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Web surfing tips

Smarter Surfing: Better Use of Your Web Time

* Be wary when you surf. Watch for giant waves of misinformation and the jagged rocks of hidden agendas.
* But there's plenty of useful stuff; you just need to know where to look.

Just the Facts
sources of facts and data

ONLINE ENCYCLOPEDIAS: finding facts fast
Encyclopedia Britannica: new pay version for full archive (first two paras free);
free access for journalists)
http://www.britannica.com
Encarta.com: many entries free, rest you pay
Encyclopedia.com: concise, free articles
Reference.Yahoo.com: search across several titles
Xrefer: one-stop search of 35 reference titles
http://www.xrefer.com
FACT PORTALS: links to sources of information
Refdesk: Colin Powell's favorite site, says NYT
http://www.refdesk.com
Martindale's Reference Desk: resources galore
http://www-sci.lib.uci.edu/HSG/Ref.html
BJPinchbeck's Homework Helper: a school kid's best friend
http://www.bjpinchbeck.com
RESEARCH HELP: get your answers here
GoogleAnswers: pay a researcher to find answers (starting at $2.50)
http://answers.google.com
IPL Pathfinders: Internet Public Library research assistance
http://www.ipl.org/ref/QUE/PF/
Ask.yahoo.com: answers for every day questions
STATISTICAL & MATH HELP: numbers, numbers, numbers
Niles Guide to Data on the Internet: access stats of all kinds
http://www.robertniles.com/data
Statistics.com: more stats
http://www.statistics.com
Stats.org: deeper look at statistics; how journos use stats
http://www.stats.org
Online Conversion: 8,000+ calculators
http://www.onlineconversion.com
ONLINE MAPS: changing atlases forever
NG's Map Machine: dynamic maps tied to govt. data
http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine/
Maps.com Explorer: interactive satellite/aerial maps
http://www.maps.com/explore/viewer.html
SpaceImaging.com: what you see on TV
http://www.spaceimaging.com
DRIVING DIRECTIONS: Mapquest.com & MapBlast.com & Yahoo Maps
FACTS ABOUT COUNTRIES: basic data
WorldInformation.com: http://www.worldinformation.com
Economist's Country Briefings: http://www.economist.com/countries
CIA World Factbook: http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook
COMPARING COUNTRIES: get data on various nations
Your-Nation.com: compare stats about different countries:
http://www.your-nation.com
UN CyberSchoolBus InfoNation: http://www.cyberschoolbus.un.org/infonation/index.asp
PUBLIC RECORDS HELP: accessing court records & databases
Search Systems' Public Records: 12,000+ public record databases
http://www.searchsystems.net
MEDICAL INFO: medical/drug lookup
WebMD: http://www.webmd.com
MayoClinic.com: http://www.mayoclinic.com
Merck Manual: http://www.merckhomeedition.com/home.html
PDR: http://www.healthsquare.com/medcare4.htm
RxList: http://www.rxlist.com
LEGAL INFO: US law
FindLaw: useful legal links
http://www.findlaw.com
FreeAdvice.com: answers to legal questions; approach carefully
http://www.freeadvice.com
BOOKS: finding titles, new and old
Amazon: author/title lookup & purchase circles
http://www.amazon.com/purchasecircles
BookFinder.com: used and out of print books
http://www.bookfinder.com
MOVIES: Hollywood and beyond
IMDb: Internet Movie Database
http://www.imdb.com
Ain't It Cool News: inside buzz from an outsider
http://www.aint-it-cool.com
Govt site suggestions: various U.S. govt. sites
http://www.sree.net/tips/government.html
For NYC government Web info, see NYC.gov

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Search Engines
different kinds of search engines

