Reflection (Practical 6)

Have you ever heard of the term 'invisible web'? Well, the class learnt all about invisible webs during our EIR lesson today. Invisible webs are websites that cannot be found using general search engines and subject directories like google or yahoo and this happens because certain types of online information are hidden. One of the reasons invisible webs happen because the requested information can only be viewed by authorized users, and these information may require log-in usernames and passwords in the form of forums and private websites. Some search engine specifically exclude such websites in their search results to avoid cluttering their databases with unwanted and irrelevant information, decreasing the proficiency and efficiency of their search results. Furthermore, the world wide web consists of billions of individual and organisational websites which search engines face as a huge problem if these billions of web pages are generated in their results. Creators of web pages also administer a special 'meta tag' that prevents his/her page from appearing in the results of search engines, allowing the search results to avoid displaying his/her page.

The invisible web is alot more efficient and relevant when it comes to searching for information on a specific and categorized topic. However, using such invisible databases require a certain amount of IT experience because of its lack of user-friendliness. Some search options require detailed information when it comes to entering a query into the search bar. Also, users have to find a relevant 'invisible web' to what they are looking for as some databases are dedicated to specific topics like news, technology or economy.

All in all, i will resort to using the invisible web more often when researching for information only when my query is of relevance to the chosen database. Otherwise, using such databases would only mean more work and less outcome, sometimes there wouldn't even be any results at all. Invisible webs require users to acquire a habit and understanding to fully make use of it to its fullest potential, and this might take awhile for me as general search engines like google offer a way simpler way of usage.