Conducting Simple Searches of the Web

Authors & Contributors

A Web directory contains information that is organized into categories and subcategories -- or directories. Directories differ from search sites in the way they organize information. Web search sites create a database containing information about a growing number of Web pages. Web directories, in contrast, organize information about Web sites into categories and subcategories of related information. By focusing on particular categories and subcategories, you can narrow your search to those records that are most likely to be relevant to your interests.

For instance, if you are interested in the impact of computers on writing instruction, you might begin your search of the leading Web directory, Yahoo!, by clicking on the Education directory, then on the Instructional Technology or Teaching subdirectories, and so on. Each time you click on a subdirectory, you narrow your search.

Leading Web directories include:

• 4anything.com (http://www.4anything.com)
• About.com (http://home.about.com)
• Argus Clearinghouse (http://www.clearinghouse.net)
• Britannica.com (http://www.britannica.com)
• Galaxy (http://galaxy.tradewave.com)
• FuzzyCrawler (http://fuzzycrawler.com)
• Google Directory (http://directory.google.com)
• GoTo.com (http://www.goto.com)
• InfoSpace (http://www.infospace.com)
• iWon.com (http://www.iwon.com)
• LookSmart (http://www.looksmart.com)
• Open Directory Project (http://dmoz.org)
• NBCi (http://www.nbci.com)
• Yahoo! (http://www.yahoo.com)