The Internet and Search Engines Lecture Notes

The Internet and Searching: Notes from a class
Note Taker: Dean DeVries

Speaker: David Kosakowski
Course: Sociology 440
Professor: Jim Ross
Date: Friday, February 20, 1998

*(1) Web Browsers
There are two web browsers, the software to view the World Wide Web. They are Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer. What about Netscape Communicator that I use at C.S.U.B.? What is that? Netscape Communicator is a suite, or group package, of software to use on the web email, web creation, etc. Netscape Communicator has the following two pieces of software inside that we are going to use in class: Netscape Navigator, version 4.0 browser and Netscape Composer web page creation software. Netscape Communicator can be downloaded free from Netscapes homepage links.

*(2) URLs
One of the most important things about using the World Wide Web is to know the addess, the URL of a web page. U.R.L. stands for Uniform Resource Locator. An example of a URL is: http://www.microsoft.com

http

Com

http://www
This is pretty much equivalent to the "1" for a long distance call. Almost all web pages, there are a few exceptions, have this as the beginning of their web page address

microsoft or chevron or netscape
The specific address/name of a web page

.com
The 'domain', the type of organization for web paeg (see "4" below)

A web page is the screen, usually white like a piece of paper, but can have colors, shown in your web browser software that you are viewing.

(3) Six basic reasons for a web page(use this in considering the credibility of a web page):

I want to sell you something. (http://www.telebrands.com)
I want to sell you something and educate you. (http://www.simmons.com/sleep.info/)
I want to persuade you (http://www.graham-assn.org)
I want to persuade you and educate you. (http://www.cancer.org )
I want to help you in your education. (http://www.csubak.edu )
I want to inform you of new information. These are usually government World Wide Web pages. (http://thomas.loc.gov)
I have something I just have to show you. (Individualís home pages)

*(4) Six, three letter extensions for web pages (use in considering the credibility of a web page):
The two letter international extensions, and the one purposed (but not currently in use) three letter extension, which describe what kind of web page you have found.

Three Letter Extension	Samples	Descriptions
.com	http://www.nabisco.com http://www.microsoft.com/homeessentials/encarta.htm http://www.marines.com (The business of enlistment.)	Commerce or Commercial
.org	http://www.graham-assn.org http://www.cancer.org	Non-Profit Organizations
.edu	http://www.csubak.edu/ http://www.harvard.edu	Education or Schools
.gov	http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/Welcome.html http://www.fbi.gov/	Government
.mil	http://www.army.mil http://www.usmc.mil	United States Military
.net	http://www.heat.net http://www.goshen.net/directory http://www.ten.net	Special Networks
.uk	.de = Deutschland or Germany .uk = United Kingdom or Britain	2 Letter Country Extension (Used for countries other than the U.S.A.)
.xxx	http://www.cyberporn.xxx http://www.smut.xxx http://www.dirtymind.xxx	Pornographic Sites (Purposed for future use. They currently uses commerce extensions. )

(5) Internet Search Engines

Internet Directories-Web sources organized into topic categories
Web Indexes--Builds a list of web pages based on your concept list

Many of these Internet search engines can be found by clicking the Net Search button on the menu bar or by clicking (left mouse button) on the "N" logo in upper right corner of the Netscape browser.

Some of the Internet Directories

Yahoo http://www.yahoo.com
Infomine http://lib-www.ucr.edu
Librariansí Guide to the Internet http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/InternetIndex/

Some Web Indexe Engines

Alta Vista http://www.altavista.com

For Published Articles (Newspapers, Magazines, etc.) To use at home you must have a student ID card and set up your browser. Information/help on how to do this can be obtained at the CSUB Help desk 664-6677

(6) Filtering

The most important skill in in searching the web or other data bases

Narrowing your search, to obtain web page sources that actually pertain to your topic.

There is a whole lot of information on the Internet. Some of want, most of it you donít. Some are close to your topic, most are not. However, there are some that are a way, far out, weird information that you did not ask for when using a search engine. For example, when searching for psychiatric or mental challenges with crime, you might end up with an article about Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter from the movie, "Silence of the Lambs." Or when searching for nurses and womenís careers, you could get hospitals, "Ask-A-Nurse" services, OB/GYN topics, or the far out reference of pornographic "nurses!".

To find topics on the Internet

State topic clearly
Divide topic into concepts
Choose terms to express concepts

"Endangered Species" and (Colorado or Wyoming) boolian logic with words.
A AND B A OR B A NOT C

Search engenes vary in how search terms are stated so you are advised to check the Help on a search engene you have not used before.

(7) Establishing Credibility
What to do with your information, or data, once you have located it

Try to determine who created this page and why?

Verify the content of page and is it reasonable. Try to verify with other sources (web sites, texts, news, etc.)
Find info about the author of the page, such as bias, qualifications, & suitability. (Go to the authorís homepage)
Check out the web site where the page is located (Basically, work up the URL you have found and see where this page is located)

*(8) Etc.
Three reasons for not connecting to a web page

Dead link or do not exist anymore. For example, a C.S.U.B. student after he (or she) graduates and is working at a company.

Lycos

Change in directory structure or "a change of address." Sometimes the webmaster, the person who created and manages the web page, will tell you the new "forwarding address" by stating "click here." But other times, you are left with no new direction.
Overloaded or too many people online at one time.
Domain Name Server (D.N.S.) malfunctions. (The dialog box pops up and states: "The Server does not have a DNS entry.")

Please note that all URLs listed were checked when this page was created. Also, please check each URL address for the inclusion, or exclusion, of the World Wide Web prefix. The .xxx extension does not exist yet, but pornographic sites use .com extension for now (3/98.)

CREDITS: This web page was created by Dean DeVrie based on a lecture by David Kosakowski