Search Engines Pot-pourri


Some links in here could be obsolete,
Kindly let me know if you do come across one.
THANKS

  1. WWW Search Engines
  2. Master Sites and Organized Databases
  3. LISTSERVs and Mailing Lists
  4. USENET Newsgroups searching
  5. E-mail addresses (and phone numbers)
  6. Gopher Search tools
  7. Archie file searches (FTP)
  8. Hytelnet (Telnet) search
  9. Wide Area Information Servers (WAIS)
  10. NET-HAPPENINGS, EDUPAGE, and other INET resources
  11. Reference Desks (dictionaries, quotes, translators, etc.)


Web Search utilities

How do web search engines and databases work? How can you optimize your searches? Some "search tutorial" sites can be found here.



Metasearching sites:
submit a search to multiple databases simultaneously at these sites:



Multi-engine sites


Most search engines allow you to add your URL to their database for subsequent inventory by the web robot.Some of these allow you to add your URL to several databases at once.


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Master lists of WWW sites

These represent sites that provide organized databases, sometimes with a highly specific focus (e.g., CityNet), sometimes with a more library-like set of topical indices, some with a "top 10" flavor. Touched by human hands, thus (potentially) less up to date than a search of an automatically culled database (above). Increasingly the automatic database sites (e.g., WebCrawler) also provide an organized/topical database.

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LISTSERVs and Mailing Lists

These represent one form of mass participation in special interest groups, using individual e-mail as the format (in contrast to the newsgroups, which function like bulletin board or public libraries).

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USENET NetNews searches

These were some of the first to specialize in searching newsgroups, but increasingly the major engines (e.g., InfoSeek) also offer this option.

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E-mail addresses

E-mail addresses, a tutorial

Inter-Network Mail Guide

The truth is this is a low probability exercise. A good general strategy is to access the home page for the company where so-and-so works and see if they have a search. Or if you know the person is a participant in the newsgroups they should show up in Knowbot. Many places have a database that is searchable by 'locals' but not by outsiders. But if you just have to try ....

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Gopher searching

GOPHER JEWELS is a topically organized database of pointers to gopher sites (not growing):

The following search for individual files on gopher servers (and increasingly are being phased out):

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ARCHIE file searches (FTP)

Archie searches go for files on FTP servers; with so many nicely organized software archives, such as TUCOWS and Info-Mac, as well as expanding functionality at the major search engines above, these Archie searches are becoming less relevant.

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HYTELNET searches (Telnet accesses)

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WAIS (Wide Area Information Servers) searches

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Other resources (Internet Info)

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Reference Archives

Sometimes you just need the old virtual encyclopedia or the like;
these are reference material archives, and so forth.

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