Internet 101 Neil Reisner Florida International University OR “Once in awhile you can get shown the light in the strangest of places... ...if you look at it.

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Transcript Internet 101 Neil Reisner Florida International University OR “Once in awhile you can get shown the light in the strangest of places... ...if you look at it.

Slide 1

Internet 101

Neil Reisner
Florida International University

OR

“Once in awhile you can get shown the
light in the strangest of places...

...if you look
at it right.
Robert Hunter

First Things First

Google is the Devil
It makes us lazy. Is it the best
source? What about:


Telephone-Assisted Reporting



Almanac-Assisted Reporting



Encyclopedia-Assisted Reporting

Reference Librarian-Assisted
Reporting


Google is an Angel
A grand, unified source of information
if…
You

know what you’re seeking

You

focus your search

You

know it when you see it

The Web is part of your beat!
 Surf

around
 Treat it like your beat
 Bookmark the ones that work for you
 Don’t search, ORGANIZE

But Remember…
 Most

records start out on paper
 The “Document Frame of Mind”
 There’s a record out there and I’m
going to find it!
 The intersection of government and
citizens
 How does information flow?

Have a Strategy
 Know

the law
 Know the records
 Know where to get the records
 A primer
http://www.nreisner.com/PublicRecords.htm

Your new best friend…
 Records

Retention Schedules
 Rules for records disposal
 Inventory of all records an agency
keeps
 Make it your first record request

Main Entrances


NICAR `Net Tour
http://www.ire.org/training/nettour/index.html



Reporter.Org:

http://www.reporter.org



Reporters Desktop:

http://www.reporter.org/desktop



Power Reporting:

http://www.powerreporting.org

Utility Sites


WHOIS: http://whois.domaintools.com/
Who owns that site?



Portico: indorgs.virginia.edu/portico/
Asset locator, property records, more.



FedStats: www.fedstats.gov
Portal to government statistics.



FirstGov: www.firstgov.gov

Portal to federal and local governments.

More Utility Sites
 Census

Bureau: www.census.gov

Numbers and much more.

 CIA

World Factbook: www.cia.gov

International info.
 More

International info:

http://www.nationmaster.com

People Finders


Argali: www.argali.com



Backgrounding John Doe:

Phone numbers, addresses, reverse directory.
Download required.
http://www.reporter.org/desktop/tips/johndoe.htm

Where to find the paper.


Freeality: www.freeality.com
Metasearch phone directories.

Public Records Search Engines
 Search

systems:

http://www.searchsystems.net
Public records search engine. Slower,
more variety and choice.

 Pretrieve

www.pretrieve.com
Better organized, faster, less variety and
choice

When you have to search
 Google:

www.google.com

Broad search, ranks sites, but still not
complete. Less organized.

 Yahoo:

search.yahoo.com

Google-like interface.

 Invisible

Web:
www.invisibleweb.com
Deeper search, hits sites others don’t.

When you have to search
(cont’d)
Mrsapo
http://www.mrsapo.com/
Search engine portal.
 Topix
www.topix.net
News portal


 Article

Search

www.findarticles.com/
If you don’t have Lexis/Nexis.

More Google


Google advanced:

http://www.google.com/advanced_search?hl=en


Academic/professional works:
http://scholar.google.com



Pictures/documents

http://images.google.com



Nearby businesses
http://local.google.com

Even More Google
 Be

notified about a story/source:
http://www.google.com/alerts

 What

Google’s working on:
http://labs.google.com/

Lurking Dangers
 What

do Yogi Berra, Niels Bohr,
Samuel Goldwyn, Dan Quayle and
Mark Twain have in common?
 According to Google results, they all
are responsible for the saying,
“Prediction is difficult, especially
about the future.”

More Lurking Dangers
 http://www.martinlutherking.org/
 http://www.whois.domaintools.com/

martinlutherking.org

Finding government audits
 Government

reports:

Accountability Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gaoreports/in
dex.html

 Federal

Audit Clearinghouse

Database of audits of all non-federal
entities that receive federal money
each year.
http://harvester.census.gov/sac

What the government publishes
 Government

Printing Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/databases.ht
ml

Everything else
 Quick

Reference:

http://www.refdesk.com/index.html
What you used to keep on your desk –
almanacs, dictionaries, thesauri, etc.
Run by Matt Drudge’s father Bob.

[email protected]
www.nreisner.com


Slide 2

Internet 101

Neil Reisner
Florida International University

OR

“Once in awhile you can get shown the
light in the strangest of places...

...if you look
at it right.
Robert Hunter

First Things First

Google is the Devil
It makes us lazy. Is it the best
source? What about:


Telephone-Assisted Reporting



Almanac-Assisted Reporting



Encyclopedia-Assisted Reporting

Reference Librarian-Assisted
Reporting


Google is an Angel
A grand, unified source of information
if…
You

know what you’re seeking

You

focus your search

You

know it when you see it

The Web is part of your beat!
 Surf

around
 Treat it like your beat
 Bookmark the ones that work for you
 Don’t search, ORGANIZE

But Remember…
 Most

records start out on paper
 The “Document Frame of Mind”
 There’s a record out there and I’m
going to find it!
 The intersection of government and
citizens
 How does information flow?

Have a Strategy
 Know

the law
 Know the records
 Know where to get the records
 A primer
http://www.nreisner.com/PublicRecords.htm

Your new best friend…
 Records

Retention Schedules
 Rules for records disposal
 Inventory of all records an agency
keeps
 Make it your first record request

Main Entrances


NICAR `Net Tour
http://www.ire.org/training/nettour/index.html



Reporter.Org:

http://www.reporter.org



Reporters Desktop:

http://www.reporter.org/desktop



Power Reporting:

http://www.powerreporting.org

Utility Sites


WHOIS: http://whois.domaintools.com/
Who owns that site?



Portico: indorgs.virginia.edu/portico/
Asset locator, property records, more.



FedStats: www.fedstats.gov
Portal to government statistics.



FirstGov: www.firstgov.gov

Portal to federal and local governments.

More Utility Sites
 Census

Bureau: www.census.gov

Numbers and much more.

 CIA

World Factbook: www.cia.gov

International info.
 More

International info:

http://www.nationmaster.com

People Finders


Argali: www.argali.com



Backgrounding John Doe:

Phone numbers, addresses, reverse directory.
Download required.
http://www.reporter.org/desktop/tips/johndoe.htm

Where to find the paper.


Freeality: www.freeality.com
Metasearch phone directories.

Public Records Search Engines
 Search

systems:

http://www.searchsystems.net
Public records search engine. Slower,
more variety and choice.

 Pretrieve

www.pretrieve.com
Better organized, faster, less variety and
choice

When you have to search
 Google:

www.google.com

Broad search, ranks sites, but still not
complete. Less organized.

 Yahoo:

search.yahoo.com

Google-like interface.

 Invisible

Web:
www.invisibleweb.com
Deeper search, hits sites others don’t.

When you have to search
(cont’d)
Mrsapo
http://www.mrsapo.com/
Search engine portal.
 Topix
www.topix.net
News portal


 Article

Search

www.findarticles.com/
If you don’t have Lexis/Nexis.

More Google


Google advanced:

http://www.google.com/advanced_search?hl=en


Academic/professional works:
http://scholar.google.com



Pictures/documents

http://images.google.com



Nearby businesses
http://local.google.com

Even More Google
 Be

notified about a story/source:
http://www.google.com/alerts

 What

Google’s working on:
http://labs.google.com/

Lurking Dangers
 What

do Yogi Berra, Niels Bohr,
Samuel Goldwyn, Dan Quayle and
Mark Twain have in common?
 According to Google results, they all
are responsible for the saying,
“Prediction is difficult, especially
about the future.”

More Lurking Dangers
 http://www.martinlutherking.org/
 http://www.whois.domaintools.com/

martinlutherking.org

Finding government audits
 Government

reports:

Accountability Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gaoreports/in
dex.html

 Federal

Audit Clearinghouse

Database of audits of all non-federal
entities that receive federal money
each year.
http://harvester.census.gov/sac

What the government publishes
 Government

Printing Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/databases.ht
ml

Everything else
 Quick

Reference:

http://www.refdesk.com/index.html
What you used to keep on your desk –
almanacs, dictionaries, thesauri, etc.
Run by Matt Drudge’s father Bob.

[email protected]
www.nreisner.com


Slide 3

Internet 101

Neil Reisner
Florida International University

OR

“Once in awhile you can get shown the
light in the strangest of places...

...if you look
at it right.
Robert Hunter

First Things First

Google is the Devil
It makes us lazy. Is it the best
source? What about:


Telephone-Assisted Reporting



Almanac-Assisted Reporting



Encyclopedia-Assisted Reporting

Reference Librarian-Assisted
Reporting


Google is an Angel
A grand, unified source of information
if…
You

know what you’re seeking

You

focus your search

You

know it when you see it

The Web is part of your beat!
 Surf

around
 Treat it like your beat
 Bookmark the ones that work for you
 Don’t search, ORGANIZE

But Remember…
 Most

records start out on paper
 The “Document Frame of Mind”
 There’s a record out there and I’m
going to find it!
 The intersection of government and
citizens
 How does information flow?

Have a Strategy
 Know

the law
 Know the records
 Know where to get the records
 A primer
http://www.nreisner.com/PublicRecords.htm

Your new best friend…
 Records

Retention Schedules
 Rules for records disposal
 Inventory of all records an agency
keeps
 Make it your first record request

Main Entrances


NICAR `Net Tour
http://www.ire.org/training/nettour/index.html



Reporter.Org:

http://www.reporter.org



Reporters Desktop:

http://www.reporter.org/desktop



Power Reporting:

http://www.powerreporting.org

Utility Sites


WHOIS: http://whois.domaintools.com/
Who owns that site?



Portico: indorgs.virginia.edu/portico/
Asset locator, property records, more.



FedStats: www.fedstats.gov
Portal to government statistics.



FirstGov: www.firstgov.gov

Portal to federal and local governments.

More Utility Sites
 Census

Bureau: www.census.gov

Numbers and much more.

 CIA

World Factbook: www.cia.gov

International info.
 More

International info:

http://www.nationmaster.com

People Finders


Argali: www.argali.com



Backgrounding John Doe:

Phone numbers, addresses, reverse directory.
Download required.
http://www.reporter.org/desktop/tips/johndoe.htm

Where to find the paper.


Freeality: www.freeality.com
Metasearch phone directories.

Public Records Search Engines
 Search

systems:

http://www.searchsystems.net
Public records search engine. Slower,
more variety and choice.

 Pretrieve

www.pretrieve.com
Better organized, faster, less variety and
choice

When you have to search
 Google:

www.google.com

Broad search, ranks sites, but still not
complete. Less organized.

 Yahoo:

search.yahoo.com

Google-like interface.

 Invisible

Web:
www.invisibleweb.com
Deeper search, hits sites others don’t.

When you have to search
(cont’d)
Mrsapo
http://www.mrsapo.com/
Search engine portal.
 Topix
www.topix.net
News portal


 Article

Search

www.findarticles.com/
If you don’t have Lexis/Nexis.

More Google


Google advanced:

http://www.google.com/advanced_search?hl=en


Academic/professional works:
http://scholar.google.com



Pictures/documents

http://images.google.com



Nearby businesses
http://local.google.com

Even More Google
 Be

notified about a story/source:
http://www.google.com/alerts

 What

Google’s working on:
http://labs.google.com/

Lurking Dangers
 What

do Yogi Berra, Niels Bohr,
Samuel Goldwyn, Dan Quayle and
Mark Twain have in common?
 According to Google results, they all
are responsible for the saying,
“Prediction is difficult, especially
about the future.”

More Lurking Dangers
 http://www.martinlutherking.org/
 http://www.whois.domaintools.com/

martinlutherking.org

Finding government audits
 Government

reports:

Accountability Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gaoreports/in
dex.html

 Federal

Audit Clearinghouse

Database of audits of all non-federal
entities that receive federal money
each year.
http://harvester.census.gov/sac

What the government publishes
 Government

Printing Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/databases.ht
ml

Everything else
 Quick

Reference:

http://www.refdesk.com/index.html
What you used to keep on your desk –
almanacs, dictionaries, thesauri, etc.
Run by Matt Drudge’s father Bob.

[email protected]
www.nreisner.com


Slide 4

Internet 101

Neil Reisner
Florida International University

OR

“Once in awhile you can get shown the
light in the strangest of places...

