Introduction to Web Design Using Dreamweaver

Purpose:
The Internet is the source of a vast amount of data, which may seem overwhelming when you need to find specific information. Use this activity to learn techniques and strategies for quickly uncovering the information you need online.

Directions:
Read the questions below.
Click on the Destination Site link(s) to open a new browser window.
Apply what you learn to answer the questions.
Check your work carefully, and click Submit.

Destination Site: Google

Note: If this link is inactive or to find other Internet sites with similar information, get permission from your teacher to use a search engine.
Here are some search engines you might use:  www.AltaVista.com, www.dogpile.com, www.yahoo.com

1			Google is a powerful search engine which allows you to look for information under certain primary categories. Name three of these categories.
2			One challenge of finding information using a search engine is locating the exact data you need. The more descriptive your keywords are, the more specific your Web search results will be. Suppose you wanted to find a recipe for spicy chicken soup. Type the keyword soup into the Google Search text box and press Enter or click the “google search” button. How many pages did Google find for this search (use the Results bar to identify the number of pages located)? Try again using the keywords chicken soup. How many pages did Google find this time? Try once more using the keywords spicy chicken soup. How many pages did Google find now? Which set of keywords will help you find the most precise recipe?
3			Most Web search engines list helpful tips about how to narrow your search for information. Because some words appear so often on the Web, such as “the,” or “of,” search engines tend to overlook these words in an initial keyword search. If you needed to find information on the history of the Web, what technique might you use to refine your search?
4			Suppose you need to view a photograph of the surface of Mars. Using the Google search engine, what steps would you take to locate such a photograph?