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The Trusted Information Source |
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Which Search Engines are Worth Using
When you are trying to find people online, whether you are looking to locate old classmates or find a lost friend, chances are you are doing some of your searching on the Internet. To search on the Internet, you must use a search engine. Here are some tips about the best search engines to use, courtesy of ConsumerSearch.com, a Web-based publishing company that tells consumers which products work best.
- Google.com - the best search engine overall (it accounts for 45 percent of all searches). It is speedy and user-friendly. Expert reviews give Google high scores for its disclosure practices, so it's easy to tell paid ads from real results. Google is also the leader in adding features like image search, video search and blog search; you can search inside books with "book search."
- Ask.com - best alternative to Google. Ask.com (formerly Ask Jeeves) earns distinction as the most improved search engine. Reviews say it is now much better at keeping ads distinct from search results, and that relevancy now matches (and sometimes exceeds) Google. Results include a helpful set of cross-referencing terms to help users refine searches, and Ask.com also searches blogs, online communities and social networks.
- Live.com - best new search engine. Reviews say new Windows Live Search is a big improvement over MSN Search. Windows Live Search is unique in that search results are presented on one long page, so that users scroll down the page -- no more clicking "next" to see more.
- Jux2.com - metasearch engine. Jux2 combines search results from Google, Yahoo and MSN so you can search all three at once. Reviews praise the way Jux2, unlike most metasearch engines, clearly identifies paid ads and sponsored listings. You can also separate the results from each search engine, and "advanced search" lets you see results from just one type of domain, such as .org or .edu.
- Yahoo.com - best search engine, tool bar and desktop search combination. Yahoo Desktop often gets top ranking in reviews, and Yahoo usually comes in second for best search engine. So if you want one integrated product that covers all the bases, Yahoo is a good choice. Yahoo Desktop, when used with a free expansion kit, searches the most file types, and reviews praise the way it filters and previews results. The Yahoo toolbar includes anti-spyware and a pop-up blocker, two useful extras.
- Others worth trying: Aol.com, Clusty.com (organizes results into useful subtopics) and Dogpile.com (combines results from the top four search engines: Google, Yahoo, MSN and Ask).
Information specialists, such as reference librarians, recommend using more than one search engine for best results.
On a side note, search engines can provide some surprising information about your subject. If you do a simple search for a person's name, you may not find his or her address or telephone number, but you may discover his or her place of work, club affiliations or hobbies and interests. Keep in mind that plenty of names show up on conference attendance lists or on the minutes/agendas of community meetings.
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