Entrepreneurs & Small Business

Find support and advice for starting a business, large and small, from these businesswomen.

1. @smallbiztrends: Anita Campbell can help you with your small business success.
2. @IndieBusiness: Coles Johnson regularly discusses indie business on Twitter.
3. @startupprincess: Kelly is a fairy godmother to women in startups.
4. @SmallBizLady: Melinda Emerson is an expert in startups, social media marketing, and business reinvention.
5. @StartupPRella: Ella discusses affordable publicity for small businesses.
6. @simplicityinc: Michelle is a master of growing small business with simplicity.
7. @NinaKaufman: Read Nina’s tweets about demystifying small business law for entrepreneurs.
8. @SmartWoman: Vicki is an advocate for women entrepreneurs and responsible marketing.

Networking

These women discuss the finer points of networking.

9. @TheBOSSNetwork: Follow @TheBOSSNetwork to learn about growth through networking.
10. @WomensBusClubs: Kelly Stevens is the founder of The Women’s Clubs, a UK networking organization for women.
11. @leawoodward: Find out how Lea Woodward builds communities to help more people work location independently.

Moms

Can you juggle business and parenting? These businessmoms have the secret to making it work.

12. @mombizcoach: Lara is a mompreneur coach who helps moms create businesses they love.
13. @motivatingmum: Allison Price is dedicated to helping "mumpreneurs" achieve their business dreams.
14. @CurrentMom: Energize all of your life’s ventures by following Katherine Lewis’ tweets.
15. @Susan_Cox: Find out how to be a caring mother and successful entrepreneur from Susan Cox.
16. @Holly_Hanna: Follow Holly’s tweets to learn about working at home as a mom.

Executives

You can learn from these businesswomen who have made it to the top.

17. @CEOTodayWoman: @CEOTodayWoman offers interviews with top women CEOs.
18. @Padmasree: Follow @Padmasree, the CTO of Cisco.
19. @larafelting: Lara is a cofounder and CEO of Biznik, a community for networking.
20. @MarthaStewart: Martha Stewart can teach you about being an inquisitive entrepreneur.
21. @JillFoster: Jill Foster is a joy advocate, as well as founder of Live Your Talk and founding editor of WomenGrowBusiness.com.
22. @carleyrooney: Carley Rooney’s tweets will teach you about becoming a media entrepreneur.
23. @Oprah: Oprah Winfrey is a great example as an ultimate businesswoman.
24. @Caterina: @Caterina is the cofounder of Flickr and Hunch.
25. @richelleshaw: Richelle is the only female African American Public Utility Owner in the nation, and can teach you about business building.
26. @ariannahuff: Read these tweets from Arianna Huffington, cofounder and editor in chief of The Huffington Post.

Coaches

Check out these Twitter accounts to find women who offer business coaching.

27. @kgreenstreet: Karyn can coach you in self employment and small business.
28. @NancyFClark: Nancy is dedicated to helping women in business.
29. LJacobwith: Lori shares coaching for fundraising, communications, and more.
30. @lenawest: Lena writes about social media strategy to help women business owners use social media and the Internet.
31. @Bernadeen: @Bernadeen offers consulting for growth in small business.
32. @ZimblerMiller: Phillis can coach you on effectively using social media to attract business.
33. @paulag01: Paula is a life and career coach who helps women and small business owners.
34. @ManishaThakor: Manisha Thakor offers personal finance advice for women.
35. @womanzworld: Natalie is on a mission to help women entrepreneurs achieve their dreams.

Authors

Read and discover business insight from these female authors.

36. @bizauthor: Stephanie Chandler can offer insight on how to grow your business.
37. @nicolesimon: Nicole Simon offers social media training and organization insights.
38. @kairarouda: Kaira is a mom of four, speaker, author, and entrepreneur.
39. @alevit: Alexandra discusses meaningful work and success.
40. @darnyellejervey: Darnyelle discusses mindset, marketing, and empowerment for business.

Marketing

These women will help you learn about marketing and related disciplines.

41. @ShaunaCausey: Read what Shauna Causey has to say about social media and PR for nonprofits.
42. @sheconomy: Stephanie writes about marketing to women.
43. @BrandYou: Cindy Ratzlaff offers insight into personal branding and beyond.
44. @marketerach: Rachel is a marketer and advocate for working moms.
45. @NikkiPilkington: Nikki helps small businesses promote themselves using social media and SEO.
46. @lynnterry: Lynn is an Internet marketing advisor and author of ClickNews.com.
47. @JaneOutoftheBox: Michelle shares her knowledge as a marketing research expert.
48. @MaritzaParra: Maritza is a product creation machine who can help you make your products come to life.
49. @ShellyKramer: Check out Shelly Kramer’s tweets to learn about marketing and brand strategy.
50. @CathyWebSavvyPR: Check out Cathy Larkin’s Twitter feed to learn about social media, PR, and more for women.

Ideas

Are you stuck on ideas? Try some of these techniques.

1. Share ideas with others: Spend time brainstorming with a friend or writing partner.
2. Time yourself: Set a clock and make yourself write for a certain amount of time.
3. Keep an ear to the ground: Read the news and other writers to know what’s current.
4. Focus on the problem: Go back to an original problem and think of ways to solve it.
5. Always have a notebook: Keep a notebook handy at all times so that you can write ideas down any time.

Workflow

Follow these tips to get writing done.

6. Separate research from writing: Do your research before you sit down to write.
7. Don’t focus on draft quality: Pick up speed by not worrying about the quality of your first draft.
8. Write often: Write consistently and often.
9. Set a timer: Write non-stop until your timer goes off.
10. Banish distractions: Tune everything out to focus on your writing.

