Web Resources

ESPN.com: www.espn.com. ESPN’s Web site providing online sports coverage.

Skype: www.skype.com. This VoIP site provides software that allows the user to make phone calls from their computer. Calls to other Skype users are free, whereas calls to non-Skype customers incur a fee. Visitors to the site can find detailed information, information on premium products, read user comments, and download the Skype program for free.

Vonage: www.vonage.com. Vonage provides a fee-based VoIP phone service that uses your broadband Internet connection. Site visitors can check their Internet connection to see if it is compatible with Vonage, sign up for service, review available features, and access a comprehensive Help area.

Rotten Tomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com. Search for movies and read the critics’ reviews on this blog site. Don’t know what you feel like watching? Use the Tomato Picker for suggestions based on criteria you set. Visit the Forums to see what site visitors think or start your own journal on The Vine.

Gizmodo: The Gadgets Weblog: www.gizmodo.com. This blog site reviews the newest technology gadgets and other consumer electronics products.

Blogger: www.blogger.com. This blog site is owned by Google and helps users to create their own blog in three easy steps, for free.

LiveJournal: www.livejournal.com. This blog site is based on open-source software and provides free weblog accounts or, for a fee, accounts with additional features.

My Daily Dribble: www.mydailydribble.org. A fictitious Web site address used within the text for demonstration purposes only.

Serious Magic: www.seriousmagic.com. Serious Magic is a developer of video and communication software. Their products include Vlog It!, a video creation software package. Users can create videos for Web sites or add them to their blogs. Visitors can download an evaluation version or purchase the full package online.

Audible.com: www.audible.com. Audible is a provider of digital audio entertainment, information, and educational programming, offering over 80,000 hours of programs from over 270 different providers. Site visitors can create an account and download the Audible software used to manage audio downloads, then select the audio program or programs they wish to purchase for download.

Apple: iPod + iTunes: www.itunes.com. Apple’s iTunes music store allows visitors to buy and download a myriad of songs and videos, as well as podcasts and audiobooks. Visitors can download the iTunes software for free and use it to manage and play the music and video files on their computer. It works with both Macs and PCs and it is not necessary to own an iPod.

Podcast Alley: www.podcastalley.com. Visit this podcast portal and use the directory to locate podcasts. Visitors can also participate in the forums, get information about podcasting, and download podcasting software.

iPodder: indiePodder.org: www.ipodder.org. This site offers a decentralized, categorized directory of links to podcast feeds. Because the directory consists solely of links, there are no descriptions, samples, or ratings to be found here. The site also offers the iPodder software, which is a program that will download MP3 and other audio files directly to an MP3 player.

Podscope: www.podscope.com. Podscope is a search engine that searches audio and video files for spoken words specified by the user. Results are displayed as short audio clips with links to the site where the full audio or video content can be found.

Podzinger: www.podzinger.com. This site searches audio and video content based on key words or phrases entered by visitors. Results include a brief written excerpt of the audio file and links to either the section of the podcast containing the search result or to the complete file, as well as to the originating Web site. Visitors can also subscribe to an RSS feed that will continue to send results based on the search terms.

Wikipedia: www.wikipedia.org. This free encyclopedia site is based on wiki technology, which allows any site visitor to edit the existing content or contribute new material. Although there are procedures to oversee and verify changes to the site’s content, mistakes and incorrect information can exist. Visitors are encouraged to verify the validity of any information obtained here with other reliable sources.

wikiHow: www.wikihow.org. This collaborative site is another example of wiki technology. This site uses the insight and know-how of its volunteers to create an online how-to manual.

Blender: www.blender3d.org. This site is home to the open source software program Blender, which is used for 3D modeling and animation. Blender’s software documentation is maintained using wiki technology and can be found here: http://mediawiki.blender.org.

Tag You’re It: www.tagyoureit.org. Home of a collaborative writing community, Tag You’re It uses wiki technology to allow the members of the community to revise and expand on stories that other members have already begun.

Chicago Wiki Arts: www.chicagowikiarts.org. Wiki technology permits registered members of this site to post their ideas and opinions about the art scene in Chicago to the site for others to read, revise, and discuss. The site is attempting to attract contributors from all of Chicago’s neighborhoods.

ICQ.com: http://www.icq.com/icqchat Originally an instant messaging program, the ICQ Web site also offers many messaging services and community products—including chat rooms.

Chatdanger: www.chatdanger.com. This site is designed to educate children and adults about the potential dangers of interactive online sites and activities, including chatrooms, IM, mobile phones, online games, and e-mail.

