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Several years ago, Thomas’s English Muffins had an ad that proclaimed
that the tastiness of their muffins was due to the presence of myriad “nooks
and crannies.” The same may be said of the Internet. It is in the Internet’s nooks
and crannies that the true “tastiness” often lies. Almost every Internet user has
used Google and probably Yahoo!, and any group of experienced searchers
could probably come up with a dozen or so sites that every one of them had
used. But even for experienced searchers, time and task constraints have meant
that some nooks and crannies have not been explored and exploited. These
unexplored areas may be broad Internet resources such as newsgroups, specific
types of resources such as multimedia, or the nooks and crannies of a specific
site—even Google. This book is intended to be an aid in that exploration.
Back on the culinary scene, I am told that some people don’t take the few
extra seconds to split their English muffins with a fork, but, driven by their busy
schedules, just grab a knife and slice them. This book is written for those
seeking to savor the extra tastiness from the Internet. It will hopefully tempt
you to discover what the nooks and crannies have to offer, and how to split the
Internet muffin with a fork almost as quickly as you can slice it with a knife.
Less metaphorically, this book is written as a guide for researchers, writers,
librarians, teachers, and others, covering what serious users need to know to
fully take advantage of Internet tools and resources. It focuses on what the
serious searcher “has to know” but, for flavor, a dash of the “nice-to-know” is
occasionally thrown in. It assumes that you already know the basics, that you
are signed up for and frequently use the Internet, and that you know how to
use your browser. For those who are not experienced online searchers, my
aim is to provide a lot that is new and useful. For those of you with more
experience, I hope to reinforce what you know while introducing some new
perspectives and new content. |
