I’m constantly tossing interesting websites into what I call my blogpile. Some of them find their way here in the form of regular posts, but more often than not they languish and get buried deeper in the pile. The end result is that I have to go back and do a bit of shoveling.
--Jeff Hess, Have Coffee, Will Write, Blogpiles

I've realized that I am addicted to information and, therefore, I try to save every scrap. Bookmarking is much easier than saving those newspaper clippings and paper lists.

I'm not nearly as smart as people think I am; I just try to remember where I see things, and to connect that to the people it will interest. (My mom refers to this skill as "having a mind like a relational database.") I've been reading web pages for over a dozen years, and have been bookmarking them for almost all of that time. They aren't necessarily sites I like, but sometimes sites that I think my friends will enjoy. I've finally begun to upload the links for public access, via social bookmarking, beginning with del.icio.us and my StumbleUpon.

Once I've got the backlog - currently 2836 - uploaded, I'll export them to other social bookmark sites and then update them all. The problem is that I keep coming across MORE interesting sites. And groups of sites.

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• Classmates - High School Military College Reunions
  Classmates is a registration site where people can search for former classmates, co-workers, and military comrades. It is also a way to keep track of upcoming reunions, and to read message boards pertinent to one's class or group. Registration and searching are free but, to contact someone, you need a paid membership. Classmates is a useful service, but they tend to advertise everyplace - with popup ads no less, and it gets quite annoying. It was also a real PIA to get the actual URL without a whole bunch of extraneous sub-folders listing each time (I needed ONLY the URL so that I could Stumble it; ultimately, I entered my Stumble from within StumbleUpon.)
  
  
• SBA: Business Names
  Legitimate businesses in the United States are registered with the states' Secretary of States offices. Even if a business is based elsewhere (a chain, for example), it's got to register in the state in which it is doing business. This Small Business Association page links to the home pages of each State's or Commonwealth's Secretary of State's office, from which you can research a business within that State
  
  
• Small Business Administration
  The Small Business Association is a part of the United States Federal Government. It was created in 1963 to "aid, counsel, assist and protect the interests of small business concerns, to preserve free competitive enterprise and to maintain and strengthen the overall economy of our nation." Covering all fifty states, Puerto Rico, the U. S. Virgin Islands and Guam, its services include financial assistance, contract opportunities, disaster assistance, online training, counseling and advice, and help for target audiences (women, Veterans, Native Americans, young entrepreneurs), and advocacy and laws and regulations.
  
  
• BBB – Better Business Bureau
  To check the standing of a business before you utilize them, or to file a complaint about a business that's done you wrong, you can use the Better Business Bureau. In the United States, it covers all 50 States and Puerto Rico. Founded in 1912, the BBB has proven that disputes between consumers and vendors can usually be resolved amicably. Their core services are:: providing Business Reliability Reports; dispute resolution; Truth-in-Advertising; Consumer and Business education; and Charity Review. I've been using this site actively since I first bookmarked it on 04-JUN-2000.
  
  
• SOLINET | Preservation Home
  The (Southeastern Library Network), whose Preservation Department has put together an awesome collection of Preservation & Access resources. The Department's Mission is to improve institutions' abilities to maintain long-term, cost-effective access to information resources in both traditional and networked collections. Along with preservation-specific classes, they link to their current and past projects, different disaster and recovery resources, and preservation news items. I'd think that this site would be fabulous before an interview at one of the older Universities, a museum, one of those opulent private homes with antiques, or someplace with comparable collections - even if such things aren't included in the job description. Mentioned in a
  12-JUL-2007 post by Resourceshelf.com.
  
  
• Emergency Preparedness (Preservation, Library of Congress)
  ResourceShelf.com posted, on 12-JUL-2007, a link to this site. The Emergency Preparedness site discusses, after its Introduction, information about preparing and protecting Family Treasures, resources about Risk Management and Insurance, and Publications and Web Links. Having survived fires, they have implemented, and continue to research, Emergency Preparedness.
  
