Project #15: Search Engines

·          WolfhamAlpha

o   WolfhamAlpha search engine is most useful for informational search such as who the first president was and how to solve math problems. This search engine creates a layout of all the information it can gather in a table format. WolfhamAlpha would be great for students that needed information or explanations on problems. 

·         DuckDuckGo

o   DuckDuckGo assists in research the most with doing deep search. This search engine does not store the information or cookies about the search, which is something that not many search engines provide. This search engine can help the most when researching specific information. When researching, the search engine creates boxes on the top of the page with the information found so the researcher doesn’t have to click on each page to find the information. It provides a quick glance with everything it has found. DuckDuckGo is a search engine I use personally because it isn’t crowded with information.   

·         WebCrawler

o   When using WebCrawler, the top viewed pages from Google and Yahoo are mainly used. This search engine is useful when finding general information. It does not provide a layout of the information (such as boxes) but rather a list of websites. Google and Yahoo pages are where WebCrawler pulls most of their information for a search and lists them out. WebCrawler is more of a general search engine that separates pages with multiple ads and web pages. Overall, WebCrawler is one of many search engines that general information can be searched with. 

·         Snagajob

o   Snagajob is a job search engine where you can input the zip code and filter for specific jobs. When using this search engine, you provide certain information so it can match what you are looking for. Some of the information you can filter through is city and state, full/part time, company, and distance. This is a useful website for people that are looking for jobs and it makes it easy to filter out what type of job they are looking for. 

·         Lexis (LexisNexis)

o   Lexis is a law based search engine where people can look up cases or find information about laws. When searching in their database, you can choose categories such as publications, sites, and news.  Lexis is a straightforward website that provides lots of information about legal items. It can list out where to find specific laws as well as provides law books for purchase. It is really easy to use as well as appealing to the eye.  

·         WebMD

o   WebMD is a medical based search engine that anyone can use to find out more about a medical condition, find doctors near you, and list symptoms you are having. Of course, using this website does not substitute for actually seeing a doctor.  When you search a medical condition in the search engine, a list of medical links will come up same goes for doctors near you. WebMD is a great website that can be used to find out about medical conditions and is very well know!

·         Trulia

o   Trulia is a real estate and property search engine that filters the type of property you are looking for such as the location, number of bedrooms and baths, and square feet. When you enter the filter requirements (ex: number of bedrooms and location), a map will come up with various places and you can click on the green labels to find more information and pictures of the place. Trulia is a website that I used frequently to find living options and found that it was very easy to use. It gives you as information about the place and contact information. 

·         PriceGrabber

o   PriceGrabber is a shopping search engine where people can search for shopping items while filtering the type/band they are looking for. It pulls up a grid with items you searched for and lists the price. You can compare the prices and type of items (ex: laptops). This is a great engine for shopping because it lists and compares the items for you in one easy click.