...if you look
at it right.
Robert Hunter

First Things First

Google is the Devil
It makes us lazy. Is it the best
source? What about:


Telephone-Assisted Reporting



Almanac-Assisted Reporting



Encyclopedia-Assisted Reporting

Reference Librarian-Assisted
Reporting


Google is an Angel
A grand, unified source of information
if…
You

know what you’re seeking

You

focus your search

You

know it when you see it

The Web is part of your beat!
 Surf

around
 Treat it like your beat
 Bookmark the ones that work for you
 Don’t search, ORGANIZE

But Remember…
 Most

records start out on paper
 The “Document Frame of Mind”
 There’s a record out there and I’m
going to find it!
 The intersection of government and
citizens
 How does information flow?

Have a Strategy
 Know

the law
 Know the records
 Know where to get the records
 A primer
http://www.nreisner.com/PublicRecords.htm

Your new best friend…
 Records

Retention Schedules
 Rules for records disposal
 Inventory of all records an agency
keeps
 Make it your first record request

Main Entrances


NICAR `Net Tour
http://www.ire.org/training/nettour/index.html



Reporter.Org:

http://www.reporter.org



Reporters Desktop:

http://www.reporter.org/desktop



Power Reporting:

http://www.powerreporting.org

Utility Sites


WHOIS: http://whois.domaintools.com/
Who owns that site?



Portico: indorgs.virginia.edu/portico/
Asset locator, property records, more.



FedStats: www.fedstats.gov
Portal to government statistics.



FirstGov: www.firstgov.gov

Portal to federal and local governments.

More Utility Sites
 Census

Bureau: www.census.gov

Numbers and much more.

 CIA

World Factbook: www.cia.gov

International info.
 More

International info:

http://www.nationmaster.com

People Finders


Argali: www.argali.com



Backgrounding John Doe:

Phone numbers, addresses, reverse directory.
Download required.
http://www.reporter.org/desktop/tips/johndoe.htm

Where to find the paper.


Freeality: www.freeality.com
Metasearch phone directories.

Public Records Search Engines
 Search

systems:

http://www.searchsystems.net
Public records search engine. Slower,
more variety and choice.

 Pretrieve

www.pretrieve.com
Better organized, faster, less variety and
choice

When you have to search
 Google:

www.google.com

Broad search, ranks sites, but still not
complete. Less organized.

 Yahoo:

search.yahoo.com

Google-like interface.

 Invisible

Web:
www.invisibleweb.com
Deeper search, hits sites others don’t.

When you have to search
(cont’d)
Mrsapo
http://www.mrsapo.com/
Search engine portal.
 Topix
www.topix.net
News portal


 Article

Search

www.findarticles.com/
If you don’t have Lexis/Nexis.

More Google


Google advanced:

http://www.google.com/advanced_search?hl=en


Academic/professional works:
http://scholar.google.com



Pictures/documents

http://images.google.com



Nearby businesses
http://local.google.com

Even More Google
 Be

notified about a story/source:
http://www.google.com/alerts

 What

Google’s working on:
http://labs.google.com/

Lurking Dangers
 What

do Yogi Berra, Niels Bohr,
Samuel Goldwyn, Dan Quayle and
Mark Twain have in common?
 According to Google results, they all
are responsible for the saying,
“Prediction is difficult, especially
about the future.”

More Lurking Dangers
 http://www.martinlutherking.org/
 http://www.whois.domaintools.com/

martinlutherking.org

Finding government audits
 Government

reports:

Accountability Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gaoreports/in
dex.html

 Federal

Audit Clearinghouse

Database of audits of all non-federal
entities that receive federal money
each year.
http://harvester.census.gov/sac

What the government publishes
 Government

Printing Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/databases.ht
ml

Everything else
 Quick

Reference:

http://www.refdesk.com/index.html
What you used to keep on your desk –
almanacs, dictionaries, thesauri, etc.
Run by Matt Drudge’s father Bob.

[email protected]
www.nreisner.com


Slide 5

Internet 101

Neil Reisner
Florida International University

OR

“Once in awhile you can get shown the
light in the strangest of places...

...if you look
at it right.
Robert Hunter

First Things First

Google is the Devil
It makes us lazy. Is it the best
source? What about:


Telephone-Assisted Reporting



Almanac-Assisted Reporting



Encyclopedia-Assisted Reporting

Reference Librarian-Assisted
Reporting


Google is an Angel
A grand, unified source of information
if…
You

know what you’re seeking

You

focus your search

You

know it when you see it

The Web is part of your beat!
 Surf

around
 Treat it like your beat
 Bookmark the ones that work for you
 Don’t search, ORGANIZE

But Remember…
 Most

records start out on paper
 The “Document Frame of Mind”
 There’s a record out there and I’m
going to find it!
 The intersection of government and
citizens
 How does information flow?

Have a Strategy
 Know

the law
 Know the records
 Know where to get the records
 A primer
http://www.nreisner.com/PublicRecords.htm

Your new best friend…
 Records

Retention Schedules
 Rules for records disposal
 Inventory of all records an agency
keeps
 Make it your first record request

Main Entrances


NICAR `Net Tour
http://www.ire.org/training/nettour/index.html



Reporter.Org:

http://www.reporter.org



Reporters Desktop:

http://www.reporter.org/desktop



Power Reporting:

http://www.powerreporting.org

Utility Sites


WHOIS: http://whois.domaintools.com/
Who owns that site?



Portico: indorgs.virginia.edu/portico/
Asset locator, property records, more.



FedStats: www.fedstats.gov
Portal to government statistics.



FirstGov: www.firstgov.gov

Portal to federal and local governments.

More Utility Sites
 Census

Bureau: www.census.gov

Numbers and much more.

 CIA

World Factbook: www.cia.gov

International info.
 More

International info:

http://www.nationmaster.com

People Finders


Argali: www.argali.com



Backgrounding John Doe:

Phone numbers, addresses, reverse directory.
Download required.
http://www.reporter.org/desktop/tips/johndoe.htm

Where to find the paper.


Freeality: www.freeality.com
Metasearch phone directories.

Public Records Search Engines
 Search

systems:

http://www.searchsystems.net
Public records search engine. Slower,
more variety and choice.

 Pretrieve

www.pretrieve.com
Better organized, faster, less variety and
choice

When you have to search
 Google:

www.google.com

Broad search, ranks sites, but still not
complete. Less organized.

 Yahoo:

search.yahoo.com

Google-like interface.

 Invisible

Web:
www.invisibleweb.com
Deeper search, hits sites others don’t.

When you have to search
(cont’d)
Mrsapo
http://www.mrsapo.com/
Search engine portal.
 Topix
www.topix.net
News portal


 Article

Search

www.findarticles.com/
If you don’t have Lexis/Nexis.

More Google


Google advanced:

http://www.google.com/advanced_search?hl=en


Academic/professional works:
http://scholar.google.com



Pictures/documents

http://images.google.com



Nearby businesses
http://local.google.com

Even More Google
 Be

notified about a story/source:
http://www.google.com/alerts

 What

Google’s working on:
http://labs.google.com/

Lurking Dangers
 What

do Yogi Berra, Niels Bohr,
Samuel Goldwyn, Dan Quayle and
Mark Twain have in common?
 According to Google results, they all
are responsible for the saying,
“Prediction is difficult, especially
about the future.”

More Lurking Dangers
 http://www.martinlutherking.org/
 http://www.whois.domaintools.com/

martinlutherking.org

Finding government audits
 Government

reports:

Accountability Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gaoreports/in
dex.html

 Federal

Audit Clearinghouse

Database of audits of all non-federal
entities that receive federal money
each year.
http://harvester.census.gov/sac

What the government publishes
 Government

Printing Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/databases.ht
ml

Everything else
 Quick

Reference:

http://www.refdesk.com/index.html
What you used to keep on your desk –
almanacs, dictionaries, thesauri, etc.
Run by Matt Drudge’s father Bob.

[email protected]
www.nreisner.com


Slide 6

Internet 101

Neil Reisner
Florida International University

OR

“Once in awhile you can get shown the
light in the strangest of places...

...if you look
at it right.
Robert Hunter

First Things First

Google is the Devil
It makes us lazy. Is it the best
source? What about:


Telephone-Assisted Reporting



Almanac-Assisted Reporting



Encyclopedia-Assisted Reporting

Reference Librarian-Assisted
Reporting


Google is an Angel
A grand, unified source of information
if…
You

know what you’re seeking

You

focus your search

You

know it when you see it

The Web is part of your beat!
 Surf

around
 Treat it like your beat
 Bookmark the ones that work for you
 Don’t search, ORGANIZE

But Remember…
 Most

records start out on paper
 The “Document Frame of Mind”
 There’s a record out there and I’m
going to find it!
 The intersection of government and
citizens
 How does information flow?

Have a Strategy
 Know

the law
 Know the records
 Know where to get the records
 A primer
http://www.nreisner.com/PublicRecords.htm

Your new best friend…
 Records

Retention Schedules
 Rules for records disposal
 Inventory of all records an agency
keeps
 Make it your first record request

Main Entrances


NICAR `Net Tour
http://www.ire.org/training/nettour/index.html



Reporter.Org:

http://www.reporter.org



Reporters Desktop:

http://www.reporter.org/desktop



Power Reporting:

http://www.powerreporting.org

Utility Sites


WHOIS: http://whois.domaintools.com/
Who owns that site?



Portico: indorgs.virginia.edu/portico/
Asset locator, property records, more.



FedStats: www.fedstats.gov
Portal to government statistics.



FirstGov: www.firstgov.gov

Portal to federal and local governments.

More Utility Sites
 Census

Bureau: www.census.gov

Numbers and much more.

 CIA

World Factbook: www.cia.gov

International info.
 More

International info:

http://www.nationmaster.com

People Finders


Argali: www.argali.com



Backgrounding John Doe:

Phone numbers, addresses, reverse directory.
Download required.
http://www.reporter.org/desktop/tips/johndoe.htm

Where to find the paper.


Freeality: www.freeality.com
Metasearch phone directories.

Public Records Search Engines
 Search

systems:

http://www.searchsystems.net
Public records search engine. Slower,
more variety and choice.

 Pretrieve

www.pretrieve.com
Better organized, faster, less variety and
choice

When you have to search
 Google:

www.google.com

Broad search, ranks sites, but still not
complete. Less organized.

 Yahoo:

search.yahoo.com

Google-like interface.

 Invisible

Web:
www.invisibleweb.com
Deeper search, hits sites others don’t.

When you have to search
(cont’d)
Mrsapo
http://www.mrsapo.com/
Search engine portal.
 Topix
www.topix.net
News portal


 Article

Search

www.findarticles.com/
If you don’t have Lexis/Nexis.

More Google


Google advanced:

http://www.google.com/advanced_search?hl=en


Academic/professional works:
http://scholar.google.com



Pictures/documents

http://images.google.com



Nearby businesses
http://local.google.com

Even More Google
 Be

notified about a story/source:
http://www.google.com/alerts

 What

Google’s working on:
http://labs.google.com/

Lurking Dangers
 What

do Yogi Berra, Niels Bohr,
Samuel Goldwyn, Dan Quayle and
Mark Twain have in common?
 According to Google results, they all
are responsible for the saying,
“Prediction is difficult, especially
about the future.”

More Lurking Dangers
 http://www.martinlutherking.org/
 http://www.whois.domaintools.com/

martinlutherking.org

Finding government audits
 Government

reports:

Accountability Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gaoreports/in
dex.html

 Federal

Audit Clearinghouse

Database of audits of all non-federal
entities that receive federal money
each year.
http://harvester.census.gov/sac

What the government publishes
 Government

Printing Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/databases.ht
ml

Everything else
 Quick

Reference:

http://www.refdesk.com/index.html
What you used to keep on your desk –
almanacs, dictionaries, thesauri, etc.
Run by Matt Drudge’s father Bob.

[email protected]
www.nreisner.com


Slide 7

Internet 101

Neil Reisner
Florida International University

OR

“Once in awhile you can get shown the
light in the strangest of places...

...if you look
at it right.
Robert Hunter

First Things First

Google is the Devil
It makes us lazy. Is it the best
source? What about:


Telephone-Assisted Reporting



Almanac-Assisted Reporting



Encyclopedia-Assisted Reporting

Reference Librarian-Assisted
Reporting


Google is an Angel
A grand, unified source of information
if…
You

know what you’re seeking

You

focus your search

You

know it when you see it

The Web is part of your beat!
 Surf

around
 Treat it like your beat
 Bookmark the ones that work for you
 Don’t search, ORGANIZE

But Remember…
 Most

records start out on paper
 The “Document Frame of Mind”
 There’s a record out there and I’m
going to find it!
 The intersection of government and
citizens
 How does information flow?

