Reference

In the Internet world, there are a lot of search engines. A LOT! Powered by high speed servers and commercial advertising, each of these search engines want you to drop by every time you are searching for something on the Internet.

Unfortunately, most search engines are designed for the "lazy" Internet searcher. Up front and centre, you'll find an area where you type in a simple keyword and the engine does its thing. Often, the results are pages and pages of "hits", most of which you'll find next to unsuitable.

There is a trend towards including catalogues at these search engines in addition to the simple searching feature. Sorted by categories, you pick and choose the category that you want and then zero in on your desired topic.

In addition, and it's usually in the small print, there will be a feature for an "advanced" search. It's here that a search engine really shines. In fact, most people who are serious about their searching will bookmark the advanced portion, bypassing the opening page.

As with most computer things, people have varying successes with various features. The Internet Search Engine, snap.com offers a very easy, intuitive approach to its advanced search feature. As you can see in the picture below, many of the common parameters that you might set when you're searching are all arranged on the page waiting for you to access them to refine the criteria for your search.

I've played with this engine for a while now and am increasingly finding that it suits me to a "T" in terms of finding things in the way that I want them. With the pull-down menus, I can zero in on my search not only in terms of words but also by media, the search terms themselves, and most importantly by setting an appropriate date to ensure that I don't get stale results.

If you do a lot of Internet searching, this site is well worth the time to experiment and see if it meets your searching style.