Consumer WebWatch Research: Consumers Often Confused by Paid Search Results on Search Engines: Results of an Ethnographic Study
A report by Leslie Marable, Researcher/Writer, Consumer WebWatch

"Many online consumers think of search engines as online tools that help them to quickly find Web sites most relevant to their keyword queries, particularly when they are unsure of where to surf next. This trust in search engines may make them vulnerable while online, as they are largely unaware such navigation sites often accept fees in exchange for giving advertiser Web pages prominent placement on their search results pages."

Ask Jeeves Sharpens Its Focus by Gary Price, Guest Writer, SearchEngineWatch June 21, 2004

"Ask Jeeves announced today several new 'Smart Search' shortcuts, along with a new page preview tool."

Search Engine Milestones for May 2004 by Chris Sherman, Associate Editor, SearchEngineWatch June 3, 2004
"Notable news and announcements from the web search world during the past month."

The Skill of the Hunt: Effective Research Strategies for Finding Information on the Web by Genie Tyburski, Web Manager, The Virtual Chase

"In research, the find -- particularly finding the answer -- is cause for jubilation. But at what cost? Untold hours during which you initiate several false starts or follow a few distracting, albeit interesting, links? Personal defeat as search engines repeatedly yield too many hits with those at the top leading nowhere, or to irrelevant pages? And when you find the answer, can you trust it? Is it complete, authentic, authoritative and up-to-date? Does it help you envision the forest or spotlight just one tree? Successful Web-based research encompasses economy of time and effort. It also takes into account the quality of the answer. The key is to focus on the strategy and skill of the hunt rather than the find."

ALA | Tool Kit for the Expert Web Searcher This web site is developed and maintained by Pat Ensor as part of the LITA (The Library and Information Technology Association) Top Technology Trends web. The goal of this page is to share resources for web searching in an academic library environment.

ALA | 10 Reasons Why the Internet Is No Substitute for a Library by Mark Y. Herring, Dean of Library Services, Dacus Library, Winthrop University, Rock Hill, South Carolina

Sites to Try When Other Engines Fail You by Michael Bazeley, Mercury News

"ResourceShelf.com's Gary Price and ResearchBuzz.com's Tara Calishain share tips on what to do, other resources to try, if web search fails you." Search Engine Report #91

Canadians Search Web More by Terry Weber, Globe and Mail Update

"Figures from comScore say Canadians seem to search slightly more often than Americans and that Google has a larger margin of popularity over rivals in Canada than in the United States." Search Engine Report #91

Search Engines Take the Stand by Declan McCullagh, CNET News.com May 13, 2004

"An excellent, scary look at how courts are becoming more reliant on search engines as legal proof in cases. Scary? How about using search engine counts to decide if secondhand smoke is an issue to order a mother not to smoke near her child. The sheer number of web pages listed is hardly medical testimony. While it's unlikely, it is even possible that a large number of those pages were saying secondhand smoke isn't an issue. A count alone mean nothing." Search Engine Report #91

CampaignSearch.com Powered by StreamSage Search Engine Report #91

"Looking for audio/video content related to the US presidential campaign? Here's a new web site designed to fulfill that need, a showcase for multimedia search company StreamSage."

PubSub.com Search Engine Report #91

"Enter the search terms you are interested in, and PubSub will find and monitor relevant blogs and web feeds for you, for free. You can also monitor newsgroups and US financial filings. The Link Ranks page lets you discover which domains are doing well in terms of being discussed in blog and web feeds."

Juvio - Solutions for Life Search Engine Report #91

"New family-friendly web directory where all sites are supposed to have been reviewed for appropriateness. It's based off Open Directory information, though you might not realize this because the standard Open Directory attribution required at the bottom of category pages only appears after a screenful of white space."

WWW-VL: History: W3 Search Engines Search Engine Report #91

"Recently revitalized, this entry of the WWW Virtual Library provides links and resources on the history and operation of web search engines."

Inside the Searcher's Mind: It's a Jungle in Here! by Gord Hotchkiss, SearchEngineWatch, May 26, 2004

"Editor's Note: As covered in yesterday's SearchDay, there have been two surveys released recently providing a welcome look at how people search in aggregate. Search engine marketing company Enquiro also recently conducted a focus group, to get up close and personal with a small set of searchers and jump more inside their minds. In this article, Enquiro president Gord Hotchkiss reports on those findings."

Study Questions Google's Long-Term Dominance by Matt Hines, CNET News.com, May 25, 2004

"When it comes to search engines, people overwhelmingly prefer Google--but increasing competition from a number of rivals could eventually threaten the company's top spot, a study has shown."

Hitwise Search Engine Ratings by Danny Sullivan, Editor, SearchEngineWatch, May 17, 2004

"Hitwise uses a combination of anonymous web surfing data provided by ISPs in various countries and its own panel-based measurements to determine which sites are most popular on the web. The data encompasses the surfing activities of 25 million people, worldwide." Check out: Share Of Visits: Search Sites, April 2004