What are Internet directories and search engines?

You may have tried some Internet searching before, or seen some search tools mentioned in a magazine or on the Internet. Maybe you've clicked on a "Search" button at the top of your screen and been shown a number of choices.

Yahoo. Alta Vista. Infoseek. Hotbot. Lycos. Google. WebCrawler. LookSmart.

What are these tools and how do you decide which one to use? Let's start by learning about the two major kinds of search tools available to Internet users.

Subject directories

A list of Internet sources, usually chosen by the directory's staff and arranged in organized, hierarchical subject categories. Examples include Yahoo (http://www.yahoo.com), Open Directory (http://www.dmoz.org) and LookSmart (http://www.looksmart.com).

Search engines

A database of Internet sources, gathered electronically by a computer search program, and searchable by keyword or some other access point. Examples include Alta Vista (http://www.altavista.com), InfoSeek (http://www.infoseek.com), HotBot (http://www.hotbot.com), and Lycos (http://www.lycos.com).

Directories and search engines are alike as they are both lists of Internet sources. Many search sites offer both of these searching tools. There are some important differences, however, and these differences may affect which kind of tool you use for your search. Let's go to the next page to learn more about these different characteristics.