On the Internet you can search for information in a number of different types of information sources. Since there is no standardized way to describe information on the Internet you must be prepared to search creatively and in several places in order to find what you are looking for.
When you speak of information seeking on the Internet you mean information that is stored somewhere in the global network of computers that communicate via IP-numbers. The web (www – world wide web) is the part of the Internet where information is published in web sites using the markup language HTML.
The capacity of the Internet and its possibilities are constantly developing and more and more services are web based:
- Information (text, pictures, film, sound)
- Communication (e-mail, discussion groups, chat, telephone, videoconference)
- Transmission (up- and downloading of files)
- Entertainment (games)
- Trade (sales and marketing)
- Personal (blogs, family photo albums, special interest groups)
- Etc.
Search tools
For the different services on the Internet there is an almost parallel development of search tools for finding what is offered. The most widely used search tool is Google, but it does not suit all purposes.
If for example you want to find a phone number, you will find it more quickly and effectively if you search a telephone directory on the web, than by making a chance search in a search engine and getting a more random result.
If on the other hand you enter the search telephone directory in Google or another search engine you will quickly find tips for Swedish and international web sites where you can make further searches for phone numbers.
Try this yourself: Search for a couple of your friends’ phone numbers by entering their names on Google respectively eniro.se (privatpersoner) and compare the result! Sometimes you find what you need quickly with Google and sometimes not. A specialized search tool can be more effective.
The same thing applies for other information sources – use a search engine to see if there is a special search tool and then check if that service is useful.
Examples of information sources and search tools on the web:
- News – newspapers – radio – tv
- Books – library catalogues – bookstores
- Internet archive – Wayback machine
- Maps, Pictures
- Authority information
- Journals
- Web portals
- Corporate information
- Scientific information, researchers’ web pages
- Meta search tools
- Specialized search tools:
News-, blog-, picture-, sound-, and multimedia search tools - Subject specific search tools
- Question services – FAQ, interactive assistants, librarian on duty, forums, mailing lists
To get an up-to-date picture of what functions the search tools offer and what new search tools have emerged, take a look at: Search engine watch
Eva Norling
2005-06-21
