3: Searching the Web

Question 1

banner ad

Answer 1

Advertising that appears in a box on a Web page, usually at the top, but sometimes along the side or at the bottom of the page and usually includes graphical elements including to the text in the ad. WEB 143, WEB 468

Question 2

Boolean algebra

Answer 2

A branch of mathematics and logic in which all values are reduced to one of two values; in most practical applications of Boolean algebra, these two values are true and false. WEB 160

Question 3

Boolean operator

Answer 3

In Boolean algebra, an operator that specifies the logical relationship between the elements it joins, just as the plus sign arithmetic operator specifies the mathematical relationship between the two elements it joins. Most search engines recognize three basic Boolean operators: AND, OR, and NOT. Also called logical operator. WEB 160, WEB 161–162

Question 4

dead link

Answer 4

A hyperlink to a Web page that no longer exists or has been moved to another URL. WEB 143

Question 5

deep Web

Answer 5

Information contained in the databases that some Web sites use to generate their dynamic Web pages. WEB 169–170

Question 6

dynamic Web page

Answer 6

A Web page created on the fly in response to a user’s query from information stored in a database maintained by the Web site. WEB 169

Question 7

exploratory question

Answer 7

An open-ended question that can be difficult to phrase and for which it can be difficult to determine when you find a good answer. WEB 134

Question 8

full text indexing

Answer 8

A method used by some search engines for creating their databases in which the entire content of included Web pages is stored in the database. WEB 146

Question 9

hit

Answer 9

A Web page that is indexed in a search engine’s database and contains text that matches the search expression entered into the search engine. Search engines provide hyperlinks to hits on results pages. WEB 143

Question 10

hybrid search engine directory

Answer 10

A Web site that combines the functions of a Web search engine and a Web directory. WEB 150

Question 11

inbound link

Answer 11

Connection to a Web page formed by other Web pages’ hyperlinks pointing to it. WEB 146

Question 12

Inbox

Answer 12

The folder in which email messages received from the mail server are stored. WEB 146

Question 13

link rot

Answer 13

A term that defines Web pages or sites that have a number of dead links. WEB 143

Question 14

location operator

Answer 14

A Web search engine operator that lets you search for terms that appear close to each other in the text of a Web page. The most common is the NEAR operator. Also called proximity operator. WEB 162

Question 15

meta tag

Answer 15

An HTML element that a Web page creator places in a Web page header to inform Web robots about the page’s content. WEB 145

Question 16

metasearch engine

Answer 16

A tool that accepts a search expression and transmits it to several search engines that run the search expression against their databases of Web page information and return results that the metasearch engine consolidates and reports. WEB 154, WEB 155

Question 17

natural language query interface

Answer 17

An interface that allows users to enter a question exactly as they would ask a person that question. The search engine analyzes the question using knowledge it has been given about the grammatical structure of questions and converts the natural language question into a search query. WEB 147

Question 18

page ranking

Answer 18

A method used by search engines to grade (rank) Web pages by the number of other Web pages that link to them so that the URLs of Web pages with high rankings can be presented first on the search results page. WEB 146

Question 19

paid placement

Answer 19

The right to have a link to a Web site appear on a search engine’s results page when a user enters a specific search term. WEB 143

Question 20

parsing

Answer 20

The work that a search engine does when it analyzes a natural language query to convert it into a search query. The search engine uses knowledge it has been given about the grammatical structure of questions to perform the parsing task. WEB 147

Question 21

precedence operator

Answer 21

An operator that clarifies the grouping within complex search expressions, usually indicated by parentheses or double quotation marks. Also called inclusion operator or grouping operator. WEB 161, WEB 163–164

Question 22

results page

Answer 22

Web pages generated by a Web search engine containing hyperlinks to Web pages that contain matches to the search expression entered into the search engine. WEB 141

Question 23

search engine

Answer 23

A Web site (or part of a Web site) that finds other Web pages that match the text you typed in a search box. WEB 8, WEB 41, WEB 139

Question 24

search expression

Answer 24

The word or phrase that you enter into a Web search engine. WEB 139

Question 25

search filter

Answer 25

A Web search engine feature that allows you to eliminate Web pages from a search based on attributes such as language, date, domain, host, or page component (hyperlink, image tag, title tag). WEB 163

Question 26

SkyDrive (OneDrive)

Answer 26

A Windows Live service that lets users post files to a server and use a Windows Live Hotmail account to share access to those files with other users. WEB 119

Question 27

specific question

Answer 27

A question that can be phrased easily and one for which the answer is readily recognizable. WEB 134

Question 28

static Web page

Answer 28

An HTML file that exists on a Web server computer. WEB 169

Question 29

stemming

Answer 29

The process of using the root form of a word to create variations on the word. WEB 146

Question 30

stop word

Answer 30

A common word, such as “and,” “the,” “it,” or “by” that most search engines (even those that claim to be full-text indexed search engines) omit from their databases when they store information about Web pages. WEB 146

Question 31

Web bibliography

Answer 31

A Web site that contains a list of hyperlinks to other Web pages that contain information about a particular topic or group of topics and often includes summaries or reviews of the Web pages listed. Also called resource list, subject guide, clearinghouse, or virtual library. WEB 155

Question 32

Web directory

Answer 32

A Web site that includes a listing of hyperlinks to Web pages organized into predetermined hierarchical categories. WEB 148

Question 33

Web robot

Answer 33

A program that automatically searches the Web to find new Web sites and update information about old Web sites that already are in the database. Also called bot or spider. WEB 141

Question 34

Wikipedia

Answer 34

A Web site that hosts a community-edited set of online encyclopedias in more than a dozen different languages. WEB 175

Question 35

wildcard character

Answer 35

The character, usually the asterisk (*), used to indicate that part of the term or terms entered into a Web search engine has been omitted. WEB 162