Monday, July 26, 2010

Module 4 Search Engines; Topic 1

Google Web Searches

This was a useful exercise focusing on developments in web searches that have provided more options to refine a search and increased options for displaying search results.

The search I used was the 'oil spill gulf of Mexico 2010.'
Google
Particularly liked the timeline which I found a really useful tool that allowed me to focus on what had happened and when it happened. The wonder wheel provides spokes to drill down but until I changed the actual search I ran I was disappointed with the results (I got a wheel with no spokes off.) I tried ‘oil spill 2010’ but Wonder wheel results were not that wonderful either. However when I searched oil spill gulf of Mexico there were several spokes with links to articles on water pollution in the Pacific Ocean and plastic pollution in the Pacific Ocean.

Yahoo
Great results from the initial search with further expansion from the 'also try' searches, but I noted that there was considerable repetition of results in the associated searches definitely not all new and different results.
I liked the search pad feature and believe it is very useful to be able to make relevant notes and save them to refer back to later.

Exalead
I liked the use of thumb nails and also found the list of related searches under the search box, as well as the related terms on the side, useful features to assist efficient searching.

Dogpile
Dogpile is meta-search engine which means that it will return search results from several search engines. I found the feature on the right hand side –‘Are you looking for? provided relevant additional searches which helped focus search criteria. Other than the web search your can also search images, videos and news.

Google was my preferred search engine, but I can and do use yahoo quite often.

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