Thing #8: Compare 2 Search Engines

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You've probably used Google to find information on the web, and with good reason. Google is easy to use, has a simple, uncluttered interface and allows you to apply various search limits. It is not, however, the only search engine out there.

In fact, different search engines have unique features, and rank the sites they return in different ways (which is why the same keyword search in Google will not return the exact list you'll get in say, Microsoft's Live Search).

In addition to the large, well-known search engines, there are also many smaller, subject-specific search engines that comb through a pre-selected set of web sites. Some of these can be very useful, such as the US Department of Health and Human Services HealthFinder

For this thing, you'll explore and play around with two search engines of your choice. I'd prefer you didn't use Google, only because I think you're pretty familiar with that already, but it's up to you. Here are my suggestions:

A9
Ask
Clusty
Exalead
Grokker
Intute
SearchMash
Librarian's Index

First though, I want you to read an article about why finding good health info on the web can be so challenging:

http://searchenginewatch.com/showPage.html?page=3319441

Next, answer the following questions for each search engine you investigate:

1. Who produces this search engine? What do you think is the search engine's main purpose (i.e. to find anything on the web, find specific topical information or formats)?

2. Desribe two or three special features of this search engine you think would be useful in narrowing down your search.

3. Would you recommend this search engine to a patient or friend in need of heath information? Why or why not?


Extra Credit: (1 point)

Create your own search engine using Google Co-op (you can use your google account, which is the same thing as your blogger account to log in). Include at least 5 web resources in your engine. Post the URL so I can check it out.

Here are some resources to help you find even more search engines and see how they work:

http://del.icio.us/liby1210/searchengine

http://www.noodletools.com/debbie/literacies/information/5locate/adviceengine.html