Have a Strategy
 Know

the law
 Know the records
 Know where to get the records
 A primer
http://www.nreisner.com/PublicRecords.htm

Your new best friend…
 Records

Retention Schedules
 Rules for records disposal
 Inventory of all records an agency
keeps
 Make it your first record request

Main Entrances


NICAR `Net Tour
http://www.ire.org/training/nettour/index.html



Reporter.Org:

http://www.reporter.org



Reporters Desktop:

http://www.reporter.org/desktop



Power Reporting:

http://www.powerreporting.org

Utility Sites


WHOIS: http://whois.domaintools.com/
Who owns that site?



Portico: indorgs.virginia.edu/portico/
Asset locator, property records, more.



FedStats: www.fedstats.gov
Portal to government statistics.



FirstGov: www.firstgov.gov

Portal to federal and local governments.

More Utility Sites
 Census

Bureau: www.census.gov

Numbers and much more.

 CIA

World Factbook: www.cia.gov

International info.
 More

International info:

http://www.nationmaster.com

People Finders


Argali: www.argali.com



Backgrounding John Doe:

Phone numbers, addresses, reverse directory.
Download required.
http://www.reporter.org/desktop/tips/johndoe.htm

Where to find the paper.


Freeality: www.freeality.com
Metasearch phone directories.

Public Records Search Engines
 Search

systems:

http://www.searchsystems.net
Public records search engine. Slower,
more variety and choice.

 Pretrieve

www.pretrieve.com
Better organized, faster, less variety and
choice

When you have to search
 Google:

www.google.com

Broad search, ranks sites, but still not
complete. Less organized.

 Yahoo:

search.yahoo.com

Google-like interface.

 Invisible

Web:
www.invisibleweb.com
Deeper search, hits sites others don’t.

When you have to search
(cont’d)
Mrsapo
http://www.mrsapo.com/
Search engine portal.
 Topix
www.topix.net
News portal


 Article

Search

www.findarticles.com/
If you don’t have Lexis/Nexis.

More Google


Google advanced:

http://www.google.com/advanced_search?hl=en


Academic/professional works:
http://scholar.google.com



Pictures/documents

http://images.google.com



Nearby businesses
http://local.google.com

Even More Google
 Be

notified about a story/source:
http://www.google.com/alerts

 What

Google’s working on:
http://labs.google.com/

Lurking Dangers
 What

do Yogi Berra, Niels Bohr,
Samuel Goldwyn, Dan Quayle and
Mark Twain have in common?
 According to Google results, they all
are responsible for the saying,
“Prediction is difficult, especially
about the future.”

More Lurking Dangers
 http://www.martinlutherking.org/
 http://www.whois.domaintools.com/

martinlutherking.org

Finding government audits
 Government

reports:

Accountability Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gaoreports/in
dex.html

 Federal

Audit Clearinghouse

Database of audits of all non-federal
entities that receive federal money
each year.
http://harvester.census.gov/sac

What the government publishes
 Government

Printing Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/databases.ht
ml

Everything else
 Quick

Reference:

http://www.refdesk.com/index.html
What you used to keep on your desk –
almanacs, dictionaries, thesauri, etc.
Run by Matt Drudge’s father Bob.

[email protected]
www.nreisner.com


Slide 8

Internet 101

Neil Reisner
Florida International University

OR

“Once in awhile you can get shown the
light in the strangest of places...

...if you look
at it right.
Robert Hunter

First Things First

Google is the Devil
It makes us lazy. Is it the best
source? What about:


Telephone-Assisted Reporting



Almanac-Assisted Reporting



Encyclopedia-Assisted Reporting

Reference Librarian-Assisted
Reporting


Google is an Angel
A grand, unified source of information
if…
You

know what you’re seeking

You

focus your search

You

know it when you see it

The Web is part of your beat!
 Surf

around
 Treat it like your beat
 Bookmark the ones that work for you
 Don’t search, ORGANIZE

But Remember…
 Most

records start out on paper
 The “Document Frame of Mind”
 There’s a record out there and I’m
going to find it!
 The intersection of government and
citizens
 How does information flow?

Have a Strategy
 Know

the law
 Know the records
 Know where to get the records
 A primer
http://www.nreisner.com/PublicRecords.htm

Your new best friend…
 Records

Retention Schedules
 Rules for records disposal
 Inventory of all records an agency
keeps
 Make it your first record request

Main Entrances


NICAR `Net Tour
http://www.ire.org/training/nettour/index.html



Reporter.Org:

http://www.reporter.org



Reporters Desktop:

http://www.reporter.org/desktop



Power Reporting:

http://www.powerreporting.org

Utility Sites


WHOIS: http://whois.domaintools.com/
Who owns that site?



Portico: indorgs.virginia.edu/portico/
Asset locator, property records, more.



FedStats: www.fedstats.gov
Portal to government statistics.



FirstGov: www.firstgov.gov

Portal to federal and local governments.

More Utility Sites
 Census

Bureau: www.census.gov

Numbers and much more.

 CIA

World Factbook: www.cia.gov

International info.
 More

International info:

http://www.nationmaster.com

People Finders


Argali: www.argali.com



Backgrounding John Doe:

Phone numbers, addresses, reverse directory.
Download required.
http://www.reporter.org/desktop/tips/johndoe.htm

Where to find the paper.


Freeality: www.freeality.com
Metasearch phone directories.

Public Records Search Engines
 Search

systems:

http://www.searchsystems.net
Public records search engine. Slower,
more variety and choice.

 Pretrieve

www.pretrieve.com
Better organized, faster, less variety and
choice

When you have to search
 Google:

www.google.com

Broad search, ranks sites, but still not
complete. Less organized.

 Yahoo:

search.yahoo.com

Google-like interface.

 Invisible

Web:
www.invisibleweb.com
Deeper search, hits sites others don’t.

When you have to search
(cont’d)
Mrsapo
http://www.mrsapo.com/
Search engine portal.
 Topix
www.topix.net
News portal


 Article

Search

www.findarticles.com/
If you don’t have Lexis/Nexis.

More Google


Google advanced:

http://www.google.com/advanced_search?hl=en


Academic/professional works:
http://scholar.google.com



Pictures/documents

http://images.google.com



Nearby businesses
http://local.google.com

Even More Google
 Be

notified about a story/source:
http://www.google.com/alerts

 What

Google’s working on:
http://labs.google.com/

Lurking Dangers
 What

do Yogi Berra, Niels Bohr,
Samuel Goldwyn, Dan Quayle and
Mark Twain have in common?
 According to Google results, they all
are responsible for the saying,
“Prediction is difficult, especially
about the future.”

More Lurking Dangers
 http://www.martinlutherking.org/
 http://www.whois.domaintools.com/

martinlutherking.org

Finding government audits
 Government

reports:

Accountability Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gaoreports/in
dex.html

 Federal

Audit Clearinghouse

Database of audits of all non-federal
entities that receive federal money
each year.
http://harvester.census.gov/sac

What the government publishes
 Government

Printing Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/databases.ht
ml

Everything else
 Quick

Reference:

http://www.refdesk.com/index.html
What you used to keep on your desk –
almanacs, dictionaries, thesauri, etc.
Run by Matt Drudge’s father Bob.

[email protected]
www.nreisner.com


Slide 9

Internet 101

Neil Reisner
Florida International University

OR

“Once in awhile you can get shown the
light in the strangest of places...

...if you look
at it right.
Robert Hunter

First Things First

Google is the Devil
It makes us lazy. Is it the best
source? What about:


Telephone-Assisted Reporting



Almanac-Assisted Reporting



Encyclopedia-Assisted Reporting

Reference Librarian-Assisted
Reporting


Google is an Angel
A grand, unified source of information
if…
You

know what you’re seeking

You

focus your search

You

know it when you see it

The Web is part of your beat!
 Surf

around
 Treat it like your beat
 Bookmark the ones that work for you
 Don’t search, ORGANIZE

But Remember…
 Most

records start out on paper
 The “Document Frame of Mind”
 There’s a record out there and I’m
going to find it!
 The intersection of government and
citizens
 How does information flow?

Have a Strategy
 Know

the law
 Know the records
 Know where to get the records
 A primer
http://www.nreisner.com/PublicRecords.htm

Your new best friend…
 Records

Retention Schedules
 Rules for records disposal
 Inventory of all records an agency
keeps
 Make it your first record request

Main Entrances


NICAR `Net Tour
http://www.ire.org/training/nettour/index.html



Reporter.Org:

http://www.reporter.org



Reporters Desktop:

http://www.reporter.org/desktop



Power Reporting:

http://www.powerreporting.org

Utility Sites


WHOIS: http://whois.domaintools.com/
Who owns that site?



Portico: indorgs.virginia.edu/portico/
Asset locator, property records, more.



FedStats: www.fedstats.gov
Portal to government statistics.



FirstGov: www.firstgov.gov

Portal to federal and local governments.

More Utility Sites
 Census

Bureau: www.census.gov

Numbers and much more.

 CIA

World Factbook: www.cia.gov

International info.
 More

International info:

http://www.nationmaster.com

People Finders


Argali: www.argali.com



Backgrounding John Doe:

Phone numbers, addresses, reverse directory.
Download required.
http://www.reporter.org/desktop/tips/johndoe.htm

Where to find the paper.


Freeality: www.freeality.com
Metasearch phone directories.

Public Records Search Engines
 Search

systems:

http://www.searchsystems.net
Public records search engine. Slower,
more variety and choice.

 Pretrieve

www.pretrieve.com
Better organized, faster, less variety and
choice

When you have to search
 Google:

www.google.com

Broad search, ranks sites, but still not
complete. Less organized.

 Yahoo:

search.yahoo.com

Google-like interface.

 Invisible

Web:
www.invisibleweb.com
Deeper search, hits sites others don’t.

When you have to search
(cont’d)
Mrsapo
http://www.mrsapo.com/
Search engine portal.
 Topix
www.topix.net
News portal


 Article

Search

www.findarticles.com/
If you don’t have Lexis/Nexis.

More Google


Google advanced:

http://www.google.com/advanced_search?hl=en


Academic/professional works:
http://scholar.google.com



Pictures/documents

http://images.google.com



Nearby businesses
http://local.google.com

Even More Google
 Be

notified about a story/source:
http://www.google.com/alerts

 What

Google’s working on:
http://labs.google.com/

Lurking Dangers
 What

do Yogi Berra, Niels Bohr,
Samuel Goldwyn, Dan Quayle and
Mark Twain have in common?
 According to Google results, they all
are responsible for the saying,
“Prediction is difficult, especially
about the future.”

More Lurking Dangers
 http://www.martinlutherking.org/
 http://www.whois.domaintools.com/

martinlutherking.org

Finding government audits
 Government

reports:

Accountability Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gaoreports/in
dex.html

 Federal

Audit Clearinghouse

Database of audits of all non-federal
entities that receive federal money
each year.
http://harvester.census.gov/sac

What the government publishes
 Government

Printing Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/databases.ht
ml

Everything else
 Quick

Reference:

http://www.refdesk.com/index.html
What you used to keep on your desk –
almanacs, dictionaries, thesauri, etc.
Run by Matt Drudge’s father Bob.

[email protected]
www.nreisner.com


Slide 10

Internet 101

Neil Reisner
Florida International University

OR

“Once in awhile you can get shown the
light in the strangest of places...

...if you look
at it right.
Robert Hunter

First Things First

Google is the Devil
It makes us lazy. Is it the best
source? What about:


Telephone-Assisted Reporting



Almanac-Assisted Reporting



Encyclopedia-Assisted Reporting

Reference Librarian-Assisted
Reporting


Google is an Angel
A grand, unified source of information
if…
You

know what you’re seeking

You

focus your search

You

know it when you see it

The Web is part of your beat!
 Surf

around
 Treat it like your beat
 Bookmark the ones that work for you
 Don’t search, ORGANIZE

But Remember…
 Most

records start out on paper
 The “Document Frame of Mind”
 There’s a record out there and I’m
going to find it!
 The intersection of government and
citizens
 How does information flow?

Have a Strategy
 Know

the law
 Know the records
 Know where to get the records
 A primer
http://www.nreisner.com/PublicRecords.htm

Your new best friend…
 Records

Retention Schedules
 Rules for records disposal
 Inventory of all records an agency
keeps
 Make it your first record request

Main Entrances


NICAR `Net Tour
http://www.ire.org/training/nettour/index.html



Reporter.Org:

http://www.reporter.org



Reporters Desktop:

http://www.reporter.org/desktop



Power Reporting:

http://www.powerreporting.org

Utility Sites


WHOIS: http://whois.domaintools.com/
Who owns that site?