Tile.Net: www.tile.net/news. Promoted as a comprehensive Internet reference site, Tile.Net provides access to the Usenet Newsgroups along with e-mail newsletters and ezines, Web design companies, and Web development information.

Tile.Net: www.tile.net/lists. Tile.Net’s guide to e-mail newsletters and discussion lists.

CataList: www.lsoft.com/catalist.html. LSoft’s CataList is the catalog of listserv lists. Search for a mailing list on a specific topic, choose a list based on the country it is from, or choose a list based on the size of its membership.

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com. LinkedIn is a social networking site targeted toward professionals. The site states that it has over 6 million members from over 130 industries from around the world. Members can use the site a number of ways, including searching for prospective clients, establishing connections with colleagues and peers, and searching for jobs or employees.

WiredSafety: www.wiredsafety.org. The WiredSafety site attempts to provide information and educate parents and children about the dangers of social networking sites. The site’s mission is to help protect children in cyberspace.

Shockwave.com: www.shockwave.com. This site is home to a number of games that can be played online or downloaded for a fee.

Adobe Systems Incorporated: www.adobe.com. Download the free Adobe Reader plug-in from this site to view PDF files. Visitors can also download the Flash, Shockwave, and Authorware Web players here.

Apple QuickTime: www.apple.com. Download the free QuickTime audio and video player from Apple from this site.

Rhapsody & RealPlayer: www.real.com. The RealPlayer audio/video plug-in is available as a free download or, for a fee, as a more full-featured player.

Microsoft: www.microsoft.com. Download the free Windows Media Player from Microsoft’s site to view video files and listen to audio files.

Dell: www.dell.com. Visitors to this site can research, customize, and purchase their own computer and explore the customer service and support areas, too.

Best Buy: www.bestbuy.com. Online store for the popular electronics retailer, Best Buy. Visitors can research products, check the weekly specials, purchase products online, or reserve them for in-store pick-up.

Target: www.target.com. Discount retailer Target’s online site lets visitors search for and purchase merchandise, browse the weekly circular, purchase gift cards, and locate stores in their area.

Omaha Paper Company: www.omahapaper.com. An example of a business-to-business site, Omaha Paper Company is a wholesale distributor working with businesses in the printing and copying industry.

Better Business Bureau: www.bbb.org. The online component of the familiar Better Business Bureau monitors its member companies and intercedes on behalf of consumers with complaints or disputes.

BizRate: www.bizrate.com. This comparison shopping site lets visitors search for a myriad of products while comparing prices and rating vendors.

WebAssured.com: www.webassured.com. WebAssured awards their Seal of Assurance to Web sites that meet or surpass their criteria for ethical online standards and practices, providing an additional level of confidence for consumers visiting these sites.

Download.com: www.download.com. Search for software, music, games, and videos on this popular download site.

Emailias.com: www.emailias.com. This Web site allows you to create disposable e-mail addresses to maintain your anonymity while online and avoid attracting spam to your inbox.

Sneakemail.com 2.0: www.sneakemail.com. This site provides disposable e-mail addresses to help keep spam from reaching you.

Kookaburra Software: www.kburra.com. This site is home to the cooking management software program, Cookie Pal. Visitors can download a trial version or purchase the full version here.

eTrust PestPatrol Anti-Spyware: www.pestpatrol.com. Visit this site to download a trial version of this antispyware software, purchase the full version, or scan your PC online for free.

Hoaxbusters: http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org. This site catalogues an incredible number of hoaxes that have been circulating online—some that have been around for many years.

Microsoft Internet Explorer: www.microsoft.com/windows/ie. The home page for Microsoft’s Web browser. Internet Explorer is the most commonly used browser and is part of the Microsoft Windows operating system. Visit the site for security updates and news about new browser features, as well as tips to help safely navigating the Internet.

Firefox: www.mozilla.com. Developed by the Mozilla Corporation, the free Firefox Web browser has quickly become a popular alternative to Internet Explorer. Download the software here, get technical support, and explore additional features.

Safari RSS: www.apple.com/macosx/features/safari. The Safari Web browser is part of the Apple Mac OS X operating system. Visit the Safari site to learn about its new features, download updates, and get handy tips for better browsing.

Opera Web Browser: www.opera.com. This site allows you to download the alternative Web browser Opera for free or add the mobile version to a cell phone. Learn about the Opera features, visit the Security Center, or join the Opera community and share information and photos.

Lynx Source Distribution Directory: http://lynx.isc.org. This is the top-level page for the Lynx text-based Web browser software distribution site. Download the latest version, visit the online Help and User Guides, or explore the mailing list archives at this site.

