About This Site
This site is an annotated subject directory. A personal, non-commercial site. Definitions are listed below from different sources across the web. Over the years the subject directory has been called by different names which are listed below. Also residing on the site is a City Building Fan Site (section) which I have devoted to Children of the Nile, CivCity: Rome and SimCity and is accessible from the left column.
Sites are listed alphabetically when possible. you have two options when choosing to view a site;
- Clicking the sites title will leave this site and go directly to the link clicked
- Clicking on the [New Window] will open the site in a new tab in most browsers.
Definitions
Because people are more familiar with the term "Search Engine" and it's easier to understand what is being talked about when the term "search engine" comes up in casual conversation, directories are often referred to incorrectly as search engines.
Subject Directory - an hierarchical grouping of related subject headings. The tree structure shows relationships between subject headings. They can be found either inside a database or separate from a data base.Subject Directory - An Internet research tool on the World Wide Web that organizes Internet resources by subject headings and subheadings. Subject directories are usually compiled by human beings who apply some selection criteria to resources included in the database.
Subject Tree - The subject tree is the hierarchical list of categories used to organize information. It is like the index in a book or a card catalog in a library. With a subject tree, you can quickly find and access information about products, cases, sales literature, and knowledge base articles.
Wikipedia's Tree structure
A tree structure is a way of representing the hierarchical nature of a structure in a graphical form. It is named a "tree structure" because the classic representation resembles a tree, even though the chart is generally upside down compared to an actual tree, with the "root" at the top and the "leaves" at the bottom.
Different Names for the Same Meaning
Subject Guides;at one time this was a kind of map to the resources of the library; it is an information locator for the library user whose search for recorded materials on a subject of interest is just beginning.
Academic Subject Directories; Also called virtual libraries, library gateways or clearinghouses
- Web directory
- Yahoo
- Librarians' Internet Index Directory
- The Open Directory
- Other Names used
- Subject Portals
- Research Guides
- Research Tools
- Pathfinders
- Electronic Library Guides or e-guides
What is a Subject Directory
Subject directories are lists of Web sites organized by subject. Universities, libraries, organizations, and even volunteers have created these directories to catalog portions of the Web. The major subject directories tend to have overlapping but different content. Most directories provide a search capability.When to use directories? Directories are useful for general topics, for topics that you don't know much about, for the value of human-selected content, for in-depth research, and for browsing.
Directories are not as popular as they once were. Search engines are a much more dominant tool for finding Web content. Still, directories have their place in a research strategy.
Two Types
There are two basic types of directories: Academic and Commercial.
Academic and Professional
Academic and professional directories are often created and maintained by subject experts to support the needs of researchers. Keep in mind that some directories are the result of many years of intellectual effort. For this reason, it can be helpful to consult subject directories when doing serious research on the Web. INFOMINE, from the University of California, is a good example of an academic directory.
Commercial
Directories featured on commercial portals that cater to the general public and are competing for traffic. The Yahoo! Directory is an example of a directory that is part of a famous commercial portal.
Subject directories differ significantly in selectivity. For example, the editors of the Yahoo! directory do not carefully evaluate user-submitted content when adding Web pages to their database. It is therefore NOT a reliable research source and should not be used for this purpose. In contrast, the INFOMINE editors select only those sources considered useful to the academic and research community. Consider the policies of any directory that you visit. One challenge to this is the fact that not all directory services are willing to disclose either their policies or the names and qualifications of site reviewers.
How They Work
Subject directories differ significantly in selectivity. For example, the editors of the Yahoo! directory do not carefully evaluate user-submitted content when adding Web pages to their database. It is therefore NOT a reliable research source and should not be used for this purpose. In contrast, the INFOMINE editors select only those sources considered useful to the academic and research community. Consider the policies of any directory that you visit. One challenge to this is the fact that not all directory services are willing to disclose either their policies or the names and qualifications of site reviewers.
To find a subject directory, look for your subject as you would for any other purpose, and keep your eyes open for sites that look like directories. Read through the descriptions. Sometimes these resources are identified as "Directories, "Virtual Libraries," or "Gateway Pages." This directory will list directories as a seprate heading on the subject page.
Subject directories group web sites into subject categories and sub-categories which you can browse to find links to web sites of interest.
A search engine consists of a large database created automatically by a "robot" that travels the 'net on a regular basis.
When to use a subject directory....
Browsing or searching a subject directory provides an effective alternative to using search engines when researching broad topics. Search engines would retrieve an unmanageable number of results in a search on a broad topic. Directories, because they include fewer items, will generally yield fewer items.
When to use a search engine....
Search engines can be more effective when searching narrow topics. Because search engines include many web pages in their databases, they are more effective when looking for very narrow topics or for specific people, organizations, etc.
Footnotes:
In contrast to general Web search engines, which attempt to index large portions of the World Wide Web using a web crawler, vertical search engines typically use a focused crawler that attempts to index only Web pages that are relevant to a pre-defined topic or set of topics.
Some vertical search sites focus on individual verticals, while other sites include multiple vertical searches within one search engine.
Vertical search offers several potential benefits over general search engines:
- Greater precision due to limited scope
- Leverage domain knowledge including taxonomies and ontologies
- Support specific unique user tasks