  
• Disaster Mitigation Planning Assistance
  ResourceShelf.com posted, on 12-JUL-2007, "Disaster Mitigation Planning Assistance" as its Resource of the Week. Because "part of disaster planning is knowing whom to call for help and where to obtain services and supplies," this site is set up to "search by state, multiple states nationally or by type of service, expert or supply," and the results can be downloaded into Excel. Sample plans are available. The database is currently maintained by Michigan State University Libraries and the California Preservation Program, and they welcome submissions from the public to keep this resource strong and growing.
  
  
• Sphinn / Hot Today
  Similar to digg, kinda like a search engine, Sphinn is a "social site for search and interactive marketers." Search or share stories, get involved in the discussions, network, and discover new things! Categories include Google, Yahoo!, Microsoft, as well as Search Marketing, Social Media, Online Marketing, Searching, Other, and an Event Calendar. ResourceShelf.com posted "Say Hello to Sphinn: A New Site Focused on Search with User Submitted Content, Voting & Commentary" on 12-JUL-2007.
  
  
• Windows Vista help, tutorials and tricks
  Even experienced Windows users may have difficulty with the changes between Windows XP and Vista. This site, geared toward beginner and intermediate users, offers articles such as "10 Reasons why you should not rely on Windows Defender" and tips and tricks, software reviews, and how to get the most out of your Windows Vista purchase. Includes a newsletter and RSS feed subscription options. Worldstart.com listed this as Amanda's Cool Site on 13-JUL-2007
  
  
• Microsoft Surface
  This new Microsoft product aims to make the mouse obsolete. t turns an ordinary tabletop into a vibrant, interactive surface by giving "effortless interaction" with normal hand movement. Users will REALLY be interacting with their computers. This site has videos that demonstrate the product. The Worldstart.com newsletter of 13-JUL-2007 discussed its.
  
  

• Online Office, Word Processor, Spreadsheet, Presentation, CRM and more
  Zoho, one of AdventNet's brands, offers 100% free for open-source projects. Zoho Writer is a browser-based word processing program. Zoho Projects lets you create, manage and collaborate online. Zoho Sheet is an online spreadsheet application; in the Stock function, you can even fetch stock quotes INTO your cells. Zoho Show allows you to create, publish, and show presentation. Polls, mail, chat - a full office suite plus more!

• The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
  The Kaiser Family Foundation is a non-profit, private operating foundation whose role in global health encourages their focus on healthcare issues in the United States; they are also the sponsors of the health08.org web site. Non-partisan, they serve as a source of information and facts, for the media and the general public. Their specialties are policy analysis, being a portal of information, and developing health care campaigns in the United States and worldwide

• health08.org - Election news, analysis and events
  The ResourceShelf.com newsletter, on 12-JUL-2007, announced health08.org, a free AND advertising-free portal of health and healthcare election issues. According to ResourceShelf.com, the site will cover analysis of health policy issues, regular Kaiser tracking surveys examining the public's views on health issues, and dedicated pages for the candidates, with easy-to-access links to their health positions. Maybe someone was listening to Michael Moore?

• OptOutPrescreen.com
  If you're tired of junk mail related to your credit (credit card applications, marketing directed toward your mortgage, etc.,) OptOutPrescreen.com is a centralized service to accept and process requests from consumers to "Opt-In" or "Opt-Out" of firm offers of credit or insurance. Marketers contact Equifax, Experian, Innovis, and TransUnion, (collectively the "Consumer Credit Reporting Companies"); if you have registered with OptOutPrescreen, you will no longer be included in firm offer lists provided by these four consumer credit reporting companies. OptOutPrescreen.com is the only internet website authorized by Equifax, Experian, Innovis and TransUnion for this purpose under the FCRA.

• How To Get Off A Mailing List - Consumer Assistance
  Because the the Direct Marketing Association is the main organization that distributes information about consumers to its 4,500 member companies, they have the power, if you will to remove us from their marketing lists. A request is good for five years' worth of reduced junk mail. Fill out this Mail Preference Service online form to be placed on the "delete list." Submitting the form costs $1 (which verifies your registration and helps to protect their system from fraud) but you may find the cost worth it. The site also offers a link to get off the mailing list of a specific company. Reduce junk mail, reduce your mailman's bag weight, and reduce the waste of paper. Via GovSpot.com

• Consumer Home
  The Direct Marketing Association (DMA), a trade association of businesses who advertise their products and services directly to consumers, has developed this web site in support of consumer rights.

