Week 5. All about Search Engines

28/03/08

Today's lecture looked at search engines and some history of the Internet.

Lecture:

In July 1961, was the first paper on packet switching theory published.I found out about different search engines, some of them are:

• Ask geeves
• All the web
• Wise nut
• Hot bot
• Altavista
• The most reliable search directories with comprehensive databases are:
• Look smart
• Dmoz
• Google directory
• About
• Yahoo directory

There are three categories of information on the web:

• The free, visible web
• The free, invisible web and
• The paid databases over the web
• Many problems with search engines are:
• There is too much information
• Don't know if the information is genuine/true
• Can face many problems
• Limited relevance
• Misuse of page ranking

To limit searches you could use advanced search, commas, Boolean's technique which uses search terms between words of AND, OR and, NOT.

Reading:

We had three pieces of reading for this lesson. The first was history of the Internet (Search Engines), the second was web search strategies, and the last was search engine optimisation for companies.

1.http://www.let.leidenuniv.nl/history/ivh/chap4.htm

In 1990 Archie was the first search engine for finding and retrieving computer files. It notes tips and information on how to find information on the net; goes through the different search engines; and a good idea on databases, library catalogues and directories etc. All very interesting if your into computers and very informative if you need help on getting started; if not- you'll probably find it very boring.

2.http://www.virtualsalt.com/howlook.htm

This is an informative site that gives you knowledge on better search skills and strategies on the web. Search tools such as search engines and directories are defined. It goes over the different types of ways you can use words in the search box to find what you want e.g:

• Key word search
• Phrase search
• Boolean operators

I found this to be a helpful site and one that i may come back to if i need tips on how to narrow down a search or find what I'm looking for.

3.http://www.websight.net.au/search-engine-optimisation.asp

The first thing i noticed when reading through this site was the spelling mistake on the third paragraph with the second word. They spelt website as 'wbsite'. Other than that, the site is a service you can use to receive a website analysis and they provide recommendations for making your site ranked higher and keep progressing.

Task:

1. http://www.monash.com/spidap.html This is an interactive tutorial on search engines. Four strategies that will help me structure a good search into my learning log are:

1. Know what I'm looking for

2. Fine tune my keywords (can use the booloean operators of AND, OR, NOT)

3. Be refined (use Boolean and the symbols + or -)

4. Query by example (query by example to find similar sites, that search sites have)

2. http://www.siteseen.co.uk/questions/historytrivia/ This is an Internet quiz.

To find answers to the questions given, i used key words and narrowed it down as much as i could. I also used Booleans operator of AND, NOT and OR. And lastly the use of + and - to show what words i wanted to focus on the most. For some of the questions i also used inverted commas as well as the other techniques stated above.

In this module, i have learned of different search techniques and tips. They have been very helpful and a valued skill to have when searching for information and to save time. Some of the things i learnt are;

• refining your search by using key words and techniques such as Boolean operator and the use of ( + ) and ( - ) to show words you want to focus on.
• using databases, library catalogues and directories
• i found out different search engines i could use besides the most common Google (as stated at the start)

I found this module fairly informative and helpful. The quiz was fun to do and being a history quiz, i learnt some new things.

Week 4. Good ol' Internet & the Web

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week 4. Le Internet & Le Web

17/03/08

Week four has come and gone so quick. Before i know it, the UPC course will be over and i will be moving onto my desired course to be a Nutritionist.

This lesson was completed at home, as there was the easter long weekend. It was on the Internet, the web and a brief history of both.

Task:

1.For the task, i was to look at two websites, which appear to be authentic.

The first site was;

http://www.haggishunt.scotsman.com/ This website has attempted to appear authentic by; the layout and how it is presented with pictures and labels i.e. Scotsman, and Gleneagles logo (saying they are being sponsored by them). They have prizes you can win and merchandise you can buy. They even have games you can play. And you can register, for free!

