untangling_the_web

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directories, Whois databases, NIH PubMed, SEC Edgar, Amazon's "Search Inside
the Book" feature, digital library collections. The Domain Name System/Service
(DNS) itself is the largest distributed database ever created and freely accessible to
any user via a simple query (NSLookup). Also, don't overlook mailing lists,
newsgroups, and other non-web segments of the Internet.
Tip 11: Configure and Use Two Browsers
If you spend much time on the Internet, especially viewing non-US sites, you will
probably encounter certain webpages that will not display at all, will not display
properly, and/or will not print in the browser you're using. However, if you open the
page in the other browser, it may be fine. So don't despair if a page isn't displaying
or printing as it should. Chances are there are simply problems with the way the
page was created and it will look fine in the other browser.
Tip 12: Try URL Guessing
It works more frequently than you would imagine. For example, I found the Iranian
Ministry of Foreign Affairs by guessing www.mfa.gov.ir. And guess what the address
for the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) is? Yes, it's www.mvd.ru.No
search engine indexed either of these sites at the time I first found them.
Tip 13: Change URLs to Find "Hidden" Webpages
Sometimes a simple change inside a long uri will disclose interesting pages deep
within a website. For example, look at these two pages from the Federal Trade
Commission:
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2006/02/
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2007102/
Simply by changing the portion of the uri that indicates year and month, you can
view the FTC News Releases for a specific date. This is a simple example of a
technique that can be used to uncover "hidden" webpages. It's especially useful on
sites that update on a regular schedule, e.g., sites for press releases or news.
Tip 14: Be on the Lookout for URL Errors
Not surprisingly, many uris listed on webpages are incorrect. Among the most
common mistakes are misspellings, putting a backslash (\) where a slash (I) should
be, including or excluding the L in HTML, e.g.:
http://www.examlpe~com/pathl1ame\bigmistake.html
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