Definitions
Flash - The term Flash refers to a website development technique that incorporates highly visual interactive content into the Web page. Flash content is usually encountered as a lead-in or introduction to a Web site. Flash is a product of Macromedia, inc. and you may need to download their Flash player in order for your Web browser to handle the Flash content. Free downloads are available at the Macromedia Web site.
HTML - Web pages are written in a language called the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). HTML uses codes, referred to as tags, that tell the Web browser software, such as Microsoft Explorer or Netscape, how to display the web page text. The real power of HTML lies in its ability to create hypertext links to other Web pages.
PDF - Portable Document Format (PDF) has become the standard for reliable distribution and exchange of electronic documents. PDF was developed by Adobe Systems Incorporated. The format preserves the fonts, images, graphics, and layout of any source document, regardless of the application and platform used to create it. PDF files can be shared, viewed, and printed by anyone with the free Adobe Reader&178; software. To convert documents to PDF the Adobe Acrobat&178; software package is required.
Hosting - Hosting involves several Internet business services. The host stores the subscriber’s Web site files on their computer servers and serves them as requested by the user on the Internet. The host also provides a high-speed connection to the Internet. In addition most hosting services provide a full range of ancillary support such as e-Commerce options, domain registration, and Internet access.
Meta tag - Meta tags are a powerful, yet often overlooked, part of the HTML code. They contain the "keyword" and "description" attributes, which allows search engines to easily index the page based on the keywords. A meta tag for a race car Web site could contain keywords such as: race, car, speedway, speed, racetrack and a description such as "This page is about race cars."
Q&A:
Question: What search engine is the best?
Answer: A search engine is a special website that locates other websites that match your search expression. When a search engine finds a Web page matching the search criteria that page is classified as a hit. Let us discuss the different features of several search engines, which may help you come to your own conclusion.
Altavista is an example of a search engine that by default returns hits for all pages matching any of the search expression words. Therefore, some of the hits may not be exactly what you are looking for.
Hotbot is an example of a search engine that by default only returns hits for pages that match all of the search expression words.
Google utilizes a page ranking system when it returns its search results. Page ranking is a method of ranking or grading Web pages based on the number of other Web pages that link to them.
Ask Jeeves is a good example of a natural language query interface search engine. In this type of application the user enters a question exactly as they would ask the same question to a real live person!
Dogpile is classified as a meta-search engine. This type of search engine integrates the power of multiple search engines. Dogpile actually forwards your query to more than a dozen other search engines.
Confused? As you see, each search engine has unique capabilities and can provide you with different search results. Experiment with these and other search engines. Which one is the best will likely boil down to your personal preference.