Search Engines/Directories

[Greg]

Just curious as to which search engines members here use most. In addition to the poll, please include various search keywords or phrases you would use if searching for a site like AlpineZone.com. Please indicate them exactly as you would use them in the search engines, including abbreviations if applicable. Thanks!

 

[Max]

I use Google for absoulutely everything. For something similar to AlpineZone? I'd probably type in "hiking backpacking forum" "hiking backpacking bbs" "new england hiking forum"...something similar. I don't know a lot of the tricks, shortcuts, other bells and whistles to web searching. I mainly rely on the "poke-around-until-I-find-it" method!

Max

 

[Stephen]

Google.

"white mountains hiking 48"
AZ has a hit 13 items down, for the wrong reason (timestamp has 48 in it).

"white mountains hiking"
AZ is hit #53.

-Stephen

 

[Joshua B]

Google always does the trick. But I didn't have to search for this site. I found out about it when you were promoting it at Snowjournal.

 

[Greg]

But I didn't have to search for this site.

But if you were interested in finding a site that has the info found here, what search terms would you use?

 

[ChileMass]

Google almost exclusively. Once in a while I will use Altavista, especially to translate from another language, and once in a while Yahoo search.

As I recall I found AZ from VFTT, but I could be wrong.

If I were searching, I'd probably start with "skiing hikng boards", or "skiing hiking websites". I'm interested to know who else is out there, not only in the NE region, but elsewhere becasue they may already have coverage of our backyard....

 

[MichaelJ]

Google.

I would search things like:

hike backpack "new england" "white mountains" discussion

 

[SilentCal]

I use Google all the time, but like Max, I usually take the long way to find anything. If I remember correctly, I stumbled across this site from a reference on the AMC boards. "White Mountains NH" but make sure that you don't confuse yourself with the White Mountains that are out west. Northeast Hiking and Skiing. Type in Flags on the 48 and you go right there.

 

[skijay]

I Yahoo! 100% of the time. The search criteria I would have used to find Alpine Zone is: ski forum new england It just happens that AZ is the first match.

 

[pepsi]

I use Google most of the time now but I don't think it existed when I found this place. I probably used Yahoo then and when I typed in "hiking new england" a few minutes ago AZ came up number 2.

 

[MtnMagic]

Google. If I was looking for sites for hiking I would enter "Hiking White Mountains NH, or Hiking NH."

 

[skiguide]

oh for the love of god, people! Repeat after me, Google is NOT GOD!

the NEW Yahoo! search technology is on par with google, and just as relevant, i hope more people catch on to this.

don't get me wrong, i love google, i make a living off knowing how it works, but it can show some glaring holes at times, and the public is just obsessed with it because it's such a huge part of pop culture now. "just google it"!

but the general public has no idea how many people on the webmaster side of things are out there gaming the system, and how google might change drastically if/when they do ever go public. of course, Yahoo has similiar issues.

greg.. little hint: wordtracker.com

 

[Joshua B]

Welcome back skiguide. What is "gaming the system"? And what do you mean by glaring holes?

 

[Stephen]

Welcome back skiguide. What is "gaming the system"? And what do you mean by glaring holes?

Google gives hidden preference to paid advertisers.

-Stephen

 

[skiguide]

Google gives hidden preference to paid advertisers.

-Stephen

THAT is absolutely NOT true & not what I meant.

It's incredibly easy to artificially inflate your site through on & off the page criteria (not abiding by google's own rules for webmasters/SEO's, ie, spamming) in order to achieve top 30 rankings for particular keywords.

not that I would ever do something like that


(for the record, i wouldn't & i don't use unethical search engine marketing tactics Good content such as this site & others like it should rule out over automatically generated sites & pages!

 

[skiguide]

Welcome back skiguide. What is "gaming the system"? And what do you mean by glaring holes?

BTW, i didn't know i was gone... just quieter than normal. well, i guess i was gone a lot during march/early april. I was in Telluride & Park City for 10 days, NYC & Orlando for another 10 days of search engine marketing conferences, and then in Alabama & Texas for 6.

I'm here for awhile, and we have our first car races coming up May 1 & 2 in Epping, NH (this one TBD If the track is allowed to open) & Seekonk, MA. here's my car:
http://www.ismasupers.com/Roster Pages/01-Osmeloski.htm

 

[NH_Mtn_Hiker]

Why settle for one search engine? Take your pick.
http://www.datavor.com/

 

[skican]

I have used Yahoo for as long as I can remember. Don't know why, I just like it. I don't find Google as friendly. So...I found this site that way and this site has taken me everywhere. Enough to keep me busy here at work. :lol:

 

[Stephen]

Pray for Snow

I hereby nominate skican for the optimist of the year award. :lol:

-Stephen

 

[skiguide]

how google might change drastically if/when they do ever go public.

hmm... i knew it was getting close. Strong rumors today regarding google announcing IPO next week:
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=internetNews&storyID=4920518&section=news

any stock junkies here?