Talk:How To Search

Anybody have a better organizational method for this front page? I don't think this one will scale.

standard terminology
I am not pleased with the word "searches" and the way I use it to refer to all search engines, search mechanisms, search software... "Searches" is ambiguous. "Search engine" doesn't seem to fit things like PubMed or grep. Suggestions? liblamb 22:02, 25 Jul 2004 (UTC)

Perhapse the word "queries" would suffice (Freesodas (discuss • contribs) 22:44, 2 August 2013 (UTC)).

Searching: query vs browsing
I just realized that my original intent with this book was to concentrate on query based searching and ignore browsing based searching. If anyone feels so inclined and ambitious enough to integrate content related to searching by browsing, please go ahead. Query based searches, as I am thinking of them, present a space in which a user must type text (or other info) before they can get results. Browsing as a search method involves discoverability. The two methods usually complement one another. Examples: liblamb 04:29, 30 Jul 2004 (UTC)
 * Yahoo Directory requires a browsing search method.
 * Yahoo Search requires a query search method.

Removal of Search by Operator Syntax
I have removed the following because it doesn't seem useful at the moment. I can imagine it being useful but Wikibook categories may be a better option if this is ever revived.


 * AND - | {default} | AND | +
 * OR - | {default} | OR
 * NOT - | {default} | NOT | -

liblamb 00:54, 28 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Orphaned Wikibook module
The following is an orphaned Wikibook module that is associated with this wikibook:


 * How To Search/Other search type list

Feel free to edit this module and place the template tag if it doesn't belong here. --Rob Horning 20:08, 6 August 2005 (UTC)


 * How To Search/Feedster is another orphan. --hagindaz 04:23, 4 June 2006 (UTC)

suggestion on usability: user's goals
How about putting titles on the home page like what a user would be asking himself? If a person really doesn't know how to search, he may not know what Google is!

- Finding phone numbers - Finding maps and directions - Finding software for my computer I can download for free - Finding general information in an online encyclopedia - When to use Google (as compared to a more specific search, like a phone number)