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Our Top Internet Information Sites 2005

We started publishing this list about three years ago. I fully admit that I am an information junkie and enjoy finding the answers to questions as soon as they come up. I tend to use a core group of sites to find my information. In this list you will see some perennial favorites and some new ones that I started using over the past year.

In no particular order, my favorite information gathering web sites are:

  • Google – Hands down the best place to start when you are searching the Internet

Making the most of a dialup connection

This tip has the dual function of teaching you how to not only get around the Internet faster, but also understand how Windows can allow you to do more than one task at a time.

First, when you use a search engine, it returns many different answers for you to sift through.  The common way to sift through these is to click on one of the answers, examine it and then hit the back button on the browser to return to the list.

A quicker way to find what you are looking for is to:

  1. Right Click on a link from the answer list
  2. Click on the open link in a new window option

This starts a brand new window for you to load the page.  So, instead of waiting for it download, immediately push Alt+tab on your keyboard OR click on the alternate browser button on your taskbar to return to the list of answers.

Repeat this process as much as five times to open up web pages simultaneously. 

Internet Explorer Quick Navigation Tip

Sometimes the simple tips provide the most usefulness. Try this tip to gain a little speed when navigating to a new or favorite web site. As the title suggests, this tip only works with Internet Explorer. Do not add or subtract any steps from this tip:

  1. Click on one time in the address bar at the top of the browser

  2. Type the name of the web site in the bar (eg. for www.helpmerick.com just type helpmerick, for www.foodtv.com just type foodtv, etc)

  3. Press Ctrl+Enter on your keyboard and boom the browser automatically adds the http://www to the beginning and the .com to then end of the address and instantly transports you to the web site.

Does your computer get stuck?

Actually, I should say, "does your web browser get stuck?" Occasionally, we may click on a link from a web page and the browser just sits there and the page never appears. Here’s the remedy… When you experience the above symptom while browsing about the Internet, simply click on the "stop" button at the top of your browser (traffic light in Netscape, circle with an ‘X’ in it for Internet Explorer and AOL). Then, immediately click on the link again and your browser should kick into gear and take you where you want to go. One caution: do NOT use this technique while shopping on the Internet.

Change the Font Size of Your Browser Text

Text on certain web pages can be either too small or too big. Using either Netscape Communicator or Internet Explorer, you have control over this potential problem using the font size command.

These font adjustments don’t have to be absolute. Change them as the need arises since there is a large disparity in the way web sites are formatted.

In Internet Explorer, change the font size by:

1. Click on View from the menus
2. Click on Text Size
3. Click on any of the options listed (from smallest to largest)

In Netscape Communicator, change the font size by:

1. Click on Edit from the menus

Alternative Browser

Would you like to have your web surfing speed increased? Would you like web sites to pop-up just a little faster? Changing the web browser you use (Internet Explorer, Netscape, AOL) will do just that.

This tip does NOT require you to change Internet services. If you use AOL or any other service, that does not change. And whether you connect via a dialup modem (phone line), DSL, cable or other method, this tip applies across the board. The ONLY thing that changes is what program you use to browse the Internet. Lastly, this tip costs you nothing.

Opera is the name of the browser that I am referring to, and it comes all the way from Oslo, Norway. This program has been around for quite a few years, yet has a very small, but loyal, following. Opera takes up only about 25%-50% of the space that Internet Explorer, AOL or Netscape use on your hard drive. Being small and designed for speed makes this browser the speediest you will ever use.

All Search Results are NOT Created Equally

When you click on a link provided by a search engine for a medication you are taking
or maybe a popular TV show, there is a good chance that you may end up at a site
packed with spyware and/or viruses ready to pounce on your computer.

In this week’s tip, I don’t want to rant about viruses and spyware or even the nuances
of searching. All of these topics are thoroughly covered here at the web site. Instead,
I want to point out some general tips and ideas and to keep in mind when searching the
web…regardless of which search engine you choose.

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Spelling is paramount. The degenerates who spread filth make a living on taking