INTERNATIONAL

CONTENTS:

• Searching (Not) the Same the World Over
• Google's Canadian Engine
• AltaVista UK
• Mirago

SEARCHING (NOT) THE SAME THE WORLD OVER

Searching outside the borders of your country means putting your good search skills to double duty. Not only do you have to know how to use search engines well, but you also need to know how to find the right engines. Keeping the lines open to current information about advances in searching has you on triple duty, but that's the way of the (research) world now, isn't it? The first best practice is to put yourself in the way of search engine news. If you tend to gravitate to U.S.-based engines, Tara Calishain's ResearchBuzz (http://www.researchbuzz.com/), Danny Sullivan's Search Engine Watch (http://www.searchenginewatch.com/), About.com's Websearch (http://www.websearch.about.com/) and other search development reporters will keep you wise.

At a sprinter's pace, U.S.-based search engines are adding international tools and features to your choices. Keep your eyes open for features that will make international searching easier while you are searching within your own borders. As well as reading the Help, check out the Customize My Settings page when you first get to an engine. Keep your language options open and obvious. Google's Translate This Page and AltaVista's enhanced language choices just nudge you even closer to prospects outside your borders.

GOOGLE'S CANADIAN ENGINE

When Google announced their new Canadian engine, their spokesperson remarked that over 50% of Google's traffic comes from outside the U.S. All together: wow! We wouldn't have guessed that, would we? Use Google's new engine to search for Canadian content. Since Canada is a dual-language nation, the option to search in English or French is yours. There are no numbers on the size of Google's Canadian index, but you'll narrow your returns to Canada-specific content if you use this engine.

http://www.google.ca

ALTAVISTA UK

Tara Calishain reported recently that AltaVista is experimenting with search features on their UK engine. If our tastes run the same, you'll notice the neat organization to the UK page, with the search tools lined up on the left and the tabs at the top. We should only have it so good at the U.S.-based AltaVista. Before you begin UK-searching, click on the MySearch box at the top of the page and choose On at the Search Tracker box. We'll return to this feature in a moment, but let's look at another feature first. Enter "Sean Connery" in the search box and you'll see a picture of 007 returned in one of the hits. Try a few words (yacht, polo match, barrister) to see some great pictures. Then imagine how far away we are from pictures of our prospects popping up in our search results. Now, click on MySearch again. The engine has saved your last 25 searches and you can save any of those searches or the results page for a future visit.

http://uk.altavista.com/

MIRAGO

For a view of a range of choices in tailoring a search, go to Mirago. Explore this engine by designing a few practice searches. Use terms like "Elton John" or philanthropy and donation. Nip and tuck that search by choosing Person's Name, Recent News or other parameters from the drop-down boxes above the search box.

http://www.mirago.co.uk

Cecilia Hogan