Portico: indorgs.virginia.edu/portico/
Asset locator, property records, more.



FedStats: www.fedstats.gov
Portal to government statistics.



FirstGov: www.firstgov.gov

Portal to federal and local governments.

More Utility Sites
 Census

Bureau: www.census.gov

Numbers and much more.

 CIA

World Factbook: www.cia.gov

International info.
 More

International info:

http://www.nationmaster.com

People Finders


Argali: www.argali.com



Backgrounding John Doe:

Phone numbers, addresses, reverse directory.
Download required.
http://www.reporter.org/desktop/tips/johndoe.htm

Where to find the paper.


Freeality: www.freeality.com
Metasearch phone directories.

Public Records Search Engines
 Search

systems:

http://www.searchsystems.net
Public records search engine. Slower,
more variety and choice.

 Pretrieve

www.pretrieve.com
Better organized, faster, less variety and
choice

When you have to search
 Google:

www.google.com

Broad search, ranks sites, but still not
complete. Less organized.

 Yahoo:

search.yahoo.com

Google-like interface.

 Invisible

Web:
www.invisibleweb.com
Deeper search, hits sites others don’t.

When you have to search
(cont’d)
Mrsapo
http://www.mrsapo.com/
Search engine portal.
 Topix
www.topix.net
News portal


 Article

Search

www.findarticles.com/
If you don’t have Lexis/Nexis.

More Google


Google advanced:

http://www.google.com/advanced_search?hl=en


Academic/professional works:
http://scholar.google.com



Pictures/documents

http://images.google.com



Nearby businesses
http://local.google.com

Even More Google
 Be

notified about a story/source:
http://www.google.com/alerts

 What

Google’s working on:
http://labs.google.com/

Lurking Dangers
 What

do Yogi Berra, Niels Bohr,
Samuel Goldwyn, Dan Quayle and
Mark Twain have in common?
 According to Google results, they all
are responsible for the saying,
“Prediction is difficult, especially
about the future.”

More Lurking Dangers
 http://www.martinlutherking.org/
 http://www.whois.domaintools.com/

martinlutherking.org

Finding government audits
 Government

reports:

Accountability Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gaoreports/in
dex.html

 Federal

Audit Clearinghouse

Database of audits of all non-federal
entities that receive federal money
each year.
http://harvester.census.gov/sac

What the government publishes
 Government

Printing Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/databases.ht
ml

Everything else
 Quick

Reference:

http://www.refdesk.com/index.html
What you used to keep on your desk –
almanacs, dictionaries, thesauri, etc.
Run by Matt Drudge’s father Bob.

[email protected]
www.nreisner.com


Slide 11

Internet 101

Neil Reisner
Florida International University

OR

“Once in awhile you can get shown the
light in the strangest of places...

...if you look
at it right.
Robert Hunter

First Things First

Google is the Devil
It makes us lazy. Is it the best
source? What about:


Telephone-Assisted Reporting



Almanac-Assisted Reporting



Encyclopedia-Assisted Reporting

Reference Librarian-Assisted
Reporting


Google is an Angel
A grand, unified source of information
if…
You

know what you’re seeking

You

focus your search

You

know it when you see it

The Web is part of your beat!
 Surf

around
 Treat it like your beat
 Bookmark the ones that work for you
 Don’t search, ORGANIZE

But Remember…
 Most

records start out on paper
 The “Document Frame of Mind”
 There’s a record out there and I’m
going to find it!
 The intersection of government and
citizens
 How does information flow?

Have a Strategy
 Know

the law
 Know the records
 Know where to get the records
 A primer
http://www.nreisner.com/PublicRecords.htm

Your new best friend…
 Records

Retention Schedules
 Rules for records disposal
 Inventory of all records an agency
keeps
 Make it your first record request

Main Entrances


NICAR `Net Tour
http://www.ire.org/training/nettour/index.html



Reporter.Org:

http://www.reporter.org



Reporters Desktop:

http://www.reporter.org/desktop



Power Reporting:

http://www.powerreporting.org

Utility Sites


WHOIS: http://whois.domaintools.com/
Who owns that site?



Portico: indorgs.virginia.edu/portico/
Asset locator, property records, more.



FedStats: www.fedstats.gov
Portal to government statistics.



FirstGov: www.firstgov.gov

Portal to federal and local governments.

More Utility Sites
 Census

Bureau: www.census.gov

Numbers and much more.

 CIA

World Factbook: www.cia.gov

International info.
 More

International info:

http://www.nationmaster.com

People Finders


Argali: www.argali.com



Backgrounding John Doe:

Phone numbers, addresses, reverse directory.
Download required.
http://www.reporter.org/desktop/tips/johndoe.htm

Where to find the paper.


Freeality: www.freeality.com
Metasearch phone directories.

Public Records Search Engines
 Search

systems:

http://www.searchsystems.net
Public records search engine. Slower,
more variety and choice.

 Pretrieve

www.pretrieve.com
Better organized, faster, less variety and
choice

When you have to search
 Google:

www.google.com

Broad search, ranks sites, but still not
complete. Less organized.

 Yahoo:

search.yahoo.com

Google-like interface.

 Invisible

Web:
www.invisibleweb.com
Deeper search, hits sites others don’t.

When you have to search
(cont’d)
Mrsapo
http://www.mrsapo.com/
Search engine portal.
 Topix
www.topix.net
News portal


 Article

Search

www.findarticles.com/
If you don’t have Lexis/Nexis.

More Google


Google advanced:

http://www.google.com/advanced_search?hl=en


Academic/professional works:
http://scholar.google.com



Pictures/documents

http://images.google.com



Nearby businesses
http://local.google.com

Even More Google
 Be

notified about a story/source:
http://www.google.com/alerts

 What

Google’s working on:
http://labs.google.com/

Lurking Dangers
 What

do Yogi Berra, Niels Bohr,
Samuel Goldwyn, Dan Quayle and
Mark Twain have in common?
 According to Google results, they all
are responsible for the saying,
“Prediction is difficult, especially
about the future.”

More Lurking Dangers
 http://www.martinlutherking.org/
 http://www.whois.domaintools.com/

martinlutherking.org

Finding government audits
 Government

reports:

Accountability Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gaoreports/in
dex.html

 Federal

Audit Clearinghouse

Database of audits of all non-federal
entities that receive federal money
each year.
http://harvester.census.gov/sac

What the government publishes
 Government

Printing Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/databases.ht
ml

Everything else
 Quick

Reference:

http://www.refdesk.com/index.html
What you used to keep on your desk –
almanacs, dictionaries, thesauri, etc.
Run by Matt Drudge’s father Bob.

[email protected]
www.nreisner.com


Slide 12

Internet 101

Neil Reisner
Florida International University

OR

“Once in awhile you can get shown the
light in the strangest of places...

...if you look
at it right.
Robert Hunter

First Things First

Google is the Devil
It makes us lazy. Is it the best
source? What about:


Telephone-Assisted Reporting



Almanac-Assisted Reporting



Encyclopedia-Assisted Reporting

Reference Librarian-Assisted
Reporting


Google is an Angel
A grand, unified source of information
if…
You

know what you’re seeking

You

focus your search

You

know it when you see it

The Web is part of your beat!
 Surf

around
 Treat it like your beat
 Bookmark the ones that work for you
 Don’t search, ORGANIZE

But Remember…
 Most

records start out on paper
 The “Document Frame of Mind”
 There’s a record out there and I’m
going to find it!
 The intersection of government and
citizens
 How does information flow?

Have a Strategy
 Know

the law
 Know the records
 Know where to get the records
 A primer
http://www.nreisner.com/PublicRecords.htm

Your new best friend…
 Records

Retention Schedules
 Rules for records disposal
 Inventory of all records an agency
keeps
 Make it your first record request

Main Entrances


NICAR `Net Tour
http://www.ire.org/training/nettour/index.html



Reporter.Org:

http://www.reporter.org



Reporters Desktop:

http://www.reporter.org/desktop



Power Reporting:

http://www.powerreporting.org

Utility Sites


WHOIS: http://whois.domaintools.com/
Who owns that site?



Portico: indorgs.virginia.edu/portico/
Asset locator, property records, more.



FedStats: www.fedstats.gov
Portal to government statistics.



FirstGov: www.firstgov.gov

Portal to federal and local governments.

More Utility Sites
 Census

Bureau: www.census.gov

Numbers and much more.

 CIA

World Factbook: www.cia.gov

International info.
 More

International info:

http://www.nationmaster.com

People Finders


Argali: www.argali.com



Backgrounding John Doe:

Phone numbers, addresses, reverse directory.
Download required.
http://www.reporter.org/desktop/tips/johndoe.htm

Where to find the paper.


Freeality: www.freeality.com
Metasearch phone directories.

Public Records Search Engines
 Search

systems:

http://www.searchsystems.net
Public records search engine. Slower,
more variety and choice.

 Pretrieve

www.pretrieve.com
Better organized, faster, less variety and
choice

When you have to search
 Google:

www.google.com

Broad search, ranks sites, but still not
complete. Less organized.

 Yahoo:

search.yahoo.com

Google-like interface.

 Invisible

Web:
www.invisibleweb.com
Deeper search, hits sites others don’t.

When you have to search
(cont’d)
Mrsapo
http://www.mrsapo.com/
Search engine portal.
 Topix
www.topix.net
News portal


 Article

Search

www.findarticles.com/
If you don’t have Lexis/Nexis.

More Google


Google advanced:

http://www.google.com/advanced_search?hl=en


Academic/professional works:
http://scholar.google.com



Pictures/documents

http://images.google.com



Nearby businesses
http://local.google.com

Even More Google
 Be

notified about a story/source:
http://www.google.com/alerts

 What

Google’s working on:
http://labs.google.com/

Lurking Dangers
 What

do Yogi Berra, Niels Bohr,
Samuel Goldwyn, Dan Quayle and
Mark Twain have in common?
 According to Google results, they all
are responsible for the saying,
“Prediction is difficult, especially
about the future.”

More Lurking Dangers
 http://www.martinlutherking.org/
 http://www.whois.domaintools.com/

martinlutherking.org

Finding government audits
 Government

reports:

Accountability Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gaoreports/in
dex.html

 Federal

Audit Clearinghouse

Database of audits of all non-federal
entities that receive federal money
each year.
http://harvester.census.gov/sac

What the government publishes
 Government

Printing Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/databases.ht
ml

Everything else
 Quick

Reference:

http://www.refdesk.com/index.html
What you used to keep on your desk –
almanacs, dictionaries, thesauri, etc.
Run by Matt Drudge’s father Bob.

[email protected]
www.nreisner.com


Slide 13

Internet 101

Neil Reisner
Florida International University

OR

“Once in awhile you can get shown the
light in the strangest of places...

...if you look
at it right.
Robert Hunter

First Things First

Google is the Devil
It makes us lazy. Is it the best
source? What about:


Telephone-Assisted Reporting



Almanac-Assisted Reporting



Encyclopedia-Assisted Reporting

Reference Librarian-Assisted
Reporting


Google is an Angel
A grand, unified source of information
if…
You

know what you’re seeking

You

focus your search

You

know it when you see it

The Web is part of your beat!
 Surf

around
 Treat it like your beat
 Bookmark the ones that work for you
 Don’t search, ORGANIZE

But Remember…
 Most

records start out on paper
 The “Document Frame of Mind”
 There’s a record out there and I’m
going to find it!
 The intersection of government and
citizens
 How does information flow?

Have a Strategy
 Know

the law
 Know the records
 Know where to get the records
 A primer
http://www.nreisner.com/PublicRecords.htm

Your new best friend…
 Records

Retention Schedules
 Rules for records disposal
 Inventory of all records an agency
keeps
 Make it your first record request

Main Entrances


NICAR `Net Tour
http://www.ire.org/training/nettour/index.html



Reporter.Org:

http://www.reporter.org



Reporters Desktop:

http://www.reporter.org/desktop



Power Reporting:

http://www.powerreporting.org

Utility Sites


WHOIS: http://whois.domaintools.com/
Who owns that site?



Portico: indorgs.virginia.edu/portico/
Asset locator, property records, more.



FedStats: www.fedstats.gov
Portal to government statistics.



FirstGov: www.firstgov.gov

Portal to federal and local governments.

More Utility Sites
 Census

Bureau: www.census.gov

Numbers and much more.

