Sree's Thoughts on Reference Material on the Web
Thursday, March 22, 2001

Finding the RIGHT information online without getting sidetracked is not easy. There are more than 3 billion Web pages out there and it's easy to get lost in all that confusion. There are several good places to find reference material, but I am going to tell you about just three today.

My first site is Refdesk.com. It calls itself "the single best source for facts on the Net" -- and it just might be the best source. It's certainly my favorite place to start looking for reference material. It has excellent links to hundreds of other sites organized in easy-to-understand groupings. You can find facts about almost any topic you can think of -- and dozens you can't. Don't just take my word for it. Secretary of State Colin Powell told The New York Times it is his favorite Web site (not favorite facts site, favorite site). Most amazing of all, it's a one-man show, run by Bob Drudge, father of Internet gossip journalist Matt Drudge.

My next site is Britannica.com, the online home of the Encyclopedia Britannica. Most of the articles and vast resources of the print encyclopedia online and free. Whenever I need to find in-depth information on a topic, I stop by Britannica to see what's there. It also has useful outside links. I don't know how much longer they will keep giving it away, so use it while you can.

My last reference site for today is About.com. What makes the site different from the others is that it uses experts in various fields to cover more than 700 topics. These individuals set out to guide you through the maze that is the Internet. If I know nothing about a subject, I use the About.com site to find a guide and his or her suggested links and articles on that subject.

The sites:

Refdesk:
http://www.refdesk.com

Britannica:
http://www.britannica.com

About:
http://www.about.com

 

Send your ideas for coverage -- and feedback: techguru@sree.net

 

Sree's Site of The Week


The Internet Movie Database
http://www.imdb.com

Since it's Oscar week, a lot of people I know are looking at movie sites. The official home of the Academy Awards is, of course, Oscar.com and a great place to learn more about the awards.

But my pick of the week is a movie site that goes beyond the Oscars (it covers them well, too). It's the Internet Movie Database, which is widely considered the most comprehensive motion picture resource online. Film critic Roger Ebert, who's very Web savvy, has called it "the best movie site on the Web."

It has a terrific collection of background information and data on Hollywood movies and is searchable by title, cast/crew and even characters.

One thing I learned: There were actually two movies named "Tootsie." One, of course, is the 1982 Dustin Hoffman film. The other: a silent movie from 1917.

Be warned: You could stop by to just check a fact and find yourself surfing around for an hour.

The Internet Movie Database
http://www.imdb.com

o o o o o o

To join the LOW-volume "Sree Tips" e-mail mailing list, send your name and e-mail address to sreetips@sree.net. No more than once a month, you will receive an e-mail message with tips and tricks about new, useful and fun Web sites.