MY DEFAULT SEARCH ENGINE: where I start all my searches
Google: try the Toolbar (Windows only; Mac coming)
http://www.google.com
SreeTip: Better Googling: Things you didn't know Google does
http://www.sreetips.com/google.html
GUIDE TO SEARCH ENGINES: InfoPeople: search tools chart
http://infopeople.org/search/chart.html
SearchEngineWatch: newsletter and rankings
http://www.searchenginewatch.com
REFERENCE SEARCHES: not just search engines
Hotbot Quick Search Deskbar: http://www.hotbot.com/tools/
GuruNet.com: http://www.gurunet.com
OTHER SEARCH ENGINES: Beyond Google
AllTheWeb: fresher results - index refreshes every 10 days instead of Google's 28
http://www.alltheweb.com
Kartoo: visual display of links
http://www.kartoo.com
Yahoo: human indexers at work
http://www.yahoo.com
Ask Jeeves: ask questions; multiple engines in one place
http://www.askjeeves.com
GROUPED LISTINGS, instead of long lists
Teoma: see experts' links
http://www.teoma.com
Vivisimo: automatic grouping of documents
http://www.vivisimo.com
ILOR: keep track of search results
http://www.ilor.com
MULTIPLE SEARCHES: several search boxes in one place
Fagan Finder: http://www.faganfinder.com
Cyberjournalist SuperSearch: http://www.cyberjournalist.net/supersearch/index.htm
Copernic: downloadable metasearch engine
http://www.copernic.com
PLAGIARISM FINDER: see if passages are stolen from elsewhere on the Web
Try putting long sentences into Google, within quote marks
FindSame: Died dot-com death in August 2001
TRACKING SEARCH TRENDS: What are people searching for?
The Lycos 50: http://50.lycos.com
Yahoo Buzz Index: http://buzz.yahoo.com
Google Zeitgeist: http://www.google.com/press/zeitgeist.html
Altavista Search Trends: http://www.altavista.com/sites/about/trends
AskJeeves most popular: http://www.jeevesiq.com/docs/about/jeevesiq.html
Metaspy.com: live search watch

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Useful Sites
sites that help with various tasks

TRANSLATING WEB SITES: get the gist
FreeTranslation.com instant translation for several languages
http://www.freetranslation.com; also see world.altavista.com; systransoft.com
Arabic-English translation: Ajeeb.com
WHEN YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT A TOPIC:
About.com: personal guides on hundreds of topics
http://www.about.com
ONLINE TUTORIALS: learn almost anything about almost anything
How Stuff Works: http://www.howstuffworks.com
eHow: http://www.ehow.com
So You Wanna: http://www.soyouwanna.com
TECH TUTORIALS: computer help
Webopedia.com: http://www.webopedia.com
WhatIs: http://www.whatis.com
Computers 101: tips on buying a computers and other tech tips
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/news/wabc_comp101_index_shell.html
FINDING PHOTOS ONLINE: image searches keep getting better
images.google.com: http://images.google.com
Sree's Tips on finding & using photos: http://www.sree.net/tips/graphics.html
SHORTER URLS: Easier sharing of Web addresses
SnipUrl.com / Snurl.com: http://www.snurl.com
TRACKING RUMORS: never spread lies again
About.com Urban Legends: http://urbanlegends.about.com/
Snopes.com: http://www.snopes.com/
VMyths.com: http://www.vmyths.com/ - all about viruses
TVEyes.com: keep track of keywords mentioned on TV
http://www.tveyes.com (coming soon: RadioEars)
Footnote.TV: keep up with pop culture & the news
http://www.footnote.tv

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Phone, E-mail, Web Info
find people and businesses

PHONE NUMBERS: use these before you dial directory assistance
Switchboard: U.S. business and personal phone numbers
http://www.switchboard.com
PhoneNumbers.net: international numbers
http://www.phonenumbers.net
International Lookup: more international numbers
http://www.whowhere.lycos.com/wwphone/world.html
REVERSE DIRECTORIES: lookup by number
WhitePages.com: http://www.whitepages.com
Infospace: http://www.infospace.com
AnyWho: search for phone numbers by address & distance
http://www.anywho.com/resq.html
Freeality: various search tools in one place
http://www.freeality.com
MESA: worldwide e-mail search
http://mesa.rrzn.uni-hannover.de/
LinkPopularity: Check how many sites link to a particular site
http://www.linkpopularity.com
Sam Spade Tools: investigate someone
http://www.samspade.org/t/
BetterWhois.com: Search for domain names
http://www.betterwhois.com; also see NetworkSolutions.com