• CyberSavvy.org
  Get CyberSavvy! is an educational program, created by Direct Marketing Association as a public service to help parents, children, educators and librarians understand and enjoy cyberspace. (The DMA is a trade association of businesses who advertise their products and services directly to consumers.) The site includes a user-friendly, seven-step guide to help you have a safe and secure online experience. The site targets children and seniors - both of whom are audiences who may be learning to use the Internet for the first time.

• GovSpot.com: US government, state government, Congress, government...
  "GovSpot.com is a non-partisan government information portal" is not an official site of the United States Government. (Note that the URL ends in .com, not .gov.) Official or not, it provides excellent resources in easy-to-find format without a lot of the extraneous stuff that the Government's web pages have. This free resource simplifies finding useful information for students, educators, business people, government employees and anyone exploring the Web for information about the United States government.

• Turbulence Forecast - Air turbulence maps and forecasts
  When the WomensWallStreet.com daily newsletter featured the Turbulence Forecast site, I forwarded the whole newsletter to a flying aficionado before looked at the site. To keep travelers and pilots abreast of potential turbulence, it offers "maps and forecasts of air turbulence all over the world, with a focus on US based flights." Includes a blog, discussion forums, and other turbulence maps, updated hourly. Accessible on Blackberry devices and other portable, similar gadgets.

• Mahalo
  Mahalo - Hawaiian for "Thank you," is the human-generated search engine. Its staff of Guides search for links. Its current goal is to hand-write result pages for the top 10,000 search terms - which means that they go through the top search terms first. What you seek, you may not find. Therefore: If you can't find what you're looking for, request and it shall be provided.

• LolCat Builder
  If you are all about those LolCats, and don't want to wait for Photoshop to open, here's a generator that lets you build your own icon.

• Lifehacker, the Productivity and Software Guide
  Get the best out of your life by utilizing logic - basic logic, that is - and software. That's the philosophy behind Lifehacker, oft quoted by many other sites. (I followed the Consumerist's link this time.) From the site: "Lifehacker brings back simple and totally life-altering tips and tricks for managing your information and time" Be productive; Lifehacker makes it easier. Read manually or subscribe to syndicated feeds.

• ThreadBanger.com
  I found this blog via Wisebread.com. A network for people who create their own fashion, ThreadBanger encourages subscribers to upload video of their designs. Links directly to Craftster.org. Read the blog manually, or subscribe.

• craftster.org projects forum
  I found this blog via a link on Threadbanger.com. Great, wearable crafts like homemade hoodies and jewelry really appeal to me (and make me, again, wish that I had a cleaner bedroom so that I could justify buying a sewing machine...) This isn't your grandmother's needlepoint site: Creating toys, projects from polymer clay, and recycling are some of the many DIY projects. Emphasis on the creators submitting step-by-step instructions with photographs sets this site apart from similar sites. I really like the custom bra - and am waiting for a tutorial! Includes a blog and interactive message board, and a crafter's glossary

• The Norwegian SS Volunteers
  Perhaps a controversial site, the Norwegian SS Volunteers website discusses the Norwegians who fought alongside the Germans in World War II. Their history is discussed in words and photographs with those who were willing to talk about their experiences. The site's intent is to discuss history neutrally, and not what was right or wrong. Featured in worldstart.com's daily newsletter on 11-JUL-2007.

• Federal Trade Commission Home
  The United States Federal Trades Commission protects the American economy, by protecting consumers and broad jurisdiction in economy. They administer the laws by which businesses must adhere and they police anti-competitive practices.
  ("Anti-trust" laws protect competition by protecting consumers from large corporation groups working together, called "trusts.") Competition keeps prices lower; when companies fight for our business, they may lower prices and/or raise quality to get it. The US Supreme Court referred to anti-trust as "...the Magna Carta of free enterprise." The FTC web site is an informative site about this section of the United States Government.

• U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (Home Page)
  The United States Securities and Exchange Commission exists to protect investors, to keep the financial markets fair, and to make the formation of capital easier. Investing is fascinating. It can also be dangerous when there are frauds try to con investors; even honest trading can cause huge financial blows. The SEC works to maintain fair trading and to enforce the securities laws.

