Gmail Tips and Tricks

Here are some links that will help you get used to Gmail and show you more about all its capabilities:

http://blog.taragana.com/index.php/archive/5-things-i-like-most-about-gmail/

http://www.reviewsaurus.com/2007/07/05/10-reasons-why-i-like-gmail/

http://kylescove.com/2007/01/05/ultimate-guide-to-googles-gmail/

http://email.about.com/od/gmailtips/tp/pop_gmail_tips.htm

http://email.about.com/od/gmailtips/Gmail_Tips_Tricks_and_Secrets.htm

http://lifehacker.com/software/gmail/gmail-tips-and-tricks-monster-roundup-198488.php

http://g04.com/misc/GmailTipsComplete.html

http://www.starkstate.edu/computing/academic_computing/print/Gmail_basics.pdf

Google Gadgets in the sidebar

Thanks to Google Gadgets, we have now added new and exciting features to the class website.

You can do the following in the sidebar to the right:

-search Wikipedia. Just type in your search, click "Go" and a new window will open with your search results.

-Search Google. And not just any old Google web search! Choose from 8 different options to hone your search and find exactly what you're looking for (and maybe a few things you weren't). Just type in your searches in the search window, click "search", and a new window will open with your results.

If these features don't open at first, just click the "Refresh" button. "Refresh" is at the top right of your browser window, between "Stop" and "Home." This will reload the page.

Evaluating Web Sites

As you've already learned, anyone with a computer and an Internet connection can create a website and publish on the Web.

That means it's up to you to determine which sites are reliable and which aren't worth your time.

How do you go about doing this in a sea of online information?










A little detective work.



The following sites and activities will go through the basics of evaluating a web site and deciding whether it's authoritative, or if it suits your purposes.


Criteria for Evaluating Web Sites - http://www.classzone.com/books/research_guide/page_build.cfm?content=web_eval_criteria&state=none - Use the 5 W's (who? what? when? where? why?) as your guide as we go through some basic guidelines for evaluating web sites.

Activity: Evaluating a Web Site - http://www.classzone.com/books/research_guide/page_build.cfm?content=activity_eval_site&state=none - Applying what we just learned, let's evaluate a website. Pick one of your favorites, or choose one from the list in the above link. Use the "Evaluating a Web Site" handout to jot down your answers, or for future personal use.

Activity: Guess the URL - http://www.classzone.com/books/research_guide/page_build.cfm?content=activity_guess_url&state=none - Using your knowledge of domain names (the address of a website) and extensions (the three-letter suffix that is part of a URL, such as .com or .org), try to guess the URL for each site in the activity. Type your answers directly into the address bar to see if you're right.

Quiz - How much do you know about the Internet?

Even if you're an online novice, you may be surprised at how much you already know about cyberspace. You can test your knowledge now by taking this brief quiz.


http://www.centerspan.org/tutorial/quiz.htm

Internet Fraud Tips

You might think you're getting a bargain, but if you're not careful you can become a victim of fraud online. Remember, if it sounds too good or too far-fetched to be true, it probably is.

This site offers great tips and information on how to avoid these scams. Become a savvy Internet user and save yourself a lot of trouble.


http://www.fraud.org/tips/internet/

The Wonderful World of Wikipedia

Wikipedia is another wonderful resource online, and it's growing all the time. It's the biggest multilingual free-content encyclopedia on the Internet. Over 7 million articles in over 200 languages, and still growing.

http://www.wikipedia.org/

Wikipedia’s Fundamental Mission statement: Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge.

What is Wikipedia?

• An encyclopedia collaboratively written by many of its readers
• It uses a special type of website called a wiki, which makes collaboration easy
• The world’s largest encyclopedia project – in over 100 languages
• One of the most popular sites on the Internet
• A very useful information source
• A fun tool for learning and discovery

The Philosophy of Wikipedia

• Wikipedia is built on the assumption that most people are well-meaning
• Collaboration will gradually improve the encyclopedia
• Lots of people are constantly improving Wikipedia, making thousands of changes an hour, all of which are recorded on article histories and recent changes
• Inappropriate changes are usually removed quickly, and repeat offenders can be blocked from editing.

Things you can do with Wikipedia

• Search for a specific topic and learn more about it
• Edit an entry and add your knowledge to Wikipedia
• Browse, click links within articles or discover a random page
• Check out the topic-specific portals
• Find links to other websites on the same subject at the bottom of most articles

Future Goals For Wikipedia

• Quality vs. Quantity – improving quality rather than emphasizing numbers
• Catch up to Encyclopedia Britannica – Wikipedia compares favorably in sciences but is behind in arts and literature
• Create free online learning tools – Wikiversity?

Other free services available through Wikipedia

• Wikibooks – free textbooks and manuals
• Wiktionary – online dictionary and thesaurus
• Wikiquote – quotations
• Commons – shared media repository – copyright-free pictures, videos and more

Go check it out! http://www.wikipedia.org/

2007 Web Map

Check this out. This map represents the 200 most successful and influential websites, imagined like a subway map. Follow each line and see where it leads.

