Top Tips for Expert Searching Inforum 2005, Prague Karen Blakeman, RBA Information Services

1. Top Tips for Expert Searching Inforum 2005, Prague Karen Blakeman, RBA Information Services karen.blakeman@rba.co.uk rba.co.uk

2. What will be covered? • What Google has been doing over the last year • Alternatives to Google • RSS and Blogs • Desktop Search • Storing, managing and sharing resources • Top Tips to reduce overload

3. Google • New services • Google Mail • Google Print • Google Scholar • Google Suggests • Google Local and Maps (only US, Canada and UK) • My Search History • Web Accelerator • Personalized News • Google Desktop • Look in labs.google.com

4. Google • Increased database to over 8 billion pages • more rubbish to sift through • need to use advanced search features to get more useful results • New search features • increased number of search terms to 32 • numeric range search • toblerone 1..5 kg • DVD player $100..200 • 2000..2005 • synonym search (~ before a word)

5. Google: use advanced search • language • file format (filetype:) • date modified • domain (site:) • Similar pages (related:) • pages that link to a known page (link:) • Also define: for definitions • Use * to stand in for a word in a phrase • Use + sign before a word to stop automatic stemming

7. "Google sinker" • Works in most search engines (not MSN) • Repeat the most important word in your search several times e.g. • beer "market share" france germany czech • beer "market share" france germany czech czech • beer "market share" france germany czech czech czech • all give different results!

8. Google Scholar • scholar.google.com • "search specifically for scholarly literature, including peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, preprints, abstracts and technical reports from all broad areas of research" • no source list • includes citations and books • limited "advanced search" and author search unpredictable • articles ranked by relevance only • many articles are priced

9. Google print • Books supplied to Google by publishers • Google digitizes them • Search on: • books about...... • e.g. books about hubbert • 3 books listed near the top of the results list • Search within the book • Limit on number of pages that can be viewed • Information about the book and links to book stores

13. Google Suggests • labs.google.com and click on Google Suggests • Start typing in your search and Google suggests additions to your search together with the number of results

15. Variations on Google • Lots of search tools based on Google • bananaslug.com • takes your search, adds a random term and searches Google • pulls up results that would usually be hidden far down your results list • can select a random term from a category • animals, random number, Shakespeare • random number works well when looking for statistics or market data

16. Why try alternatives? • Different coverage • Different way of sorting results • Different search features • Different types of resource • Compare some of the major search engines using Thumbshots Ranking • ranking.thumbshots.com • shows overlap in first hundred results • varies depending on the search

21. Dogpile Missing Pieces • missingpieces.dogpile.com/WhitePaper.pdf • missingpieces.dogpile.com/missingpiecestool.aspx • compares Google, Yahoo and Ask Jeeves • graphic shows how many results are in only 1, 2 or in all 3 search engines for a particular search and includes sponsored links from the top of the pages.

23. Yahoo! • search.yahoo.com • Launched at the beginning of 2004 • ? billion pages • Search features very similar to Google • Key features • searches first 500K of a page (Google only 100K) • full Boolean search • link and linkdomain command better than Google • RSS/XML filetype search • News alerts available as RSS feed

24. Yahoo link and linkdomain commands • Google • link:www.zefix.ch (68 results) • Yahoo • link:http://www.zefix.ch/ (1100 results) • finds pages that link to this individual page • linkdomain:www.zefix.ch (1290 results) • can also exclude your starting point using -site:

25. MSN • www.msn.com • Launched in autumn 2004 • 5 billion pages • "Search Builder" = advanced search options • No filetype search option in advanced search • Results tend to be "consumer" oriented • News Alerts available as RSS

26. Exalead • www.exalead.com • 1 billion pages • Full Boolean search • NEAR command - within 16 words of each other • Supports wild cards • middle and end of the word

27. Exalead (2) • Advanced Search • phonetic search • approximate spelling • automatic stemming • Pattern matching • good for solving (cheating at?) crossword puzzles • start pattern with a forward slash, represent each missing letter with a full stop and finish pattern with a forward slash e.g. /.h.s.c..n/ • use a full stop followed by an asterisk to represent one or more letters e.g. /psych.*ist/

