Created by Marion Carmickle, Librarian, Health Careers High School, Fall, 2004

Finding the information that you need to solve information isn't always groovy, baby. Sometimes you need a few hints to help you along the way. In the activities below, you will learn the techniques to put you back into your groove thing, yeah! yeah!

Master Groove Thing One: Finding the right groove!
Today's cool researchers use the right tool to get the best information. The tools are: Subject Directories, Search Engines (Individual and Metasearch) and the Deep Web. There are many subject directories on the Web, one of which is Yahoo!.Beware, Baby! Yahoo! is sad for serious research. You should only use it when you are browsing the Web for fun or for your personal use. It is not a choice tool for serious research.

Master Groove Thing Two: Know the rules, Man!
First decide if you need to use a subject directory (for broad topics) or a search engine (narrow topics, specific pages, several pages of information, additional links)

Here are four steps for getting copasetic results from your searches. It's a drag to hassle with bogus results, so let's cut to the chase and use these far out strategies to book through our searches. These strategies work well with search engines such as Google or Vivisimo and are known as the Four NETS (which is not a sad 1950's rock and roll group!).

1. Net 1: Start Narrow
2. Net 2: Find Exact Phrases
3. Net 3: Trim back the URL
4. Net 4: Look for Similar pages

Master Groove Thing Training Level One:Get Out Of That Purple Haze

Groove Thing Training Lesson One: Start Narrow

1. Click on the Google Link: Google

2. Click on the Advanced Search link to the right of the search box. The Advanced search box will look like the image below.

3. In the "with all of the words" section, type 1960s. Click on the Google Search Button. How many "hits" did you get? You need to narrow search, right Baby?

4. Return to the Advanced Search page by clicking on the BACK button of your browser. Leaving the 1960s in the the first box, now add the key word fashion in the "with exact phrase" box. How many hits did you get this time? Note that the most relevant page will be listed first and that you have considerably fewer hits.

5. Now let's try to make the search even more narrow. Return to the Advanced Search page by clicking on the BACK button of your browser. Leaving all the criteria the same, add the key word mini to the "with any of the words" box. How many hits did you get?

6. How narrow can you go, Baby?Return to the Advanced Search page by clicking on the BACK button of your browser. Leaving all the criteria the same, add the key word slang to the "without the words" box. How many hits did you get?

Groove Thing Lesson Two: Find Exact Phrases

1. Still using Google, click on the Advanced search link. In the "with all words" box, type Beatles. In the "with the exact phrase" box, type Fab Four . How many hits did you get?

2. Click on the BACK button of your browser. Keep all the criteria the same and also add the keyword geocities or amazon or fashion in the "without the words " box. How many hits did you get? As you become more exact in your search terms, you will have more manageable search strings.

Groove Thing Lesson Three: Trim Back The URL

Sometimes you will find a far out site and wonder if there are others that are equally cool. Trimming back the URL of the site that you have found may lead you to others that you will also find useful. For example, you may have found a great webquest on the Viet Nam War (1969) and would like to find additional webquests that are of the same quality. You can do this by trimming back the URL to find the source. Click on the URL below.

http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/education/projects/webquests/vietnam/

Trim away the URL to the word "webquests" http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/education/projects/webquests

You should see a list of webquests from the same source from which to choose.

Groove Thing Lesson Four: Look for Similar Pages

In some cases, you may want to find pages that have the same sort of content of one you are currently exploring. It is all about exploring, right, Baby? To try this feature, you will need to return to Google and click on the Advanced Search link. Scroll down the page until you see the Page Specific section.

In the Similar section, type in http://www.pbs.org/wnet/colonialhouse/print/p-teach_lesson4_worksheet2.html. This is a worksheet that describes slang from the 1960s.

To check the validity of the site, you may also want to see what other organizations, educational institutions or businesses have linked to the site. In the links section, again type http://www.pbs.org/wnet/colonialhouse/print/p-teach_lesson4_worksheet2.html.

GT Groove Lesson:

You can find linked pages in any search engine by writing the word link followed by : and the URL of the page you have visited in the search box.

If you are looking for a quick and dirty way to find subject specific pages, you can do so by writing the word title followed by : and the key words you want found in the title of the page. For example, if you want to find pages on the 1960s, you can write title:1960s in the search box of any directory or search engine..

Master Groove Thing Three:Get Meta, You Dig?

Meta Search engines search several search engines at one time allowing you to book through information more quickly. A meta search engine is great when you want limited results or are researching a "hard to find" topic.

Kartoo, a visual meta search engine, is a gas, man. Click on the link to Kartoo and place the key words Brady Bunch in the search box. Notice that not only will additional suggestions for searches appear along the right hand side of the document, but as you mouse over the "map" a description of the site will appear in the left hand window.

Master Groove Thing Four: The Cool and Groovy Generation

The University Library at Albany, New York tells us that second generation search engines "cluster results by concept, site or domain". Examples of this type of Second Generation search engine are Visimio, Ask Jeeves, and Teoma .

Click on the Visimio link above and place the key word Woodstock in the search box. What appears along the right hand side of the document?

Master Groove Thing Five:Cruisin' the Deep

The Deep Web is Boss, Man! It is a collection of information on databases that can be accessed with special search engines. The Deep Web is cool because the information is up to date...it can change daily as the databases are updated. So, what kind of information can you find on the Deep Web? Anything that might be found in a database can be found in the Deep Web. This includes:

• phone books
• lists of professionals such as doctors or lawyers
• patents
• laws
• dictionary definitions
• items for sale in a Web store or on Web-based auctions
• digital exhibits
• multimedia and graphical files

You can also find information that is constantly changing (dynamic). This would include:

• news
• job postings
• available airline flights, hotel rooms, etc.
• stock and bond prices, market averages, etc.

You will find that the information that is available in the Deep Web will be narrower (more select titles) and have more, like heavy, Man, content. Choice information will be yours, Baby, because the databases are subject specific. To search the Deep Web, you may want to use one of the search vehicles below. Please note that some "surface" Web search engines may also lead you to Deep Web content. Google's advanced search is an example of a surface search engine that may provide this type of information.

Groove Thing Lesson Five: Getting Deep

It's time to try the Deep Groove Thing, Baby! Click on the Profusion link above. Your assignment is to track down the current international laws on marijuana. Follow the steps below:

• At the ProFusion site, scroll down to the link entitled Legal. Click on the Legal link.
• In the Search box, type your keyword marijuana. Do not change any of the settings.

• Scroll to the section below the Search box and place a checkmark in the International Law heading.

• Scroll back up to the Search box section and click on "go".

• Notice that you can view the databases that are being searched and the progress of the search.

• View your results. Please note the relevance of your search.

Master Groove Thing Final Examination

Okay, all you cool heads and headettes, you need to prove your True Grooviness skills. The final questions are written below. Your job is to find the answer using the best source available on the Web. Remember, for general information, use a directory and for specific information, use a search engine. You dig? A cool prize awaits the first person to find the information and note where it was found.

Final Question:

1. What was the original name of the group later known as The Supremes?

2. Who were the original members of the group?

3. In what year and with what record company did they sign their first contract?

Note: Internet Search Engines is a list from the University Libraries, University at Albany, State University of New York.

Credits:
1960's Slang: Colonial House, July 27, 2004
Content Information : University Libraries, University at Albany, State University of New York, July 28, 2004
Deep Web Information: Bright Planet , July 28, 2004
Guitars (original image): Kolk, Melinda. guitars.jpg. Oct-99. Pics4Learning. 31 Jul 2004 <http://pics.tech4learning.com>
Edited by Marion Carmickle, July 31, 2004