The Best Search Engines and Instant Messaging Software

Search engines are used everyday from people around the world. It may be a young child trying to find answers to their homework, or an adult researching a good stock to invest in. No matter what you are searching, you can find it on the Internet. But many factors affect which search engine a user chooses to utilize. Many users choose to go to the same search engine every time they have a question that they want answered. Are you using an accurate search engine? Did you just download poor instant messaging software? This article will tell which search engines and IM software you’re better off with.

IM Software

Google Talk

Pros:

• Sleek & Easy to use interface
• Non Google Talk users can chat with users who have it
• Directly linked with Gmail
• Voice calls, File Transfer, Photo sharing, Video sharing, and built-in Gmail Notification
• Light weight and easy on Memory

Cons:

• No Video Calls
• No conference facility
• No facility of changing the font & color on the fly
• No support for plug ins
• No stealth settings

I still like Google Talk, despite all of the problems it faces. I really would like to see it improved though. Of all IM software, I use Google Talk the most.

My Rating: A

Skype

Pros:

• Easy to install
• Works behind typical network security devices
• Call quality is excellent
• Large Community
• Popularity

Cons:

• NOT Free
• Requires the Internet to function

I used Skype once or twice on my computer and then I stopped using it. I installed it mainly so my two friends and I could talk to each other in a conference call. We used Google Talk to communicate but we could not have three-way calling.

My Rating: B

Windows Live Messenger

Pros:

· Sleek & Easy to use interface

· File Sharing is protected from incoming viruses

· Send animations to your buddy

· Play your friend in games

· Video Conversation

Cons:

• Basic emoticons
• Registering a WeeMee avatar is not free

I had a bad experience with Windows Live Messenger. To edit your account settings, you have to undergo a long a tiring process or register all over again! I didn’t like the look either. Because of this, I stopped using it.

My Rating: B-

Those are three of the best Instant Messaging software around right now. Even some of the popular ones like AIM are great to use! Now search engines are as abundant as IM software. The following are the top three search engines that are really helpful and useful. Though I may use one more than another, I still can find what I’m looking for fast.

Search Engines

Google

Pros:

• Very Accurate
• Ability to search non-web related topics
• Secure
• Comes with many free and useful products

Cons:

• Poor accuracy when asking a question
• Shows only related topics for the search category

Google is the most well-known search engine right now. Everywhere you go on the internet, you see their advertising. Anyway, I use Google daily. It’s my only primary search engine that I use when I need something

My Rating: A+

Wikipedia

Pros:

• Nice layout
• Articles are well organized and easy to read

Cons:

• Contributors (How do you know if the information you have is false?)
• Searching is long and tiring
• Articles don’t always match your query

Wikipedia is a great search engine but I worry that the information that I’m getting from there is false. Also, I get put at articles that are irrelevant to my question or search query.

My Rating: B-

Ask.com

Pros:

• Ability to search non-web related topics
• Secure
• All related topics are shown when query is entered

Cons:

• Poor accuracy when asking a question (Pretty ironic, huh?)
• Sometimes inaccurate

Ask.com was formerly known as Ask Jeeves. But Jeeves retired and is traveling the world now, says the Ask Kids page. Ask.com has a nice layout but it is a bit inaccurate and slow when searching for your query. But like Google, it has good things to offer.

My Rating: B

So there you have it! IM software and search engines have to match your criteria. Just because one is more popular than the other doesn’t mean that it’s safe. So remember to research products or software that you’re thinking of downloading. Read ratings and reviews, look at problems many users have faced after downloading it, and look at alternatives if you’re not going to download or install your primary choice.
For questions and tips, e-mail me at sean@whatsupwakefield.com