Internet Search Tools and Starting Points

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Internet Search Tools and Starting Points

Underlined items below link to other web pages when selected. To return to this page, tap your Backspace key. Items in [brackets] will open a completely new browser window, allowing you to toggle between this one and it using the Alt+Tab keys. Close the new window when done viewing it by clicking on the

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Search:	Using:
General Searching Resources	Documents and Sites about Searching
The Web by Subject ("Top-Down")	Directories (Subject Trees) or Virtual Libraries
The Web by Keyword ("Bottom-Up")	Search Engines or Meta-Search Tools
The Web using Social Bookmarking Sites	"Tag-based and Relevance-based" Tools
Blogs, Mailing Lists & Newsgroups	Discussion Search Tools
E-mail Addresses	E-mail Registries or the InterNIC Whois Server
Software (File Archives)	Software Catalog Sites
Local Internet Resources	Treasure Coast Web Sites

General Searching Resources

An introduction to Searching the Internet
Earnest Ackermann's web site on [Searching and Researching on the Internet and the World Wide Web].
[Search the Internet and Find Websites] from UC Berkeley Library in California
[US Library of Congress]
[Government Resources on the Web] from the University of Michigan
[FedWorld] - a comprehensive inventory of information disseminated by the US Federal Government
[Florida Department of Management Services] (State Government Server)
Interactive Mapping Services: [Google Maps], [MapQuest], and [Windows Live® Local]
[PCL Map Collection] from the University of Texas Online Library
[The Virtual Tourist] - a map-based directory of all the WWW servers in the world
[Refdesk.Com] - one of the best starting points on the Net
[Wikipedia articles about search tools]
[W3.ORG] - The WWW Consortium (Official Home of the WWW)

WWW Search Engines

Literally thousands of search engines are available on the Internet, each one unique, with its own limitations and rules of syntax. Remember to read the help pages before performing a search.

**[ All links in the table below are external to this site ]**
Search Site	Advanced	Help/Tips	Submit
Alta Vista	More precision	Help	Add A Page
AOL.COM Search	Advanced Search	Search Help
Excite		Search Help	Paid service
Google	Advanced Search	Search Tips	Add your URL

Multiple Search Engines (Meta-search Tools)

[Ask Jeeves] - A natural language meta-search tool
[Dogpile] - Searches the Web and other Internet Services
Yahoo!'s [Index of Documents Comparing WWW Search Engines]
[MetaSearch Search Engine]
[Multiple Search Access via Search.com]
[Webcrawler] - full meta-search capabilities are explained by selecting "Help" on their site, and itemized on their "Advanced Search" page.

Directories (Channels, Subject Trees, Topics)

Topically organized lists of resources, allowing you to perform top-down searches, often involving serendipitous discovery of related information.

Virtual Libraries

Virtual Libraries are directories that contain collections of resources that librarians have selected and organized in logical ways.

[AskERIC], the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC), a federally-funded national information system that provides, through its 16 subject-specific clearinghouses, associated adjunct clearinghouses, and support components, a variety of services and products on a broad range of education-related issues.
[Internet Public Library]
[LII.org] - the Librarians' Internet Index

Social Bookmarking Sites and Intelligent Search Tools

[del.icio.us] - a tag-based web search tool.
[StumbleUpon] a relevance-based search tool for finding websites based on your recorded interests.

Online Discussion Tools (Blogs, Newsgroups, RSS Feeds, etc.)

[Blog Search Engine] uses Google to search the blogosphere.
[Technorati] - Real-time search for user-generated media (including weblogs) by tag or keyword. Also provides popularity indexes.
[Blogdigger] - an RSS Search Engine that searches syndicated.
[Groups.Google.Com] (formerly Dejanews) - searches Web-based Newsgroups (Pull-based Asynchronous Discussion Boards)
[Topica] - indexes Internet Discussion Lists (Push-based Asynchronous Discussion Boards)

People and Businesses

IRCC Faculty - An Email Directory of IRCC Faculty and Adjunct Faculty
General E-mail and Telephone Directory Services:
- AT&T's [AnyWho] with Reverse Search and Toll-free Number Search
- [Four11]
- [Switchboard]
Whois Database Interfaces from [Network Solutions (InterNIC)] or [Whois.Net] - search domain registration databases.

File Catalog Sites - with software ratings and reviews

[Download.Com] - for buyers and sellers of try-before-you-buy software
[Simtel.Net] - offering free downloads of freeware and shareware
[SysInternals.Com] - provide advanced utilities, technical information, and source code related to Linux and Windows
[TUCOWS] - The Ultimate Collection Of Winsock Software
[Winfiles.Com] - Previously Windows95.Com

to the Internet Fundamentals Page

Last Revised: 18 February 2008			© 2008 Randolph Gibson
`www.gibson.vero-beach.fl.us/classes/internet/search.html`			E-mail: `rgibson@ircc.edu`