Each one of these Search Tools are defiantly different.
I found that I felt most comfortable with the Internet Search Tool -Bing. I don't know if it was because it seemed to give me more options than the Metasearch Tools and the Subject Directories. There just seemed to be more features to entice the user. Having the advantage of features seemed to enhance and direct the search thus engaging the user.
When I used the Metasearch Tools, they seemed to be limited. The postings seemed to be relevant in order, but I wish that they had related topics or related search ideas the user could utilize. It was harder for me to identify features that I liked with this search tool. I truly liked how Ixquick allows the user to access a site, leave the Tab open, return to the results list, and then open another site. Yet, I don't know if I would use this Search engine for my next research project.
Subject Directories do contain some vital information. I liked how you could identify ejournals, scholar information and academic resources. This search engine reminded me a little of the deep web resources, maybe because they are maintained mostly be professional librarians. I recognize that they are not as vast as the deep web resources, but it seems as if their credibility is forthright and the information they hold is supportive and useful. I wish that the sites were a little more user friendly, but I believe I may access these sites in the future.
Emily;
ReplyDeleteGreat observations. I agree that metasearches don't seem to offer any real specific benefits, it's not like you don't get enough results from google or Bing. And yes, Subject directories are more akin to the deep web resources, containing academic information on specific topics and not general information on everything. Something to bookmark for when you are out of school or as a starting point for getting research ideas maybe.