Niche Search Engines for Books, Science, and Intelligent Information
A certain search engine is so powerful that it hides other search engines from us. We simply do not know about the existence of most of them.
As the internet continues to evolve, it is important for search engines to adapt. Perhaps more diversity in search engines could build new online ecosystems.
Meanwhile, there are still a large number of excellent search engines in the world that specialize in books, science, and other smart information.
Here a list of sites you’ve might never heard of.
www.refseek.com is a search engine for academic resources. More than a billion
www.worldcat.org – search the content of 20,000 global libraries.
https://link.springer.com – access to more than 10 million scientific documents: books, articles,
www.bioline.org.br is a library of published bioscientific journals
http://repec.org – Volunteers from 102 countries collected nearly 4 million publications
www.science.gov is a U.S. government search engine for more than 2200 scientific sites.
www.pdfdrive.com is the largest website for free download of PDF books. Claim more than 225 million titles.
www.base-search.net is one of the most powerful search engines for academic research texts. More than 100 million scientific articles, 70% of which are free
Do you know them?
Google, the world’s most popular search engine, has been a gateway to the internet for millions of users for over two decades. However, over the years, the internet has become a graveyard of forgotten websites, with many disappearing into oblivion or going inactive. According to estimates, there are over 4.5 billion internet users worldwide, and over 1.5 billion websites, but only a fraction of these websites are active and regularly updated.
One of the most significant challenges facing internet users today is the “dead internet” phenomenon, where websites that were once popular have disappeared or are no longer updated. The reasons for this are many, including changes in technology, lack of funding, or simply a lack of interest. For example, once-popular social networks like Myspace and Friendster have since disappeared, and other websites, such as Geocities, which was once the largest hosting platform for user-generated content, were shut down entirely.
Moreover, even newer sites that seem to have the potential to take off may not necessarily be successful. Many new websites fail to catch on and then close their doors, often due to fierce competition from established players or a lack of innovative ideas.
One consequence of this is that when people search for information on Google, they may find that many of the results are no longer relevant or up to date. This is particularly true when searching for older content, where many of the websites that once hosted that content have since disappeared. In such cases, users may have to rely on archive websites or other sources to access the information they need.
Another issue with Google search is that after page one, the entries are often the same in different orders for subsequent pages. This can be frustrating for users who are searching for specific information, as they may need to sift through multiple pages of search results to find what they are looking for. Additionally, because Google’s algorithms prioritize newer content, older but still relevant websites may not appear high in search results, making it difficult for users to find the information they need.
Despite these challenges, Google continues to dominate the search engine market, with a market share of over 90%. The company has made significant strides in improving its search algorithms to deliver more relevant and up-to-date results, such as the introduction of the BERT algorithm in 2019. Additionally, Google has launched initiatives such as the Wayback Machine, which allows users to view archived versions of websites, and Google Scholar, which focuses on academic research.
The “dead internet” phenomenon is a real challenge for internet users, and Google is not immune to this problem. While Google has made significant strides in improving its search algorithms, there is still room for improvement. As the internet continues to evolve, it is important for search engines to adapt. Perhaps more diversity in search engines could build new online ecosystems.
Mixed Media Magazine 