5.3.1 Search or Surf? Searching on the Internet starts with a need or a motive to find something, in a stark contradiction to the popular Internet surfing which implies a random, aimless hopping through hyperlinks for fun. Less than five years ago, 'surfing the net was the main activity for man Internet users. Today, online users begin by visiting their bookmarked sites or by searching for specific sites. The growth in search activity on the Internet represents a new phase in the development of the virtual space. What used to be something equivalent to taking a stroll has become more of an organized mission compiling a list of links, bookmarks, recommended sites and ultimately an organized personal directory. Such a directory would be extremely useful in mapping out the virtual space. To avoid unnecessary visits, then, a directory should be complete, ccurate, meaningful and objective. Current search services are lacking in these aspects 5.3.2 Inadequacies of Search Services A complete listing of Web sites and their documents currently does not exist. Instead consumers need to visit different search sites or relevant Web sites which might have useful links This lack of a complete directory is not in itself a new problem. In physical markets, a Yellow Page directory only lists local businesses, and there are a number of specialized directories for different industries and markets. However, there is no reason why all information housed in a library's reference section can not be combined into one database, especially on the Internet Combining different Internet search databases will further alleviate the hassle of having to use several search services and the duplicative costs of collecting the same information. To recover the cost of compiling an Internet database, more and more search services are preoccupied with soliciting advertisers instead of improving data integrity and search efficiency. Search service may be one of a few Internet services which are truly essential in enhancing the usability and usefulness of the Internet for commerce. An incomplete search service will be as useful as a partial phone directory Internet search databases are also inaccurate and out-dated since Web sites are constantly changing. They often give consumers those links that no longer exist. In such an environment updating may require as much effort as compiling the initial database. An alternative may be to accept-or require-submissions by site owners about changes. Another inaccuracy stems from Web sites misrepresenting and pretending to be something that it is not. That possibility compels data compilers to verify each site manually, further increasing costs of maintaining an accurate database. A more coordinated system of feedback between content providers, users and search services is needed a third inadequacy of current search services is the irrelevancy of some sites matching search keywords. One problem stems from the lack of sophisticated and complex search mechanisms to weed out irrelevant information. Equally lacking is a proper description for each Web site and its materials upon which to base a search. As a result, a simple search often produces tens of thousands of meaningless links. digital document metadata standards need to be established and accepted by content providers, and become part of content creation Finally, search results need to be objective. Results can be skewed if the database itself consists of information which is pre-selected based on arbitrary criteria Some search services do not include personal homepages or materials residing on university Web sites. Others reject Web sites which are considered offensive, indecent, or frivolous by their own standards. Also, with the increasing commerc alization, some search service providers may give preference to paying advertisers Although all these are reasonable behaviors for private enterprises, what would be the use of a phone directory if it omits all Smiths'or those living in an area with a particular zip code? An Internet search service is no longer just a spring board for Internet surfing Rather, as an essential infrastructure, its database needs to be complete and accurate to foster an efficient information exchange Finally, search results need to be objective. Results can be skewed if the database itself consists of information which is pre-selected based on arbitrary criteria. Some search services do not include personal homepages or materials residing on university Web sites. Others reject Web sites which are considered offensive, indecent, or frivolous by their own standards. Also, with the increasing commercialization, some search service providers may give preference to paying dvertisers. Although all these are reasonable behaviors for private enterprises, what would be the use of a phone directory if it omits all 'Smiths or those living in an area with a particular zip code?5.3.1 Search or Surf? Searching on the Internet starts with a need or a motive to find something, in a stark contradiction to the popular Internet surfing which implies a random, aimless hopping through hyperlinks for fun. Less than five years ago, 'surfing the net' was the main activity for many Internet users. Today, online users begin by visiting their bookmarked sites or by searching for specific sites. The growth in search activity on the Internet represents a new phase in the development of the virtual space. What used to be something equivalent to taking a stroll has become more of an organized mission compiling a list of links, bookmarks, recommended sites, and ultimately an organized personal directory. Such a directory would be extremely useful in mapping out the virtual space. To avoid unnecessary visits, then, a directory should be complete, accurate, meaningful and objective. Current search services are lacking in these aspects. 5.3.2 Inadequacies of Search Services A complete listing of Web sites and their documents currently does not exist. Instead, consumers need to visit different search sites or relevant Web sites which might have useful links. This lack of a complete directory is not in itself a new problem. In physical markets, a Yellow Page directory only lists local businesses, and there are a number of specialized directories for different industries and markets. However, there is no reason why all information housed in a library's reference section can not be combined into one database, especially on the Internet. Combining different Internet search databases will further alleviate the hassle of having to use several search services and the duplicative costs of collecting the same information. To recover the cost of compiling an Internet database, more and more search services are preoccupied with soliciting advertisers instead of improving data integrity and search efficiency. Search service may be one of a few Internet services which are truly essential in enhancing the usability and usefulness of the Internet for commerce. An incomplete search service will be as useful as a partial phone directory. Internet search databases are also inaccurate and out-dated since Web sites are constantly changing. They often give consumers those links that no longer exist. In such an environment, updating may require as much effort as compiling the initial database. An alternative may be to accept—or require—submissions by site owners about changes. Another inaccuracy stems from Web sites misrepresenting and pretending to be something that it is not. That possibility compels data compilers to verify each site manually, further increasing costs of maintaining an accurate database. A more coordinated system of feedback between content providers, users and search services is needed. A third inadequacy of current search services is the irrelevancy of some sites matching search keywords. One problem stems from the lack of sophisticated and complex search mechanisms to weed out irrelevant information. Equally lacking is a proper description for each Web site and its materials upon which to base a search. As a result, a simple search often produces tens of thousands of meaningless links. Digital document metadata standards need to be established and accepted by content providers, and become part of content creation. Finally, search results need to be objective. Results can be skewed if the database itself consists of information which is pre-selected based on arbitrary criteria. Some search services do not include personal homepages or materials residing on university Web sites. Others reject Web sites which are considered offensive, indecent, or frivolous by their own standards. Also, with the increasing commercialization, some search service providers may give preference to paying advertisers. Although all these are reasonable behaviors for private enterprises, what would be the use of a phone directory if it omits all 'Smiths' or those living in an area with a particular zip code? An Internet search service is no longer just a spring board for Internet surfing. Rather, as an essential infrastructure, its database needs to be complete and accurate to foster an efficient information exchange. Finally, search results need to be objective. Results can be skewed if the database itself consists of information which is pre-selected based on arbitrary criteria. Some search services do not include personal homepages or materials residing on university Web sites. Others reject Web sites which are considered offensive, indecent, or frivolous by their own standards. Also, with the increasing commercialization, some search service providers may give preference to paying advertisers. Although all these are reasonable behaviors for private enterprises, what would be the use of a phone directory if it omits all 'Smiths' or those living in an area with a particular zip code?