Work, Play and the Rest (Top Ten Websites)

Member Name: Whitehorse

Product:	Top Ten Websites
Date:	17/06/03 (144 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Just excellent sites all round

Disadvantages: Time!

I remember about 4 years ago a girl stopped me outside the local Church and asked if I would agree to help her with her research for her PhD. Of course I instantly thought it was for something religious and started making that ?backing away? face but she hurriedly (and rather desperately) assured me that she was only using the Church meeting room as a base and her research was something about society and technology. Well - I was bored and curious so I decided to go with it. It was back in ye olde days when I hadn?t got a computer and couldn?t care less if I never had one.

Each of the questions related to Internet usage. Had I ever been on it? Would I ever go on it? Would I be interested in learning how to use it for research purposes? Etc. To each answer came a resounding no! I just wasn?t interested. Computers were just little boxes full of techie rubbish that turned my little creative heart to stone.

It?s weird to think of that now. I mean now that the thought of being away from my computer brings me out in a cold sweat. The thought of not being able to access the Internet fills me with dread. Had I known then that there was a whole world to discover (literally) through a small beige box I would have bitten off the hand very fast!

Discovering the Internet seems like a never ending journey. Everyday a thousand more sites appear. I know I can search for absolutely anything and find the information I need. Granted there are some appalling bad sites on the web - not to mention the nasty stuff but that can be avoided reasonably easily and there is frankly too much good stuff to miss. I can become lost for hours - following link after link and article after article. I used to think that I didn?t have enough time in my life to read every book I want to read - now it?s a thousand times worse. I don?t have enough time to read all the information available and it makes me sad. I need to clone myself - or somehow manage to remember what I?ve rea
d in each lifetime so that when I?m reincarnated I can just start where I left off the last time!

So - these are my top ten websites - at the moment. They do change although some are what I call staple sites. These are the ones I return to over and over. My favourites folder is filled to the brim though so I could easily write a top 100 sites - but I won?t because we would have all evolved to be part man part machine by the time I?ve finished writing it!

There are a couple I?ve already written separate opinions about so take it as read that Witchvox, Dooyoo and Sacred Texts are all firm favourites.

GOOGLE
http://www.google.com
Well one of the first things we need on the web is a decent search engine and for me that means Google everytime. When I first used the net I didn?t know that there was anything other than Yahoo. When someone pointed out that I could use a different search engine I was totally surprised! Google is excellent - very fast and very accurate. From the first time I used it I noticed a marked improvement over Yahoo. Google seemed to find anything I was looking for. I cannot possibly imagine how many sites are listed in Google - must be millions. I tend to use the advanced search function more often than not as I can then immediately filter out anything I don?t want returned in my search. Google also have a search for news and another specific search for images. I regularly use the news search to update the news section on my website and have found that it returns a lot of relevant articles for my query. The image search can be a little hit and miss at times - mostly because people don't always label their JPEGS in the most logical manner!

The directory is useful if you wish to search by category. My only gripe with this that after months of waiting my own sites are still not listed so how up to date this is is anyone?s guess. Lastly there is a groups section which I haven?t used as much as all the othe
r parts of Google but from a quick scoot around it seems to contain massive listings so you can always find someone who shares your interests. Clicking on the preferences will bring up a list of options on how you use Google including filtering out of the more unsavoury aspects of the web. All in all I recommend Google above any other search engine.

SPACEWEATHER.COM
http://www.spaceweather.com/
A lady on a mailing list I subscribe to always used to forward the Spaceweather news so that is how I got introduced to this site. I love astrology and of course most of those into the actual science of the stars would be dismissive. Personally however I find no conflict between the two disciplines astrology and astronomy. Space weather.com is not exactly an astronomy site. It?s a site dedicated to reporting ?science news and information about the Sun-Earth environment.?. What this means is information on events such as eclipses, solar flares and sunspots, meteor showers and near earth asteroids and unusual stellar alignments and space phenomena visible from earth. I find this site absolutely fascinating and what is particularly good is that it is completely accessible to the beginner as all terminology is explained. The best part of the site however is the photography. There are some amazing photographs sent in by amateur and professional astronomers plus incredible views through vast telescopes that keep a beady eye on the heavens above. If you are interested in this kind of thing I highly recommend signing up to the newsletter which will regularly alert you to any strange phenomena heading our way.

