Help Desk Useful Sites

Web browsers, email providers and Web space

Excite

Despite only having a medium sized database, Excite is one of the more popular search engines on the web.  Excite is one of the few search engines to incorporate non-Web material such as sports scores, and TV listings (when appropriate) into its listings.  It also has the best news search server, Excite NewsTracker.  Excite’s database is used for both AOL NetFind and Netscape search.

Google

Google is an interesting variation on the “popularity engine” used by DirectHit and HotBot.  However, instead of tracking hits that a site gets, it counts the number of other web sites that link to a particular site.  This creates some interesting results because you are seeing essentially the sites that people who make web sites recommend.

Lycos

Lycos is one of the oldest search engines on the web.  It recently adapted its interface over to a primarily directory driven system similar to Yahoo.  Its search engine works in the old-fashioned spidering system, so you are sure to get a large quantity of sites to choose from.  This is helpful when you are researching a relatively obscure topic.

MSN (Microsoft)

The MSN search engine is another interface for the Inktomi system.  Microsoft related sites and business partners achieve higher rankings.

Yahoo

Yahoo is the largest human compiled service directory available.  Over one million sites have been indexed by Yahoo’s large editorial staff.  Web users love Yahoo because it consistently achieves quality results.  Web developers hate Yahoo because of the lengthy process involved in getting your site listed.

Free Web-Based Email Providers

• Hotmail (MSN)
• Yahoo

Free Homepages / Web Space

• Angelfire
• Geocities (11 Mg)
• Free Servers
• Tripod (12 Mg)