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Grammar & Style
words, words, words

ONLINE DICTIONARIES: easy lookup + pronouncers
Merriam-Webster: http://www.m-w.com
Dictionary.com: http://www.dictionary.com
Logos - 188 languages: http://www.logos.it
VOA Pronunciation Guide: for names in the news
http://ibb7.ibb.gov/pronunciations/
Bartleby.com: "great books" online
http://www.bartleby.com
Shakespeare's Complete Works: search and read all of it
http://education.yahoo.com/reference/shakespeare
BBC Styleguide: new from the Beeb, PDF format only
http://www.bbctraining.co.uk/pdfs/newsStyleGuide.pdf
Economist Style Guide: from the British newspaper, newly revamped
http://www.economist.com/library/StyleGuide/
CJR's Language Corner: tips from Ev Jenkins, master editor
http://www.cjr.org/resources/lc/lc-printable.asp
SAJA Stylebook: links to other style guides
http://www.saja.org/stylebook

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Business Stuff

Hoover's Online: business profiles
http://www.hoovers.com
10kWizard: info on publicly traded companies
http://www.10kwizard.com
Niles Guide to Data on the Internet: access stats of all kinds
http://www.robertniles.com/data
GoToMyPC: access your PC remotely
http://www.gotomypc.com
Baruch Prof. Joshua Mills & his links for business journalists
http://faculty.baruch.cuny.edu/journalism/msbaruch/tools.html

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Journalism Stuff — Part I: Finding Sources
sources on deadline

Profnet's Experts Database: searchable academics list
http://www.profnet.com
Megasources: compilation by Dean Tudor, Ryerson journalism prof
http://www.ryerson.ca/~journal/megasources.html
ExpertClick: searchable experts/groups list
http://www.expertclick.com
MediaMap: send your query to PR pros
http://www.mediamap.com/media
ExpertSource: send query to experts in various fields
http://www.businesswire.com/ifmd/
Media Link: directory of sources
http://www.medialin.com/
GuestFinder: just as the name says
http://www.guestfinder.com
SPJ Rainbow Sourcebook: finding minority experts
http://spj.org/diversity_search.asp
SLA's One-stop Shop: combined list of academics lists
http://www.ibiblio.org/slanews/internet/experts.html
Facsnet: news backgrounders and sources
http://www.fascnet.org
FINDING "REAL PEOPLE" - as opposed to officials or academics
Usenet Archives: 35,000 newsgroup archives and searches
http://groups.google.com/
NetNewsTracker.com: searched newsgroups
MAILING LISTS, connecting with people through mailing lists
Yahoo Groups: http://www.yahoogroups.com
Topica: http://www.topica.com
Who is John Doe? - and where to get the paper on him:
http://www.reporter.org/desktop/tips/johndoe.htm

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Journalism Stuff — Part II: Reporting Guides
guides on various topics, written by journalists

PowerReporting.com: Pulitzer-winner Bill Dedman's suggestions
http://www.powerreporting.com
JournalistsToolBox: 12,000 links from Mike Reilly
http://www.journaliststoolbox.com
Reporter's Desktop: suggestions from Duff Wilson of the Seattle Times
http://www.reporter.org/desktop
JournalismNet: reference guide from Julian Sher
http://www.journalismnet.com
A Journalists' Guide to the Internet: links from Christopher Callahan's definitive guidebook
http://reporter.umd.edu
JournalistExpress: a "desktop" for journalists
http://www.journalistexpress.com; also see CEOExpress
DeadlineOnline: links and more from Alan Schlein. author of "Find It Online"
http://www.deadlineonline.com
Cyberjournalist SuperSearch: access different search boxes in one place, from Jon Dube
http://www.cyberjournalist.net/supersearch/index.htm
Jeremy Caplan's Web Tips: from an editor at Yahoo! Internet Life
http://www.jeremycaplan.com/webtips.htm
AssignmentEditor: run by Jim Lichtenstein, a TV news veteran; now charging for major sections
http://www.assignmenteditor.com

