What search engines does everyone use now? For Asia I have been getting so many non-relevant search results these days and trying to find local information a real task, so asking on this side of the Forums for any tips on who everyone uses now?

I like dogpile, hotbot, mama and google.

I think Dogpile complies from other search engines? I'm tending to use MSN and even back to good 'old' Altavista. Have the changes effected searches in the U.S or is it just overseas countries, and idea?

I'm glad you brought this up:

Now when I search Google (my old favorite) the first page is all strictly ads for OTHER search engines. I always have to scroll down and click on page 2 before I get any real answers. Is there a setting I can change or has google gone commercial?

I don't know about settings on Google, but I can tell you that this doesn't happen to me -- I get NO ads.

In Thailand our local town's main website that had everything from news to bus times and simply everything went down from No 1 to 644! The first 5-6 pages are just full usually of large hotel booking agencies from overseas, tried to get alocal information and all pages full of 'Houston', 'San Antonio' and the likes booking agents. I've shifted to local search engines now but trying find out if it has effected you in the U.S too or is it just 'overseas' sites that have dissapeared into the depths.

A Google search on "Chiang Mai" turned up the following (in order of appearance):

chiangmainews.com
wunderground.com/ . . . . (weather report)
chiangmai-online.com
chiangmai.ac.th (Chaing Mai University)
hotelthailand.com/ . . . (Chiang Mai hotels & resorts)
usa.or.th (US Consulate General in CM)
welcome-to.chiangmai

Then 2 more hotels sites with chiangmai in their domain name, then the airport.

Looks like a useful group of sites to me!

Did I say Chiang Mai?
Try Pranburi

Anonymous, I think you misunderstood. The "ads" on Google didn't refer to pop-ups, but rather that if you enter the name of a hotel for example, mainly the list you get are for websites that will book for you. Sometimes if you scroll down a mile you can actually track down a direct link for that hotel, but it used to be that the first "hit" was often the website of the hotel itself.
I'm so tired of trying to find hotels or other sites and the first dozen or so hits are all trip advisor.

I'm just dreaming, but wouldn't it be wonderful if every time you entered the name of a hotel or restaurant, the first thing that came up would be the actual website for that hotel or restaurant.

What's really annoying is entering the name of a hotel, and getting the first link that says "Best rates for (the name of the hotel you entered) here." Then you click on that link and there is no way to find that hotel. It is just Expedia or Orbitz or somebody with their general booking and if you go to the trouble of inserting your location and name of hotel it doesn't even find it. So why do you get a direct link via that company that actually says to book that hotel through them? Really annoying to me.

Hear Hear Patrick!! You took the words, every one of them, right out of my mouth. It's steadily getting worse and worse. I was doing a search for a Paris hotel last night, but all I found were sites trying to sell all hotels. Perhaps scrolling through several pages of hits you'll get to the actual website eventually, but who has time?!

I used to love google, but find it annoying now. If there is search engine that hasn't fallen into that spider's web of advertising, I'd love to hear about it!

DITTO, Olive and Patrick. Thought I had missed a step in the search process or was somehow doing it wrong. I used to have a lot of respect for Google, which is based a stone's throw from where I live, but searching hotels has become an exercise in futility. Why oh why can't the first hit be the actual URL for the hotel or restaurant??

I, too, thought it was just my lack of internet savvy making life so difficult.

This is an interesting thread for me. AOL is my isp. Searches on AOL are "enhanced by Google." However, since I'm no longer able to post on Fodor's from AOL, I've started using Internet Explorer. I'm now trying to "learn" searching from there. The IE search engine is MSN (although I think I can choose Alta Vista or any other I like.) I find it interesting I have a harder time "finding" a tripadvisor review from MSN, but the quality of the searches in general seem to be better.

BTW, JamesA, some time ago someone (maybe Elaine) posted here about an "amazing" search engine ilor.com. It was (haven't used it recently) fantastic for Europe. Don't know about Asia.

Ditto Patrick, Olive and Betsy!!!!
Trying to call a hotel direct has become a hassle because it takes forever to find their website that lists their phone number. If anyone has a better search engine, please share.

To those trying to find a hotel website on google: I just tried an experiment. After typing in the name of the hotel, instead of clicking on "google search" I clicked on "I'm Feeling Lucky". I typed in "marriott", "ritz paris", and "grand hyatt tampa bay" and in all three cases it took me directly to the website of the particular hotel! Give it a try folks, and see if that helps...

Actually, I think what happens when you click "I feel Lucky" is that you simply go right to the first link that would be listed on the regular "Google Search" list. If you enter Grand Hyatt, Tampa for example and hit Google Search, clicking the first link does go right to that same direct website. But when I enter more vague hotel names and click "lucky", what I get is usually the trip advisor listing or a particular website for booking -- the same as I'd get for just the first link on the full search list. And then if you don't get the direct website, you've got to go clear back and do it as a regular search. Didn't make me feel so particularly lucky after all.

Interesting Joan. Before reading your note, I input Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay too, did a google search out of curiosity, and was amazed to find their actual website did come up first. That has not been my luck with most of these searches so I'm wondering if Hyatt is trying (pay Google, or whatever) to get their own website out in front of the others in the search? They would like people booking through hyatt.com (guaranteed best rate) so perhaps they have enhanced something so they will come up as the first hit. Same is true with HR Sarasota and Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress. After reading your note I tried Marriott Waterside and they too came up first in a google search, so maybe hotels here are catching on, or the larger ones are that would prefer you booking through their websites? Usually my luck with google for hotels and restaurants is terrible. I'll get pages of hits before getting to their actual website.

I gave up using Google about a year ago, and switched to Dogpile. The latter at least categorizes the responses, so you have a better chance of honing in on your area of interest.

I did prefer Google's toolbar--loved the automatic fill-in credit-card feature. And I still use Google for access to groups.

I've used Dogpile for years also. How can you not love a site that lets you click "GO FETCH" instead of "search"?

Most of the search engine sites now have paid placement, so in my opinion the usefulness is often questionable. I, too, hate the "book with us!" ads causing me to scroll way down to find the actual hotel website.

When I use my Netscape Network enhanced by Google, webites are very easy to find; with the four or so "advertisement" sites CLEARLY seperated from what I am really looking for.

I much prefer Netscape over Explorer.

At work I am dictated to use only Explorer. When I attempt a search using Explorer, I always wish that I were using Netscape - like at home.