 CIA

World Factbook: www.cia.gov

International info.
 More

International info:

http://www.nationmaster.com

People Finders


Argali: www.argali.com



Backgrounding John Doe:

Phone numbers, addresses, reverse directory.
Download required.
http://www.reporter.org/desktop/tips/johndoe.htm

Where to find the paper.


Freeality: www.freeality.com
Metasearch phone directories.

Public Records Search Engines
 Search

systems:

http://www.searchsystems.net
Public records search engine. Slower,
more variety and choice.

 Pretrieve

www.pretrieve.com
Better organized, faster, less variety and
choice

When you have to search
 Google:

www.google.com

Broad search, ranks sites, but still not
complete. Less organized.

 Yahoo:

search.yahoo.com

Google-like interface.

 Invisible

Web:
www.invisibleweb.com
Deeper search, hits sites others don’t.

When you have to search
(cont’d)
Mrsapo
http://www.mrsapo.com/
Search engine portal.
 Topix
www.topix.net
News portal


 Article

Search

www.findarticles.com/
If you don’t have Lexis/Nexis.

More Google


Google advanced:

http://www.google.com/advanced_search?hl=en


Academic/professional works:
http://scholar.google.com



Pictures/documents

http://images.google.com



Nearby businesses
http://local.google.com

Even More Google
 Be

notified about a story/source:
http://www.google.com/alerts

 What

Google’s working on:
http://labs.google.com/

Lurking Dangers
 What

do Yogi Berra, Niels Bohr,
Samuel Goldwyn, Dan Quayle and
Mark Twain have in common?
 According to Google results, they all
are responsible for the saying,
“Prediction is difficult, especially
about the future.”

More Lurking Dangers
 http://www.martinlutherking.org/
 http://www.whois.domaintools.com/

martinlutherking.org

Finding government audits
 Government

reports:

Accountability Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gaoreports/in
dex.html

 Federal

Audit Clearinghouse

Database of audits of all non-federal
entities that receive federal money
each year.
http://harvester.census.gov/sac

What the government publishes
 Government

Printing Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/databases.ht
ml

Everything else
 Quick

Reference:

http://www.refdesk.com/index.html
What you used to keep on your desk –
almanacs, dictionaries, thesauri, etc.
Run by Matt Drudge’s father Bob.

[email protected]
www.nreisner.com


Slide 14

Internet 101

Neil Reisner
Florida International University

OR

“Once in awhile you can get shown the
light in the strangest of places...

...if you look
at it right.
Robert Hunter

First Things First

Google is the Devil
It makes us lazy. Is it the best
source? What about:


Telephone-Assisted Reporting



Almanac-Assisted Reporting



Encyclopedia-Assisted Reporting

Reference Librarian-Assisted
Reporting


Google is an Angel
A grand, unified source of information
if…
You

know what you’re seeking

You

focus your search

You

know it when you see it

The Web is part of your beat!
 Surf

around
 Treat it like your beat
 Bookmark the ones that work for you
 Don’t search, ORGANIZE

But Remember…
 Most

records start out on paper
 The “Document Frame of Mind”
 There’s a record out there and I’m
going to find it!
 The intersection of government and
citizens
 How does information flow?

Have a Strategy
 Know

the law
 Know the records
 Know where to get the records
 A primer
http://www.nreisner.com/PublicRecords.htm

Your new best friend…
 Records

Retention Schedules
 Rules for records disposal
 Inventory of all records an agency
keeps
 Make it your first record request

Main Entrances


NICAR `Net Tour
http://www.ire.org/training/nettour/index.html



Reporter.Org:

http://www.reporter.org



Reporters Desktop:

http://www.reporter.org/desktop



Power Reporting:

http://www.powerreporting.org

Utility Sites


WHOIS: http://whois.domaintools.com/
Who owns that site?



Portico: indorgs.virginia.edu/portico/
Asset locator, property records, more.



FedStats: www.fedstats.gov
Portal to government statistics.



FirstGov: www.firstgov.gov

Portal to federal and local governments.

More Utility Sites
 Census

Bureau: www.census.gov

Numbers and much more.

 CIA

World Factbook: www.cia.gov

International info.
 More

International info:

http://www.nationmaster.com

People Finders


Argali: www.argali.com



Backgrounding John Doe:

Phone numbers, addresses, reverse directory.
Download required.
http://www.reporter.org/desktop/tips/johndoe.htm

Where to find the paper.


Freeality: www.freeality.com
Metasearch phone directories.

Public Records Search Engines
 Search

systems:

http://www.searchsystems.net
Public records search engine. Slower,
more variety and choice.

 Pretrieve

www.pretrieve.com
Better organized, faster, less variety and
choice

When you have to search
 Google:

www.google.com

Broad search, ranks sites, but still not
complete. Less organized.

 Yahoo:

search.yahoo.com

Google-like interface.

 Invisible

Web:
www.invisibleweb.com
Deeper search, hits sites others don’t.

When you have to search
(cont’d)
Mrsapo
http://www.mrsapo.com/
Search engine portal.
 Topix
www.topix.net
News portal


 Article

Search

www.findarticles.com/
If you don’t have Lexis/Nexis.

More Google


Google advanced:

http://www.google.com/advanced_search?hl=en


Academic/professional works:
http://scholar.google.com



Pictures/documents

http://images.google.com



Nearby businesses
http://local.google.com

Even More Google
 Be

notified about a story/source:
http://www.google.com/alerts

 What

Google’s working on:
http://labs.google.com/

Lurking Dangers
 What

do Yogi Berra, Niels Bohr,
Samuel Goldwyn, Dan Quayle and
Mark Twain have in common?
 According to Google results, they all
are responsible for the saying,
“Prediction is difficult, especially
about the future.”

More Lurking Dangers
 http://www.martinlutherking.org/
 http://www.whois.domaintools.com/

martinlutherking.org

Finding government audits
 Government

reports:

Accountability Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gaoreports/in
dex.html

 Federal

Audit Clearinghouse

Database of audits of all non-federal
entities that receive federal money
each year.
http://harvester.census.gov/sac

What the government publishes
 Government

Printing Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/databases.ht
ml

Everything else
 Quick

Reference:

http://www.refdesk.com/index.html
What you used to keep on your desk –
almanacs, dictionaries, thesauri, etc.
Run by Matt Drudge’s father Bob.

[email protected]
www.nreisner.com


Slide 15

Internet 101

Neil Reisner
Florida International University

OR

“Once in awhile you can get shown the
light in the strangest of places...

...if you look
at it right.
Robert Hunter

First Things First

Google is the Devil
It makes us lazy. Is it the best
source? What about:


Telephone-Assisted Reporting



Almanac-Assisted Reporting



Encyclopedia-Assisted Reporting

Reference Librarian-Assisted
Reporting


Google is an Angel
A grand, unified source of information
if…
You

know what you’re seeking

You

focus your search

You

know it when you see it

The Web is part of your beat!
 Surf

around
 Treat it like your beat
 Bookmark the ones that work for you
 Don’t search, ORGANIZE

But Remember…
 Most

records start out on paper
 The “Document Frame of Mind”
 There’s a record out there and I’m
going to find it!
 The intersection of government and
citizens
 How does information flow?

Have a Strategy
 Know

the law
 Know the records
 Know where to get the records
 A primer
http://www.nreisner.com/PublicRecords.htm

Your new best friend…
 Records

Retention Schedules
 Rules for records disposal
 Inventory of all records an agency
keeps
 Make it your first record request

Main Entrances


NICAR `Net Tour
http://www.ire.org/training/nettour/index.html



Reporter.Org:

http://www.reporter.org



Reporters Desktop:

http://www.reporter.org/desktop



Power Reporting:

http://www.powerreporting.org

Utility Sites


WHOIS: http://whois.domaintools.com/
Who owns that site?



Portico: indorgs.virginia.edu/portico/
Asset locator, property records, more.



FedStats: www.fedstats.gov
Portal to government statistics.



FirstGov: www.firstgov.gov

Portal to federal and local governments.

More Utility Sites
 Census

Bureau: www.census.gov

Numbers and much more.

 CIA

World Factbook: www.cia.gov

International info.
 More

International info:

http://www.nationmaster.com

People Finders


Argali: www.argali.com



Backgrounding John Doe:

Phone numbers, addresses, reverse directory.
Download required.
http://www.reporter.org/desktop/tips/johndoe.htm

Where to find the paper.


Freeality: www.freeality.com
Metasearch phone directories.

Public Records Search Engines
 Search

systems:

http://www.searchsystems.net
Public records search engine. Slower,
more variety and choice.

 Pretrieve

www.pretrieve.com
Better organized, faster, less variety and
choice

When you have to search
 Google:

www.google.com

Broad search, ranks sites, but still not
complete. Less organized.

 Yahoo:

search.yahoo.com

Google-like interface.

 Invisible

Web:
www.invisibleweb.com
Deeper search, hits sites others don’t.

When you have to search
(cont’d)
Mrsapo
http://www.mrsapo.com/
Search engine portal.
 Topix
www.topix.net
News portal


 Article

Search

www.findarticles.com/
If you don’t have Lexis/Nexis.

More Google


Google advanced:

http://www.google.com/advanced_search?hl=en


Academic/professional works:
http://scholar.google.com



Pictures/documents

http://images.google.com



Nearby businesses
http://local.google.com

Even More Google
 Be

notified about a story/source:
http://www.google.com/alerts

 What

Google’s working on:
http://labs.google.com/

Lurking Dangers
 What

do Yogi Berra, Niels Bohr,
Samuel Goldwyn, Dan Quayle and
Mark Twain have in common?
 According to Google results, they all
are responsible for the saying,
“Prediction is difficult, especially
about the future.”

More Lurking Dangers
 http://www.martinlutherking.org/
 http://www.whois.domaintools.com/

martinlutherking.org

Finding government audits
 Government

reports:

Accountability Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gaoreports/in
dex.html

 Federal

Audit Clearinghouse

Database of audits of all non-federal
entities that receive federal money
each year.
http://harvester.census.gov/sac

What the government publishes
 Government

Printing Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/databases.ht
ml

Everything else
 Quick

Reference:

http://www.refdesk.com/index.html
What you used to keep on your desk –
almanacs, dictionaries, thesauri, etc.
Run by Matt Drudge’s father Bob.

[email protected]
www.nreisner.com


Slide 16

Internet 101

Neil Reisner
Florida International University

OR

“Once in awhile you can get shown the
light in the strangest of places...

...if you look
at it right.
Robert Hunter

First Things First

Google is the Devil
It makes us lazy. Is it the best
source? What about:


Telephone-Assisted Reporting



Almanac-Assisted Reporting



Encyclopedia-Assisted Reporting

Reference Librarian-Assisted
Reporting


Google is an Angel
A grand, unified source of information
if…
You

know what you’re seeking

You

focus your search

You

know it when you see it

The Web is part of your beat!
 Surf

around
 Treat it like your beat
 Bookmark the ones that work for you
 Don’t search, ORGANIZE

But Remember…
 Most

records start out on paper
 The “Document Frame of Mind”
 There’s a record out there and I’m
going to find it!
 The intersection of government and
citizens
 How does information flow?

Have a Strategy
 Know

the law
 Know the records
 Know where to get the records
 A primer
http://www.nreisner.com/PublicRecords.htm

Your new best friend…
 Records

Retention Schedules
 Rules for records disposal
 Inventory of all records an agency
keeps
 Make it your first record request

Main Entrances


NICAR `Net Tour
http://www.ire.org/training/nettour/index.html



Reporter.Org:

http://www.reporter.org



Reporters Desktop:

http://www.reporter.org/desktop



Power Reporting:

http://www.powerreporting.org

Utility Sites


WHOIS: http://whois.domaintools.com/
Who owns that site?



Portico: indorgs.virginia.edu/portico/
Asset locator, property records, more.



FedStats: www.fedstats.gov
Portal to government statistics.



FirstGov: www.firstgov.gov

Portal to federal and local governments.

More Utility Sites
 Census

Bureau: www.census.gov

Numbers and much more.

 CIA

World Factbook: www.cia.gov

International info.
 More

International info:

http://www.nationmaster.com

People Finders


Argali: www.argali.com



Backgrounding John Doe:

Phone numbers, addresses, reverse directory.
Download required.
http://www.reporter.org/desktop/tips/johndoe.htm

Where to find the paper.


Freeality: www.freeality.com
Metasearch phone directories.

Public Records Search Engines
 Search

systems:

http://www.searchsystems.net
Public records search engine. Slower,
more variety and choice.

 Pretrieve

www.pretrieve.com
Better organized, faster, less variety and
choice

When you have to search
 Google:

www.google.com

Broad search, ranks sites, but still not
complete. Less organized.