• Sling Media - US Home
  Watch TV from your computer! Depending on the tuner you get, you'll have access to basic cable, or digital cable, satellite, or DVR programming, on any PC or mobile device. Article in the worlstart.com newsletter of 11-JUL-2001.

• Docuticker
  Compiled by the ResourceShelf.com librarians, Docuticker is a daily update of new reports from government agencies, NGOs, think tanks, and other public interest groups. Topics fall under such tags as social and cultural issues, technology, government and politics, and health and healthcare. Available, also, via RSS.

• ResourceShelf & A Quick Look of a Few Free Science Search Tools...
  This excellent article discusses different web sites at which one can search for medical journal articles. It covers science-oriented databases such as Scirus, discusses two new sources of data (The Scitopia portal and The Global Science Gateway), and dis Via searchengineland.com on 10-JUL-2007.

• Oxford Journals
  A wonderful reference site, "Oxford Journals," part of the Oxford Press, a major international publisher of academic and research journals, publishes research papers on a variety of topics. Oxford Open is an experimental online journal model where access to journal content is free to view. Authors can easily obtain copyright permissions, as well. via Digg.

• http://www.consumeraction.gov/pdfs/2007revisedCAH.pdf
  The U S Government's Consumer Action Handbook (.pdf file - I like Foxit since their free software opens much faster than Adobe) was recommended by thesimpledollar.com on 10-JUL-2007. Trent calls it "an interesting 178 page document produced by the U.S. government's General Services Administration. It's an excellent free resource for basic consumer information of all kinds, including a huge collection of contact information for consumer advocates and customer service departments."

• PeopleData - The Most Powerful People Search on Earth
  Free directory created by US SEARCH founder Nick Matzorkis (who also started ZabaSearch)

• Pipl - People Search (BETA)
  People search engine that roots through the "deep web" for hits that other search engines will miss.

• Bebo
  Social networking site akin to Facebook and MySpace. Receiving the the 2006 Webby Award People's Vote as the best social networking site in the world, Bebo officially launched in 2005 and has in excess of
  34,000,000 members. Based in San Francisco, CA (USA), Bebo claims to be the largest social networking site in the UK, Ireland, and New Zealand, and the third largest in the USA (behind MySpace and Facebook). Also use Bebo to search for videos and music.

• People Search | Wink
  A people search engine that first targets those who actively use social networking services. Wink People Search lets you find people by name, location, school, work, and interest anywhere on the web. Join to create your own profile, which allows you to control how much of your information you will allow to be public, and assists anyone trying to find you.

• LinkedIn: Relationships Matter
  A network of experienced professionals, linked to help find clients/service providers, to search for jobs, and experts. USA-based but international social community. Base accounts are free but paid accounts, with more functionality, are available. Via Searchengineland.com on 06-JUL-2007.

• StartSampling - Receive product samples, enter contests and more!
  Receive samples and coupons, and participate in the forums. Members-only site.

• Freecycle&: Groups Around the Globe
  After finding your local group, post what you're giving away and work with Freecycle's mission to "reduce waste, save precious resources & ease the burden on our landfills while enabling our members to benefit from the strength of a larger community." You may find something wonderful to you which is garbage to someone else - pick it up and take it home. A tag saler's dream come true because the only "driving around" you do is the pick-up; you look around from your own home.

• Title Trader - Book Swap and trade your used books, DVDs, CDs, and...
  Trade books, paying only the price of postage. With over 120,000 positive swaps, this is another great site for thrifty readers! Swap your books, DVDs and VHS tapes, CDs, video games, and magazines and, now, in Beta, any topic that's available on amazon.com.

• Welcome to PaperBackSwap.com | Your source for swapping paperback...
  Trade books, paying only the price of postage. With hundreds of members and over a million books to trade, this is a site for thrifty readers!

• * popularity dialer
  Need to get out of a blind date? Want to get out of a boring meeting? Anxious to get away from a family function? Popularity Dialer will call at a pre-arranged time to get you out of a sticky situation. Five free calls and then pay, please - they pay out of pocket.

