Researching and web 2.0

The web is an amazing place to research but you need to be organised. Since you have to blog as well, but not combine the two?

If you set up iGoogle and Firefox carefully they can help you do this. I use both quite a lot. I have added 'extensions' that add functionality to the browser. For example Delicious bookmarks, add to netvibes, Evernote web clipper, Screenshot pimp, Zotero and Xmarks. I also use a portable version of Firefox so that these are configured and present when I use my browser. With your home page set for something you use all the time - set several - and they'll open when you launch the application.

Searching the web.

Searching with Google using + and - and "" to refine your search.
The advantages of using tabbed browsing should be obvious. Its also worth learning a few keyboard short cuts:

• CMD + T opens a new tab
• CMD + L highlights the current URL
• CMD + C copies
• CMD + V pastes
• CMD + X cuts ( and places on the clipboard)
• TAB key shifts to the next field or box

Don't just use Google. Find other ways of accessing the web's store of information. Delicious is a store of peoples bookmarks. It makes a good place to search. Search blogs. You can take even fuller advantage of web 2.0 by using the power of RSS with Google alerts, yahoo searches or even Yahoo Pipes. This way the information is filtered by choices you have indicated. I find Twitter increasingly useful - its often a case of finding a good person to follow. Here's a good introductory guide written by my Colleague Katherine Reeves.

Google docs give me a suite of applications - online versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. I can access these anywhere and share the documents created there too.

When you embed a Google Presentation it's worth noting that this is a feed. Any changes made to the file will be updated in the embedded version too. You need to make it 342 x 410 to fit the Blogger template.

Lastly, it's good and fair practice to credit and link back to your sources. Derek Pierce, as Beatsystem, kindly allowed me to use his music with students. Where you have uploaded your edits with his music you should credit him and link to his website. This way if someone wants to know more about the music he gets the click through. I should have reminded you at the time. Sorry Derek.