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