HOWZAT

So, which search engine is better? I prefer Google for quick answers or when I’m relatively familiar with a subject and have a clear idea of what I want. Clusty excels on searches for a new or obscure topic when I am unsure which terms are most apt. At its best, clustering can reveal unexpected relationships between ideas, concepts and items, and can bring together items that would have been invisible in Google because they are buried in later results pages.

For in-depth research, however, consider visiting specialised search engines. These cover topics from astronomy to zymurgy. Consider Melanie’s request for information about cancer. A search for cancer on Google returns an astonishing 16m pages. The topmost lead to reputable sources of information, such as Cancer Research UK, but most of these sites are huge in their own right, requiring time and effort to learn exactly what kind of information they make available.

A better starting point is the Mamma Health engine (www.mammahealth.com), which scours several reputable medical sources, including Health AtoZ, MayoClinic.com, MedlinePlus and NHSDirect Online. Results for queries are categorised by topic and include definitions, symptoms, causes, treatment, FAQs, news and helpline phone numbers (when applicable). In many cases, a Second Opinion link offers an alternative source of information.

The key to mastering search engines is to develop a sense of each one’s personality and, in turn, consult the best for satisfying each information need.

• Chris Sherman is senior editor of SearchEngineWatch.com and author of Google Power (McGraw-Hill £14.99)

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  POWER SEARCHING

  HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF GOOGLE.CO.UK

  HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF CLUSTY.COM

• Search Wikipedia by clicking on the Wikipedia tab.

  A DOZEN SOURCES OF SPECIALISED INFORMATION

  WEB ARCHIVE www.archive.org
  This not-for-profit organisation has been archiving the web since 1996.

  VIDEO SEARCH www.blinkx.tv
  Video and audio clips. Smart folders automatically update your clips.

  FILM ARCHIVE www.britishpathe.com
  Moving images of 20th-century history.

  VISUAL MAP www.grokker.com
  Up to 160 Yahoo search results are clustered as a spider diagram.

  TRAVEL DESK www.kayak.com
  Scours 100 travel sites, 550 airlines, 91,000 hotels and leading car-hire firms.

  SHOPPING www.kelkoo.com
  Compare prices and read reviews and retailer ratings for 10 European markets.

  VIRTUAL DOCTOR www.mammahealth.com
  Avoid quackery. Reputable sources only.

  RADIO STAR www.publicradiofan.com
  Programme listings for hundreds of public radio stations.

  SCIENCE WIZARD www.scirus.com
  Searches the web for scientific material, with paid content from Elsevier archives.

  SEARCH-ENGINE GUIDE www.searchengineguide.com
  Directory of specialised search engines.

  PUBLIC RECORDS www.searchsystems.net
  34,000 free searchable databases.

  SATELLITE TRACKER tinyurl.com/ddv9
  Nasa’s map of satellites in earth orbit.

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