Effective Internet Search

Approximately 60 to 90% of the information on the Internet cannot be directly found by using either Google or Yahoo. In Chapter 2 (see below) of your e-tool (downloaded using the instructions provided on this site), you will be shown how to search for a search engine/tool, or to use another of our e-tools, namely, the Search Tool Guide.
Another problem is that these search engines/tools generally provide different answers to your queries, sorted in very different ways. They have many different search interfaces for specialty searches, many of which are unfamiliar to searchers.
Finding potentially good sources of information on the Web is often only one part of the problem. The other is how to sift through and organize numerous findings. Again, your e-tool can help you find and use the appropriate search engine/tool for these kinds of activities.

How does my e-tool help me to see which other search engines/tools will be most helpful in solving your particular search problem?

Think of the electronic edition of our book and this website as your "e-tools." Then read the following FAQ's to understand how you can use them right away to improve your searches.

One way to do it using your e-tool is to make use of its Features Control Center. This hyperlinking hub inside your downloaded e-tool PDF file shows the various kinds of functions or methods search engines or tools have. By clicking in one direction out of this hub, you can find out which particular search engines/tools featured in the e-tool have the kinds of abilities you might need to find your information or to sift through and organize your findings. By clicking on the links in the other direction, you can locate definitions of each search tool function.

For additional information, go to the Search Tool Guide.

Some Navigation Tips for the e-Book:

Use Acrobat's left Bookmarks tab, along with the book Table of Contents. Open the Bookmarks tab by clicking it on the far left of your screen.
To assist you in using the hyperlinks embedded in pages, activate the Acrobat navigation toolbar to obtain the forward and back icons; or, press Alt key and left or right arrow keys — Alt ← (move backward); Alt → (move forward).

Internet connection is required to use external Internet book hyperlinks.

How do I find basic information and explanations in my e-tool?

Use the Table of Contents, or do a search within the e-tool file. To do a search inside the file with Acrobat Reader, click the toolbar binoculars icon, or choose “Search” from the “Edit” pull-down menu.

How do I know what search words to use?

Open and then use the left tab in Acrobat Reader (which you can install for free from www.adobe.com) to branch to the Basic Search Strategies section of Chapter 2: Search Tools and Strategies. That section tells you how to:

Formulate your search words for any one search engine/tool.
Sift through voluminous findings after doing a search in the context of a substantial research project.

Strategies for selecting the appropriate search engine/tool are also in this section.

Also available in MS Word or PowerPoint formats.

For sales flyer in MS Word, click here.

Frequently Asked Questions: For Those With More Time to Read

Who should use this book?

How will this book help me?

Google and Yahoo — what else do I need to know about them?

Isn't it enough to use just Google and Yahoo?

What makes Effective Internet Search stand apart from other books?
What’s the difference between the hardcopy book and the e-book?

Is it easy to download the e-book?

What do others say about this book?

Who should use this book?

Anyone interested in improving their search skills. interested in improving their search skills, tools, or overall knowledge. Although written for the beginner, even skilled searchers have plenty to learn:

More search strategies and tips.

Search engine quirks.

How Copernic Agent works.

More details, including applicability to users other than searchers: Target Audiences.

How will this book help me?

Problem: Can’t find what you want ─ or finding too much information that doesn’t answer your question?
Solution: Effective Internet Search will increase your knowledge and understanding of Internet searching, helping you to find information more effectively and efficiently, and help you understand your search tools better.

80% of the cyber world uses the Internet without formal training … Self-taught users miss out on so many Internet experiences because they do not know the full scope of available choices. [Paul Gil, The Frustrations of Not Understanding the Internet, 2004]

Problem: Need to systematically and efficiently check out an overwhelming number of potentially good findings.
Solution: This book is quite unique in that it demonstrates certain methods and tools in this area.
More details: User Benefits.

Google and Yahoo — what else do I need to know about them?

Given that time is money, web searching can be a very expensive proposition. Even with the best search technology, the usefulness of search results will be dependent upon the searcher’s ability to use the technology effectively. [Wendy Lucas and Heikki Topi, “Training for Web Search: Will it get you in shape?”, Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, July 2004]

Problem: Ignoring the advanced features of Google and Yahoo? Don’t understand the key differences between them, including:

Their data sources.

How they display and rank their findings.

How they help you to refine your search, sift through results, keep track of your search history, etc.

Solution: This book clearly and thoroughly explains these advanced features.

Isn't it enough to use just Google and Yahoo?

