Searching for information on the Web

There are many Web sites that specialize in helping you find what you want on the Web. These are called search engines. Some are called directories, because they list sites by topic. Some of the most popular are:

• Yahoo at http://www.yahoo.com
• HotBot at http://www.hotbot.com
• Alta Vista at http://www.altavista.com
• Lycos at http://www.lycos.com
• Web Crawler at http://www.webcrawler.com
• Google at http://www.google.com

You use these search engines by typing in key words for a search. Be as specific as possible in order for your search to return just the information you are interested in reading. The search returns a list of all of the sites that matched your key words. To move through this list use the side scroll bar. If you see an item on the list you would like to view click the colored part of the text. You will then download that site. As you return to the search list you will notice the titles you have viewed have changed color (visited link). This will allow you to keep up with which documents you have already viewed.

• To search for more than one word, place a plus (+) between the words, as in sound +effects to look for sound effects.
• To look for an exact phrase, put quotation marks (") around it, as in "sound effects"
• To exclude a word, put a minus sign (-) before it, as in effects -sound