Clues that give the site away as a spoof are:

1. How the text is written in the site (written as though it’s a story)
2. Complex- some pages won't open for me
3. >> . com is used, which means is of commercial nature
4. The merchandise you can buy has animated pictures of mugs and t-shirts with their logo on (you can’t see the real product), So they probably don't exist.

4. There is no reference/bibliography given. The second site was;

http://www.molossia.org/This website appears to be authentic by; Using >> .org, saying it’s an organization (non-profit). The title seems professional, “Republic of Molossia Official Website”.

It also has an address of where they are sighted and the layout seems professionally set-up.

Clues that give away the site as a spoof are:

1. The front page doesn't have any date on it
2. Can't find the publisher
3. A huge piece of writing suggesting to teachers that it is not a false sight etc.
4. So much shouldn't be said if it is a genuine site
5. How the text is written again seems like your reading a story (when reading about the naval academy etc) Seems ephemeral
6. No reference or bobliography is given

2.I was also to write what i would expect from this site http://www.martinlutherking.org/ based on the URL.

If he is the man I’m thinking of, Martin Luther King is a boxing sponser and also is involved in the world of drugs and criminal works. I think the site would be dedicated to him as some sort of biography on him.

When i visited the site, my first impression was that, this is a man i would not be interested in meeting or celebrating about. On the site i s was given to look at, is says of how he plagerised the writings he did, having approximately five words his own. The front page says of how police picked up 14hours of party chatter, clinking of glasses, and illicit sex.

The impression i got of Martin Luther King, jr. from this site was an unpleasant one. However, another site i visited, http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-bio.html stated of him being a respected man, being the youngest man to recieve the Nobal Piece Prize at the age of thirty-five.

A lot more research could be put into Martin Luther King. I was given two completely different views of him in different sites. I think you shouldn't believe everything you read, and to make your opinion of something/someone once you have done research on it/them.

Slides:

The slides this week consisted of information of the internet and the web. I learnt what the domain ending stand for i.e. >> .com stand for commercial, >> .org is for organisations. Also, au; uk; nz etc are country codes.

The net is used to find computers. Connections are cables between computers. The web is to find document, sound, videos and information. Connections are hypertext links.

I was shown information on the historical perspective on the web. The web was developed by Tim Berners-Lee (who is a researcher at CERN) IN 1989. He developed it to facilitate sharing research information.

Reading:

We had two pieces to read. The first reading was a brief history of the Internet. Tho when reading it, it didn't seem brief at all. It had some interesting facts in it tho i.e the first recorded description of social interaction, enabled through networking was a series of memos written by J.C.R. Licklider of MIT, in Aug 1962. It discussed his "Galactic Network" concepts.

The second piece of reading was history of the world-wide web. It discusses

• The development of computers till 1960's
• History of ARPANET to the world-wide web
• History of electronic mail
• The search engine and
• Basic net data

To be honest, i found it all very boring but it had a few interesting facts and information i read i.e. -How much the Internet has grown. In 1994, it was estimated 38m, 101m in 1998, over 400m in 2000, and 580m in 2002. The Internet has become second nature to go onto for entertainment and research purposes etc.

week 3. All that Helpfull Stuff.

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Information Overload

14/03/08


Lecture:

Today's lecture was all on online libraries and databases. They are both fairly the same. Types of online libraries are;

• Online text repositories
• Electronic book
• Musical
• Artworks

While databases are defined as being a collection of information (data) characterised by the use of fields, that provide procedural methods for retrieving information.

Types of databases can be;

• People searches
• E-mail directories
• Genealogy Resources
• Maps and Atlases
• Government information and statistics
• News and media
• Portals

A disadvantage of both is that many, you have to subscribe and pay to use. An advantage of both is that they can be used 24/7.

Reading:

1. For the reading in this lesson, was an article on finding what you want on the web. It lists the wide-range of web indices;

• blogs can give pointers to other online resources
• usenet news
• medline- accessed through the web, but not indexed by search engines
• SearchEngineWatch
• Open Directory Project

Noodle tools website, is a guide on how to choose the best search for your information requirements. It is a great resource to use in finding what you need.

