Not so long ago AltaVista was know as the premiere search engine for searching out useful information on the web. Then the innovator turned into a follower by chosing to reach the masses by becoming a web portal site. While some sites succeeded in this endeavor AltaVista seemed to lose its edge and has fallen out of favor. But recent news has AltaVista trying to resurrect its reputation as a first choice for searchers by developing a technology it calls the "third generation" service. The innovation would serve up information more useful to each individual based upon that persons past queries. AltaVista remains a useful resource and if they can pull off a thinking search engine they may once again become number one. Tips for AltaVista Search
April 2001
Ask Jeeves is a little different than you run of the mill search engine. The most obvious difference is the method for searching. Instead of just using a search term or phrase you can actually ask a simple question, like "Where can I read a review of the film Titanic?" In general this works as long as the spelling is correct and the question isn't that complex. The results list from your search is actually a series of questions that attempts to answer your original question. Ask Jeeves leads you to pertinent information that may quickly answer your question or point you in the right direction like any other search engine. So why not give the world's first Internet Butler a whirl and see if his service satisfies you information needs. For tips on searching Ask Jeeves.
September 2000
In mid-June Excite introduced an upgrade to it's search engine and coined it "Precision Search." The major change was the incorportation of a new technology called, Deep Analysis, that combines traditional indexing with an evaluation of link authority and popularity to determine the most relevant results. Also of note is the Quick results box on the left of the results list that reveals pointed information and the ability to try your original search in another category, like news, with one quick click. These improvements and the cleaner easier to use results list have made searching Excite a better experience. Search Tips for Excite Precision Search.
December 2000
FAST entered into a partnership with Dell in early 1999 with the goal of building the world's largest search engine that would search "All the Web, All the Time"TM. At present they seem well on the way with over 575 million full-text indexed web pages available. An impressive number, since it makes them the largest - see the Search Engine Showdown for comparisons of search engine sizes. Also of note is the quick response time in which results are delivered . Quite a one two punch - the largest and the fastest - making FAST a good place to start! For help searching Fast
August 2000
Google is a relatively new search engine that came out in 1998. It shook up the traditional search engines scene by utilizing a new technology called PageRank. This innovation ranks pages that link to each other higher based on the premise that people with important web sites think carefully about what sites they link to. PageRank, a growing index of urls, and on target search results has made Google the search engine of choice for many - including myself. Search Tips for Google.
May 2000
If you have a need to search for government materials try the Uncle Sam search below. It is put out by Google, an impressive search engine from researchers at Stanford. The Uncle Sam search allows you to take advantage of Google's sophisticated searching and indexing, while limiting your results to those materials found on .GOV and .MIL servers. Search Tips for Google's Uncle Sam Search.
November 2000
HotBot has what most search engines utilize, a directory and a large database of indexed sites that are generally adequate for any search. What makes Hotbot different from other search engines? The abundance of options available to the searcher. For instance, the basic search page offers a number of choices that allow you to limit a search and display from the start. It has the ability to search by all the words, any of the words, or by boolean, it can also limit by language and/or by date. Even the results list can easily be customized: by various display settings and/or the number of results you wish to view. And once you have your results the options continue. For help searching Hotbot
June 2001
iwon.com is a portal-type site that also has a search engine. For the most part the search engine is adequate. The rest of the iwon site features news, stock quotes and links to more information. The most unique aspect of iwon that separates it from every other search engine is gambling. So how have the managed to do stay successful? Their hook is to get you to sign up to be a member and then the more you visit the more you increase your odds of winning. Prizes can range from special money savings offers to winnings that rival a New York State Lottery jackpot. So be careful, soon you will be addicted and visit everyday just to increase your chances! For help using iWon Web Search.
March 2001
Lycos became a widely recognized search engine after its successful advertising campaign featuring a black lab named Lycos. The ads indicated that their search services can retrieve data from the Internet as quickly and easily as a Lab can fetch a stick. Now Lycos, the dog, is being portrayed as a problem solver with the ability to think. It does have a couple things that make it a little different from its competitors. For instance it breaks your search results into three groupings; popular sites, www sites, and shopping sites. Lycos also makes it easy to search within your results list to further focus your original query by just a quick check - an option with some potential. Can Lycos, the search engine, deliver? That's for you to decide. For tips on fetching information from Lycos.
May 2001
MSN Web Search is one of the many search engines that utilize Inktomi for its database and search retrieval technology. While I have to admit using MSN Search, I would never say that it ranks as one of my favorites. However, reviews seem to differ from my opinion and give praise, especially to MSN's Advanced Search. When using MSN Search the results list can vary from just a list of possibilities to a more elaborate page containing Popular Search Topics, featured sites that are usually paid placements, and a list of possible sites. Also of note behind the MSN Web Search are tabs that perform more focused searches on news, shopping & the yellow pages - just click on any one of them and it will perform the search again in that area. For help using MSN Web Search.
January 2001
Northern Light combines a large index of sites with a unique Special Collection to search. The Special Collection is a collection of full-text articles that usually come with a fee. While paying for an article may seem somewhat disappointing the reference to a citation makes it easy to go to your local library and get the article. Another feature that makes Northern Light special is its ability to go beyond relevance ranking when retrieving results. Your search will come back with the normal hit list and on the left side you will see custom folders that attempt to organize the results further. These subject folders use a hierarchy of terms created by staff librarians to deliver more focused results. These features combined with others like an alert service and subject specific searching make Northern Light a valuable search tool. For tips on seaching Northern Light
July 2001
Overture was formerly named GoTo. Basically nothing has changed except the name, logo and slogan. The reason behind the change was to differentiate itself from similarly named Internet services and to reflect the meaning of overture, an introduction between advertisers and users. Overture has successfully utilized pay for position with stringent editorial oversight. The combination has been a successful model as Overture powers search results that over 75% of Internet users see in a variety of popular search engines. For help using Overture.
