duckduckgo



http://duckduckgo.com/  When I visited the 'About' section on the Duck Duck Go website (http://duckduckgo.com/about.html), I discovered the list of reasons why you should use this search engine instead of Google. They include:


 * [|Zero-click info]
 * [|Privacy kept]
 * [|Search sites with !bang]
 * [|Disambiguation pages]
 * [|Info topic summaries]
 * [|Less clutter]
 * [|Less spam & ads]
 * [|Shortcuts & other goodies]
 * [|Category pages]
 * [|Customization settings]

To justify why this new search engine should be used, they supported this by adding random Duck Duck Go users positive feedback regarding this search engine. They include:

[|@anirudhc] Changed my default search engine from google to @duckduckgo. Gives me much better results in about 80% of the cases. [|@plc] duckduckgo.com is really far ahead of google in a lot of ways. [|@Attitude] My current favorite search site (Duck Duck Go) reminds me of Google before it got popular with PPC advertisers.

You can also follow this search engine by subscribing to their monthly newsletter as well as following them on Twitter or Facebook or on their blog. Duck Duck Go also has a Privacy Policy that is regularly updated.

If you click the search bar, it reveals searches I have already looked for, suggesting it will find me items of interest that I have previously searched. Possibly giving me options I am interested in, as opposed to giving me a blank search bar. This shows it is changing the way we search for information.

This new search engine allows the researcher to search using varying search types: Information, Shopping, or you can choose I'm Feeling Ducky (I am yet to find out the purpose of this link).

I searched for 'dogs' using the 'Normal Search'. Here is the response it gave me:

=Dog can mean different things. Which one?= = (Some meanings grouped into sections [|Animals,][|People,][|Engineering,][|Music,] [|Titles,] [|Fictional Characters,][|Places,][|Acronyms,] [|Games,] and [|Others].) = = Dog refers to any [|Domestic dog]; a [|clade] of two subspecies of the //Canis lupus//, The Gray Wolf: [|Canis lupus familiaris] //and// [|Canis lupus dingo]. = 

Basically, Duck Duck Go acknowledges I am searching for dogs and gives me the opportunity to refine my search to a more specific search. In this case, I could search in the following categories: Animals, People, Engineering, Music, Titles, Fictional Characters, Places, Acronyms, Games and has a 'See Also' and 'Weblinks' section for more 'Dog' categories.

When searching in the Shopping Search, I looked for Westfield Geelong and it gave me relevant information about this specific shopping centre. It also gave me the address, official site and links to shops. At the bottom of each link it states "Similar Sites" or "No good summaries? Try Web Links", giving me suggestions to pages I may also like or be interested in.

This website is also connected to YouTube, flickr, twitter, amazon, Google Maps, and more sites and goodies. According to Duck Duck Go, these other searches allow the researcher to spread the Duck Duck Go.

Duck Duck Go also encourages viewers to give feedback on their website, giving the researcher their comments and feedback on their website, giving Duck Duck Go ways to improve their search engine website, in regards to what you believe would enhance it. You can also adjust the settings of the website, to meet your individual needs.

In terms of whether or not Duck Duck Go can be effectively used in the classroom, I believe it has elements of effective use and elements of irrelevant or inappropriate use. It is specific and simple in terms of searching for items of interest and "makes it easier to find the information you're looking for". However, the subjective content is questionable.

I searched for Duck Duck Go in the classroom (http://duckduckgo.com/?q=duck+duck+go+in+the+classroom&v=). It gave me an link to Duck Duck Go that can be used effectively in the classroom. My result sates the following:

"Looking for a clean, basic, search engine to use with kids? This one feels no-nonsense and fast. No ads. No misleading redirects. Pretty good overall. Worth a try. I tried some terms that tend to get our kids into trouble w/research; DDG gave me solid links – no junk. I’ll have to try it with kids."

To access it visit: http://tech4teaching.org/wpblog/?p=299

Despite the website stating this version of Duck Duck Go is appropriate for children, it is still very important for teachers and adults to check out the site prior to giving children the opportunity and permission to use it in the classroom.