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When the Internet was first introduced for public use, there seemed no need for search engines or directories because of its limited size. But, as more and more people started logging-on and the ability to create and post a webpage became simplified, there came a need to index all of these new sites. Thus the need for, and the usefulness of the search engine. These sites started out as just directories to list websites under different categories, these included sites like Yahoo.com or dmoz.org. But, now they include *true* search engines like Google.com that search for sites using inputted text.

Well scholarship services like Online Scouting Network, are just like the original search engines. With the increase in the number of new high schools and students now enrolled, due to the population growth and new developments, it has become harder for colleges to scout all of them. The scholarship service is like one big search engine, giving these athletes a place to post their resumes. These services catalog athletes in one convenient location for college coaches and scouts to find, and they can have access to at anytime, just like the search engine.

And, as evidence over time, these services become just as necessary to college coaches as the search engine is in every ones daily life. The fact is that these services give athletes a chance to get an education while playing a sport they love. The scholarship service does more than just list the player and what sport they play, they provide a complete online profile of their athletic and academic achievements. The information contained in the profile is then displayed on a secure site where coaches have to log-in at this point they are given access to view the profile which is categorized by sport and position.

The success rate for these services is dependent on the information gathered by the scholarship service, and the number of coaches that utilize the service. But, for the student-athlete it can be the proverbial *foot in the door* that gets them noticed by scouts and recruiters. The goals of these services are to provide the student that might otherwise not get evaluated by colleges, a chance to present to them in a formatted system their profile. Because of this system, scholarship services are replacing the old fax and mail system, plus it relieves the coaches and their staff of all the paperwork associated with faxing or mailing profiles for them to view.

Scholarship search services are growing in part to the need of students wanting to attend college for a better education, and eventually a better career. The services of companies like Online Scouting Network whose website is http://www.onlinescoutingnetwork.com, and others will continue to grow like the original search engine, as long is there is a consumer need for this service.