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[Shirl Kennedy (SCFN)]

This message is being cross-posted, with apologies, to carr-l, 
nettrain and web4lib...

For my forthcoming book from ALA Editions about using the Internet 
for reference and research, I am seeking hints and tips from 
experienced Web searchers.  I'm planning to "sprinkle" these gems 
throughout the book, both to break up the text visually, and to 
ground the book in the "real world," where most of us spend the bulk 
of our days.  (This is a "fun" project and not a "scholarly" project.) 
 I'm looking for stuff like:

*  Which search engine(s) do you use most often and why?
*  Which search engine(s) do you tend to avoid, and why?
*  Do you have any particular hints to offer relevant to a particular 
search engine?
*  How do you keep track of useful URLs?
*  Do you keep an extensive bookmark file?  If so, how do you manage 
it?  If not, do you use other methods or tools to organize 
information about useful sites.
*  Are there any specific Web sites that you find indespensible for 
doing research on the Internet -- either subject-specific or general. 
 Examples would be all-in-one search-type pages or "meta-pages" which 
feature comprehensive collections of links in a subject area of 
interest.
*  Are there any software programs (commercial, shareware, freeware) --
 for searching, organizing, efficiently using the Web -- that you would 
recommend to others?
*  How do you keep up with what's new -- and relevant to your area 
of interest -- on the Internet?  Listservs?  Electronic journals?  
Newsgroups?  Web sites?
*  How do you evaluate the quality of the information you find on the 
Web?  Do you have any particular caveats or horror stories?
*  If you were stuck on a desert island and could have only one 
URL...?

If you contribute a hint or tip (and provide me with your 
professional affiliation), you will, of course, be given full credit 
in the book.  And I would be more than happy to compile the 
information y'all send to me and post a summary back to the lists.  
Don't feel you have to write an essay.  I'm mostly interested in 
quick-cheap-dirty...

Thanks in advance.

Shirl Kennedy
Internet Waves columnist
Information Today
skennedy at pobox.com