Access top search engines with a handy syntax guide directly below the search forms. It's easy to find the information you seek through proper use of search engine syntax. You'll also find directories, meta search engines and a short article about search basics.
Search WWW Basics
The two main types of search services on the Web are search engines and directories. Some basic knowledge about how search engines and directories work will help you to find the information you seek.
Search Engines
Search engines are run by computer programs. The "spider" or "crawler" part of a search engine goes out on the Web and retrieves pages. The retrieved pages are then indexed so that when the search engine user enters words, the search engine can find matches and display them for the user. The search engine's results are dependent upon the content of the pages that are retrieved and the computer program that searches the index looking for matches.
You may have noticed that when you type a few words into a search engine, you'll get back thousands of hits. These thousands of hits display documents that contain the words that you have typed in, but who wants to look through thousands of pages? Of course if you add more search words and phrases this will narrow the search, but the best way to get the information that you want is to use the syntax of the search engine. Search engine syntax is the use of punctuation, symbols and keywords in order to limit the results of a search. You will find pertinent information faster and easier through proper use of syntax. There are search forms and pull down menus for search engines all over the Net, but if you want to use search syntax you're off on another hunt to find the proper syntax for that search engine. On this page I've put the proper syntax for the search engine directly below the form. I've found this arrangement convenient and easy to use.
Directories
The purpose of directories or subject category guides is to put information under subject headings. Directories are organized by humans. Humans are slow and goofy, but they still do a better job of putting information under subject headings than computers.
Many people prefer using a directory rather than a search engine, probably because it is more like searching for information in a library. Sometimes I like to start a search on a new subject by going to a directory in order to get started on the subject, but a lot of good information on the Net has not been categorized by these directories. A good search engine may turn up information that is either not available to a directory or is under an unexpected subject heading.
Web Directory Links
Galaxy Directory - "Our Internet Librarians are Masters of Library Sciences graduates with experience in specific topic areas. Their ability to research, classify, and organize information is superior to that of the typical human editor."
Zeal.com Directory - From Looksmart
Search Engine and Syntax Forms
There are many search engines and directories operating on the Web. I find it very frustrating when I'm using a search engine that isn't giving me the information that I'm seeking. I then go to another search engine and I get back the same basic results. Why? The main reason that this happens is that many search engines get their results from "search providers". These "search providers" may supply search results to many different search services. For example Google provides the main search results to not only Google, but AOL Search, Netscape and Yahoo. I picked the search services below, so that your search results will come from many different "search providers".
| "satellite television " | Exact Match - satellite television MUST appear together (as a phrase). Does not return satellite weather. |
| +satellite | Inclusion - MUST contain the word satellite. |
| -television | Exclusion - MUST NOT contain the word television. |
Teoma
| "satellite television" | Exact Match - satellite television MUST appear together (as a phrase). Does not return satellite weather. |
| +satellite | Inclusion - MUST contain the word satellite. |
| -television | Exclusion - MUST NOT contain the word television. |
| Advanced Search Form | More search options |
AlltheWeb
| "satellite television" | Exact Match - satellite television MUST appear together (as a phrase). Does not return satellite weather. |
| +satellite | Inclusion - MUST contain the word satellite. |
| -television | Exclusion - MUST NOT contain the word television. |
| satellite and TV | Boolean - and - MUST have both the word satellite and the word TV. Will not return documents that only contain the word Satellite. |
| satellite or TV | Boolean - or - MUST contain at least one of the words. Will return documents with only the word satellite or only the word TV. Will also return documents with both the words. Will return Satellite TV. |
| (satellite TV dish) | Multiple Boolean or - Putting multiple terms in parentheses is equivalent to using the Boolean "or" between single terms. Same as "satellite or TV or dish." |
| satellite andnot television | Boolean - andnot - MUST NOT contain the word television. Will exclude all sites that match the search term following the andnot. |
| Advanced Search | More search options |
Alta Vista
| "satellite television" | Exact Match - satellite television MUST appear together (as a phrase). Does not return satellite weather. |
| +satellite | Inclusion - MUST contain the word satellite. |
| -television | Exclusion - MUST NOT contain the word television. |
