Beyond Google
Steven M. Cohen
As librarians, we were all awed the first time we stumbled upon Google. “This is going to change the way people search the Web,” we thought. “Google is going to be the best thing to hit the Internet since T1 lines,” we mused. “If this site catches on, we may be out of a job!” some of us worried.
Since then, Google has become an international phenomenon and is the search engine of choice for many librarians (including me). At times, I think that I am in the middle of a Stephen King novel while searching it. Google seems to take control of my brain, reads my mind, knows exactly what I am looking for, and displays that information first on the list of sites it provides.
Yes, Google is amazing, but has it ever let you down? Have the magical powers it possesses ever betrayed your utmost confidence in it? Has it ever left you feeling empty inside? I have fallen victim to the wrath of taking Google for granted. After Jerry Garcia passed away five years ago, my friend, an ardent fan, called me up and said, “What do I do now?” That is how I feel when I can’t find what I need on Google. Where else can I turn? Who can help me? What do I do now?
Lately, I have become a big fan of Metor (www.metor.com), a relatively new meta-search engine that queries the large databases like Northern Light (www.northernlight.com) and FAST search (www.alltheweb.com) as well as our good friend Google. Metor allows the searcher to choose which engines to query. For example, after searching Google unsuccessfully, when Metor is accessed, the user can select which other search engines to try. Sometimes, however, this system leaves questions unanswered.
We have heard much talk about the invisible Web and how most search engines only index between 15 to 20 percent of the full Web (for more discussion on this topic, visit http://websearch.about.com/internet/websearch/library/weekly/aa061199.htm). But how do we get to the 75 to 80 percent of Web sites that are unavailable through traditional searching methods? One of the keys is to use subject-specific search engines that only index Web sites that pertain to a particular area of interest. These search engines have been compiled in many Web directories for easy access.
Fossick (www.fossick.com) is one such directory, with more than 3,000 subject specific search engines. Its Web directory is divided into twelve categories, which are then divided into more subcategories. Clicking on one of these topics will bring you to an extensive listing of search engines for that particular subject. Fossick also comes equipped with its own meta-search engine (which searches Excite, Infoseek, HotBot, and others), but the strength of the site lies in its “Everywhere” category, which provides international search engines for Africa, Asia, Australia/New Zealand, China, Europe, Middle East, North America, and South America.
Another wide-ranging directory of search engines comes from Search Engine Guide (www.searchengineguide.com/searchengines.html). The sites provide more subcategories than Fossick and are arranged in an easy-to-use Yahoo!-type hierarchical method. In addition, the sites are annotated, which makes it easy to find a search engine of choice. Also, they provide an internal search engine that allows the user to search for an engine, rather than use the directory. For those interested in search engine technology, www.searchengineguide.com features articles on the topic and a free newsletter that is delivered via e-mail.
The “power” behind Search Power (www.searchpower.com)
is the number of subject-specific search engines it claims to have in
its directory—more than 16,000—which is four times the amount
of the two previously mentioned. This directory is easy to navigate, and
many of the links are annotated. Search Power also comes with an internal
search engine, which enhances its usage. Two other features include a
search engine of the week, which is sent out in their free newsletter,
and a “What’s New” section, which lists newly added sites.
Search.com (www.search.com), provided by
CNET, has a directory of about 800 search engines in its categorized directory.
Although this number cannot compare with the others, I mention Search.com
for another reason. After clicking on a category, users can perform a
meta-search with engines for that category. For example, clicking on “Drugs”
under the category “Health and Medicine” brings up six sites
related to drugs. The user can now search all six sites at once or choose
which of the sites to search. This is a powerful tool that is not offered
by the others.
In addition to these specialized search engine directories, I have always found the human-indexed portals to be of use. Similar in structure to Yahoo!, the sites in these directories are handpicked by editors, usually by someone who has extensive knowledge of the topic. One of the most popular of these sites is the Open Directory Project (http://dmoz.org), which many know has become the directory of choice for Google. Beyond that, About (www.about.com) is a wonderful choice to look for sites of interest that may not be indexed by the popular search engines.
It is amazing how far search technology has evolved throughout the last seven years, but it seems impossible for the Googles of the world to keep up with the enormous number of sites that materialize on the Web each day. So, the next time you are asked a question by a patron that Google just can’t answer, give one of these sites a try and see what happens. You may find that one site that will awe you just like Google did not so long ago. Or, you may not; you may just find the one that answers your patron’s question. And that might be enough for you. It sure is for me.