Assignment 2

INTRODUCTION

This paper will compare and contrast three major search engines in use today. While seemingly similar to unsuspecting individuals, these search engines do indeed differ greatly and yet have common threads. The search engines that will be used in the comparison include: Yahoo!, Google, and Lycos. The criteria for comparison include: history, aesthetic design, uniqueness, search results, and statistical data.

YAHOO!

First, lets briefly look at the history of Yahoo!. What began as a student project, Yahoo! has emerged as the first online navigational guide to the Web and one of the most widely used. Two PH.D candidates in Electrical Engineering at Stanford University began a list of interesting items on the web in 1994 and now help run a search engine that reaches 237 million users in 25 countries and 13 languages. Yahoo!, an acronym for Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle, also means rude, unsophisticated, uncouth. These definitions further demonstrate Yahoo!s pioneering spirit and radical outlook with respect to the web. It is this attitude that has led to Yahoo!'s success and longevity.

Yahoo! is by far the most elaborate and complex search engine with respect to multimedia design. It literally takes a few minutes to scroll down the main page to properly decipher what are links and what are advertisements. Yahoo! is unique in that it will cater to each individuals needs. As a repeat visitor, you can really customize your Yahoo! experience. From shopping to finance to entertainment, you can find an appropriate link on Yahoo!'s homepage. At first it is overwhelming, but habitual use will familiarize yourself with the search engine and you'll enjoy its specificity.

We touched on this earlier, but Yahoo! is quite unique in that it customizes your search engine experience. Its homepage has basically anything you could be interested in. The problem with Yahoo! lies in its design. All the information is not as neatly organized as in Lycos. Yahoo! varies greatly from the impersonal experience of Google however. Unique aspects include: stock quotes, shopping, news updates, and the most sub-searches on the homepage.

GOOGLE

What began as BackRub in 1996, Google was named as such for its ability to analyze back links of a website. Google is a play on words of the term googol, which represents the number 1 followed by 100 zeros. This represents the company's mission for a truly expansive search engine. Founded by two graduate students in the Computer Science Department of Stanford University, Google received the award for world's largest search engine with the introduction of its billion page index in June 2000.

Google is remarkably different than Yahoo! with respect to graphics and multimedia design. Google is much simpler to use and has less clutter around the search criteria. Very basic in comparison, Google's homepage only has a search bar with options to search the web, images, groups, or directories. I find this refreshing and enjoy not being bombarded with advertisements, however web surfers interested in a more personal experience at a search engine will be quite disappointed with Google. A simple white background and blue font keeps the focus of the search engine on its search capabilities.

Besides the aesthetic simplicity, Google has a search called "Im feeling lucky." This search takes you immediately to the first result returned from your search. I tried this feature, but preferred having the option to choose which site to check out. Google, like Yahoo! and Lycos, allows you to search in different languages, but filters results differently, alters the window setup, etc. Possibly in an attempt to make its site more personal, Google is introducing a new service called Google Answers. Google Answers is a beta program that allows users to post questions that will be personally answered by a professional researcher -- for a fee.

LYCOS

Founded by Bob Davis in 1995, Lycos has blossomed into a truly global Internet powerhouse. Lycos, the Internet's leading multi-brand network and Terra Networks, S.A. a global internet company and leading provider of Internet access . . . to the Spanish and Portuguese speaking world merged to form Terra Lycos in 2000. The merger demonstrates Terra Lycos global dominance and leadership with respect to foreign countries. Terra Lycos operates more than 140 sites in 41 countries through its network. A truly expansive network indeed!

Lycos is roughly a mix of the two previous multimedia designs. Not as elaborate as Yahoo!, nor as drab as Google, Lycos offers a compromise between the two. Web surfers interested in a search engine that offers some personal attention, but does not do so at the detriment of its search criteria will appreciate Lycos. Lycos is cleaner and crisper than Google and Yahoo!. Instead of a seemingly boring directory of interests, Lycos offers some pictures effectively interwoven with organized lists. From a purely aesthetic standpoint, Lycos is the best!

Lycos similar to Yahoo! in its personal experience, yet more detailed with its advanced search, and better visual organization. As far as content, Lycos also allows you to shop, check email, your horoscope, or the news. It is quite similar to Yahoo! in this respect.

CONCLUSION

These 3 search engines exhibit several differences with regard to design, depth of information, history, and uniqueness. Some similarities include: method of retrieval, starting in the mid-nineties, and all being relatively successful. For a research report I would search Google, but for a personal experience and customized features I would search Yahoo!.

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Search Results Table
Search Term	Yahoo	Google	Lycos
Bill Clinton	1-20 were displayed of total 1,650,000 results returned by relevance	1-10 were displayed of total 1,710,000 results returned by relevance	2-11 were displayed of total 3,962,163 results returned by relevance
Bill Clinton Governor	1-20 were displayed of total 238,000 results returned by relevance	1-10 were displayed of total 279,000 results returned by relevance	1-10 were displayed of total 606,995 results returned by relevance
Jupiter Media Metrix Search Engine Ratings
Digital Media Audience Reach	34.0%	28.9%	N/A
Average Time Spent on Site	10.7 minutes	24.1 minutes	N/A
Total Search Hours	6.5 hours	11.7 hours	N/A
Nielsen NetRatings Search Engine Ratings
Current Audience Reach	59.7%	19.6%	12.1%

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