CARE 2
http://www.care2.com/
Care 2 is a huge site boasting over 2 million members that describes itself as 'the 'yahoo' for people who care about the Environment'. That I think is a pretty accurate description! It's a vast site full of useful news and information regarding all aspects of caring for Planet Earth and all who l
ive upon Her. I use this site mainly for keeping up to date with any petitions and actions that need to be signed so that I have a voice in what happens to this world. Looking at the site now, there is a new 'daily action' site which gives the viewer one thing to do for the day that cares for the planet. Today is a survey on what the American public feel about potential 2004 candidates for the elections. Not particularly relevant for us Brits (although with crazy Bush in power I would have to say maybe it is relevant) but I like the fact that it says if you don't know who these people are go and find out about them!

Back on the main Care 2 site, you can do daily clicks that raise money for charities that protect wildlife such as big cats and rainforests as well as find out about all manner of issues relating to the environment. There is Green Shopping area, vast community area with message boards, listings of Green Websites and a very good ecard section. I regularly send ecards from Care 2. Cards are free and they have an excellent range to suit everyone - even including a Pagan section so good on them!

CHILDREN OF ARTEMIS
http://www.witchcraft.org/index.htm
Children of Artemis is a British based organisation for Witches. Whether you be solitary or coven member or simply curious then this is a must visit place. There are plenty of resources here on witchy relevant news, media, shopping, music and links. For me however the best part of the site is the members area. There are thousands of posts by witchy folk from near and far. There are boards dedicated to spellworking, healing, general chat, womens issues as well as a teenagers section amongst others. There are people her who are at all stages of development and practice with different skills, Paths and attitudes. It's like walking into a pool of wisdom. The site is moderated and the organisers are very keen to keep people as safe as possible. For those who are actually a
member of the offline Children of Artemis such as myself there is a dedicated member only area.

For younger members and beginners on the path this is a great place to come and ask all your questions as you will find lots of people only to happy to help and advise. It's also a good place to come if you practice solitary and have no one with whom you can natter about witchy affairs. Offline meetings are also organised. I've been to one and it was very good and nice to meet the faces behind the machine.

Aside from the community area you can also get your own webmail address yourname@wytchcraft.net

THE ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF DREAMS
http://www.asdreams.org/index.htm
As a dreamworker and writer on dreams this is one of my staple sites. The Association is based in American but open to International membership as well. The website is a veritable treasure chest when it comes to resources on all aspects of dreams and dreaming. From current philosophical and spiritual thought to recent scientific study, the association keeps us informed every step of the way. There are listing of dream therapists all over the world from all different disciplines and backgrounds, research requests and results, information on graduate programs that cover dreams, a huge educational section including articles, relevant media reviews, links, conference reports and just so much more that I can't list here. Far to say, if you have an interest in dreams from psychology student to psychic worker this is a site you must visit.

EBAY
http://www.ebay.co.uk/
Well I just had to include this site! I discovered Ebay after reading the ravings of several Dooyoo members. I've always been one for a bargain - someone who lives going to car boots and charity shops so it was impossible that I would stay away from the biggest auction site on the net. Ebay is pretty simple to use. You register (you need a credit card to join), you browse the l
istings (of which there are thousands) and you bid if you like what you see. You need to be discerning. Check the sellers feedback before you bid and check also that you can afford to buy! No one likes people withdrawing a bid and you will receive negative feedback if you just change your mind.

I've been both seller and buyer on Ebay so have seen it working from all sides. I was a little nervous when I first gave out my details to someone after winning a bid but now that's all gone. Afterall, if I was selling something through a newsp-newspaper ad I would still have to give out my address. Now I thoroughly enjoy bidding on items and of course selling! Recently my father had a big clear-out but instead of him binning the lot (which he would usually do) I quickly salvaged it all and sold just about everything on Ebay. I am constantly amazed at what people will buy. For example I bought some old Sindy Dolls for 20p and sold them for £1.50 each. Not loads of money but all these things add up. I have also sold rare items and collectables without any problem. It is of course wise to have an idea of value before you sell.

Ebay is fantastic for bargains. I often buy books, video's, cd's and clothes. So far I haven't been caught out - apart from one guy who never sent payment on one of my auctions. Be warned you also get a lot of 'get rich quick' scams advertised too. You just learn to ignore them. For fun it's great to browse through the 'weird' section. here you get the joke auctions and just humorous ads - for example, the lady who's selling her two children for the price of one and the guy who's selling a box of fluff!

