bare bones lesson 16: MSN Search

 

 

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DESCRIPTION:

MSN Search is the main search engine of the MSN directory/portal site. It is now recognized, in its own right, as one of the major search engines on the Web.  Its basic search page is designed with a clean, uncluttered look, combining simplicity with a variety of advanced features available under the Search Builder and Settings links.

SEARCHES IN:
Inktomi database for Web searches
LookSmart for directory searches

DEFAULTS TO:
AND

SEARCH OPTIONS:

Basic Search Page

• Supports (+) and (-) signs
• Supports double quotes (" ")
• Supports category searching (e.g., news, images, news, local, Encarta, stock quotes, movies, shopping and music) by clicking on hot links or using the drop-down menu

Search Builder Link

• Supports Boolean-type searches using drop-down menus for "all of these terms," "any of these terms,"  " this exact phrase," and " none of these terms. "
• Supports searching by domain (e.g., "com" or "edu")
• Allows searching for web pages that link to a specific site
• Provides customized personal preference settings (Results ranking") to search for pages "updated recently", "very popular", or those that are "approximate" or "exact" matches to the terms being searched

Settings Link

• Allows language, country, and regional settings and searches
• Provides adult filter
• Displays from 10 to 50 results per page
• Allows user to set personal location

OTHER SEARCH OPTIONS AND FEATURES:

• Provides information on URLs typed into search box
• Displays "Sponsored" links in pastel colored blocks before showing search results
• Maintains a stop word list; will not search for stop words unless typed as part of a phrase within quotation marks or preceded by a (+) plus sign

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ASSIGNMENT:

Go to the Basic Search Page and, in the search box, type:

  notes from the underground  

select the "Search Builder" link and then the "Site/Domain" option. Make sure the radio button that says, "Find only web pages from this site or domain" is selected. Type:

edu

Click "Add to search" and search for the phrase within the edu domain.

References to Dostoevsky's famous novel should appear at the top of the results list.

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Google                                                     Yahoo!

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[Table of Contents] [Search Engines] [Metasearchers] [Subject Directories] [Gateways & Databases] [Evaluating Web Pages] [Search Strategies] [Search Tips] [Boolean Operators] [Field Searching] [Troubleshooting] [Ask] [Clusty] [Dogpile] [GigaBlast] [Google] [MSN Search] [Yahoo!] [Graveyard] [Final Exam] [Beyond Bones] [User Agreement]

Last updated by E. Chamberlain, Thursday September 07, 2006