Question

What is the difference between Google and a subject directory like Yahoo Directory or Infomine?

Answer 1

Typically, a search engine works by sending out a spider to fetch as many documents as possible. Another program, called an indexer, then reads these documents and creates an index based on the words contained in each document. Each search engine uses a proprietary algorithm to create its indices such that, ideally, only meaningful results are returned for each query.

A subject directory is a service that offers a collection of links to Internet resources submitted by site creators or evaluators and organized into subject categories. Directory services use selection criteria for choosing links to include, though the selectivity varies among services. Most directories are searchable. Directories are useful when you are doing topic-based research. If you have a research project, or need to explore an idea, event, subject area, proposition, phenomenon, etc., directories are a good place to begin. Visit search engines for very targeted or obscure topics, multi-concept queries and searches for specific people, sites, etc. Directories are the better place to begin your research on topics. Directory results are sometimes placed before search engine results in order to steer users to the directory's content. This can be a useful way of getting at substantive content relating to your query.

So basically (in conclusion), it depends on what you are looking for. Google is good for general search at it will likely index pages from those sites. Sites such as infomine are subscriber paid sites so many pages will not be available via Google but rather directly through paid subscription and therefore you will need to search directly. Other sites are freely available for Google search or direct search without subscription such as http://minelistings.com.

Answer 2

thanks