AMAZON
http://www.amazon.co.uk

Well unless you are a complete newbie to the web I am presuming you've heard of Amazon! I have used this site regularly for the past 4 years. Basically Amazon is probably the biggest bookshop in the world. You can get just about an
ything here. Amazon also sell video's DVD's and music amongst other stuff and also have a section where you can sell or auction your own items to make room for buying more. The only time I have had a problem with this company is last Christmas when they messed up and order which very nearly led to all my friends not getting their Xmas pressies on time! In the end I rang them intent on giving them one hell of an ear-bashing but ended up talking to a very nice Amazon employee who resolved the problem for me within 2 hours and my parcel arrived with two days to spare! So even though we've had a hiccup I continue to use this well known website. Overall Amazon prices are cheap compared to the offline market although it does pay to buy several books or other things at once due to added postage and packing charges. Another way Amazon can save you money is by buying presents for others as gifts as you can have the purchase sent gift wrapped to them directly. if you fancy a present yourself making up a wishlist and giving your family and friends access to it is a brilliant way to hint about what you would like!

I find the more I use Amazon, the more relevant the personal recommendations become as these are based on books and videos' etc you own. If you take the time to mark whether you own a particualr book for example and whether you like it, these are used to make further suggestions.

Overall Amazon gets high marks from me.

LOQUAX
http://www.loquax.co.uk/
Yes I admit it - I like doing competitions. Like perhaps many of us here on Dooyoo I like the idea of something for nothing and well. competitions are perhaps the one legitimate way to go for that! I don't enter hundreds a week and I admire the tenacity of those who do. More often than not I just pop by to Loquax once a week or when I have a spare moment and enter a competition on a whim.

Loquax is a large UK competition portal.There are several other porta
ls but this is the one I have found easiest to use - plus it gets big bonus points from me for it automatically keeping a record of any competitions I enter.

Loquax - despite it's utterly weird name is an excellent organised website. You can search to enter competitions which have a particular kind of prize such as a holiday or cash, enter daily, monthly or weekly comps or enter by entry type (such as writing a tag line, joining a website and so on). As yet I haven't won anything directly through participating with this site but then that's probably because in comparison I haven't entered that many. I plan to start doing a few more - not enough to feel like it's wasting my time, but just enough to make me feel like increasing my odds of winning a little. Holiday competitions are my big pull!

THE MODERN ANTIQUARIAN
http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/home.php
Most people know Julian Cope in his incarnation as lead singer of Teardrop Explodes or of 'World Shut Your mouth' fame but the sexy popstar has far more to him than excellent songwriting abilities. In 1998 his monumental work The Modern Antiquarian was published. Cope lives in Avebury (well I'm presuming he still does). In fact we've seen him driving around a coupe of times when we've visited there and waved hello. This book is a homage to all sacred sites in Britain. Cope spent no less than 8 years travelling to stone circles and all manner of prehistoric buildings and structures, photographing all, collecting evidence and writing eloquent inspired eulogies on the beauty of our landscape.

The modern Antiquarian website picks up where Cope left off and has become a huge site for everyone who has an interest in our ancient heritage - whether rambler, new age worker, witch or archaeologist. For every known site in Britain there are contributions from people who have visited and photographed. Users write weblogs, contribute to the discuss
ion forums and can find information on any site in Britain. If you are interested in our heritage then visit this site!

THE WRITERS ROOM
http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/
The BBC's Writer's Room is THE place to go for the budding and professional scriptwriter. I have found this site to be extremely helpful in my scriptwriting endeavours. Perhaps the most useful thing on the site for me is the 'script smart' download. You can get to this by clicking on 'guideline's and then you'll see the link. Script Smart is an invaluable tool that works with Microsoft word that formats your script layout for you in radio, TV or film format depending on what you are writing. This is absolutely brilliant because as most scriptwriters will know this is one of the most irritating things to deal with when writing your masterpiece. Producers will probably chuck your work in the bin unread if you don't send it in the correct format so Script Smart is an excellent freebie.

Apart from that there is a well used message board where writers can exchange tips on writing drama and comedy, competitions run by the Beeb, insight from various BBC writers on how they write, and current writing initiatives.


So there you go - my top ten websites - today anyway!

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