 Yahoo:

search.yahoo.com

Google-like interface.

 Invisible

Web:
www.invisibleweb.com
Deeper search, hits sites others don’t.

When you have to search
(cont’d)
Mrsapo
http://www.mrsapo.com/
Search engine portal.
 Topix
www.topix.net
News portal


 Article

Search

www.findarticles.com/
If you don’t have Lexis/Nexis.

More Google


Google advanced:

http://www.google.com/advanced_search?hl=en


Academic/professional works:
http://scholar.google.com



Pictures/documents

http://images.google.com



Nearby businesses
http://local.google.com

Even More Google
 Be

notified about a story/source:
http://www.google.com/alerts

 What

Google’s working on:
http://labs.google.com/

Lurking Dangers
 What

do Yogi Berra, Niels Bohr,
Samuel Goldwyn, Dan Quayle and
Mark Twain have in common?
 According to Google results, they all
are responsible for the saying,
“Prediction is difficult, especially
about the future.”

More Lurking Dangers
 http://www.martinlutherking.org/
 http://www.whois.domaintools.com/

martinlutherking.org

Finding government audits
 Government

reports:

Accountability Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gaoreports/in
dex.html

 Federal

Audit Clearinghouse

Database of audits of all non-federal
entities that receive federal money
each year.
http://harvester.census.gov/sac

What the government publishes
 Government

Printing Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/databases.ht
ml

Everything else
 Quick

Reference:

http://www.refdesk.com/index.html
What you used to keep on your desk –
almanacs, dictionaries, thesauri, etc.
Run by Matt Drudge’s father Bob.

[email protected]
www.nreisner.com


Slide 17

Internet 101

Neil Reisner
Florida International University

OR

“Once in awhile you can get shown the
light in the strangest of places...

...if you look
at it right.
Robert Hunter

First Things First

Google is the Devil
It makes us lazy. Is it the best
source? What about:


Telephone-Assisted Reporting



Almanac-Assisted Reporting



Encyclopedia-Assisted Reporting

Reference Librarian-Assisted
Reporting


Google is an Angel
A grand, unified source of information
if…
You

know what you’re seeking

You

focus your search

You

know it when you see it

The Web is part of your beat!
 Surf

around
 Treat it like your beat
 Bookmark the ones that work for you
 Don’t search, ORGANIZE

But Remember…
 Most

records start out on paper
 The “Document Frame of Mind”
 There’s a record out there and I’m
going to find it!
 The intersection of government and
citizens
 How does information flow?

Have a Strategy
 Know

the law
 Know the records
 Know where to get the records
 A primer
http://www.nreisner.com/PublicRecords.htm

Your new best friend…
 Records

Retention Schedules
 Rules for records disposal
 Inventory of all records an agency
keeps
 Make it your first record request

Main Entrances


NICAR `Net Tour
http://www.ire.org/training/nettour/index.html



Reporter.Org:

http://www.reporter.org



Reporters Desktop:

http://www.reporter.org/desktop



Power Reporting:

http://www.powerreporting.org

Utility Sites


WHOIS: http://whois.domaintools.com/
Who owns that site?



Portico: indorgs.virginia.edu/portico/
Asset locator, property records, more.



FedStats: www.fedstats.gov
Portal to government statistics.



FirstGov: www.firstgov.gov

Portal to federal and local governments.

More Utility Sites
 Census

Bureau: www.census.gov

Numbers and much more.

 CIA

World Factbook: www.cia.gov

International info.
 More

International info:

http://www.nationmaster.com

People Finders


Argali: www.argali.com



Backgrounding John Doe:

Phone numbers, addresses, reverse directory.
Download required.
http://www.reporter.org/desktop/tips/johndoe.htm

Where to find the paper.


Freeality: www.freeality.com
Metasearch phone directories.

Public Records Search Engines
 Search

systems:

http://www.searchsystems.net
Public records search engine. Slower,
more variety and choice.

 Pretrieve

www.pretrieve.com
Better organized, faster, less variety and
choice

When you have to search
 Google:

www.google.com

Broad search, ranks sites, but still not
complete. Less organized.

 Yahoo:

search.yahoo.com

Google-like interface.

 Invisible

Web:
www.invisibleweb.com
Deeper search, hits sites others don’t.

When you have to search
(cont’d)
Mrsapo
http://www.mrsapo.com/
Search engine portal.
 Topix
www.topix.net
News portal


 Article

Search

www.findarticles.com/
If you don’t have Lexis/Nexis.

More Google


Google advanced:

http://www.google.com/advanced_search?hl=en


Academic/professional works:
http://scholar.google.com



Pictures/documents

http://images.google.com



Nearby businesses
http://local.google.com

Even More Google
 Be

notified about a story/source:
http://www.google.com/alerts

 What

Google’s working on:
http://labs.google.com/

Lurking Dangers
 What

do Yogi Berra, Niels Bohr,
Samuel Goldwyn, Dan Quayle and
Mark Twain have in common?
 According to Google results, they all
are responsible for the saying,
“Prediction is difficult, especially
about the future.”

More Lurking Dangers
 http://www.martinlutherking.org/
 http://www.whois.domaintools.com/

martinlutherking.org

Finding government audits
 Government

reports:

Accountability Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gaoreports/in
dex.html

 Federal

Audit Clearinghouse

Database of audits of all non-federal
entities that receive federal money
each year.
http://harvester.census.gov/sac

What the government publishes
 Government

Printing Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/databases.ht
ml

Everything else
 Quick

Reference:

http://www.refdesk.com/index.html
What you used to keep on your desk –
almanacs, dictionaries, thesauri, etc.
Run by Matt Drudge’s father Bob.

[email protected]
www.nreisner.com


Slide 18

Internet 101

Neil Reisner
Florida International University

OR

“Once in awhile you can get shown the
light in the strangest of places...

...if you look
at it right.
Robert Hunter

First Things First

Google is the Devil
It makes us lazy. Is it the best
source? What about:


Telephone-Assisted Reporting



Almanac-Assisted Reporting



Encyclopedia-Assisted Reporting

Reference Librarian-Assisted
Reporting


Google is an Angel
A grand, unified source of information
if…
You

know what you’re seeking

You

focus your search

You

know it when you see it

The Web is part of your beat!
 Surf

around
 Treat it like your beat
 Bookmark the ones that work for you
 Don’t search, ORGANIZE

But Remember…
 Most

records start out on paper
 The “Document Frame of Mind”
 There’s a record out there and I’m
going to find it!
 The intersection of government and
citizens
 How does information flow?

Have a Strategy
 Know

the law
 Know the records
 Know where to get the records
 A primer
http://www.nreisner.com/PublicRecords.htm

Your new best friend…
 Records

Retention Schedules
 Rules for records disposal
 Inventory of all records an agency
keeps
 Make it your first record request

Main Entrances


NICAR `Net Tour
http://www.ire.org/training/nettour/index.html



Reporter.Org:

http://www.reporter.org



Reporters Desktop:

http://www.reporter.org/desktop



Power Reporting:

http://www.powerreporting.org

Utility Sites


WHOIS: http://whois.domaintools.com/
Who owns that site?



Portico: indorgs.virginia.edu/portico/
Asset locator, property records, more.



FedStats: www.fedstats.gov
Portal to government statistics.



FirstGov: www.firstgov.gov

Portal to federal and local governments.

More Utility Sites
 Census

Bureau: www.census.gov

Numbers and much more.

 CIA

World Factbook: www.cia.gov

International info.
 More

International info:

http://www.nationmaster.com

People Finders


Argali: www.argali.com



Backgrounding John Doe:

Phone numbers, addresses, reverse directory.
Download required.
http://www.reporter.org/desktop/tips/johndoe.htm

Where to find the paper.


Freeality: www.freeality.com
Metasearch phone directories.

Public Records Search Engines
 Search

systems:

http://www.searchsystems.net
Public records search engine. Slower,
more variety and choice.

 Pretrieve

www.pretrieve.com
Better organized, faster, less variety and
choice

When you have to search
 Google:

www.google.com

Broad search, ranks sites, but still not
complete. Less organized.

 Yahoo:

search.yahoo.com

Google-like interface.

 Invisible

Web:
www.invisibleweb.com
Deeper search, hits sites others don’t.

When you have to search
(cont’d)
Mrsapo
http://www.mrsapo.com/
Search engine portal.
 Topix
www.topix.net
News portal


 Article

Search

www.findarticles.com/
If you don’t have Lexis/Nexis.

More Google


Google advanced:

http://www.google.com/advanced_search?hl=en


Academic/professional works:
http://scholar.google.com



Pictures/documents

http://images.google.com



Nearby businesses
http://local.google.com

Even More Google
 Be

notified about a story/source:
http://www.google.com/alerts

 What

Google’s working on:
http://labs.google.com/

Lurking Dangers
 What

do Yogi Berra, Niels Bohr,
Samuel Goldwyn, Dan Quayle and
Mark Twain have in common?
 According to Google results, they all
are responsible for the saying,
“Prediction is difficult, especially
about the future.”

More Lurking Dangers
 http://www.martinlutherking.org/
 http://www.whois.domaintools.com/

martinlutherking.org

Finding government audits
 Government

reports:

Accountability Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gaoreports/in
dex.html

 Federal

Audit Clearinghouse

Database of audits of all non-federal
entities that receive federal money
each year.
http://harvester.census.gov/sac

What the government publishes
 Government

Printing Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/databases.ht
ml

Everything else
 Quick

Reference:

http://www.refdesk.com/index.html
What you used to keep on your desk –
almanacs, dictionaries, thesauri, etc.
Run by Matt Drudge’s father Bob.

[email protected]
www.nreisner.com


Slide 19

Internet 101

Neil Reisner
Florida International University

OR

“Once in awhile you can get shown the
light in the strangest of places...

...if you look
at it right.
Robert Hunter

First Things First

Google is the Devil
It makes us lazy. Is it the best
source? What about:


Telephone-Assisted Reporting



Almanac-Assisted Reporting



Encyclopedia-Assisted Reporting

Reference Librarian-Assisted
Reporting


Google is an Angel
A grand, unified source of information
if…
You

know what you’re seeking

You

focus your search

You

know it when you see it

The Web is part of your beat!
 Surf

around
 Treat it like your beat
 Bookmark the ones that work for you
 Don’t search, ORGANIZE

But Remember…
 Most

records start out on paper
 The “Document Frame of Mind”
 There’s a record out there and I’m
going to find it!
 The intersection of government and
citizens
 How does information flow?

Have a Strategy
 Know

the law
 Know the records
 Know where to get the records
 A primer
http://www.nreisner.com/PublicRecords.htm

Your new best friend…
 Records

Retention Schedules
 Rules for records disposal
 Inventory of all records an agency
keeps
 Make it your first record request

Main Entrances


NICAR `Net Tour
http://www.ire.org/training/nettour/index.html



Reporter.Org:

http://www.reporter.org



Reporters Desktop:

http://www.reporter.org/desktop



Power Reporting:

http://www.powerreporting.org

Utility Sites


WHOIS: http://whois.domaintools.com/
Who owns that site?



Portico: indorgs.virginia.edu/portico/
Asset locator, property records, more.



FedStats: www.fedstats.gov
Portal to government statistics.



FirstGov: www.firstgov.gov

Portal to federal and local governments.

More Utility Sites
 Census

Bureau: www.census.gov

Numbers and much more.

 CIA

World Factbook: www.cia.gov

International info.
 More

International info:

http://www.nationmaster.com

People Finders


Argali: www.argali.com



Backgrounding John Doe:

Phone numbers, addresses, reverse directory.
Download required.
http://www.reporter.org/desktop/tips/johndoe.htm

Where to find the paper.


Freeality: www.freeality.com
Metasearch phone directories.

Public Records Search Engines
 Search

systems:

http://www.searchsystems.net
Public records search engine. Slower,
more variety and choice.

 Pretrieve

www.pretrieve.com
Better organized, faster, less variety and
choice

When you have to search
 Google:

www.google.com

Broad search, ranks sites, but still not
complete. Less organized.

 Yahoo:

search.yahoo.com

Google-like interface.

 Invisible

Web:
www.invisibleweb.com
Deeper search, hits sites others don’t.

When you have to search
(cont’d)
Mrsapo
http://www.mrsapo.com/
Search engine portal.
 Topix
www.topix.net
News portal


 Article

Search

www.findarticles.com/
If you don’t have Lexis/Nexis.