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Journalism Stuff — Part III: Reporting Tips
tips on doing your reporting, by topic

GENERAL TIPS FOR STORIES
Journalism.org: From Project for Excellence in Journalism
http://www.journalism.org
Poynter Tip Sheets: 200 tips sheets, indexed by topic
http://legacy.poynter.org/dj/tips/index.htm
Poynter's Al's Morning Meeting
http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=2
IRE Tip Sheets: From Investigative Reporters & Editors
http://www.ire.org/resourcecenter
The BackHaul: ideas from local news sites
http://www.thebackhaul.com
RELIGION: finding sources for religion stories
ReligionLink from Religion Newswriters Assn
http://www.religionwriters.com/public/tips/main.html
ReligionSource.org from American Academy of Religion
http://www.religionsource.org
SAJA Tips on Religion: covering Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism in the U.S.
http://saja.org/tipsreligion.html
DIVERSE COMMUNITIES: a changing America
SPJ Rainbow Sourcebook: finding minority experts
http://spj.org/diversity_search.asp
IndyPressNY's Ethnic press guide: translations of ethnic press
http://www.indypressny.org
NewsWatch Style Guide: covering minorities
http://newswatch.sfsu.edu/guide
SAJA Stylebook: covering South Asiana
http://www.saja.org/stylebook
COVERING WAR: Globalbeat Tips - resources & articles
http://www.nyu.edu/globalbeat
THE ENVIRONMENT: Society of Environmental Journalists
http://www.sej.org/pub/index1.htm
WOMEN'S & SEXUAL HEALTH ISSUES: PUSH Journal
http://www.pushjournal.org/
BUSINESS: covering business and finance
Tools for Business Journalists: from Prof. Joshua Mills of Baruch College
http://faculty.baruch.cuny.edu/journalism/msbaruch/tools.html

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Journalism Stuff — Part IV: Writing Help
improve your writing

Newsthinking: thoughts on writing by Bob Baker, LA Times editor
http://www.newsthinking.com
ProJo's Power of Words: writing tips from the Providence Journal
http://www.projo.com/words
Mervin Block's newswriting tips: help for broadcasters and others
http://www.mervinblock.com
Newscript.com: radio writing help
http://www.newscript.com/
Writer's Digest: tips, markets + "100 best sites for writers"
http://www.writersdigest.com

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Journalism Stuff — Part V: Tracking News Stories
Keeping up with what's a-goin' on

Google News: Google's unique way of handling breaking news + Google Newsalerts
http://news.google.com
http://www.google.com/newsalerts
GoogleAlert.com (regular searches): http://www.googlealert.com
NetNewsTracker.com: searched newsgroups
Yahoo! Full Coverage: best way to follow developments
http://fullcoverage.yahoo.com/fc/
1stHeadlines.com: stories by beat
http://www.1stheadlines.com
DayPop: search 35,500 news sites and Web logs
http://www.daypop.com
TVEyes.com: keep track of keywords mentioned on TV
http://www.tveyes.com (coming soon: RadioEars)

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Journalism Stuff — Part VI: Misc.

