Date: Wed, 10 Jan 2001 04:57:45 +0000
Reply-To: TOURBUS-Request@LISTSERV.AOL.COM
Sender: The Internet TourBus - A virtual tour of cyberspace
From: Bob Rankin
Subject: TOURBUS - 09 Jan 01 - Specialized Searching
MIME-Version: 1.0
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TOURBUS Volume 6, Number 50 -- 09 Jan 2001
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[ Tip: Use a monospace font like Courier when reading this message ]
_________ ____________ ________ __________ _____________ ___ _
/ | / | | / | \
| WHY SURF WHEN YOU CAN RIDE THE BUS? / | \
|__________|__________/__________|__________|___________/_____| \
/ |----\
| FIVE YEARS of Searchable Archives |////|
| at http://www.TOURBUS.com |////|
\_______________________________________________________________|____|
/ \ / \ / \
\___/ \___/ T h e I n t e r n e t T o u r B u s \___/
Take a break from those big all-purpose search engines for a while
and try some online search tools that are designed for specific
tasks. Find your answer faster with the special-purpose search
sites in today's issue of Tourbus!
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=============
Directories
=============
Web directories (also called portals) can be an excellent alternative
to search engines when you're looking for information on a specific
subject. That's because they are organized and maintained by real
humans. Each of these directories lets you drill down through a
subject hierarchy or search by keyword. I'll assume you already know
about Yahoo, so let's look at two other sites:
LookSmart claims to be the global leader in Web directories, with 31
directories spanning 28 countries and 13 languages. More of an
emphasis on reviewing sites, as opposed to just listing them.
http://www.looksmart.com
Working on the premise that the small paid editorial staffs at
commercial directory sites (such as Yahoo and Looksmart) can't keep
up with the ever-expanding Web, The Open Directory Project aims to
produce a comprehensive directory of the web using an army of
volunteer editors.
http://www.dmoz.org
================
Finding People
================
I'm often asked where to look for "people finder" sites that offer
search tools for telephone, email and address listings. My first
answer is always Infospace.
Switchboard - http://www.infospace.com
If you don't find the person you're looking for, try these other
sites since they all use different databases:
Switchboard - http://www.switchboard.com
Yahoo People - http://people.yahoo.com
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+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
================
Finding Images
================
Looking for a Tiger? Whether you're after a photo of the king of
golf or a purring Bengal, you'll find it at one of these sites
dedicated to helping you find multimedia files on the web:
http://pictures.lycos.com
http://www.ditto.com
======================
Finding Online Books
======================
Project Gutenberg began in 1971 when founder Michael Hart was given a
computer account with $100,000,000 of time in it. Hart turned his
"fortune" into one of the Net's greatest treasures - an archive of
over 3000 public domain books.
http://www.promo.net/pg
===========================
Finding Discussion Groups
===========================
Looking for a place to talk, or hang with people who know everything
about something? Try Deja's Usenet Discussion Service -- the largest
Usenet newsgroup archive on the Net. If you're new to Usenet, you
can learn the basics about reading, posting and participating in this
collection of thousands of online discussion groups.
http://www.deja.com
If you prefer an email approach, start searching for mailing lists and
newsletters at Liszt, the mailing list directory:
http://www.liszt.com
======================
Specialized Searches
======================
Stock Quotes - http://www.quote.com
Downloadable Files - http://ftpsearch.lycos.com
Patents - http://www.uspto.gov
Encyclopedia Britannica - http://www.britannica.com
Merriam Webster's Dictionary - http://www.m-w.com
Roget's Thesaurus - http://www.thesaurus.com
Search the Bible - http://www.gospelcom.net/bible
Price Comparison - http://www.mysimon.com
That's all for now, see you next time! --Bob Rankin
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