Tip-filled session from an experienced super searcher focuses on less-well-known search engines, highlighting advantages of these search engines. Also a discussion of Customized Search Engines
Today:
Beyond the Big 3.5 (Google, Yahoo, MSN, Ask.com - the .5)
Specialized search tools
Building your own search engines
Exalead
"One of the best general search engines I've ever seen"
Great advanced search tools - excellent tool for complex searching for researchers
Excellent tool, although it is a smaller index to Google or Yahoo, it has better search features.
Advanced Search Features
- Phonetic spelling
- words starting with (truncation)
- exact phrase
- approximate searching (e.g. colour & color) - this helps to expand search to other English sites other than American
- adjacent words +15 words in either order - near enough to be actual relate
- Logical Expression - "Nexted Logic" ( (fast OR speed) and NOT light)
Customizable front page available
Clusty
Clusty Cloud Creator - This can be embedded into a web page so that you can see a cloud of keywords that they found as a result
Example search "Infotoday.com" would bring up: books, librarian, library, social networks, information today, marketing, literacy, selection, searcher, etc.
Beta Sites of search engines: SearchMash.com - virtually unbranded Google's Beta; au.alpha.yahoo.com; MsDewey
Searches these sites, but in a different design
Intelways
Searches a lot of different places and may be an excellent tool for helping to find search places
SRCHR
Build your own Intelways - tell them what resources you want to search.
Scandoo
Searches Google, Yahoo, MSN, and Ask - even if it shows up early in the results it may not be useful for you!
Labels each site whether it's an offensive site, hate site, is known for malware or spyware, etc
E.G., In a search for Martin Luther King, Jr, there would be a green light next to say Wikipedia, red light next to the martin luther king . org (White supremacy site)
FindSounds.com
When you really need a quack, R2D2, or a splat; can get "similar" sounds based on wave pattern!!
What's a Custom Search Engine??
You filter the search, limit to certain domains or sites, or tweak the relevance ranking - put the library's imprimatur on search results.
www.BatesInfo.com/test.html - Examples
Limit the search to whatever you love!
Both Google & Yahoo are extremely simple to use. Google is nifty, but we can do Google one better!
Yahoo Search Builder
Can limit search by domain, append key terms or exclude sites or terms; shows tag cloud of search terms, very customizable - include your library's logo
http://builder.search.yahoo.com
Google Co-op
Can limit by domain, can specify domains to be higher ranked, requires at least one keyword
http://www.google.com/coop/cse
Visit http://labs.google.com to find nifty new Google features
ALA-RUSA Best Free Reference Web Sites - Searching only the reference sites ALA-RUSA feels are most reliable
Swicki
Collaborative approach to filtering - keeps track of click-throughs to help modify relevance ranking
You supply initial keywords
http://www.eurekster.com
Rollyo
Extremely narrow and focused (25 Sites)
Can see what others have decided to use for that particular topic
rollyo.com
Gigablast CTS
Fairly rudimentary - not a large number of power tools at this point.
Specify domains to search.
Effective limit of 200 domains (although not documented, but it will slow the search down)
Gigablast.com
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