Some of our readers may already have noticed that Google (last mentioned in the July 20, 2001 Scout Report) is sporting a new look these days. Running along the top of the search page are now four tabs: Web, Images, Groups (newsgroups), and Directory (Open Directory's human-selected listings) that enable users to see different sets of search results. We reported on the Beta version of Google's...

In April 2004, NPR produced a five-part series to "look at the business of search engines." The stories address how search engines have grown over the years in terms of developing new technologies, expanding public reach, and ultimately becoming a profit-making (and competitive) enterprise. This website offers audio clips of the radio shows along with links to related websites.

Search Engine Watch is a resource designed to provide information to two distinct groups of users: web professionals (commercial webmasters, site designers and promoters), and web searchers. The Webmaster's Guide to Search Engines contains information on search engine design, ranking, and tips on how to make sure your site receives a high relevance rating. Search Engine Facts and Fun contains...

Yet another in a large collection of sites on search engines, Search IQ is notable for two features. First, its collection of search engine reviews is rather extensive, covering far more than the usual dozen or so listed at most search engine review sites. Although rankings and full reviews are offered for only 17 engines, the individual and meta-search engine listings offer at least a sentence or...

This guide to finding resources on the Internet describes the many Web search engines available, their respective powers and disadvantages, and gives advice to users hoping to use the search engines effectively.

Designed to help users understand and make better use of portals or search engines, Traffick offers several helpful features. Probably the best of these are the articles and tutorials written by Traffick's columnists. These range from tips on customizing popular portals to comparisons of selected sites to reports on various ebusiness ventures. Newer users may also appreciate the Traffick Reports...

The October issue of Searcher magazine offers this article by Gary Price, Web searcher extraordinaire (see the October 3, 1997 Scout Report). The article, which "reviews the latest goings on in the search world and tries to provide some suggestions and tools to make you more knowledgeable and save you some time," is, as one might expect from Price, clear and detailed in its review of the latest in...