More Google


Google advanced:

http://www.google.com/advanced_search?hl=en


Academic/professional works:
http://scholar.google.com



Pictures/documents

http://images.google.com



Nearby businesses
http://local.google.com

Even More Google
 Be

notified about a story/source:
http://www.google.com/alerts

 What

Google’s working on:
http://labs.google.com/

Lurking Dangers
 What

do Yogi Berra, Niels Bohr,
Samuel Goldwyn, Dan Quayle and
Mark Twain have in common?
 According to Google results, they all
are responsible for the saying,
“Prediction is difficult, especially
about the future.”

More Lurking Dangers
 http://www.martinlutherking.org/
 http://www.whois.domaintools.com/

martinlutherking.org

Finding government audits
 Government

reports:

Accountability Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gaoreports/in
dex.html

 Federal

Audit Clearinghouse

Database of audits of all non-federal
entities that receive federal money
each year.
http://harvester.census.gov/sac

What the government publishes
 Government

Printing Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/databases.ht
ml

Everything else
 Quick

Reference:

http://www.refdesk.com/index.html
What you used to keep on your desk –
almanacs, dictionaries, thesauri, etc.
Run by Matt Drudge’s father Bob.

[email protected]
www.nreisner.com


Slide 20

Internet 101

Neil Reisner
Florida International University

OR

“Once in awhile you can get shown the
light in the strangest of places...

...if you look
at it right.
Robert Hunter

First Things First

Google is the Devil
It makes us lazy. Is it the best
source? What about:


Telephone-Assisted Reporting



Almanac-Assisted Reporting



Encyclopedia-Assisted Reporting

Reference Librarian-Assisted
Reporting


Google is an Angel
A grand, unified source of information
if…
You

know what you’re seeking

You

focus your search

You

know it when you see it

The Web is part of your beat!
 Surf

around
 Treat it like your beat
 Bookmark the ones that work for you
 Don’t search, ORGANIZE

But Remember…
 Most

records start out on paper
 The “Document Frame of Mind”
 There’s a record out there and I’m
going to find it!
 The intersection of government and
citizens
 How does information flow?

Have a Strategy
 Know

the law
 Know the records
 Know where to get the records
 A primer
http://www.nreisner.com/PublicRecords.htm

Your new best friend…
 Records

Retention Schedules
 Rules for records disposal
 Inventory of all records an agency
keeps
 Make it your first record request

Main Entrances


NICAR `Net Tour
http://www.ire.org/training/nettour/index.html



Reporter.Org:

http://www.reporter.org



Reporters Desktop:

http://www.reporter.org/desktop



Power Reporting:

http://www.powerreporting.org

Utility Sites


WHOIS: http://whois.domaintools.com/
Who owns that site?



Portico: indorgs.virginia.edu/portico/
Asset locator, property records, more.



FedStats: www.fedstats.gov
Portal to government statistics.



FirstGov: www.firstgov.gov

Portal to federal and local governments.

More Utility Sites
 Census

Bureau: www.census.gov

Numbers and much more.

 CIA

World Factbook: www.cia.gov

International info.
 More

International info:

http://www.nationmaster.com

People Finders


Argali: www.argali.com



Backgrounding John Doe:

Phone numbers, addresses, reverse directory.
Download required.
http://www.reporter.org/desktop/tips/johndoe.htm

Where to find the paper.


Freeality: www.freeality.com
Metasearch phone directories.

Public Records Search Engines
 Search

systems:

http://www.searchsystems.net
Public records search engine. Slower,
more variety and choice.

 Pretrieve

www.pretrieve.com
Better organized, faster, less variety and
choice

When you have to search
 Google:

www.google.com

Broad search, ranks sites, but still not
complete. Less organized.

 Yahoo:

search.yahoo.com

Google-like interface.

 Invisible

Web:
www.invisibleweb.com
Deeper search, hits sites others don’t.

When you have to search
(cont’d)
Mrsapo
http://www.mrsapo.com/
Search engine portal.
 Topix
www.topix.net
News portal


 Article

Search

www.findarticles.com/
If you don’t have Lexis/Nexis.

More Google


Google advanced:

http://www.google.com/advanced_search?hl=en


Academic/professional works:
http://scholar.google.com



Pictures/documents

http://images.google.com



Nearby businesses
http://local.google.com

Even More Google
 Be

notified about a story/source:
http://www.google.com/alerts

 What

Google’s working on:
http://labs.google.com/

Lurking Dangers
 What

do Yogi Berra, Niels Bohr,
Samuel Goldwyn, Dan Quayle and
Mark Twain have in common?
 According to Google results, they all
are responsible for the saying,
“Prediction is difficult, especially
about the future.”

More Lurking Dangers
 http://www.martinlutherking.org/
 http://www.whois.domaintools.com/

martinlutherking.org

Finding government audits
 Government

reports:

Accountability Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gaoreports/in
dex.html

 Federal

Audit Clearinghouse

Database of audits of all non-federal
entities that receive federal money
each year.
http://harvester.census.gov/sac

What the government publishes
 Government

Printing Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/databases.ht
ml

Everything else
 Quick

Reference:

http://www.refdesk.com/index.html
What you used to keep on your desk –
almanacs, dictionaries, thesauri, etc.
Run by Matt Drudge’s father Bob.

[email protected]
www.nreisner.com


Slide 21

Internet 101

Neil Reisner
Florida International University

OR

“Once in awhile you can get shown the
light in the strangest of places...

...if you look
at it right.
Robert Hunter

First Things First

Google is the Devil
It makes us lazy. Is it the best
source? What about:


Telephone-Assisted Reporting



Almanac-Assisted Reporting



Encyclopedia-Assisted Reporting

Reference Librarian-Assisted
Reporting


Google is an Angel
A grand, unified source of information
if…
You

know what you’re seeking

You

focus your search

You

know it when you see it

The Web is part of your beat!
 Surf

around
 Treat it like your beat
 Bookmark the ones that work for you
 Don’t search, ORGANIZE

But Remember…
 Most

records start out on paper
 The “Document Frame of Mind”
 There’s a record out there and I’m
going to find it!
 The intersection of government and
citizens
 How does information flow?

Have a Strategy
 Know

the law
 Know the records
 Know where to get the records
 A primer
http://www.nreisner.com/PublicRecords.htm

Your new best friend…
 Records

Retention Schedules
 Rules for records disposal
 Inventory of all records an agency
keeps
 Make it your first record request

Main Entrances


NICAR `Net Tour
http://www.ire.org/training/nettour/index.html



Reporter.Org:

http://www.reporter.org



Reporters Desktop:

http://www.reporter.org/desktop



Power Reporting:

http://www.powerreporting.org

Utility Sites


WHOIS: http://whois.domaintools.com/
Who owns that site?



Portico: indorgs.virginia.edu/portico/
Asset locator, property records, more.



FedStats: www.fedstats.gov
Portal to government statistics.



FirstGov: www.firstgov.gov

Portal to federal and local governments.

More Utility Sites
 Census

Bureau: www.census.gov

Numbers and much more.

 CIA

World Factbook: www.cia.gov

International info.
 More

International info:

http://www.nationmaster.com

People Finders


Argali: www.argali.com



Backgrounding John Doe:

Phone numbers, addresses, reverse directory.
Download required.
http://www.reporter.org/desktop/tips/johndoe.htm

Where to find the paper.


Freeality: www.freeality.com
Metasearch phone directories.

Public Records Search Engines
 Search

systems:

http://www.searchsystems.net
Public records search engine. Slower,
more variety and choice.

 Pretrieve

www.pretrieve.com
Better organized, faster, less variety and
choice

When you have to search
 Google:

www.google.com

Broad search, ranks sites, but still not
complete. Less organized.

 Yahoo:

search.yahoo.com

Google-like interface.

 Invisible

Web:
www.invisibleweb.com
Deeper search, hits sites others don’t.

When you have to search
(cont’d)
Mrsapo
http://www.mrsapo.com/
Search engine portal.
 Topix
www.topix.net
News portal


 Article

Search

www.findarticles.com/
If you don’t have Lexis/Nexis.

More Google


Google advanced:

http://www.google.com/advanced_search?hl=en


Academic/professional works:
http://scholar.google.com



Pictures/documents

http://images.google.com



Nearby businesses
http://local.google.com

Even More Google
 Be

notified about a story/source:
http://www.google.com/alerts

 What

Google’s working on:
http://labs.google.com/

Lurking Dangers
 What

do Yogi Berra, Niels Bohr,
Samuel Goldwyn, Dan Quayle and
Mark Twain have in common?
 According to Google results, they all
are responsible for the saying,
“Prediction is difficult, especially
about the future.”

More Lurking Dangers
 http://www.martinlutherking.org/
 http://www.whois.domaintools.com/

martinlutherking.org

Finding government audits
 Government

reports:

Accountability Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gaoreports/in
dex.html

 Federal

Audit Clearinghouse

Database of audits of all non-federal
entities that receive federal money
each year.
http://harvester.census.gov/sac

What the government publishes
 Government

Printing Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/databases.ht
ml

Everything else
 Quick

Reference:

http://www.refdesk.com/index.html
What you used to keep on your desk –
almanacs, dictionaries, thesauri, etc.
Run by Matt Drudge’s father Bob.

[email protected]
www.nreisner.com


Slide 22

Internet 101

Neil Reisner
Florida International University

OR

“Once in awhile you can get shown the
light in the strangest of places...

...if you look
at it right.
Robert Hunter

First Things First

Google is the Devil
It makes us lazy. Is it the best
source? What about:


Telephone-Assisted Reporting



Almanac-Assisted Reporting



Encyclopedia-Assisted Reporting

Reference Librarian-Assisted
Reporting


Google is an Angel
A grand, unified source of information
if…
You

know what you’re seeking

You

focus your search

You

know it when you see it

The Web is part of your beat!
 Surf

around
 Treat it like your beat
 Bookmark the ones that work for you
 Don’t search, ORGANIZE

But Remember…
 Most

records start out on paper
 The “Document Frame of Mind”
 There’s a record out there and I’m
going to find it!
 The intersection of government and
citizens
 How does information flow?

Have a Strategy
 Know

the law
 Know the records
 Know where to get the records
 A primer
http://www.nreisner.com/PublicRecords.htm

Your new best friend…
 Records

Retention Schedules
 Rules for records disposal
 Inventory of all records an agency
keeps
 Make it your first record request

Main Entrances


NICAR `Net Tour
http://www.ire.org/training/nettour/index.html



Reporter.Org:

http://www.reporter.org



Reporters Desktop:

http://www.reporter.org/desktop



Power Reporting:

http://www.powerreporting.org

Utility Sites


WHOIS: http://whois.domaintools.com/
Who owns that site?



Portico: indorgs.virginia.edu/portico/
Asset locator, property records, more.



FedStats: www.fedstats.gov
Portal to government statistics.



FirstGov: www.firstgov.gov

Portal to federal and local governments.

More Utility Sites
 Census

Bureau: www.census.gov

Numbers and much more.

 CIA

World Factbook: www.cia.gov

International info.
 More

International info:

http://www.nationmaster.com

People Finders


Argali: www.argali.com



Backgrounding John Doe:

Phone numbers, addresses, reverse directory.
Download required.
http://www.reporter.org/desktop/tips/johndoe.htm

Where to find the paper.


Freeality: www.freeality.com
Metasearch phone directories.

Public Records Search Engines
 Search

systems:

http://www.searchsystems.net
Public records search engine. Slower,
more variety and choice.

 Pretrieve

www.pretrieve.com
Better organized, faster, less variety and
choice

When you have to search
 Google:

www.google.com

Broad search, ranks sites, but still not
complete. Less organized.

 Yahoo:

search.yahoo.com

Google-like interface.

 Invisible

Web:
www.invisibleweb.com
Deeper search, hits sites others don’t.

When you have to search
(cont’d)
Mrsapo
http://www.mrsapo.com/
Search engine portal.
 Topix
www.topix.net
News portal


 Article

Search

www.findarticles.com/
If you don’t have Lexis/Nexis.

More Google


Google advanced:

http://www.google.com/advanced_search?hl=en


Academic/professional works:
http://scholar.google.com



Pictures/documents

http://images.google.com



Nearby businesses
http://local.google.com

Even More Google
 Be

notified about a story/source:
http://www.google.com/alerts

 What

Google’s working on:
http://labs.google.com/

Lurking Dangers
 What

do Yogi Berra, Niels Bohr,
Samuel Goldwyn, Dan Quayle and
Mark Twain have in common?
 According to Google results, they all
are responsible for the saying,
“Prediction is difficult, especially
about the future.”

