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Online Newbies
Are you new to the Net, still learning your way around? This page is a good place to start. It is a near mirror of resources I put together for my beginning computer students. It is a guide to some of the main places and things you should know about online. To find your way around anything at all, the first thing you need to do is get out there and see what is available. If you are totally new to the net, the first thing you want to do is learn how to surf. Ride the waves of the Net. Just get out there and click some links. No telling where you will end up, but that is at least half the fun. Here are some good places to start your surfing. After that, work your way on down the page, and before you know it, you will be surfing like an old-timer. Old-timers -- scroll on down to find your resources.
Do Some Surfing
- About.com -- About has information, links and resources about just any topic you might want or need.
- Cool Site of the Day
- Magic Stream -- It's an ezine and directory of online self-help and wellness resources.
Business and People Finders
- AnyWho -- Internet Directory Assistance; Yellow Pages, White Pages ...People, place and business directory.
- Dogpile Phone Book -- US listings.
- Yahoo People Search -- Find phone numbers, email and physical addresses.
- Yellow Book -- Phone numbers? Businesses & Residences Nationwide.
- Zaba Search -- Free People Search and Public Information Search Engine. There is also a paid background check service.
Directories
Directories came before search engines. They are organized, prescreened reference resources. At times you may find they are more efficient than search engines, especially when you are looking for very specialized information. Some (such as Yahoo.com) are associated with both search engine and directory listings.
- Profusion -- Directory and metasearch. This one is slower than the bigger sites, but their references can be much more targeted and especially useful if looking for very specialized information.
- The WWW Virtual Library -- Excellent screened references. This is the oldest catalogue of the Web, and was started by Tim Berners-Lee, creator of html and the Web.
- Yahoo.com -- Everybody knows about their search engine, but they had (and still have) one of the earliest, the best, and most comprehensive directories on the net.
Image Finders
These are useful for artistic reference, and I do like pretty pictures for my desktop background. Be aware, it is not legal to go to a random site and lift something to use in your web page or other publication. You must get permission. For web building, there are good clip art sources on my Publishing Goodies Page. If you just want some cool art for your website, sign up for something like Art.com's affiliate program, then you can legally use the good stuff to decorate your site.
- Dogpile -- Click on images.
- Google Image Search
Libraries and Online Research
- Amazon.com
-- Why is a book store here? Amazon has excellent book reviews. If it's just for short research, I am often able to get what I need from their reviews and excerpts. If it is something I am thinking about buying, the reviews often give me an idea whether or not it is a good source, suitable for my academic or professional needs.
- Find Articles.com -- A good place to start for research on a paper. This service is provided by the Gale Group (online academic database publishers) and Thomson (academic book publisher).
- National Library of Medicine -- The world's largest medical library, at one time was only available to doctors.
Maps and Directions
- Google Earth -- This is the map of all maps, satellite that is. There is a free version, (with images a couple years old but a lot of fun). This involves a software download. There is also a subscription service, with GPS support.
- Map.com
-- Free driving directions, they also have a map store if you need a more detailed map than the free services provide. Everything from local to international maps.
- Mapquest -- Fairly good for everyday use, gives directions to and from your location and also provides a map.
Search Engines
- Altavista -- This one has a free online translation service. It will not serve professional needs, but will give you a rough translation if you have some text that needs translated.
- Ask Jeeves -- Ask.com.
- Dogpile -- Metasearch.
- Google -- The most popular, and probably with good reason.
- Profusion -- Metasearch. Slow, but provides the most focused searches.
- Yahoo -- Search engine and directory, many other services as well. Including free email.
Tutorials: Learn to Do a Better Search
- Search Engine Watch
- Search Engine Math
- Web Search Strategies -- Web search tutorial.
- Web Search Tips
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