Searching for informa-
tion on the Internet and then finding yourself heading down some useless path is probably the most frustrating part of the World Wide Web.
The problem is getting worse as the Web grows. London-based Netcraft Ltd. <\/b>, a Web research firm, says there were one million active Web sites in April 1997. Three years later, in February 2000, there were 10 million sites. By May 2004, there were 50 million sites. The most recent survey, released Dec. 5, shows 105 million active Web sites \u2014 an increase of 30.9 million sites in 2006 alone.
Fortunately, some of the newer sites are niche search engines that can hone your searches down to specific subjects or categories.
Here is a look at some niche -search engines that should save a lot of time for Canadians who work in the financial services sector.
Business.com<\/b>
www.business.com<\/i>
The \u201cmust have\u201d search engine for all Investment Executive<\/i> readers, Business.com cuts right to the chase and eliminates more than 99% of all Web sites from its database. You are left with searches that check out a mere 400,000 or so business-only sites covering about 65,000 categories.
The California-based company developed the search engine with a team of finance experts and librarians to make sure it would appeal to professionals and investors. It seems to be working: the site is used by about 32 million investment-oriented people each month.
The home page is straightforward: there is a blank search box that lets you search for something specific, followed by a brief list of 21 of the most popular search categories. The list includes finance, management, sales and marketing, business travel and technology.
The company makes its money by displaying sponsored links at the top of the search-result page, so simply make a habit of scrolling down a bit to find what you want.
A search for something vague, such as \u201cToronto stocks\u201d or \u201cMontreal options,\u201d will quickly spit back perhaps a dozen or so Web sites, including the two relevant exchanges\u2019 sites and a few directly related sites that cover quotes or market commentary. In contrast, a basic Google search for \u201cToronto stocks\u201d comes back with 1.6 million Web sites. Even a search of \u201cCanada only\u201d returns about 2,200 matches, including handy directory links to sites such as the Canadian government, banks in Canada and hotel accommodations across the country.
Business.com is all business, every time.
Find It In Canada<\/b>
www.finditincanada.ca<\/i>
Another extremely useful way to find specific information on the Web is simply to remove most of the world before you start looking around.
With the Find It In Canada site, you can do a broad search for any business across the country or immediately narrow down your search to a specific city or, often, a town. (Quebec-based MLogiq Inc. turns up only Quebec Web sites.)
The top of the home page begins with the Canada-wide search window, but there are stand-alone engines for 19 Canadian cities just below it, followed by search engines for each of the 10 provinces.
City-only engines are available for Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Fredericton, Moncton, Halifax, Quebec City, Regina, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Saint John, St. John\u2019s, Charlottetown and Banff.
You can search by a key word, business name or a specific street. The engine will then offer you the address, phone number and a map of how to get to your result.
The site is an incredible time-saver because your search results are defined at the outset. If you are in Churchill, Man., and need to call a taxi, for example, simply click on Manitoba, type in \u201ctaxi\u201d and scroll down the list of cities to Churchill. Or, if you are running late for a business meeting at a restaurant in your city, call up the city, type in the restaurant name, get the phone number and then call to leave a message for your client.
The localized Web sites offer dozens of categories for each city, including hotels, restaurants, airline info, auto rentals, bank branch locations and courier services.
This site, which is worth passing along to your clients, will be very useful both in your own city and when you travel.
Search Engine Watch<\/b>
www.searchenginewatch.com<\/i>
The explosion in the number of new Web sites going online every day means there is a growing need for niche search engines. This makes Search Engine Watch worth a regular visit. The site reviews and rates the latest generation of search engines, lists them and even offers advice on how to improve and refine your Internet searches.
@page_break@The left-hand side of the home page lists all available engines, including specialty creations such as \u201cAnswers Searching,\u201d which are sites geared to answering specific questions on everything from personal finance and investing to fast facts and history. Search engines such as www.allexperts.com<\/i>, for example, let you pose questions to professionals in a wide variety of fields. \tIE<\/b>
If you have Web sites to share with<\/i> IE readers, e-mail Glenn Flanagan at<\/i> gflanagan@sympatico.ca.
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