Earlier in the chapter we have touched on the fact that the Internet is an amazing source of information, but for that very reason, it is a difficult place to get information you actually need. In the early years of the Internet, there was a sharp distinction between a search engine and a Web site. There were many search engines competing with one another, and their home pages were generally fairly blank except for a search field where the user would enter the desired search keywords or parameters. There are still many search sites, but today, a few search engines have come to dominate the field, including Google and Yahoo! Moreover, most search engines’ home pages offer a wide range of options beyond an overall Web search; buttons for options such as news, maps, images, and videos are typical. Another type of search engine performs a metasearch, returning search results from several search engines at once.
When you are looking for a specific kind of information, these relatively general searches can still lead you far away from your desired results. In that case, you may be better served by an online dictionary, encyclopedia, business directory, or phone directory. There are also specialized online databases for almost every industry, profession, and area of scholarship; some are available to anyone, others are free but require opening an account, and some require paying a subscription fee. For example, http://www.zillow.com allows for in-depth search and collation of information concerning real estate and evaluation, including the integration of public databases that feature tax assessments and ownership transfers. Table "Table 11.2" provides a few examples of different kinds of search sites.
|
Description |
URL |
|
General Web searches that |
|
|
can also be customized |
|
|
according to categories like |
|
|
news, maps, images, video |
|
|
Metasearch engines |
|
|
Dictionaries and |
|
|
encyclopedias |
|
|
Very basic information on a wide range of topics |
|
|
To find people or businesses in white pages or yellow pages listings |
|
|
Specialized databases—may |
|
|
be free, require registration, |
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|
or require a paid subscription |
At the end of this chapter, under “Additional Resources,” you will find a list of many Web sites that may be useful for business research.
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