NEWS ONLINE

CONTENTS:

• AllTheWeb News Search
• Google News Search
• Lycos News

ALLTHEWEB NEWS SEARCH

Click on News from AllTheWeb's home page http://www.alltheweb.com to search only in its news sources. From this simple search page, users have the option to restrict the search to a particular language and a phrase.

Use AllTheWeb's advanced search page to select either "All news sources" or a particular selection of news sources such as International, Business, Sports, US News, Finance, Traffic, Various Local News, Technology or Weather http://www.alltheweb.com/advanced?c=news. Of course, you have all the other available search tools from the advanced search page. For example, the user can limit a search by domain type or find pages within a specific Web site.

http://www.alltheweb.com/advanced

GOOGLE NEWS SEARCH

Try the new Google News Search Beta.

From Google's home page, click on News and Resources. From this page, you will find a link to the Google News Site Beta. Or use either

http://www.google.com/news/newsheadlines.html or http://news.google.com/

to reach the News beta. Find Headline, World, U.S., Business, Entertainment, Technology and Sports news, along with the beta search dialogue box. Search results are sorted by topic or news story.

Turn to About News Search to learn more about the beta and how it works. Also, Google staff is asking for feedback on how to improve the product. Send your comments and suggestions to news-feedback@google.com.

The beta News search and links to the headlines can be found on the Advanced Search page, too.

Pop over to Google's news help page and you will find that its advanced search techniques DO work in the beta version. For example:

+intitle:sharon +inurl:itv.com

limits your search to the word "Sharon" in the title at the ITV.com Web site.

The news search is just one more reason to use this great search engine.

http://news.google.com/

LYCOS NEWS

Lycos News has added a new feature, Newsmine Scrollovers, to some of its news stories.

The Newsmine Scrollover highlights key words in a story. Roll your mouse over the word and a menu of related sites are hot linked, offering the user more information and background. Click outside the menu box or select the "X" to close the box. A box on the user's right of the story contains even more informational hot links. Select as much information as you need.

If you want to read a story without menu boxes popping up like the new wave of ads on the Internet, Lycos delivers an opt-out option to turn off the scrollovers.

Let's look at an example. The phrase "online auctions" may link to an actual auction related to the story. Lycos News Search may uncover more news stories and images to help you flesh out your report.

Whether searching for that elusive photo or graphic, adding driving directions and map for a trip brief (hey, some hot- linked phrases pull up a map), preparing a background report or news, Lycos has added value for the researcher.

Like Google, Lycos is looking for feedback. The first suggestion that comes to mind: programming the service for non-Internet Explorer users.

I must add the usual caveat about new resources. Like any new product hot off the market, there may be kinks. For example, common names may not have a correct hot link. In one case, Orange County Fire Captain Steve Miller linked to sites promoting the Steve Miller Band. But, hey, Lycos does ask for feedback, which may improve the resource.

http://news.lycos.com/

Pamela J. Smith