• Windows Live Spaces
  If you have MSN Hotmail, MSN Messenger, or a Passport account, you can use Spaces. Create your customized home page, complete with gadgets, blog, your customized radio station (MSN Radio powered by Pandora), your personal photo album, and buddies.The Be Jane section emphasizes empowered women. The Launch entry tinyurl.com/lxwss [tinyurl.com]
  ) and FAQ tinyurl.com/3xxnq6 [tinyurl.com]
  ) weren't easy to find and are linked here for your convenience. Works with IE 6.0 or higher. Fourteen languages (including traditional and simplified Chinese) are available user formats.

• Writer Zone
  Bloggers can use this free Microsoft software to create formatted blogs. Includes spell checking and the ability to create tables, and allows those not familiar with html to hyperlink and to insert images into posts. Works with WordPress, and TypePad.

• Harcourt School Publishers
  The company that published many of my school textbooks and workbooks a generation (or more) ago is now offering, in addition to textbooks, eBooks, CD-ROMs, and reading/story books, for grades Kindergarten through sixth. Texts are available for brick-and-mortar schools as well as for home schooling.

• Make Your Own Cartouche
  Fans of Egyptology and of Stargate will appreciate this site. Cartouches consist of a collection of different hieroglyphic symbols enclosed in a loop. The symbols were used like we use alphabet letters today. Via this generator, you can type in a word and see how it will look as a Cartouche. (Tattoo artists may also want to bookmark this site for the client who wants a Cartouche but who has no idea where to look for one. It happens.)

• Free IQ - The Marketplace for Ideas
  From the site: Free IQ, launched in 2007, is an online community where streaming video is used to share knowledge and information with others...at no cost. Visitors can make purchases directly from a content provider. Furthermore, Free IQ allows a user to upload any video, regardless of length. A proprietary search engine allows users to quickly select only relevant content. The search algorithm--which has two patents pending--also incorporates a sophisticated user rating system which considers direct input, review quality and actual user experience with each piece of content. If you have knowledge and ideas to share, FreeIQ invites you to upload them in presentable video or audio format, an eBook, or an article. I think that the site has potential to become a video Wiki, if it's not abused.

• DealDetectives.com - Daily Deals, Coupons and Freebies. Looking for...
  This great site has, in addition to coupons, daily deals, links to freebies, comparison shopping, and a message board. Members also let readers know which posted codes are recognized scams. I MUST have seen it before, but browsed tonight via Digg.

• Tales Of The Old West, Western Movies and Cowboy Poetry - Rope And...
  I was following "freebie" links in Digg and came across this site. RopeandWire.com is a site for fans of the Old West and includes a bunch of old Western movies that one can view for free with Windows Media Player or Apple Quicktime.

• Map Of Googles Products
  Zorgloob has created a map of Google products. View and rate them within one large icon. Read about it here if English is your first language, as the Zorgloob page is in French. Amazing how much a company with a misspelled name can do to influence the planet, eh? Via my newest newsletter, webreference.com.

• Search Engine Land: News About Search Engines & Search Marketing
  Search Engine Land is a news and information site covering search engine marketing, searching issues and the search engine industry. Articles have included a map of all Google's services, Facebook (a social networking site), Adsense, and eBay. As of this writing, they are less than a year old. If you're interested in this growing industry, you can subscribe for regular updates.

• Coupon Searcher Toolbar - Reviews and free downloads at Download.com
  Instead of using different coupon search engines, consider downloading the free Coupon Searcher toolbar (if your toolbars, of course, aren't already out of control). Search by keyword, category, and store. It will also comparison-shop and find rebates.

• FatWallet Forums - National, Enterprise, Budget, AVIS, HERTZ Car...
  TESTED (as of summer of 2007) discount codes for car rentals, from major rental retailers. Some have no expiration date. Restrictions are cited. With the high cost of gas, we need to save every possible nickel when we're traveling. (Note: if you use a cashback website, you can use coupons and still be eligible for the bonus.)

• Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis - Consumer Price Index Calculator
  Through the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, view the changes in the US Dollar from 1913 to the present. Via Worldstart.com on 09-JUL-2007

• Digg / News
  This site built entirely of user submissions is a repository of news and articles - of all types - found on the Web. Similar to other social bookmarking sites, it collects news, videos, images, and Podcasts and, the articles collect votes (and comments) from other viewers. (I've submitted as digg.com/users/rebekahsue/ [digg.com] but am more concerned with collecting and saving these articles than with a top rating.)

• NBA.com : Summer League 2007
  Via wisebread.com: NBA.com is providing free streaming webcasts for all the 2007 summer league games. All you need to do is to sign up for a free NBA.com account.
  (there have been reports that local games are being blacked out. NOT that I would advise it, *but* a way around this seems to be to use a different address from your own so that the "local" blacked-out access isn't one's own.

• Bras, panties, lingerie, mens underwear, plus size bras at BareNecessities
  BareNecessities.com is the premiere online retailer of women's brand name intimate apparel and men's designer underwear, along with loungewear hosiery, and t-shirts. The site offers designer names (over 125 brands total) with fitting tips and advice. Many hard-to-find sizes, especially in brassiers. Shopathome.com members enjoy cashback when shopping through this site.

• MLB.com shop
  The official store for Major League Baseball in the United States. Purchase by team or by item (hats, caps, memorabilia, collectibles, etc.) as well as baseball cards. Shopathome.com members enjoy cashback when shopping through this site.

• hotels.com
  Not only a source for hotels, Hotels.com also offers information about condos, beds and breakfasts, vacation packages, flights, and travel for groups. All-in-one site for your travel needs. They offer virtual tours and user reviews, as well. There's an affiliate program for web sites, via their ian.com. Shopathome.com members also enjoy cashback.

• Discount Perfume,Discount Cologne and Discount Fragrances at...
  FragranceX, selling men's and women's fragrance, skincare, and cosmetics, guarantees that all products sold are original, authentic name brands such as Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Dior, Versace, and Yves Saint Laurent. "We do not sell knockoffs or imitations." 80% off at "America's Largest Fragrance Outlet." Major credit cards and Paypal accepted. Along with the FragranceX Reward Program, Shopathome.com members also enjoy cashback.

• Track, share, and compare Net Worth. How do you measure up? NetworthIQ
  Via the Consumerist on 06-JUL-2007, NetworthIQ is a free "social personal finance manager designed to make monitoring your net worth easy" and, they hope, fun. Users can track, share, and compare their financial status. (or not - your profile can remain private.) While you may not want to compare your net worth, or lack thereof, the site also offers other financial tools.

• The Simple Dollar
  This blog focuses on money matters. Author Trent Hamm recovered from "complete financial meltdown" and has gone on to "explore personal finance" through his blog. Some of the articles are dumb (Hamm has a lot of personal experience but does not cite any degrees in finance) *BUT* many really hit home - if not for me, than for someone else. I subscribe via RSS.

• SUDS Diving Home
  This aqua-therapy program out of Walter Reed is entirely volunteer-run and, since February of 2007, has helped more than 25 war-wounded American soldiers, including amputees. They offer scuba certification programs through PADI and the Handicapped SCUBA Association. Mission: "The SUDS Diving program helps build confidence in the soldier while offering them an adventurous sport that is beneficial to their recovery."

• Pogo Mall.com
  An online store specializing in items for children (and items specifically FOR parents), PogoMall.com offers "unbeatable prices" with prompt shipping and delivery. If you're searching for something that's NOT kid-related, go to the search box and check. I've found items that one wouldn't expect to find on a site geared toward children (like an adult jacket for my second son...!)

• MTA NYC Transit - Subway Service Information
  If you're going to New York City, or if you're local to the City and heading to a new location, this is your best friend. The same as the wall maps at the subway stations EXCEPT that, here, you can click on your stop, or on a junction, and see what trains connect.

• Buyer Search
  Comparison shopping, coupons, and affiliates for your blogs, all on one web page. Searches "the Web's best shopping sites such as eBay, Amazon, Overstock, Yahoo, Shopping.com, and Craigslist in one view." Most popular searches are at the bottom of the page. When an eBay site was loading, I saw the URL among those loading so I thought I'd check it out - lo and behold, it's a site I'll use!