More Lurking Dangers
 http://www.martinlutherking.org/
 http://www.whois.domaintools.com/

martinlutherking.org

Finding government audits
 Government

reports:

Accountability Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gaoreports/in
dex.html

 Federal

Audit Clearinghouse

Database of audits of all non-federal
entities that receive federal money
each year.
http://harvester.census.gov/sac

What the government publishes
 Government

Printing Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/databases.ht
ml

Everything else
 Quick

Reference:

http://www.refdesk.com/index.html
What you used to keep on your desk –
almanacs, dictionaries, thesauri, etc.
Run by Matt Drudge’s father Bob.

[email protected]
www.nreisner.com


Slide 23

Internet 101

Neil Reisner
Florida International University

OR

“Once in awhile you can get shown the
light in the strangest of places...

...if you look
at it right.
Robert Hunter

First Things First

Google is the Devil
It makes us lazy. Is it the best
source? What about:


Telephone-Assisted Reporting



Almanac-Assisted Reporting



Encyclopedia-Assisted Reporting

Reference Librarian-Assisted
Reporting


Google is an Angel
A grand, unified source of information
if…
You

know what you’re seeking

You

focus your search

You

know it when you see it

The Web is part of your beat!
 Surf

around
 Treat it like your beat
 Bookmark the ones that work for you
 Don’t search, ORGANIZE

But Remember…
 Most

records start out on paper
 The “Document Frame of Mind”
 There’s a record out there and I’m
going to find it!
 The intersection of government and
citizens
 How does information flow?

Have a Strategy
 Know

the law
 Know the records
 Know where to get the records
 A primer
http://www.nreisner.com/PublicRecords.htm

Your new best friend…
 Records

Retention Schedules
 Rules for records disposal
 Inventory of all records an agency
keeps
 Make it your first record request

Main Entrances


NICAR `Net Tour
http://www.ire.org/training/nettour/index.html



Reporter.Org:

http://www.reporter.org



Reporters Desktop:

http://www.reporter.org/desktop



Power Reporting:

http://www.powerreporting.org

Utility Sites


WHOIS: http://whois.domaintools.com/
Who owns that site?



Portico: indorgs.virginia.edu/portico/
Asset locator, property records, more.



FedStats: www.fedstats.gov
Portal to government statistics.



FirstGov: www.firstgov.gov

Portal to federal and local governments.

More Utility Sites
 Census

Bureau: www.census.gov

Numbers and much more.

 CIA

World Factbook: www.cia.gov

International info.
 More

International info:

http://www.nationmaster.com

People Finders


Argali: www.argali.com



Backgrounding John Doe:

Phone numbers, addresses, reverse directory.
Download required.
http://www.reporter.org/desktop/tips/johndoe.htm

Where to find the paper.


Freeality: www.freeality.com
Metasearch phone directories.

Public Records Search Engines
 Search

systems:

http://www.searchsystems.net
Public records search engine. Slower,
more variety and choice.

 Pretrieve

www.pretrieve.com
Better organized, faster, less variety and
choice

When you have to search
 Google:

www.google.com

Broad search, ranks sites, but still not
complete. Less organized.

 Yahoo:

search.yahoo.com

Google-like interface.

 Invisible

Web:
www.invisibleweb.com
Deeper search, hits sites others don’t.

When you have to search
(cont’d)
Mrsapo
http://www.mrsapo.com/
Search engine portal.
 Topix
www.topix.net
News portal


 Article

Search

www.findarticles.com/
If you don’t have Lexis/Nexis.

More Google


Google advanced:

http://www.google.com/advanced_search?hl=en


Academic/professional works:
http://scholar.google.com



Pictures/documents

http://images.google.com



Nearby businesses
http://local.google.com

Even More Google
 Be

notified about a story/source:
http://www.google.com/alerts

 What

Google’s working on:
http://labs.google.com/

Lurking Dangers
 What

do Yogi Berra, Niels Bohr,
Samuel Goldwyn, Dan Quayle and
Mark Twain have in common?
 According to Google results, they all
are responsible for the saying,
“Prediction is difficult, especially
about the future.”

More Lurking Dangers
 http://www.martinlutherking.org/
 http://www.whois.domaintools.com/

martinlutherking.org

Finding government audits
 Government

reports:

Accountability Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gaoreports/in
dex.html

 Federal

Audit Clearinghouse

Database of audits of all non-federal
entities that receive federal money
each year.
http://harvester.census.gov/sac

What the government publishes
 Government

Printing Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/databases.ht
ml

Everything else
 Quick

Reference:

http://www.refdesk.com/index.html
What you used to keep on your desk –
almanacs, dictionaries, thesauri, etc.
Run by Matt Drudge’s father Bob.

[email protected]
www.nreisner.com


Slide 24

Internet 101

Neil Reisner
Florida International University

OR

“Once in awhile you can get shown the
light in the strangest of places...

...if you look
at it right.
Robert Hunter

First Things First

Google is the Devil
It makes us lazy. Is it the best
source? What about:


Telephone-Assisted Reporting



Almanac-Assisted Reporting



Encyclopedia-Assisted Reporting

Reference Librarian-Assisted
Reporting


Google is an Angel
A grand, unified source of information
if…
You

know what you’re seeking

You

focus your search

You

know it when you see it

The Web is part of your beat!
 Surf

around
 Treat it like your beat
 Bookmark the ones that work for you
 Don’t search, ORGANIZE

But Remember…
 Most

records start out on paper
 The “Document Frame of Mind”
 There’s a record out there and I’m
going to find it!
 The intersection of government and
citizens
 How does information flow?

Have a Strategy
 Know

the law
 Know the records
 Know where to get the records
 A primer
http://www.nreisner.com/PublicRecords.htm

Your new best friend…
 Records

Retention Schedules
 Rules for records disposal
 Inventory of all records an agency
keeps
 Make it your first record request

Main Entrances


NICAR `Net Tour
http://www.ire.org/training/nettour/index.html



Reporter.Org:

http://www.reporter.org



Reporters Desktop:

http://www.reporter.org/desktop



Power Reporting:

http://www.powerreporting.org

Utility Sites


WHOIS: http://whois.domaintools.com/
Who owns that site?



Portico: indorgs.virginia.edu/portico/
Asset locator, property records, more.



FedStats: www.fedstats.gov
Portal to government statistics.



FirstGov: www.firstgov.gov

Portal to federal and local governments.

More Utility Sites
 Census

Bureau: www.census.gov

Numbers and much more.

 CIA

World Factbook: www.cia.gov

International info.
 More

International info:

http://www.nationmaster.com

People Finders


Argali: www.argali.com



Backgrounding John Doe:

Phone numbers, addresses, reverse directory.
Download required.
http://www.reporter.org/desktop/tips/johndoe.htm

Where to find the paper.


Freeality: www.freeality.com
Metasearch phone directories.

Public Records Search Engines
 Search

systems:

http://www.searchsystems.net
Public records search engine. Slower,
more variety and choice.

 Pretrieve

www.pretrieve.com
Better organized, faster, less variety and
choice

When you have to search
 Google:

www.google.com

Broad search, ranks sites, but still not
complete. Less organized.

 Yahoo:

search.yahoo.com

Google-like interface.

 Invisible

Web:
www.invisibleweb.com
Deeper search, hits sites others don’t.

When you have to search
(cont’d)
Mrsapo
http://www.mrsapo.com/
Search engine portal.
 Topix
www.topix.net
News portal


 Article

Search

www.findarticles.com/
If you don’t have Lexis/Nexis.

More Google


Google advanced:

http://www.google.com/advanced_search?hl=en


Academic/professional works:
http://scholar.google.com



Pictures/documents

http://images.google.com



Nearby businesses
http://local.google.com

Even More Google
 Be

notified about a story/source:
http://www.google.com/alerts

 What

Google’s working on:
http://labs.google.com/

Lurking Dangers
 What

do Yogi Berra, Niels Bohr,
Samuel Goldwyn, Dan Quayle and
Mark Twain have in common?
 According to Google results, they all
are responsible for the saying,
“Prediction is difficult, especially
about the future.”

More Lurking Dangers
 http://www.martinlutherking.org/
 http://www.whois.domaintools.com/

martinlutherking.org

Finding government audits
 Government

reports:

Accountability Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gaoreports/in
dex.html

 Federal

Audit Clearinghouse

Database of audits of all non-federal
entities that receive federal money
each year.
http://harvester.census.gov/sac

What the government publishes
 Government

Printing Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/databases.ht
ml

Everything else
 Quick

Reference:

http://www.refdesk.com/index.html
What you used to keep on your desk –
almanacs, dictionaries, thesauri, etc.
Run by Matt Drudge’s father Bob.

[email protected]
www.nreisner.com


Slide 25

Internet 101

Neil Reisner
Florida International University

OR

“Once in awhile you can get shown the
light in the strangest of places...

...if you look
at it right.
Robert Hunter

First Things First

Google is the Devil
It makes us lazy. Is it the best
source? What about:


Telephone-Assisted Reporting



Almanac-Assisted Reporting



Encyclopedia-Assisted Reporting

Reference Librarian-Assisted
Reporting


Google is an Angel
A grand, unified source of information
if…
You

know what you’re seeking

You

focus your search

You

know it when you see it

The Web is part of your beat!
 Surf

around
 Treat it like your beat
 Bookmark the ones that work for you
 Don’t search, ORGANIZE

But Remember…
 Most

records start out on paper
 The “Document Frame of Mind”
 There’s a record out there and I’m
going to find it!
 The intersection of government and
citizens
 How does information flow?

Have a Strategy
 Know

the law
 Know the records
 Know where to get the records
 A primer
http://www.nreisner.com/PublicRecords.htm

Your new best friend…
 Records

Retention Schedules
 Rules for records disposal
 Inventory of all records an agency
keeps
 Make it your first record request

Main Entrances


NICAR `Net Tour
http://www.ire.org/training/nettour/index.html



Reporter.Org:

http://www.reporter.org



Reporters Desktop:

http://www.reporter.org/desktop



Power Reporting:

http://www.powerreporting.org

Utility Sites


WHOIS: http://whois.domaintools.com/
Who owns that site?



Portico: indorgs.virginia.edu/portico/
Asset locator, property records, more.



FedStats: www.fedstats.gov
Portal to government statistics.



FirstGov: www.firstgov.gov

Portal to federal and local governments.

More Utility Sites
 Census

Bureau: www.census.gov

Numbers and much more.

 CIA

World Factbook: www.cia.gov

International info.
 More

International info:

http://www.nationmaster.com

People Finders


Argali: www.argali.com



Backgrounding John Doe:

Phone numbers, addresses, reverse directory.
Download required.
http://www.reporter.org/desktop/tips/johndoe.htm

Where to find the paper.


Freeality: www.freeality.com
Metasearch phone directories.

Public Records Search Engines
 Search

systems:

http://www.searchsystems.net
Public records search engine. Slower,
more variety and choice.

 Pretrieve

www.pretrieve.com
Better organized, faster, less variety and
choice

When you have to search
 Google:

www.google.com

Broad search, ranks sites, but still not
complete. Less organized.

 Yahoo:

search.yahoo.com

Google-like interface.

 Invisible

Web:
www.invisibleweb.com
Deeper search, hits sites others don’t.

When you have to search
(cont’d)
Mrsapo
http://www.mrsapo.com/
Search engine portal.
 Topix
www.topix.net
News portal


 Article

Search

www.findarticles.com/
If you don’t have Lexis/Nexis.

More Google


Google advanced:

http://www.google.com/advanced_search?hl=en


Academic/professional works:
http://scholar.google.com



Pictures/documents

http://images.google.com



Nearby businesses
http://local.google.com

Even More Google
 Be

notified about a story/source:
http://www.google.com/alerts

 What

Google’s working on:
http://labs.google.com/

Lurking Dangers
 What

do Yogi Berra, Niels Bohr,
Samuel Goldwyn, Dan Quayle and
Mark Twain have in common?
 According to Google results, they all
are responsible for the saying,
“Prediction is difficult, especially
about the future.”

More Lurking Dangers
 http://www.martinlutherking.org/
 http://www.whois.domaintools.com/

martinlutherking.org

Finding government audits
 Government

reports:

Accountability Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gaoreports/in
dex.html

 Federal

Audit Clearinghouse

Database of audits of all non-federal
entities that receive federal money
each year.
http://harvester.census.gov/sac

What the government publishes
 Government

Printing Office

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/databases.ht
ml

Everything else
 Quick

Reference:

http://www.refdesk.com/index.html
What you used to keep on your desk –
almanacs, dictionaries, thesauri, etc.
Run by Matt Drudge’s father Bob.

[email protected]
www.nreisner.com