Our customers tell us that no one is doing a very good job with search right now. Our own internal data indicates that 50 percent of search questions go unanswered. [Lisa Gurry, MSN director, Associated Press, March 22, 2004]

Problem: Are there certain kinds of search tasks that Google and Yahoo do not carry out at all or not as well as you might like? Examples:

using different ways or varying the order of showing results;

clustering of results into dynamically produced topic categories; and

post-processing of findings: such as handling and organizing results of searches already collected.

Solution: This book provides tables that allow you to compare what different search engines can or cannot do. In particular, it allows you to easily compare the various featured search engines, including Yahoo's AlltheWeb and AltaVista, Copernic Agent, Google, and MSN Search. (Yahoo proper, its main search engine, will likely be added to this book at some point.)
Problem: Not finding the information you need? This may be because up to about 90% of the information on the Internet cannot be found by using either Google or Yahoo, or any of the mainstream search engines (Google, Yahoo, MSN Search, and Ask Jeeves) ─ at least not in their normally used fashion.
Solution: In such cases, this book will help you to choose the best search tool for the job, part of which involves using our free web-based Search Tool Guide, hosted at: http://toolguide.searchhelpcenter.com.

Problem: Are different search engines providing different answers to your queries? This is because they use different catalogs and indices to find information, and different ways of ranking their results. To obtain comprehensive information, you need to search using both Google and Yahoo, plus other mainstream search engines, namely, MSN Search and Ask Jeeves. Or, using meta search engines might be the best route for you.
Solution: This book will make you more familiar with all of these.

What makes Effective Internet Search stand apart from other books?

This book:

Explains certain essential underlying ideas about e-searching that all other books on the subject seem to take for granted. So, this is the book you want if you are not already a reference librarian or the like. This is the best book for a real beginner, and also has plenty to offer the expert.

Is the first book to cover topics like sifting through and annotating results, keeping search histories, sharing search results, etc.

Covers our featured search engines to a degree of detail (from a searcher's perspective) not seen elsewhere. This includes thoroughly explaining the complex Copernic Agent Professional application, and covering the latest details of the new MSN Search.

Organizes the subject such that any search engine’s details can be completely presented using the same organization. Thus, new search engines can easily be added to the book.

Is both a reference manual and a concepts book. Use it at the level of detail you need:

The concepts, in the chapters, occupy the first 3/8^ths of the book, themselves accompanied by many examples.

The featured search engine details are in the rest, our Reference Manual.

The Features Control Center, a hub section between the chapters and the Reference Manual, makes it easy to cross-reference concepts with implementation details, particularly in the e-book format (see below).

Always reflects the latest changes in search engines. This is because we are able to keep even the printed book realistically up-to-date by using a print-on-demand technology. See the Book Updates page on this site for an ongoing chronological list of basic changes to the book made or planned.

What’s the difference between the hard copy book and the e-book?

There is no difference in content between the two formats.

We believe that our e-book is an excellent example of how to use the electronic format. As well as internal networks and links, the book hyperlinks directly to the Web. With Acrobat Reader, you can also play the book out loud, i.e., listen to it.

The e-book enhances the hardcopy by having active, visible hyperlinks, allowing you to do lookups internally within the book or out to the Internet.

One of the major link networks involves the Search Engine Features Control Center, already mentioned above. The electronic links in this table enable you to easily investigate and compare hundreds of search engine features.

More details: Search Engine Features Control Center.

Note: You cannot print or copy text from the e-book. Nor can you use it other than on the computer to which you downloaded it. This is done to protect our copyright. Thus, purchasing both book formats is recommended. For prices, see our Buy the Book page.

Is it easy to download the e-book?

Just follow the download instructions.

What do others say about this book?

Refer to our Book Awards-Reviews page for reviews.

We were recently most highly recommended by Pandia Search Central, one of the most credible search engine sites on the Internet. As stated by their reviewer:

The amount of information is staggering. There are chapters covering search tools and strategies, search query basics, search examples, and advanced search interfaces. However, the text never gets too complicated, and the book will benefit both professional researchers and web search beginners.

The ... Reference Manual is just as important as the regular chapters, as it lists the search features and parameters of the search engines covered and gives examples on how to use their search form interfaces.

There is also a large number of external references and links.

... The best option is to buy the printed book as well as the e-book. You can then use the e-book as a reference tool, and get the best out of the hyperlinks found in the e-book.

TechBooks also reviewed the book, and commented basically only on its design. Their point was that it didn’t look too great in print, and had too much the appearance of a website. We have restyled our book since, to have the conventional look of a printed book. Since doing that, we don’t get that critique.