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Finding_Answers_on_the_Net
| Finding Answers on the Net
The Internet is a wonderful superhighway of information. The
variety of perspectives & knowledge you can find on-line is
truly astounding -- provided you know how to navigate the road!
My goal in this article is to help you develop some skills that
will lead you more quickly to the information you want without
the usual headaches & delays. So let's get started . . . . Step
1 - Figure out what you need to know This may sound obvious, but
it will be much more difficult to find the information you want
if you just have a vague topic in mind. Each time you start on
an "information adventure" try to decide exactly what
information you want to find. For example, if you are the parent
of a 10-year-old son with Tourette's Syndrome then you may need
information on a variety of topics (the syndrome itself, IEPs,
behavior supports, academic supports etc.). Decide before you
begin, "today I want to find information on X, Y, or Z. That
will make the next few steps much simpler.
Step 2 - Start with the right search engine
It seems logical to assume that the best place to start is with
the largest search engine or directory that you can think off.
But do you REALLY want to wade through the millions of listings
that will come up if you go to Yahoo & type in "disability
resources"? It's usually better to look for a search engine that
automatically optimizes your results. What this means is that
they do most of the sorting for you & just give you a short list
of the sites they feel are MOST RELEVANT to your search request.
One I particularly like is Chubba (http://www.chubba.com).
Chubba draws its results from several different search engines
so you get a nice range of results, but offers you only the
10-20 entries that seem most relevant.
Step 3 - Select the right keyword
Once you've arrived at the search engine you will need to enter
your choice of keyword(s) to start your search. This is a
critical step -- the effectiveness of your search is, in large
part, determined by your choice of keyword. Let's look at the
example I mentioned earlier, the 10-year-old with Tourette's
Syndrome. If this young man is having trouble at school, you may
be interested in finding ideas for academic supports to include
in his next Individualized Education Program (IEP). Possible
keywords might be:
Tourette's syndrome Curriculum modifications Educational
supports The specific subject, i.e. reading disabilities or
reading accommodations Each of these keywords will lead you down
a different research path. Now, before you start trying to
figure out which one is correct let me say this --- ALL of these
keywords could lead you to useful information! In fact, if you
don't find what you're looking for with your first choice you
may want to back up to this step & simply choose a different
keyword & try again.
Step 4 - Browse through your search results
You've entered your keyword & now you have 1 or more pages of
search results. Browse through these results & select 2 or 3
sites that you think look the most promising. Why just 2 or 3?
Because search engines are designed to be the start of the
journey not the end. Your goal here is simply to find a couple
of starting places that will connect you to the proper on-line
community. Once you've found a good starting place you are
unlikely to have to return to ground zero at the search engine.
Step 5 - Follow your nose
Once you have identified 2 or 3 quality sites related to your
area of interest then the real fun begins. Now is when you
discover how truly "web-like" the World Wide Web is. Check your
first site for the information you're after. If you find good
info, but not all that you want, look for a page titled "related
links" or "links of interest". This page will offer you an
entire array of web sites (already prescreened by the web site
owner for good content) & related to your area of interest.
Simply follow each lead until you:
Have all the information you need Run out of sites to visit
(remember each related link site will have it's own page of
links to continue the journey) Stop finding useful information
Or collapse from information overload! If all this sounds
complicated or time consuming -- you're right, it can be. It can
also be immensely satisfying & lead you to new ideas you might
never have considered. But if your time is at a premium, I do
have one other suggestion -- "The Internet Resource Guide for
Parents & Disability Professionals". This electronic guidebook
is the result of months spent using this process to scour the
web for quality disability resources. It covers 50 of the most
frequently searched disability topics & reviews over 400
individual web sites. It is a terrific solution for those who
need answers immediately or who want help finding accurate,
quality information. For more information about the Resource
Guide, visit: http://www.ideallives.com/generic.jhtml?pid=142
Whichever path you choose -- happy hunting & may your research
adventure be a fun one!
© 2001, Lisa Simmons
About the author:
Lisa is the director of the Ideal Lives Project, providing
practical support for special needs families & professionals.
Visit on-line at http://www.ideallives.com or subscribe to her
free newsletter at mailto:ideallives-subscribe@topica.com
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