Netscape: www.netscape.com. Older than, and originally more popular than, Internet Explorer, this free browser rapidly lost market share to Microsoft’s browser. The Netscape site now acts as a portal, providing such items as news, weather, and search functions; however, it is still possible to download the browser software here, too.

Camino: www.caminobrowser.org. Home of the Camino Web browser, which was developed by Mozilla specifically for Apple’s Macintosh computers and the Mac OS X operating system.

Popular Science: www.popsci.com. Here you’ll find the online edition for Popular Science magazine.

University of Wisconsin: ftp://ftp.uwp.edu. This is the FTP site for the University of Wisconsin’s Parkside campus.

FTP Site: ftp://ourcompany.com A fictitious FTP Web site address used within the text for demonstration purposes only.

UC Berkeley: www.berkeley.edu. Home page for the University of California Berkeley.

Norid: www.norid.no/domenenavnbaser/domreg.html. Locate top-level domain names for countries around the world from this site.

PA PowerPort: www.state.pa.us. Home page for the state of Pennsylvania.

The New York Times: www.nytimes.com. Read the New York Times on the Web at this site.

Cartoons—NY Times: www.nytimes.com/pages/cartoons. View the cartoons from the current issue of the New York Times at this site.

MyBookmarks.com: www.mybookmarks.com. Access your favorite sites and bookmarked pages from anywhere using the services provided by this site.

Librarians’ Internet Index: www.lii.org. On this site you’ll find Web resources selected and maintained by librarians and sorted into 14 main topics and approximately 300 related topics.

AllTheWeb: www.alltheweb.com. A general search engine used to locate information online.

AltaVista: www.altavista.com. Another general search engine, AltaVista includes the Babel Fish translation tool, which allows visitors to enter text in one language and obtain a translation in another.

Dogpile: www.dogpile.com. Search multiple search engines with this metasearch tool.

Excite: www.excite.com. This portal provides search capabilities as well as e-mail accounts, top news stories, sports scores, and weather forecasts.

Google: www.google.com. This popular search engine can be used to find resources on the Web.

CompletePlanet: www.completeplanet.com. This subject directory searches the Deep Web, including dynamic searchable databases that may not be accessible via other search tools.

LookSmart: www.looksmart.com. This subject directory’s specialty is the Vertical Search, utilizing 12 top-level categories, claiming to provide essential information rather than exhaustive information.

ODP: Open Directory Project: www.dmoz.org. Use the search textbox or drill down through the subject directory categories on this free, open-source site that is edited by volunteers.

INFOMINE: http://infomine.ucr.edu. Built by librarians, this site provides access to university level research and educational tools. Visitors can search by keyword or by browsing the subject directory.

Yahoo!: www.yahoo.com. Perhaps the most well-known subject directory, Yahoo! now comes up as a portal page with search engine capabilities. You’ll need to scroll down the page to access the subject directory portion of the site.

High Search Engine Ranking: www.high-search-engine-ranking.com. Although targeted toward Web site owners who are seeking to optimize their rankings with various search engines, this site also provides information about the processes used by search engines and a comprehensive list of popular national and international search engines and subject directories.

DailyStocks: www.dailystocks.com. This specialty search engine provides investment information, personalized stock tickers, and other finance-related materials.

SearchEngineWatch: www.searchenginewatch.com. Developed to provide assistance with search engine marketing, this site includes information about various search engines and provides search tips.

Modern Language Association (MLA): www.mla.org. Web site for the organization responsible for the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers and the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing, both of which provide invaluable resources for writers. Visitors to the site can learn how to become a member, browse MLA publications, and get information about the annual convention. MLA members can also access professional resources. This site also includes a brief FAQ section, but visitors seeking in-depth information about MLA style are advised to purchase the book.

Skislope: www.skislope.com. A fictitious Web site address used within the text for demonstration purposes only.

DSL.com: www.dsl.com. Use this site to discover whether DSL service is available in your area and explore service provider options.

GetConnected: www.getconnected.com. Use this site to obtain information about the availability of high-speed Internet or wireless access providers.

The List of ISPs: www.thelist.com. Promoted as the definitive ISP buyers guide, this site enables users to find a dial-up or broadband service provider. Search by location, phone number, country code, or nationwide.

All Free ISP: www.all-free-isp.com. Use this site to find free or low-cost ISP providers within the United States or Canada.

Additional Links

Technology in Action Companion Web Site: www.prenhall.com/techinaction . Here you’ll find additional resources to support and supplement chapter topics, including an Online Study Guide and Web Research Projects.

24x7 Pearson Product Support: http://247.prenhall.com. Use this site to obtain help by phone, e-mail, or chat, or explore the knowledge base to find answers right on the Web site.

