Table Of Contenti
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iii
A Guide for the Serious Searcher
Randolph Hock
Foreword by Gary Price
Medford, New Jersey
iv
The Extreme Searcher’s Internet Handbook:
A Guide for the Serious Searcher
Copyright © 2004 by Randolph E. Hock.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any elec-
tronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without
permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief pas-
sages in a review. Published by CyberAge Books, an imprint of Information Today, Inc.,
143 Old Marlton Pike, Medford, New Jersey 08055.
Publisher’s Note:The author and publisher have taken care in preparation of this book
but make no expressed or implied warranty of any kind and assume no responsibil-
ity for errors or omissions. No liability is assumed for incidental or consequential
damages in connection with or arising out of the use of the information or programs con-
tained herein.
Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products
are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and Information
Today, Inc. was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed with ini-
tial capital letters.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hock, Randolph, 1944-
The extreme searcher’s Internet handbook : a guide for the serious searcher /
Randolph Hock ; foreword by Gary Price.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 0-910965-68-4 (pbk.)
1. Internet searching--Handbooks, manuals, etc. 2. Web search engines--Hand-
books, manuals, etc. 3. Computer network resources--Handbooks, manuals, etc. 4.
Web sites--Directories. 5. Internet addresses--Directories. I. Title.
ZA4230.H63 2004
025.04--dc22
2003020596
Printed and bound in the United States of America.
Publisher: Thomas H. Hogan, Sr.
Editor-in-Chief: John B. Bryans
Managing Editor: Deborah R. Poulson
Copy Editor: Dorothy Pike
Graphics Department Director: M. Heide Dengler
Book Design: Erica Pannella
Cover Design: Jacqueline Walter
Indexer: Nancy Kopper
D
E D I C A T I O N
To Pamela, Matthew, Stephen, and Elizabeth
v
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T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S
C
O N T E N T S
List of Illustrations and Tables ................................................................xi
Foreword, by Gary Price............................................................................xv
Acknowledgments.....................................................................................xvii
Introduction..................................................................................................xix
About The Extreme Searcher’s Web Page..........................................xxv
Chapter 1 Basics for the Serious Searcher............1
The Pieces of the Internet....................................................................................................1
A Very Brief History.................................................................................................................2
Searching the Internet: Web “Finding Tools”..............................................................6
General Strategies.................................................................................................................10
A Basic Collection of Strategies....................................................................................12
Content on the Internet.......................................................................................................14
Content—The Invisible Web..............................................................................................19
Copyright.....................................................................................................................................22
Citing Internet Resources..................................................................................................23
Keeping Up-to-Date on Internet Resources and Tools.....................................24
Chapter 2 General Web Directories
and Portals..................................................................25
Strengths and Weaknesses of General Web Directories.................................25
Selectivity of General Web Directories......................................................................26
Classification of Sites in General Web Directories..............................................26
Searchability of General Web Directories................................................................27
Size of Web Directory Databases.................................................................................27
Search Functionality in Web Directory Databases..............................................27
When to Use a General Web Directory......................................................................27
The Major General Web Directories............................................................................28
Other General Directories.................................................................................................39
General Web Portals.............................................................................................................40
Summary.....................................................................................................................................45 vii
viii THE EXTREME SEARCHER’S INTERNET HANDBOOK
Chapter 3 Specialized Directories...................................47
Strengths and Weaknesses vs. Other Kinds of Finding Tools.......................47
How to Find Specialized Directories............................................................................47
What to Look for in Specialized Directories and How They Differ.............50
Some Prominent Examples of Specialized Directories.....................................51
Chapter 4 Search Engines........................................................61
How Search Engines Are Put Together.....................................................................61
How Search Options Are Presented...........................................................................62
Typical Search Options.......................................................................................................63
Search Engine Overlap.......................................................................................................69
Results Pages..........................................................................................................................69
Profiles of Search Engines...............................................................................................70
AllTheWeb..................................................................................................................................70
AltaVista......................................................................................................................................78
Google..........................................................................................................................................86
HotBot..........................................................................................................................................99
Teoma........................................................................................................................................104
Other General Web Search Engines........................................................................108
Specialty Search Engines...............................................................................................110
Metasearch Engines..........................................................................................................110
Keeping Up-to-Date on Web Search Engines....................................................111
Chapter 5 Groups and Mailing Lists............................115
What They Are and Why They Are Useful..............................................................115
Groups.......................................................................................................................................116
Using Google to Find Groups and Messages.......................................................119
Yahoo! Groups.......................................................................................................................123
Other Sources of Groups................................................................................................127
Mailing Lists............................................................................................................................128
One More Category—Online Instant Messaging.................................................131
Some Netiquette Points Relating to Internet
Groups and Mailing Lists.......................................................................................132
Chapter 6 An Internet Reference Shelf...................133
Thinking of the Internet as a Reference Collection.........................................133
Some Sites All Researchers Should Know About.............................................134
CONTENTS ix
Encyclopedias.......................................................................................................................135
Dictionaries.............................................................................................................................137
Almanacs..................................................................................................................................138
Addresses and Phone Numbers.................................................................................139
Quotations...............................................................................................................................140
Foreign Exchange Rates/Currency Converter...................................................142
Weather....................................................................................................................................143
Maps...........................................................................................................................................143
Gazetteer.................................................................................................................................143
ZIP Codes................................................................................................................................144
Stock Quotes.........................................................................................................................144
Statistics...................................................................................................................................144
Books.........................................................................................................................................146
Historical Documents........................................................................................................151
Governments and Country Guides.............................................................................151
U.S. Government..................................................................................................................152
U.S. State Information......................................................................................................153
U.K. Government Information.......................................................................................153
Basic Resources for Company Information..........................................................153
Associations...........................................................................................................................156
Professional Directories..................................................................................................157
Literature Databases........................................................................................................158
Colleges and Universities................................................................................................159
Travel..........................................................................................................................................159
Film..............................................................................................................................................161
Reference Resource Guides.........................................................................................161
Chapter 7 Sights and Sounds:
Finding Images, Audio, and Video....163
The Copyright Issue...........................................................................................................163
Images.......................................................................................................................................164
Audio and Video...................................................................................................................175
Chapter 8 News Resources..................................................181
Types of News Sites on the Internet.........................................................................181
Finding News—A General Strategy...........................................................................182
News Resource Guides....................................................................................................183
Major News Networks and Newswires....................................................................185