2. The second reading piece we had was a site that teaches you how you can refine and get the best results out of your search, with what you type into the search engine.

Example 1. The (+) and (-) signs can be used in front of words to force their inclusion and/or exclusion in searches.

Example 2. (" ") are used to search exactly as is. Do not put it in single words.

Example 3. Use ( * ) to return variations in spelling and word form e.g. Librar* comes out as library, libraries, librarians, etc.

You should put the most important words first.

1. Boolean is the use of AND, OR, NOT. Which are used to link words and phrases for more precise queries e.g. truth AND justice.
2. NOT or AND NOT, limits search by returning only your first keywords but not the second e.g. Pepsi AND NOT coke

For best results, always enclose OR statements in parentheses e.g. (Toyota OR Honda).


ECU Library site- Useful functions:

1. Services- has local reference/enquiries, document delivery, loans service.
2. Books, Cd's and more (catalogues)- search for keywords, subject, author etc to find what you need.
3. Online journal- find by faculty, subject, title etc.
4. Reserved Reading- access 24/7, loan limit is 2items.
5. Journal Titles- type as much or as little of journal title to find what you want.
6. Websites- A-Z search of different subjects/topics.
7. Library Resource by faculty- provide library information literacy sessions
8. Resources for everyone- students, academic staff, researchers, external/offshore students, community and alumni.
9. Quick links- quick catalogue search
10. Learning Assistance- referencing guide, academic tip sheets, ask the library etc.

Workshop:

3. For our workshop activity, we had to;

• Go onto the ECU library service and find journal articles on an online journal (for economic impact of global warming on businesses).
• Record 10 useful functions or search tips from the ECU library site, with a brief explanation of each.
• Visit the MEDline plus website- http://www.medlineplus.gov/ search about health topics and drug information- you can use the built in search engine to find out more on a particular condition or drug.
• Go through an interactive tutorial- who would use such a service and what might they get from it.
  

Medline:

Medline plus is a site that has A-Z on medical information and conditions, drugs a supplements etc. I found it very interesting and informative, with a huge amount of information you can search through for free.

People who are interested in medicine or learning for themselves could use this site. If you have a loved one with a condition, this site could help you get informed and knowledgeable about the condition. Also, this would be an excellent reference and information guide for me- as i am going to be a nutritionist. It has information on herbs and natural supplements.

I found this lesson very helpful with tips on how to search for what your looking for better, and different search information. I also found the sites we where given to look at very interesting.

Week 2. Computers computers

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Week 2 action. More confusing than week one!

Week 2. Computer Problems

07/03/08

Lecture:

Today's lecture, Helen had some technical problem with the computer working. It took us about 15minutes into the lecture to get started. To save time while Helen was trying to fix the problem, she had us answer two questions:

1. A list of Microsoft Application programs e.g;

• Microsoft word, Excel, publisher, power point, office, outlook, front page, games.
  

2. A list of Internet Browsers

• Internet explorer, firefox, net scape, opera.

When we where finished, Helen accomplished getting the computer working, but with a new computer.

Slides:
The slides consisted of different Internet sites we use and browsers. We where given previous student blog sites to look at, to give us examples of what is expected.
In the tutorial, we met our teacher, Rachel Mahncke. We had a different lady last week who was filling in for her. She is from South Africa and my impression i got of her is that she is a very nice lady.

Reading:
The reading material we had was a guide to help and inform us on how to use Microsoft word and excel effectively.

Task:
Our task for the lesson was to produce a range of documents of university standard using common computer applications. We used Microsoft word and Microsoft excel. A microsoft word tutorial we where given to help us was;

http://www.baycongroup.com/wlesson0.htm A microsoft excel tutorial was; http://www.baycongroup.com/excel.htm

I found this lesson honestly very boring and confusing. Though if i ever needed help with microsoft word or excel, this would help.