~ Combing lore ~ searchlores.org             Combing for information Version September 2005 [What is combing?] [Combing essays] [The "double combing" approach] [Combing resources]

What is combing?

Combing is a very effective search strategy: basically, instead of simply searching, you search those that have already searched. This will give you a quick 'jumpstart' possibility.
Let's begin with the beginning: usually a good seeker does not search directly a specific target: you search people that have already searched the web for years for that target. The web is so big and deep that you'll always have some weirdo that has spent three years of his life cataloguing all possible variants of the Yak2 russian fighter plane, if you see what I mean.

Note that if the target has enough signal-power, you may even search among the noise for people that have searched people that have in turn searched for that specific target... :-)

That's combing, in a nutshell.
You may usefully comb on usenet or on the thousand many private messageboards dealing with your target stuff or on private homepages, or on ad hoc webrings, or some useful referrals lists, or applying klebing (i.e. referral based), or luring techniques. You may have to recur to social engineering as well. Stalking maybe an important option too, and you may have to put on the web some clever "honeypots" to stalk your targets through a klebing approach.
You may comb directly or you may use combing bots or scrolls
You may also use various older net resources like the continuously updated "Top 100" or "Top 1000" URL-locations; all kind of ftp searches and the various "vigilant filters" and automated server loggings.

Obviously combing is an important technique for whatever interest you may have, quite useful in order to spare an incredible amount of Internet searching hours.

Combing is an ART! Read the combing essays

Essays about combing

1. [whitemea.htm]: Proxy Logs - The Other White Meat, by Finn61 part of the combing [section]
   "So now you should have some large lists of URL's you can scan for that hard-to-find document or program"
   March 2002
2. [Web wizard searching techniques, anti-advertisement galore and software reversing tips], a draft of fravia+'s session at HAL2001 in August 2001 (see the 'how to search' part).
3. [Combing: The art of sailing in pure water] by Loki, October 2000 (A little of "methodology" about the information)
   
4. [Simple combing techniques] by Fravia+, October 2000 (part of a conference held in Milan for the Linux day)
5. [The importance of Webrings for combing purposes], by Lorenzo Gatti

Finally, you may find useful to peruse my obsolete 'lesson' [combing and klebing techniques] (November 1997!)

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Visit (and use) the [Combing resources] page as well!

The "double combing" approach

As Jeff realized and pointed out, simple combing techniques can give incredibly accurate results.

I think if a person really thinks about this and puts together some good keywords you can really find some terrific links to info thru BOOKMARKS ...and ALL THE WORK has already been done for you!......all with headings and sometimes alphabetized...:) Just look at the following example: google... search... bookmarks fravia... http://www.cs.umass.edu/~lmccarth/bookmarks.html ....mostly lots of info on crypto...

Indeed this kind of very simple combing approach (a combing querystring on a local search engine) can give impressive results. Try it out (here for instance: bookmarks proxies on crosswinds' homepages) and enjoy this kind of fishing right now! Yet you'll discover more advanced combing techniques reading the following...

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