Definition: Eureka! - Secrets of Searching the Web & Promoting Your Website

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Quick Guide to Using Eureka!

The Layout

Each of the search engines in Eureka! are on separate pages for high speed searching. In general, similar options for each search engine are placed in the relatively same position on the page. There are a couple of exceptions to this rule because of how a few of the search engines are designed.

The Hotlinks

Search Engine Names Listed on Main Page

Each of the search engine names on the main page are hotlinked to the a search form on a Eureka! page. Click on one of these names and you will retrieve that search engine in Eureka!. When you access that page the name of the search engine will be in the upper left corner of your screen.

Each Search Engine has Hotlinks

The name of the search engine is a hotlink to the home page of that search engine. For example, the name Yahoo is a hotlink to Yahoo's home page. Try it if you don't believe me.

The "Add URL" is a hotlink to the page where submissions of home page addresses (URLs) to that search engine may be made. An example is the Add URL for Yahoo. More information on submissions using Eureka! and other means is available here.

Immediately below each search engine form you will find the words Return to Eureka. you may click there or return to the main page by clicking on the BACK button of your browser.

These hotlinks were designed to make it fast and easy for you to move about randomly selecting search engines. You may start with the menu by clicking on Yahoo, go there and do a search, then click on your BACK button to return to Eureka! where you can now click on Lycos and go directly to that engine's page. You can then search Lycos, click BACK to Eureka! and repeat the process. You might want to try this to get acquainted with how it works. It's fast. It's easy. And you can do no harm.

Faster Searches Using Eureka!

The design of Eureka! enables you to conduct faster searches than using the search engine's form because Eureka! transfers fewer bytes. Therefore it is faster to continue to use the Eureka! form for repeated searches of the same search engine. It also allows you to switch between various search engines more rapidly. If you are going to search for the same subject using different search engines, you should copy your search phrase or words so that you can easily paste them into the next search form you use. You can also turn off your auto load images feature in your browser and increase the speed of your searches. This will allow you to avoid downloading advertising image files and other graphics. Some search engines have various options for searching in image maps, but you won't need them because they are all in plain text on the Eureka! search form.

Review and Description

Many of the search engines have a short review and description at the bottom of the search form. The more complex and/or feature rich engines have longer reviews. The purpose of these reviews is to point out the features and benefits of that particular search engine and any faults or problems we find with it. If you disagree with a point or think we have missed something please e-mail us and we will modify the description accordingly.

The Terminology

The various search engines used by Eureka! all have their own terminology. One of the benefits of using Eureka! is that it standardizes the terminology. The following are brief definitions of the terms used by Eureka! They are presented in order of the most commonly used by the various search engines.

Hits or Select Hits:

Hits are the maximum number of website pages you want the search engine to return. They have been set at the optimal number for that particular search engine. Where available, you may change the number of hits requested.

Match All words

Requires that every word entered be matched before a page is selected by the search engine. Also known as an ALL select. This is the default on the Silicon Valley WWW directory. It may be over ridden by entering the word "or" between each word. This is a tight search.

Match Any Words

Any of the words entered will be matched by the search engine and the page will be returned. Also know as an OR select. This is the default on some of the search engines. This is a loose search.

Substrings

The search engine will expand its search to include any word that contains the search word as a substring. In the search for "jew", the search engine will return "Jew", "Jewish", and "jewelry". This is a very loose or very unrestrictive search.

Whole Words

The search engine will limit its search to only the whole or entire word. For example, if you use the search word "ford", the search engine will return the "Ford' automobile, but it will not return "Fordham University" or "forded the river" or "afford". This is a tighter and more restrictive search.

Match Phrase

The search engine will restrict its selection to only pages that contain the exact phrase entered on the search line. This means if you enter these words "ford fairlane automobile" that all three words in the exact same order must be present for a page to be returned. It will not return pages that include whole words or substrings of words such as "ford", "fairlane", or "automobile". This is the tightest or most restrictive search.

Regular Expression

The meaning of this term can vary from engine to engine. It usually means that one can use a Perl programming language expression which is a means of defining a logical expression. If you don't understand this it means you should not be using this option.

Case Insensitive

This means that the search engine will match your search word "ford" with "ford the river" or "Ford automobile". The search engine will usually not care if you entered the word in upper, lower, or mixed case. This means that if you enter one of the following: "Ford", "ford", "FORD", or "foRD", it will still match the expressions shown in the first sentence of this paragraph. A few search engines will selectively use upper case in a search.

Case Sensitive

This means that the search engine uses the case of the letters of the search words entered. If you enter "ford", the search engine will not return "Ford", but will return "ford the river". If you enter "Jew", the search engine will return the words "Jewish", but not "jewelry" if it is also searching substrings.

More Information on Searching

A more detailed explanation on searching the internet in general and while using Eureka! in particular is available here.

A description of the search options for searching the Silicon Valley Web Directory, may be found here.

If you want to find out more about the search parameters for a specifice search engine in Eureka! you have several options. If we have reviewed the engine, you will find hotlinks to help or FAQ or features if they are available. You may also go to the home page of the search engine by clicking on its name on our search form. An explanation of how to use the options is usually provided on a page hotlinked on the engine's home page.

You can now go search the internet by using Eureka!.