Finding good content on the web

Sometimes it's not so easy to find good content on the web. Here are a few suggestions to help you in your explorations.

1. The usual suspects. Search engines like google, dogpile, yahoo, ask, MSN etc...are good resources when you use them to their fullest potential. Understand the search mechanisms and get used to using boolean logic and specific terms to narrow the scope of the search. Also know what it is you're getting with each site. Google searches based on pageRank which ranks sites by importance. Some search engines use bots (programs that crawl through web pages) while others compile and manage indexes for each group or classification of information. If you're not finding what you're looking for try tweaking a setting in the search engine.

2. Weblogs. Weblogs are authored by people who are close to their source, who truly care, and who can post to the web entirely unedited -and they provide plenty of interesting links. They can act as a great content filter for you. Though it might sound a little self serving ;)....the people attracted to blogging tend to be smart, avid web researchers, and very expressive. Together bloggers form a community of connected intelligence. By tapping into clever, active, or just plain entertaining bloggers you are in a sense capturing their ideas for yourself and that makes you STRONGER! Interesting isn't it.

Here are a few blogging sites that might interest you.....

Feedster - a popular tool that searches through weblogs
Technorati - a service that ranks and indexes weblogs
Weblogs.com - a list of recently updated blogs (to surf)
BlogsCanada - links to Canadian blogger sites
Bloglines - an aggregator for weblogs. You can use this to compile a composite of your favourite blogs.

Of course this is just a start.

3. Wiki's.

A Wiki is basically a web site that allows for group and often public editing. These sites are built by online communities and by being open and having so many hands to help out they can be very good sources.

Wikipedia - a free content encyclopedia. Check here if you need to clarify a term.
Wiki bus tour - These tours will introduce you to some interesting wiki communities.
InterWiki Map - a list of wikis

That's enough for a start. Friends, online or otherwise, tend to be the greatest resource for discovering good content. Do you have a favourite trusted resource on the web?

UPEI, University of Prince Edward Island