Difference between revisions of "Going Beyond Google"

The Invisible Web              
By Michelle Knight
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Does Anything Exist Beyond Google?

Have you ever wondered if any great sites exist beyond Google? Yes, they do. Google relies on specialized software programs -- or spiders, as they're called -- to index sites. Sometimes technology blocks Google's spiders, or a site owner will go out of the way to ensure the site is not categorized by Google.

To find sites lost by Google, you need to look in a place called the invisible web. Deep in the invisible web lie search utilities that provide database records on specific topics, or listings of sites that have been hand-picked by a few editors, or archives of old web sites. For a general overview of this hidden side of the web, see How to Search the Invisible Web.

Treasure Troves You Won't Find in Google

Here are five repositories of hand-selected materials that are difficult to locate using Google:

1. Folkstreams: The Best of American Folklore films, as archived on June 11, 2007 - The newest American Folklore films site is actually available via Google, but where else are you going to find "Dance for a Chicken: the Cajun Mardi Gras" at the top of a website? And the films themselves just can't be located using a conventional search engine.
2. MagPortal.com's list of free magazine articles on the World Cup - Yes, magazine articles may seem old fashioned, but they provide great overviews for busy people. If you need to bone up about the World Cup to impress your friends or business partners, then you may wish to try one of these articles, which would be difficult to locate if you tried to find them on Google.
3. FindLaw.com's trademark basics, lawyers, and forms -- all in one place - Enter "Trademarks" in Google, and you'll find this valuable page ranks surprisingly low in search results.
4. Library of Congress repository of current consumer bills - Enter "consumer protection bills" in the search box on this page, and you will get a list of current bills, along with their sponsors and action status. You cannot do the same in Google.
5. Dmoz.org's list of personal pages on fathering organized by the open source community - Enter "father's advice" into Google, and you'll get a list of oddly diverse sites, rather than the tightly focused list you get on Dmoz.org.

The Invisible Seekers

All of these sites let you search the invisible web. You can use to find great websites not available on Google.

1. The Internet Archive: Around the World in 2 Billion Pages (visit) - The Internet Archive Web Archive lists older web pages from around the world.
2. {{{2}}} (visit) - If you are looking for an overview from a source you can trust, magazine articles may fit the bill. The MagPortal list magazine articles on a variety of topics.
3. {{{2}}} (visit) - If you are looking for legal information all in one place, this is the place to go. Find a lawyer to consult and learn more about a legal topic.
4. {{{2}}} (visit) - Thomas is a database containing bills and their status in Congress. If you want to know how your senator or representative stands on an issue or how close it is to law, then use this site.
5. {{{2}}} (visit) - The Open Directory provides a list of websites, hand-picked by the community. This directory is 100 percent free -- there are no paid listings available, unlike some other web directories.