 |  | Megan Conti
Vice President, Account Service |
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| | Copy research on the World Wide Web — a Top Ten list
Before
they had this thing called the "Internet," performing research usually
involved such weighty volumes as the Encyclopedia Britannica and the
Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature. Clearly, the World Wide Web
has revolutionized the way we research.
I am frequently called
upon to find quick answers to content and copy challenges, and I've
accumulated some excellent Web sites that are useful and user-friendly.
Here are my ten favorites:
| | | | | 10. | | The Internet Movie Database
This
may not be strictly a writing resource, but you will not find a more
immersive, all-encompassing resource for movie data. It's the first
choice to answer questions that begin with "Who was that guy in that
one movie...?"
| | 9. | | HowStuffWorks
From
cell phones to the stock market, this site provides extensive
explanations to hundreds of topics. Tip: choose "Printable version" for
the topics you want to see in order to bypass a lot of the advertising.
| | 8. | | The Skeptic's Dictionary
A
collection of strange beliefs and amusing deceptions, this site trains
a critical eye on such issues as hypnosis, crop circles and much more.
A terrific reference for analyses of myth, folklore and tradition.
| | 7. | | OldSuperstitions.com
Is
it good luck or bad to pick up a piece of coal that has fallen in your
path? How do you get rid of a cough using a strand of hair, buttered
bread and the family dog? These observations and several hundred more
are found at this fascinating site.
| | 6. | | ClichéSite.com
Over
2100 clichés, euphemisms, sayings and figures of speech complete with
definitions and explanations. Finding corny phrases to avoid is as
"easy as falling off a log."
| | 5. | | anecdotage.com
"Anecdotes
from Gates to Yeats," the site's home page claims, and it's a very good
database of both well- and lesser-known stories, searchable by topic
and luminary.
| | 4. | | WriteExpress Online Rhyming Dictionary
Now
this is handy. Stuck trying to find a word that rhymes with "November"?
With a few clicks, this site gives you more than 30 of them.
| | 3. | | Quoteland.com
There
are lots of quotation sites on the Internet, but this one's my
favorite. A good graphic interface and the ability to search for quotes
by specific topics.
| | 2. | | Judy Vorfeld's Webgrammar
A
comprehensive resource and style guide for writing. Not only can you
find quick-reference answers to common writing mistakes, but the site
serves as a portal to hundreds of other online writing resources.
| | 1. | | Wikipedia
Wikipedia
is a great free-content encyclopedia, unique because it offers site
visitors the capability to become contributors by editing existing
articles and creating entirely new ones.
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| Have you got favorite Web sites for research? Send them along by clicking here.
Thanks for reading.
Megan Conti
Vice President, Account Service
Bradley Brown Design Group
P.S. Two of our projects were recently honored by the 2004 Golden Triangle Awards sponsored by the Pittsburgh chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). The CJ Connect system that we introduced to you in the March edition of Off-Press won an Award of Excellence, and our Web site won an Award of Honor, both in the Electronic/Interactive Communication category. | |
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