LBR 110 Assignment Four                  

 

Search Tool Analysis                                 

 

NAME: ________________   

 

 

Part I: Evaluating Websites

 

Review the Lecture for Week 5.  What are the 5 Criteria for evaluating a website:

 

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

 

Use these criteria to evaluate this website

 

http://www.fatfreekitchen.com/negative-calorie-foods.html

 

Is it reliable? 

 

Is it true?

 

 

Use you favorite search engine to find a (different) reliable site about negative calorie foods. 

 

What is the sites URL: _________________________________________

 

Explain why it is reliable using the criteria above:

 

 

 

 

 

 

The following questions require you to spend some time examining the “Help” features of the search engines covered in class.

 

Part II: Google (http://www.google.com) 

 

1. From within Google “Help” features (http://www.google.com/support/?ctx=web&hl=en),  how can you INCLUDE a “stop word”? (check “use of common words”)

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

 

2. What is a Googlebomb?  Can you provide an example?

 

 

3. Google has a directory feature (http://www.google.com/dirhp) that allows you to browse an organized structure of categories, BROWSE the category structure and find where each of the following would be located within the directory hierarchy. On the line below, list the category in which these topics are placed:

 

Example: Sushi sites would be found in  Home > Cooking > World Cuisines > Asian > Japanese > Sushi

 

Ballet                            _______________________________________________

 

Recipes                        _______________________________________________

 

Community Colleges ________________________________________________

 

 

Part III: Looking At Other Search Engines (10 points)

 

In class, we reviewed some alternative search engines. From the list below, select one search engine and complete the following analysis form for this engine:

 

Gigablast (www.gigablast.com )              Ask (www.ask.com)

Live (http://www.live.com/)                                   Search Crystal (www.searchcrystal.com)

Exalead (www.exalead.com)                               Open Directory (www.dmoz.org)

Hint: You may use any of the Reserve materials to assist you in this task, and you may also want to check the search engine Help information available!

Name of Engine/URL:

 

Overview:

(when established, etc.)

 

Strengths:

 

 

Weaknesses

 

 

 

 

Unique Features:

 

 

 

Searching Tips:

 

 

 

 

Boolean operators

 

Truncation

 

 

 

Phrase searching

 

 

Help information

 

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