Web Resources

Support/Web Resource Links

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, plus receive an evaluation copy of Vlog It!, a video creation software program.

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.

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

AltaVista: www.altavista.com. A 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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

Citation Machine: http://www.citationmachine.net. Citation Machine is an interactive web tool designed to assist high school, college, and university students, their teachers, and independent researchers in their effort to respect other people’s intellectual properties.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

Full Screen: http://www.fullscreenqtvr.com. This website is one of various common steps finalized to establish high-quality full-screen QuickTime Virtual Reality as a standard for photographic virtual reality exploration on the Internet.

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

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

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

Google Groups: http://groups.google.com. Google Groups allows you to search the Usenet postings or start your own online community.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com. LinkedIn is a social networking site targeted toward professionals. Members can use the site in a number of ways, including searching for prospective clients, establishing connections with colleagues and peers, and searching for jobs or employees.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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 Opera features, visit the Security Center, or join the Opera community and share information and photos.

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.

Pando: http://www.pandoblog.com. Pando is free software that makes sharing and downloading huge media easy and fun.

Podcast: http://www.podcast.net. A site containing podcasts, organized by genre, to easily locate podcasts of interest to you.

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.

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.

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

Real.com: www.real.com. This site offers the RealPlayer audio/video plug-in as a free download or, for a fee, as a more full-featured player.

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.

Second Life: http://www.secondlife.com. Second Life is a 3D online digital game world imagined, created, and owned by its residents.

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

Skype: www.skype.com. This VoIP site provides software that allows users 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 on products, read user comments, and download the Skype program for free.

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

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.

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

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.

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

Tile.Net News: 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.

Vlog It: www.adobe.com/motion (formerly www.seriousmagic.com). Visit this site for Vlog It software, which makes adding video content to a blog easy.

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.

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.

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.

Wikipedia: www.wikipedia.org. This free encyclopedia site is based on wiki technology, which allows any 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.

WiredSafety: www.wiredsafety.org. This 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.

World of WarCraft: http://www.worldofwarcraft.com. This site is a multiplayer online game with over 9 million subscribers.

Xbox LIVE: http://www.xbox.com/live. This site provides access to the premier online gaming and entertainment service that enables you to connect your Xbox to the Internet and play games online.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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!

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.

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

Safari: 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.

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

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!

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.

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.