Using Web Browsers

1. "Home" button in your browser (I am using Firefox).

• Default title and URL : Mozilla Firefox Start Page. I don’t see a url.
• Why did this appear? This is the default browser. How can you change this default setting so that another web page automatically loads when you launch the web browser? There are options in the browser to change the Home Page.

2. Can you change the appearance of web pages within your browser (e.g., the font face and size)? Yes. If so, how? There are options under View. Why would you want to? Personal preferences.

3. What's the default search engine associated with your web browser? Google. How do you get to it? There is a search bar to the right of the url bar.

Searching the Web

4. Head to Google (http://www.google.com).

• In the search box, type in learning to make web pages and click on the "Search" button. How many matches did you get? 329,000,000
• Visit a couple of the sites in the search results list. Can you estimate how many of the searches actually relate to learning to make web pages? Most of the sites on the first few pages relate to making web pages.
• Return to the front page of Google. In the search box, type in "learning to make web pages" (with quotation marks) and click on the "Search" button. How many matches did you get? 24,100.
• Link to a couple of the sites in the search results list. Can you estimate how many of the searches actually relate to learning to make web pages? Most of the site on the first few pages relate to making web pages.

Repeat the same tasks for the following websites:

1. Bing http://www.bing.com
2. AltaVista http://www.altavista.com
3. Teoma http://www.teoma.com
4. BlowSearch http://www.blowsearch.com
5. Kartoo http://www.kartoo.com/

5. Are the number of hits consistent across search engines? No. If not, what do you think accounts for the differences? I think they use different search algorithms to find relevant results. After looking at each of the above search engines, in what cases would you use a search engine that is not your current default (most likely Google)? I think I will stick with Google.

6. Take a look at Wolfram Alpha (http://www.wolframalpha.com/). Is this a search engine? No. If not, what would you call it? It's more like an enhanced encyclopedia. It actually provides information and instruction. If you decide that it is, list the reasons that you would classify it as a search engine.

Using Metasearch Sites

Dogpile

http://www.dogpile.com

MetaCrawler

http://www.metacrawler.com

Mamma

http://www.mamma.com

7. Head to Dogpile or to MetaCrawler. (I used Dogpile)

• What is the main difference between a metasite and a regular search site? A metasite returns the best results from the regular search sites.
• Do a search for learning to make web pages. How many matches did you get? I don't see count of results. How are the matches organized? It returns results from Google, Yahoo, and Yandex.
• Link to a couple of the sites in the search results list. Can you estimate how many of the searches actually relate to learning to make web pages? Most of the sites look like they are about making web pages.

8. Next, head to Mamma (http://www.mamma.com).

• Do a search for learning to make web pages. How many matches did you get? I don't see the number of results. How are the matches organized? Ads are on top followed by Web results underneath.
• How do the matches on Mamma differ from the matches you found in search 7? The Web matches seen to be identical, at least on the first page.

Finding Multimedia Elements

9. Either head to one of the search sites we've already used or head to one we haven't yet used and explore the front page of the site. (I used Google)

• Is there a way to search specifically for multimedia? Once you type something into the search box, options for Images and Video come up.
• If yes, what specific elements can you search for? Options for Images and Video come up. What are your options? (If not, try another site!) Images and Video.
• Do a search for a specific element (e.g., your favorite song, a picture of Britney Spears). (Meryl Davis) How many matches do you get? 11,900,000 total; 922,000 videos; cannot see count of Images.
• Are there any warnings, disclaimers, or other information provided about using the results of your multimedia searches embedded in the search interface? I don't see any.

Web Hosting Sites

10. Finally, do a search for web hosting sites. You'll want to explore cost, features, and the benefits of using a hosting service. Create a separate section in your module1.html web page and provide a bit of data that describes the web hosting site you would most likely choose if you needed to host a website.

I found information on several websites including:

http://www.prchecker.info/top-10-web-hosting.php

I think I would choose: iPage

Features are listed on: http://www.ipage.com/hosting-features?LinkName=TOPpr

One review states that “iPage provides cheap hosting plan that includes everything one might ever need to setup and run a full featured website quickly and easily including 2 advanced Drag & Drop website builder tools, Online Store, Blog and Photo gallery, Security Suite, etc. iPage hosting offers a FREE domain name for life, Google Adwords, Yahoo! & Facebook Marketing credits, and 100% Green hosting.”

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