Anoniblog: http://anoniblog.pbwiki.com. The backlash against blogging has made headlines recently. Bloggers who have posted unpopular or controversial opinions may be in danger of losing their job or, in some countries, being arrested and jailed. This site is a wikipedia that attempts to provide guidelines to help increase a blogger’s chances of maintaining their anonymity. However, as the site points out, it is not possible to guarantee anyone’s anonymity online.

BlogSafety.com: www.blogsafety.com. This site is designed to provide safe blogging guidelines for teens and adults.

Google Groups: http://groups.google.com. Although still listed as the beta version, Google Groups allows you to search the Usenet postings or start your own online community.

MySpace: www.myspace.com. Possibly the largest and most popular social networking site, MySpace enables members to create their own online community. Members can invite friends to join their personal network, share photos, create journals, and check out their friends’ friends.

Facebook: www.facebook.com. Although similar to MySpace, this social directory requires its members to have a valid college, high school, or corporate e-mail address. Once membership is confirmed, members can share interests, photos, and information with others.

Friendster: www.friendster.com. Another example of a social networking site.

Consumer Reports.org: http://www.consumerreports.org/. The Web site for the popular journal Consumer Reports provides information about safety alerts and recalls, helpful advice, and ratings and recommendations on products and services. Note that in order to obtain full access to this information, visitors must pay a membership fee.

Microsoft Office Outlook: www.microsoft.com/office/outlook/prodinfo/default.mspx. This is Microsoft’s homepage for its e-mail application Outlook.

Microsoft Outlook Express: www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/using/oe/default.mspx. This is the product information page for Outlook Express, Microsoft’s e-mail and newsgroup reader.

Eudora: www.eudora.com. This is the homepage for the Eudora e-mail program.

CERT Coordination Center: www.cert.org. Get news about the latest Internet security threats and learn how to avoid becoming a victim at this site, operating under the auspices of Carnegie Mellon University.

Snopes.com: Urban Legends Reference Pages: www.snopes.com. This site attempts to verify or debunk all sorts of urban legends and hoaxes. Check out that “too good to be true” e-mail using their search tool or simply browse the many categories of topics. Well researched and documented, this site attempts to identify when a story is true, when it is false, or when it can’t be confirmed. Never pass along a hoax e-mail again!

Museum of Hoaxes: www.museumofhoaxes.com. This site has an amazing array of inaccurate information, or Internet hoaxes. It also lists the Top 100 April Fool’s Day hoaxes and has several online photo and gullibility tests. Have your students take them and see just how savvy they are!

Anti-Spyware Coalition: www.antispywarecoalition.org. This site is a coalition of antispyware vendors, consumer groups, and academics attempting to define and clarify spyware and identify best practices for fighting it.

eBay: www.ebay.com. This consumer-to-consumer site is probably the most popular online auction site around.

PayPal: www.paypal.com. Owned by eBay, this site makes it simple and safe for anyone to send funds online.

VeriSign: www.verisign.com. VeriSign is used by many Web sites to ensure their transactions and the information they collect from visitors remain secure and protected.

TRUSTe: www.truste.com. This site helps to ensure privacy and confidentiality for Web site visitors by monitoring the privacy and e-mail policies of sites using its services.

Mozilla Suite: www.mozilla.org/products/mozilla1.x. Based on the original code for Netscape, Mozilla Suite is a free, open source Web browser. Mozilla Corporation is also the developer of the Firefox Web browser. The difference between Mozilla Suite and Firefox is that Mozilla Suite offers other tools such as an e-mail client and newsreader, in addition to a Web browser, whereas Firefox is only a browser.

Lycos: www.lycos.com. Lycos began as a subject directory, but now provides search engine capabilities coupled with a portal page. It also features a beta version of Retriever, promoted as an information fusion engine, but results may not be optimal yet.

MSN: www.msn.com. The MSN portal page includes a search engine toolbar.

Search Engine List: www.search-engines-megalist.com. This site provides links to search engines and directories around the world.

University at Albany Internet Tutorials: http://library.albany.edu/internet. This site includes Internet tutorials, research guides, and a variety of articles about the use of search engines, subject directories, and the Deep Web.

Learn the Net: www.learnthenet.com. This site provides a wealth of information about the Internet, suitable for beginners and not-so-beginners. Learn about netiquette, surfing, building Web sites, and the Deep Web, just to name a few. There’s even a spot for free lessons and activity plans for educators.

HughesNet: www.hughesnet.com. Formerly DIRECWAY, HughesNet is a satellite Internet service provider. Choose the level of broadband service you want—home, business, and so on, and get more information or sign up for service.