to go online to the site
to see what's new.
If asked for 10 marks, write about Usenet Newsgroup from Unit 3

WEBSITES
• A website is a collection of many web pages.
• Web pages are digital files that are written using HTML(HyperText Markup
Language).
• To make your website available in the Internet, it must be stored or hosted on a
Web Server.
• The web pages are linked with hyperlinks.
• The website can contain text, documents, images, videos, etc.
Components of a Website:
These are the components for making a website.
Webhost:
• Hosting is the location where the website is physically located.
• A website is on the webserver.
Address:
• Address of a website also known as the URL of a website.
• User types the URL in the address bar to open a website.
Homepage :
• Home page is the first webpage that appears when a visitor visits the website.
Content :
• Every web page contained on the website together make up the content of the
website.
The Navigation Structure:
• The navigation structure of a website is the collection of what links to what.
Types of Website:
• Static Website: In Static Websites, Web pages are prebuilt. There is no processing
of content on the server.
• Dynamic Website: In Dynamic Websites, Web pages are processed during
runtime. They are not prebuilt. They are built during runtime according to the
user’s demand.
There are different types of websites:
• Blogs: managed by an individual and cover a topic of interest.
• E-commerce: These websites are well known as online shops. They allow us to
purchase products online.
• News and Magazines: These websites keep their readers up-to-date with current
affairs.
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• Social Media: These websites are created to let people share their thoughts,
images, videos, and other useful components.
• Educational: Educational websites are designed to display information about
educational topics via audio or videos or images.
• Portal: These types of websites are used for internal purposes within the school,
institute, or any business.

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