28. Exalead (3) • Results • can be sorted by date (newest to oldest or oldest to newest) • select option on Advanced Search screen • results display thumbnail of page next to each entry • related terms displayed • can be viewed by file format e.g. PDF, DOC

30. Kartoo • kartoo.com • Meta-search tool • Graphical representation of results • Extracts related terms from documents • Different layouts available including straightforward text listing

32. Unique search features • Google • numeric range search, synonym search, define command, Google Suggests • Yahoo • RSS/XML format • Exalead • phonetic search, approximate spelling, pattern matching, wildcards, NEAR command, related terms • Kartoo • graphical representation of results, related terms

33. Which search tool • Synonyms and related terms • Google, Exalead, Kartoo • Wild cards, variations on words • Exalead wild card, phonetic search, approximate spelling, pattern matching • Proximity search • Exalead • Numeric range search • Google

34. Quick facts and reference queries • Answers.com • "topic-based snapshot" • 100 authoritative encyclopedias, dictionaries, glossaries and atlases • Wikipedia • www.wikipedia.org • free-content encyclopaedia that anyone can edit • editors required to compile a balanced article including references to other sources • several language versions • good for quick reference and for links to other related sources

35. Quick facts and reference queries (2) • More examples: • acronymfinder.com • dictionary.com • Encarta • encyclopedia.com • brainboost.com

36. Evaluated listings • Annotated directories on a particular subject, industry or type of information • Provide access to recommended resources on a topic • Expert human assessment of resources • Examples: • eco5.com for finance and economics • Biogate biogate.lub.lu.se for "1000 best links in the biological sciences" • Official Statistics on the Web www.library.auckland.ac.nz/subjects/stats/offstats/

37. Evaluated listings • How do you find them? • BUBL Link bubl.ac.uk • Pinakes, a subject launchpad www.hw.ac.uk/libWWW/irn/pinakes/pinakes.html • professional or trade association • by personal recommendation • by chance

38. Meta search tools • Take your search and run it in several search engines at once • For: • saves time and effort • combined results sometimes better than individual search tools • some arrange results into folders e.g. Killerinfo • Against: • cannot use the advanced search options of individual search tools

39. Examples of meta search tools • kartoo.com • killerinfo.com • vivissimo.com • ixquick.com • dogpile.com • turboscout.com (searches one at a time) • turbo10.com (build your own!)

40. Turboscout • Interface to a range of different search tools and types of resources • 21 "standard" search tools e.g. Google, Teoma • 12 image search tools • 17 reference sources e.g. Wikipedia, Scirus • 10 news search tools • 13 product search e.g. Amazon • 9 blog tools e.g. DayPop, Technorati • 8 audio visual • Type in your search once and click on each tool in turn

43. Turbo10.com • Build your own meta search tool • select search tools from existing list of search engines and sites • add your own search tool or site • wizard take you through the steps • not all tools and sites can be added • dependent on cookies to keep and display your collections so problems if you move from one PC to another

45. RSS and blogs • What is RSS? • a way of delivering headlines and stories • stands for Really Simple Syndication, or Rich Site Summary, or RDF Site Summary • more information at www.rba.co.uk/rss/rss.htm • Need a program to "read" the feeds • web based e.g. bloglines.com • Bloglines tutorial at tinyurl.com/ap42n • desktop program e.g. FeedReader, FeedDemon • list of readers at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_news_aggregators

46. "Raw" RSS feed

47. RSS feeds in a Feedreader

48. RSS and blogs • Many news services now offer RSS feeds • Yahoo News • MSN News • Newstrove.com, Moreover.com and FeedDirect • look for the RSS or XML logo • Blogs • online journal or diary • can range from superficial irrelevances to extreme erudition • try and find blogs by industry "gurus"

49. RSS and blogs • Searching for RSS feeds and blogs • Yahoo Advanced Search, RSS/XML file format • syndic8.com • bloglines.com • blogdex.net • blogdigger.com • daypop.com • technorati.com • feedster.com • blogpulse.com

50. Desktop Search • Searches documents, emails, chat, IM messages, web pages etc. stored on your PC • search both file names and content • Can combine local search with web search • Indexes documents and folders on your PC • do not generally index documents on other machines on the network (some exceptions) • Useful for tracking down "lost" files but.... • Not a replacement for structured, well managed document folders