In The Eyeblink that has elapsed since the turn of the millennium, the lives of those of us who work with information have been utterly tranformed. Pretty much all we need to know is on the web; if not today, then tomorrow. It's where we learn and play, shop and do business, keep up with old friends and meet new ones. What makes it possible for us to find the stuff we need to know? Search engines.
Search engines--"web dragons"--are the portals through which we access society's treasure trove of information. How do they stack up against librarians, the gatekeepers over enturies past? What role will libraries play in a world whose information is ruled by the web? How is the web organized? Who controls its contents, and how do they do it? How do search engines work? How can web visibility be exploited by those who want to sell us their wares? What's coming tomorrow, and can we influence it? We are witnessing the dawn of a new era, starting right now--and this book shows you what it will look like and how it will change your world.
Do you use search engines every day? Are you a developer or a librarian, helping others with their information needs? A researcher or journalist for whom the web has changed the very way you work? An online marketer or site designer, whose career exists because of the web? Whoever you are: if you care about information, this book will open your eyes--and make you blink.
1. Setting the scene
2. Literature and the web
3. Meet the web
4. How to search
5. The web wars
6. Who controls information?
7. The Dragons Evoleve