| sat* | Wild card - * matches 0 or more characters - Will return sat, satellite, Saturn, saturated, etc. |
| Advanced Query | Boolean expressions |
HotBot
| DEFAULT | Boolean AND between all words |
| "satellite television" | Exact Match - satellite television MUST appear together (as a phrase). Does not return satellite weather. |
| +satellite | Inclusion - MUST contain the word satellite. |
| -television | Exclusion - MUST NOT contain the word television. |
| sat* | Wild card - * matches 0 or more characters - Will return sat, satellite, Saturn, saturated, etc. |
| sat?llite | Wild card - ? matches 1 character - Will return satellite, satallite, satzllite |
| Satellite AND TV | Boolean - AND(caps) - MUST have both the word satellite and the word TV. Will not return documents that only contain the word Satellite |
| Satellite OR TV | Boolean - OR(caps) - MUST contain at least one of the words. Will return documents with only the word satellite or only the word TV. Will also return documents with both the words. Will return Satellite TV. |
| Satellite NOT weather | Boolean - NOT(caps) - MUST NOT contain the word weather. |
| satellite AND (TV OR television) | Boolean - Parenthesis are used to group Boolean expressions. Will return satellite TV, satellite television, but will not return satellite weather. |
MSN
| DEFAULT | Boolean AND between all words |
| "satellite television" | Exact Match - satellite television MUST appear together (as a phrase). Does not return satellite weather. |
Gigablast
| DEFAULT | Boolean AND between all words |
| "satellite television" | Exact Match - satellite television MUST appear together (as a phrase). Does not return satellite weather. |
| +satellite | Inclusion - MUST contain the word satellite. |
| -television | Exclusion - MUST NOT contain the word television. |
| Satellite AND TV | Boolean - AND(caps) - MUST have both the word satellite and the word TV. Will not return documents that only contain the word Satellite |
| Satellite OR TV | Boolean - OR(caps) - MUST contain at least one of the words. Will return documents with only the word satellite or only the word TV. Will also return documents with both the words. Will return Satellite TV. |
| Satellite NOT weather | Boolean - NOT(caps) - MUST NOT contain the word weather. |
| satellite AND (TV OR television) | Boolean - Parenthesis are used to group Boolean expressions. Will return satellite TV, satellite television, but will not return satellite weather. |
WiseNut
| "satellite television " | Exact Match - satellite television MUST appear together (as a phrase). Does not return satellite weather. |
| +satellite | Inclusion - MUST contain the word satellite. |
| -television | Exclusion - MUST NOT contain the word television. |
Meta Search Engines
These search services will send your queries to many other search engines or directories from a single form. These services can be a real time saver, but they are not a substitute for going to individual search engines or directories. The individual search engines and directories may have a special syntax or selectable search criteria that can only be taken advantage of by going directly to the individual search engine.
Mamma.com
| "satellite television" | Exact Match - satellite television MUST appear together (as a phrase). Does not return satellite weather. |
| +satellite | Inclusion - MUST contain the word satellite. |
| -television | Exclusion - MUST NOT contain the word television. |
| Satellite AND TV | Boolean - AND(caps) - MUST have both the word satellite and the word TV. Will not return documents that only contain the word Satellite |
| Satellite OR TV | Boolean - OR(caps) - MUST contain at least one of the words. Will return documents with only the word satellite or only the word TV. Will also return documents with both the words. Will return Satellite TV. |
| Satellite NOT weather | Boolean - NOT(caps) - MUST contain the word satellite, but MUST NOT contain the word weather. Will return satellite TV, satellite broadcasting, but will not return satellite weather. |
IxQuick
| DEFAULT | Boolean AND between all words |
| "satellite television" | Exact Match - satellite television MUST appear together (as a phrase). Does not return satellite weather. |
| +satellite | Inclusion - MUST contain the word satellite. |
| -television | Exclusion - MUST NOT contain the word television. |
| sat* | Wild card - * matches 0 or more characters - Will return sat, satellite, Saturn, saturated, etc. |
| Satellite AND TV | Boolean - AND(caps) - MUST have both the word satellite and the word TV. Will not return documents that only contain the word Satellite |
| Satellite OR TV | Boolean - OR(caps) - MUST contain at least one of the words. Will return documents with only the word satellite or only the word TV. Will also return documents with both the words. Will return Satellite TV. |
| Satellite NOT weather | Boolean - NOT(caps) - MUST contain the word satellite, but MUST NOT contain the word weather. Will return satellite TV, satellite broadcasting, but will not return satellite weather. |
| satellite AND (TV OR television) | Boolean - Parenthesis are used to group Boolean expressions. Will return satellite TV, satellite television, but will not return satellite weather. |
| satellite NEAR television | NEAR - Find terms that appear on a page close to each other. |
21st-satellite.com Pages
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Digital TV Basics
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