Searching and You!
Go behind the scenes of our searching video.
Detective Skills
Search online with Google, Bing or Yahoo. They don't make all the websites on the internet, but they can help you find the ones you want!
To search, just type in a few words and look down the list.
Cats vs. Dogs!
Web sites are written by all kinds of people. Look for clues to see who made the site, or who wrote on a page. It will help you decide if you can trust what's on there.
Does the web address have a name like PBSKIDS.org that you know? Is there a link at the bottom of the page that says who made the site?
Not everything you find online is true, so look at a few sites or ask a grown-up before deciding for yourself.
How Search Works!
Chet goes through the cupboard and remembers where everything is.
Search engines send out computer programs called bots and spiders to most sites on the internet to find and list what's on each page.
So when you find me by searching for "Ruff Ruffman" it's thanks to computer programs that have looked at billions of web pages first.
Refine Your Search!
Add important words to narrow your search. For example, just typing "Washington" might lead you to "George Washington," "Washington DC" or "Washington State."
If you are looking for movie times or weather forecasts, type your town or city.
So you might type, "Washington DC movie times" to see what's playing in our nation's capital.