Here's the 2007 Information Architects Web Map.

Here's a clickable online version of the map, which shows you screenshots of each website and is a lot more fun to navigate on your computer.

20 Websites in 60 Minutes - part 5

1. Guess The Google - http://grant.robinson.name/projects/guess-the-google/

2. Internet Wayback Machine - http://www.archive.org/index.php

3. Eons - http://www.eons.com

4. Earthcam - http://www.earthcam.com/

5. Artsjournal - http://www.artsjournal.com/

6. Nolo Press - Law Books and Legal Information - http://www.nolopress.com/

7. 411.com - http://www.411.com/

8. Alexa - http://www.alexa.com/

9. Info Please - http://www.infoplease.com/

10. United Nations - http://www.un.org/

11. Virtual Library Museums Page - http://vlmp.museophile.com/

12. Open Directory Project - http://www.dmoz.org/

13. All Posters - http://www.allposters.com/

14. Pop URLs - http://popurls.com/

15. cRANKy - http://www.cranky.com

16. Concise Freeware - http://www.concisefreeware.com/

17. Gmail Tips - http://www.gmailtips.com/

18. iVillage - http://www.ivillage.com/

19. Wine Commune - http://www.winecommune.com

20. Google Maps Mania - http://googlemapsmania.blogspot.com/

20 Websites in 60 Minutes

Goals for the class:

1. Increase Internet skills through doing
2. Discover interesting and innovative ways people are using the Internet
3. Find new resources you can use in your life
4. Learn that some people have way too much free time on their hands
5. Have fun!




1. Zoho - http://www.zoho.com/

2. ThinkFree - http://www.thinkfree.com

3. Stop Badware - http://www.stopbadware.org

4. iLounge - http://www.ilounge.com

5. Go Ask Alice (Columbia University) - http://www.goaskalice.com

6. Double-Tongued Dictionary - http://www.doubletongued.org

7. Expert Village - http://www.expertvillage.com

8. Find Sounds - http://www.findsounds.com

9. Films 101 - http://www.films101.com

10. Home Envy - http://www.homeenvy.com

11. KCRW.com - http://www.kcrw.com

12. Patently Silly - http://www.patentlysilly.com

13. We Feel Fine - http://www.wefeelfine.org

14. Get Human - http://www.gethuman.com

15. eVite - http://www.evite.com

16. Airfare Watchdog - http://www.airfarewatchdog.com

17. Mobissimo - http://www.mobissimo.com

18. Zunafish - http://www.zunafish.com/

19. Online Conversion - http://www.onlineconversion.com/

20. BeliefNet - http://www.beliefnet.com/

20 Websites in 60 Minutes - Episode 3

1. del.icio.us - http://del.icio.us

2. Artcyclopedia - http://www.artcyclopedia.com

3. Digital History - http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/

4. Library of Congress - http://www.loc.gov/index.html

5. Project Gutenberg - http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page

6. Bartleby - http://www.bartleby.com/

7. How To Clean Anything - http://www.howtocleananything.com

8. U.S. Government Manual - http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gmanual/index.html

9. Project Vote-Smart - http://www.vote-smart.org/index.htm

10. Allrecipes.com - http://www.allrecipes.com

11. Cooking By Number - http://www.cookingbynumbers.com/

12. Dial A Human - http://www.dialahuman.com/

13. Anywho - http://www.anywho.com/

14. Quote DB - http://www.quotedb.com/

15. IndyMedia - http://www.indymedia.org

16. Webtender - http://www.webtender.com

17. Wired - http://www.wired.com

18. Charity Navigator - http://www.charitynavigator.org/

19. DealCatcher - http://www.dealcatcher.com/

20. LAPL e-Downloads - http://audiobooks.lapl.org

20 More Websites in 60 Minutes

1. Weather.com - http://www.weather.com

2. Urban Dictionary - http://www.urbandictionary.com

3. LA Hikes - http://www.lahikes.com

4. Fark - http://www.fark.com

5. BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation - http://www.bbc.co.uk

6. Los Angeles Times Calendar Live - http://www.calendarlive.com

7. CitySearch Los Angeles - http://losangeles.citysearch.com/

8. US Postal Service - http://www.usps.com/

9. Dictionary.com - http://www.dictionary.com

10. Carsurvey - http://www.carsurvey.org

11. Kelley Blue Book - http://www.kbb.com

12. Lonely Planet - http://www.lonelyplanet.com

13. CNET - http://www.cnet.com

14. StumbleUpon - http://www.stumbleupon.com

15. 50 Word Review - http://www.50wordreview.com

16. Last.FM - http://www.last.fm

17. Pandora - http://www.pandora.com

18. Flickr - http://www.flickr.com

19. Monster - http://www.monster.com

20. Snopes - http://www.snopes.com