The document provides an overview of various websites that can be used to find information on different topics. It discusses search engines like Google and Ask, subject lists like About.com and RefDesk.com, reference sources like Answers.com, government directories like USA.gov, and specialized information sites for consumers, health, and travel. The document aims to help users find relevant online resources through search engines and subject-organized directories.

1. How Do I Find It On The Net? Mohsen Rahnamaie Thousand Oaks Library 03/18/10

2. Introduction In this presentation, we look at some of the best sites on a variety of topics. 03/18/10

3. Categories Search engines Subject lists Reference Sources Government directories Consumer information Health information Travel 03/18/10

4. Search Engines Search engines allow users to find words or subjects on a web-wide scale. They search millions of web documents for your keywords through a computer-created database. They allow advanced searching techniques. 03/18/10

5. Search Engines Google Ask 03/18/10

6. Google the largest and most popular Internet search engine 03/18/10

7. Google 03/18/10

8. Google’s Advanced Search 03/18/10

9. Ask Narrow or broaden your search with possible alternative search terms which appear on the right hand side of the Ask results page. Point your mouse on the Binoculars icon and a preview of the site will appear. 03/18/10

10. Ask 03/18/10

11. Getting the Most From Your Searches 03/18/10

12. Getting Started Learn about the various engines Including help files and FAQ files. Use search strategies -- “build” your search. Try more than one search engine. 03/18/10

13. Possible Search Questions Find current gas price for California metropolitan areas Check to see if a particular acupuncturist is licensed by the state What’s the web address for the Norah Jones fan club? 03/18/10 These questions can be answered by using a search engine and appropriate search words.

14. What is your question? What are the keywords? Input the terms. Examine the results. Try again if needed. Search Strategy 03/18/10

15. Beyond the Search Engines 03/18/10

16. A Note About Metasearching Metasearch engines search multiple search sites: clusty.com 03/18/10

17. Clusty It works as a clustering engine: Automatically organizes the results in meaningful groups. www.clusty.com/ 03/18/10

18. Subject Lists Subject lists are organized indexes that allow you to browse through lists of web sites by subject or topic. Subject lists are created by people. 03/18/10

19. Subject Lists Excellent for browsing Like visiting a library Clearly defined subjects 03/18/10

20. Who Creates Subject Lists? Libraries Nonprofit organizations Dot-com businesses But they are probably portals too 03/18/10

21. A Sampling of Subject Lists About.Com www.about.com Refdesk.Com www.refdesk.com 03/18/10

22. About.com 1 million annotations. Subject specialists maintain the topic pages. You can write to the specialists and ask questions. www.about.com 03/18/10

23. RefDesk.com Extensive, searchable collection of links. Major Features: Current News and Weather Facts-At-a-Glance Help and Advice www.refdesk.com 03/18/10

24. Subject Lists Do not search beyond their user-defined databases -- if they search at all Do not allow advanced search strategies Sometimes contain dead links if not maintained 03/18/10

25. Reference Sources Answers.com 03/18/10

26. Answers.com Answers.com offers free access to millions of topics from the world's leading publishers. Download 1-Click Answers software for Windows and then Alt-Click on any word in any program on your screen for a pop-up window with a concise AnswerTip www.answers.com 03/18/10

27. 1-Click Answers Software http://tinyurl.com/9y4w7 03/18/10

28. Government Directories USA.gov 03/18/10

29. USA.gov Official website for searching the U.S. Government Users can search by using the search engine or browse by the branch of the government Includes state and local government sources. www.usa.gov 03/18/10

30. Consumer Information Consumersearch.Com USA.gov Shopzilla 03/18/10

31. Consumersearch A great starting point to research a product Categories include: electronics, automotive, office, sports & leisure, etc. www.consumersearch.com 03/18/10

32. USA.gov The Consumer Guide link on this site is a portal to a broad range of federal information resources available online. www.usa.gov 03/18/10

33. Shopzilla.com One of the largest and most comprehensive online shopping networks on the web. Find the best value for virtually anything you want to buy from thousands of online retailers www.shopzilla.com 03/18/10

34. Health Information Resources MedlinePlus NIH Senior Health NCCAM 03/18/10

35. MedlinePlus Sponsored by the national library of medicine Easy to search Info about diseases, drugs, doctors and hospitals www.medlineplus.org/ 03/18/10

36. Senior Health This website for older adults was developed by the National Institute on Aging and the National Library of Medicine, both part of the National Institute of Health. www.Nihseniorhealth.gov 03/18/10

37. NCCAM The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) is the Federal Government's lead agency for scientific research on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) nccam.nih.gov 03/18/10

38. Travel Fodor Travelzoo Exploritas (Elderhostel) 03/18/10

39. Fodor Excellent interface for researching vacation destinations around the world Overview of local sites and activities Reviews of restaurants, hotels, shopping, and handy information like weather and maps www.fodors.com 03/18/10

40. Travelzoo Lists sales and specials from more than 300 companies. Supersearch option for searching multiple travel sites. www.travelzoo.com 03/18/10

41. Exploritas (Elderhostel) Provides learning experiences for people 55 and over www.exploritas.org 03/18/10