| Using the Internet as an Educational Resource The | | | | on the costs associated with hiring a plumber. |
| internet is awash with information. Whether you | | | | With a directory they could have a main category |
| are looking for information on cars or tin can | | | | called "Plumbers" and then sub-categories such as |
| production, you can be sure that there is a | | | | "trade information", "plumbers in New York" and |
| website which caters to your every need. Unlike | | | | "Information on Choosing a Plumber". This |
| the offline world, media outlets can cater for | | | | therefore makes it much easier for a directory |
| much smaller niches online. Because everyone | | | | user to navigate to the information they require |
| from around the world can use the internet, | | | | than it does for a search engine user. With a |
| coupled with the low cost of internet publishing, it | | | | directory a human editor will be able to remove |
| is perfectly feasible for information to be written | | | | SPAM and unhelpful content from their directory |
| on a wide variety of subjects which do not cater | | | | and therefore ensure that users will only be |
| for the masses. Online search engines and | | | | offered web pages that are genuinely helpful in |
| directories also make finding information online | | | | yielding the results they require. When someone is |
| much easier. Through using a search engine such | | | | looking for educational resources then they do not |
| as Google or Yahoo you can perform a search | | | | want to be presented with options from |
| for a page that contains a keyword or phrase | | | | companies that are looking to sell services, nor do |
| that is relevant to the information that you are | | | | they want to be manipulated into thinking they |
| looking for. The search engine will then present a | | | | are getting information for free, then being asked |
| list of pages that are sorted by the relevance of | | | | to pay for it at the last minute. Such manipulative |
| the pages to the search query that you entered. | | | | approaches to information retrieval plague the |
| Directories are also a useful resource for finding | | | | web in some respects; however that is not to |
| information, because instead of finding information | | | | say there should not be a way for media |
| that is sorted by an algorithm and gathered by a | | | | companies to earn revenue from sharing |
| web crawler, you can benefit from the human | | | | information. However, options such as clearly |
| touch. A directory can often be more helpful, | | | | starting that there is a cost associated with |
| because human perception is often much better | | | | viewing the content, or alternatively placing |
| at understanding user intent than an algorithm. An | | | | adverts along-side (but clearly separated from) |
| example of this is that if someone typed in | | | | content are also a great way to allow information |
| "plumber" into a search engine, then the search | | | | sharing as part of a viable business model. With |
| engine will have no means of knowing if the | | | | the evolution of the internet, viewing educational |
| person requires trade information for plumbers, a | | | | resources online will only get easier and more |
| list of plumbers in their local area or information | | | | intuitive towards user demands. |