MEDIA GOINGS-ON
Jim Romenesko's MediaNews: Poynter's must-read for media junkies
http://www.poynter.org/romenesko
Don Fitzpatrick's TVSpy: Must-read for broadcast folks
http://www.tvspy.com
Drudge Report: list of news sources
http://www.drudgereport.com
I Want Media: plenty of media info + layoffs tracker
http://www.iwantmedia.com
TRANSCRIPTS: access speeches and TV shows
Speech & Transcripts Center: current and historical transcripts
http://www.freepint.com/gary/speech.htm
Historychannel.com/speeches/: historical transcripts and audio
http://www.historychannel.com/speeches/
TV ARCHIVES: TV news shows, abstracts and more
Vanderbilt Television News Archive: http://tvnews.vanderbilt.edu
LocalTVnews.org: http://www.localtvnews.org
TV4All.com: 250+ broadcast stations from around the world
http://tv4all.com/portal.htm
News Archives on the Web: guide to newspaper archives
http://www.ibiblio.org/slanews/internet/archives.html
ETHICS
Poynter Ethics Advice Line: 877-639-7817 - get help for your ethical questions
http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=4793
SPJ Ethics Advice Line: 312-409-3334 - from SPJ & Loyola Center for Ethics
http://www.ethicsadvicelineforjournalists.org
Cyberjournalist.net's tips and talk for a wired world
http://www.cyberjournalist.net
SPJ's FOIA Resource Center: all about the Freedom of Info Act
http://www.spj.org/foia
SAJA suggested sites: journalism organizations and more
http://www.saja.org/sites.html
Personal Web sites of journalists
http://www.sree.net/tips/journosites.html
JOB HUNTING: journalism listings + job banks
SAJA Job Bank: http://www.saja.org/job.html
SAJA Career Tips: http://www.saja.org/tips.html
JournalismJobs.com: http://www.journalismjobs.com
MediaBistro.com: http://www.mediabistro.com
JournalismNext.com: http://www.journalismnext.com
Fellowships & Grants: http://www.newswise.com/grants.htm

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Consumer Info
the more you know...

Killing Pop-up Ads: hate 'em, hate 'em
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/news/technology/WABC_techguru_022003popups.html
Killing Junk E-mail/Spam: hate 'em, hate 'em
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/technology/WABC_techguru_022003junkemail.html
Computers 101: tips on buying a computers and other tech tips
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/news/wabc_comp101_index_shell.html
Buying a laptop: tips on buying a notebook PC
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/news/WABC_techguru_081402laptop.html
Sree's Top Three: three top picks in various categories
http://www.sreetips.com/top3.html
SHOPPING ONLINE: buying on the Web
Top Three Shopping Sites: where to shop and how to be careful
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/news/WABC_techguru_020703shoppingsites.html
Epinions.com: best place to get feedback on almost anything
http://www.epinions.com
Roboform: help with Web passwords
http://www.roboform.com
OnlineHomeBase.com: online note-taker for work and family
http://www.onlinehomebase.com
4MyEmergency.com: store important family info
http://www.4myemergency.com
Keeping Kids Safe Online: tips for parents
http://www.sree.net/tips/kidsonline.html
TRACKING FLIGHTS: watch a flight's progress
FlightView: http://www.flightview.com
Flight Tracker: http://www.trip.com/trs/trip/flighttracker/flight_tracker_graphic.xsl
TrackAFlight: http://www.trackaflight.com
AmIGoingDown: http://www.amigoingdown.com
AirSafe: http://www.airsafe.com
Landings: http://www.landings.com
ToastNet Performance Test: check speed of your connection
http://performance.toast.net
DIGITAL CASH: pay with credit cards via e-mail
PayPal: http://www.paypal.com
c2it.com: http://www.c2it.com
PHONE/INTERNET SERVICES: wake-up calls, reminders and more
TellMe: http://www.tellme.com
iPing.com: http://www.iping.com
Consumer World: free guide to consumer information
http://www.consumerworld.org
FreeAdvice.com: answers to legal questions
http://www.freeadvice.com
Home Improvement: advice, contractors and more
http://www.sree.net/tips/home.html
Car Web sites: kick those cyber tires
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/technology/WABC_techguru_040301_cars.html
Sree Tips on setting up a personal Web site
http://www.sree.net/interland

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Just for Fun
test these out

JustATip.com: pass on an anonymous compliment or criticism
http://www.justatip.com
Internet Archive: historical archive of millions of sites
http://archive.org
AOL IM: get free instant messenger without AOL (my handle: sreenyc)
http://www.aim.com
Stamps.com: no more licking (postage) again
http://www.stamps.com
Dialectizer: translate sites into "redneck," "Elmer Fuddese" - sample
http://www.rinkworks.com/dialect
TouristofDeath.com: he's real bad luck
http://www.touristofdeath.com
Star Links -- connect actors with each other
http://oracleofbacon.org/oracle/star_links.html
Asciimation: "Star Wars" as you've never seen it
http://www.asciimation.co.nz

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