How to Search the Web

Updated: 2007-08-21

• BASIC INFORMATION ON SEARCHING
  • Finding Information on the Internet--tutorial, basic, medium, links, graphics
    • Page contains everything a new user needs to get up to speed in using Web search engines. Tutorial covers: terminology, basics of search tools, search strategies, recommended search tools, and much more. http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/FindInfo.html
  • Using Electronic Resources --tutorial, basic, long, links
    • Comprehensive site on how to conduct searches on the Internet and the Web. Has links to: a basic guide to the Internet, evaluating Internet resources, directories, the major search engines, and more. http://library.albany.edu/usered/eltools/main.html
• MORE ADVANCED HELP ON USING THE WEB
  • Search Engine Report
    • Advanced users may find Danny Sullivan's search engine report useful. The page is "... a free, monthly newsletter about search engines and changes to Search Engine Watch." Free registration is required to see all of the back issues.
    • http://searchenginewatch.com/showPage.html?page=sereport
• WHO IS USING THE WEB?
  • Internet Software Consortium--index, interm., short, links, graphics
    • Page summarizes data on domain names from 1981 to the present.
    • http://www.isc.org/ds/
• SPECIALIZED INFORMATION ON THE WEB
  • Wired.com
    • Wired.com's news page contains news of interest to technically oriented users.
    • http://www.wired.com/
  • Technology
    • Links to the technology section on the on-line version of the New York Times.
    • http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/tech/
• CREATING YOUR OWN WEB PAGES
  • Web Page Design--index, adv., short, links, graphics
    • This page is for users who want to learn and explore the use of the Web as its own medium. Topics cover nearly all aspects of Web page design and include: typography, graphics and palettes, navigation, and much more. http://www.wpdfd.com/index.htm
• MISTAKES IN DESIGNING WEB PAGES
  • Top Ten Mistakes in Designing Web Pages--article, basic, long, few links
    • Article about mistakes commonly encountered in Web pages. http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9605.html
• PRINT VS. WEB DESIGN
  • Differences in Print and Web Design--article, basic, long, links, graphics
    • Jakob Nielsen discusses the differences between print design and Web design. Print design, he states, usually makes for poor Web design. Web design is characterized by motion of hand on mouse and of user through cyberspace. http://www.useit.com/alertbox/990124.html
• METAPHORS IN WEB DESIGN
  • Web Design vs. GUI Design--article, basic, long, links
    • Jakob Nielsen discusses the differences between GUI and Web design. Unlike GUI design, Web design must deal with device diversity, surrender control to the user, and realize that individual Web pages are perceived not as pages but as part of the whole Web. http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9705a.html
  • Telephone as Web Metaphor--article, basic, long, links
    • Jakob Nielsen discusses why telephony may be a better model of the Web than television, both are: narrowcast, 1:1 media, user initiated, and interactive. http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9705b.html
• Help in using Google
  • http://www.google.com
• EXERCISES
  • Let's look up some stuff in class. Here are some things we can search for:
    • Tiger Woods
    • SAU library
    • Hybrid car mileage
    • Magnolia, AR
    • Superbad
    • Barack Obama
    • Rudy Giuliani
    • Stanford Prison study
    • Elizabeth Loftus
    • e-mail address of Spencer A. Rathus
• USING PSYCHOLOGY RESOURCES ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB
  • http://act9.saumag.edu/faculty/kardas/WebMan/default.html
    • independent and dependent variables
    • brain
    • Wilhelm Wundt