Search Engines

Looking for something? The Internet is a big place. While the information you want is probably out there someplace, finding it can be a problem. To help you find what you want, searchable lists of sites and other information are springing up all over the web.

Quick Reference

World Wide Web Search Indices:

Search: Web | News | Usenet | Stores| Catalogs Goggle has a lean, quick page without the 'portal' extras to bog it down. Google has taken over DejaNews, and can now also search Usenet Newsgroups.

WebCrawler: The Web's Top Search Engine's Spun Together.
Lycos maintains an index of documents, so it is most useful for finding an article on a given subject. It now includes Top News stories organized into 30 catagories.
EINet Galaxy: The Galaxy is a guide to worldwide information and services, provided as a public service by EINet and Galaxy guest editors.

Search 12 engines simultaneously, quickly. Not as good as it used to be, and bogged down with ads, but still fairly usefull.

Includes the ability to create your own, personal service page, and reviews of sites.
Wired's foray into searchers. Uses the Inktomi index program.

LookSmart: Reviews sites, but you have to get through paid listings first. Vivisimo: Meta search tool that organizes the results into categories using proprietary algorithms. The Incredible Yahoo Server just isn't that incredible any more, a shell of it's former self. It's sad, really.

ZDNet: Consumer product search and guide. Includes product reviews from other customers, comparions, and price guides. Metacrawler Searches the combined databases of Yahoo, Open Text, Lycos, WebCrawler, InfoSeek, Excite, Alta Vista, and Galaxy. LibDex finds library catalogues available via the web.

Ask.com: Is the supposedly much-imrpoved version of Ask Jeeves. How exactly it is improved, I'm not sure. Information Please: A free online almanac, encyclopedia, and dictionary. About.com provides pages on specific topics of interest, each maintained by a paid guide.

Lists:

WestNet Special Interest Groups: If you find some of the other lists intimidating, we have our own small list of interesting sites. Instead of trying to cover everything, we have attempted to provide a few sites of general interest to get new users started.

Grandma Betty - The Staring Point for All Seniors. Maintained by an actual Grandmother who got fed up with the other searchs available.

Zip Codes US Post Office Zip Code Search National Address Server: Finds zip+4 codes for addresses.

Geographic Nameserver: Find the zip code based on a City and State, or a City/State based on the zip code.

Phone Directories Online version of the Bell Atlantic Yellow Pages. Switchboard: National white pages of people and businesses.

Know of a search service we have missed? Drop me a note!

chris@westnet.com

Search 12 engines simultaneously, quickly.	Not as good as it used to be, and bogged down with ads, but still fairly usefull.
Includes the ability to create your own, personal service page, and reviews of sites.	Wired's foray into searchers. Uses the Inktomi index program.

LookSmart: Reviews sites, but you have to get through paid listings first.	Vivisimo: Meta search tool that organizes the results into categories using proprietary algorithms.	The Incredible Yahoo Server just isn't that incredible any more, a shell of it's former self. It's sad, really.
ZDNet: Consumer product search and guide. Includes product reviews from other customers, comparions, and price guides.	Metacrawler Searches the combined databases of Yahoo, Open Text, Lycos, WebCrawler, InfoSeek, Excite, Alta Vista, and Galaxy.	LibDex finds library catalogues available via the web.
Ask.com: Is the supposedly much-imrpoved version of Ask Jeeves. How exactly it is improved, I'm not sure.	Information Please: A free online almanac, encyclopedia, and dictionary.	About.com provides pages on specific topics of interest, each maintained by a paid guide.

Zip Codes	US Post Office Zip Code Search	National Address Server: Finds zip+4 codes for addresses.
	Geographic Nameserver: Find the zip code based on a City and State, or a City/State based on the zip code.
Phone Directories	Online version of the Bell Atlantic Yellow Pages.	Switchboard: National white pages of people and businesses.