Search Findings_Mandy Walker Jennings

I found my search for search engines to be very interesting. Let me first start by saying that I did a Google (my homepage on my computer) search for search engines. It pulled up Wikipedia, which is known for having lists of… There was a list of search engines on Wikipedia. I tried a few of them, but they were all very similar.

 

The first search engine that I used is one that most of us are very familiar with. I used Google to search for geometry. One thing that I noticed immediately, and really liked, was the fact that a list popped up as I typed with suggestions. I think that this could be really helpful. For someone who is doing research, but is not exactly sure what they are looking for, the list of suggestions could help narrow a search to something that fits their needs a little more. A student who starts out looking for research on geometry may end up searching for geometric series. I also noticed an “I’m feeling lucky” button located under the search bar. When clicking this button, I was immediately taken to a website about geometry with out having to wade through a list of possible matches. Essentially, the search engine picked out a website for me. While there is always a chance that this website will not be helpful, there is always the “lucky” chance that it may have exactly what you are looking for. It may not be the most effective way to search, but for a student who is looking to do research, something different is something interesting. After clicking the search button, I was directed to a list of possible matches for my subject. I like the fact that Google offers a related searches function on which is listed several possible searches to help me narrow my results. I also noticed that the advanced search function for Google is a rather extensive list that would allow me to narrow my search by hundreds of different combinations of criteria. All in all, Google would be a very helpful search engine that would be easy to use.

 

My second search was on Ask.com. Upon arrival to the website, there is an option to choose a skin to “cover” my page in. While this would not serve any useful purpose, I could serve to personalize the main page. The main page also container links for images, news, blogs, and the like. Like Google, Ask.com also has a pop-up suggestion bar when you start typing your subject. However, the advanced search options are not as extensive as they are on Google. For someone who has a pretty solid idea of what they are looking for, the smaller list of possible criteria could mean less accurate results. Also like Google, Ask.com has a list on the side of the results page allowing you to narrow or expand your search by suggesting other key words or phrases. Upon reaching the results page, I realized that the first link was for a sponsored ad- someone with something to sell. This bothered me a little. Google had the same add and it was at the top of the page the same as it was with Ask.com. However, the ad on the Google results page was highlighted. The sponsor add, the people with a motive to make you think what they want you to think, was set apart what would essentially be the informative links. Seeing these marked as ads allows me to skip over them if it is something that I don’t want to see, but allows me to look closer if I am looking for something to purchase, such as a book on the subject. As a search engine, Ask.com could also be really helpful, but I would advise being a little careful to pay attention to the small print on the links.

 

For my third search engine, I tried to do something a little different. I decided to look at the Wikipedia list that I had found and try a search engine that I had never heard of before. I ended up looking at Ansearch.com, an Australian based website that is only available in Australia, the US, the UK, and New Zealand. This site lists its assets as being a more exclusive and selective website allowing it to have “relatively smaller footprint of Internet sites to increase quality of content”. (Direct quote from Wikipedia website) I though it was funny when I searched for geometry and ended up with the same sites that I received on both Ask.com and Google, including the sponsored ad. For all of the effort to find a different search engine, it didn’t help with my search. To be honest, for the effort, I expected a little bit more. In addition, the advanced search function may as well have not existed. It didn’t do anything that a well worded phrase wouldn’t do.

 

I would have to say that of these search engines, Google was my favorite. It was the easiest to use and most convenient. As a teacher, we will often be pushed for time. Like any other occupation, teachers need to be able to get accurate information fast. While you will always have to question the validity of information before using it, the availability of information on the internet is a resource available to teachers at the press of a button. Google seemed to be the easiest of these search engines to use.