Content & Value

Provide valuable, quality content with these tips.

11. Be useful: Provide value by offering writing that is useful.
12. Use detail: Make use of rich and vivid detail in your writing.
13. Have a reason: Write for a reason and know why you’re writing.
14. Stay relevant: Write your title first, then fulfill the promise.
15. Give posts as much value as possible: Make your writing as valuable as you can.
16. Read what others write: Read other blogs and reading material with high quality writing to soak it all in.
17. Avoid worthless writing: Have a purpose for your writing.
18. Use repetition: Make use of repetition to pull the reader in.
19. Be thorough: Give a resolution and closure every time.
20. Use a swipe file: Keep a collection of writing pieces that have worked well and use them for winning formulas.
21. Entertain your readers: Amuse your readers, and use humor when appropriate.
22. Share authority: Qualify your authority so that it isn’t questioned.
23. Avoid hedging: Keep contingencies out of your writing to sound more confident.
24. Deny your passive voice: Be more direct by cutting out your passive voice.
25. Deliver: Deliver the content you’ve promised in your headline.
26. Stay unique: Don’t just say me too, or write what everyone’s already discussing-come up with something new.
27. Write about hot topics: Grab a reader’s attention with the latest big topic.
28. Write practically: Keep your tips practical for your readers.
29. Use specifics: Make your writing more credible by sharing specific facts and details.
30. Be original: Create writing that is original to you.
31. Use examples: Illustrate your point with examples.

Persona

Pay attention to these tips in order to develop your voice.

32. Don’t remove yourself: Be careful not to remove yourself from your writing.
33. Tell the truth: Write with an authentic voice.
34. Don’t be too clever: Avoid becoming too clever that you lose your voice.
35. Get personal: Share personal stories or anecdotes with your readers.
36. Distinguish yourself: Find a way to separate yourself from the pack.
37. Choose the right tone: Identify your audience’s tone expectation and follow it.
38. Give your point of view: Share your own opinions on issues and resources.
39. Write informally: Write like you speak so that you’ll sound like a real person.
40. Be conversational: Speak to your readers.
41. Do one thing well: Know what you want to accomplish with a piece and do it well.
42. Make your point: Write concisely to make your point and be done.

Interest

These tips will help keep your reader engaged.

43. Be bold: Use bold words to attract emphasis.
44. Share variety: For regular readers, be sure to mix it up every now and then.
45. Make your point: Don’t make your readers wade through it all to find your point.
46. Spread things out: Schedule your publishing so that your writing is spread out over time.
47. Write a great lead: Use a strong opening paragraph to pull the reader in.
48. Remember your audience: Keep your audience in mind when writing.
49. Be provoking: Provoke instead of solving when trying to be persuasive.
50. Give readers what they want: Know why your readers visit and give them what you want to build trust.

Titles

Put these tips to work for titles that will get your writing read.

51. Be descriptive: Let your readers know what you’re going to read about.
52. Share the main point: Your headline should share a summary of the piece’s main point.
53. Provide a sense of urgency: Give your title a sense of urgency.
54. Grab attention: Make sure that your titles pull readers in.
55. Use questions: Make your headline pose a question.
56. Spark curiosity: Leave readers wanting more.
57. Take a tip from magazines: Get title writing inspiration by reading magazines.
58. Share key words: Consider keywords that will help your writing be found.
59. Be specific: Share a couple of details that will catch interest.
60. Use active words: Short, active words are preferable to long, passive ones.
61. Stay simple: Stay simple to avoid frustrating readers.
62. Take your time: Don’t just slap a name on a piece-carefully think of a title that fits it.
63. Title it first: Don’t save your headline for the last task.
64. Satisfy a need: Draw readers in by making your titles something they need to hear.

Readability

Bloggers are professionals in readability-use these tips to perfect your skills.

65. Make your writing scannable: Many readers don’t go through pieces word for word, so be sure that it’s easy to scan.
66. Be understandable: Avoid acronyms and industry-specific language that many readers may not understand.
67. Make use of space: Create spaces to help readers avoid feeling overwhelmed.
68. Be consistent: Keep your writing consistent to hold interest.
69. Demonstrate: When appropriate, use charts, diagrams, and graphs.
70. Use lists: Lists make just about anything easier to read.
71. Write at an 8th grade level: Avoid complicated words and keep things simple.
72. Stay brief: Just write less.
73. Think about how you read: Consider what catches your eye and keeps your attention.
74. Keep paragraphs short: Break your writing into smaller bits.
75. Make use of formatting: Emphasize points with the help of formatting.
76. Use short sentences: Create easy to read, short sentences.
77. Get to the point: Don’t dance around your point.
78. Highlight your points: Be sure to make your main points clear.

Conversation

With these tips, you can encourage conversation with your writing.

79. Keep your readers in mind: Don’t ignore your reader-know what he is interested in.
80. Listen: Listen to your readers so that you’ll know what they want.
81. Ask questions: Ask engaging questions in your writing to get responses.
82. Respond: Write back to readers when they interact with you.
83. Be accessible: Always be willing to interact with your readers.
84. Don’t argue: Find a polite and smooth way to correct your readers.
85. Voice your opinion: The more polarizing you are, the more feedback you’ll get.
86. Stay on topic: Be sure that your readers are finding what they expect in your writing.
87. Tell a story: Be more engaging by sharing a story.
88. Write regularly: Be consistent in when you publish so that readers know when to expect it.

Editing

Get your writing publishing-perfect using these editing techniques.

89. Revise in your head: Cut back on your revision time by testing out phrases and words as you write.
90. Use a critique partner: Share your work with someone else so that you can catch on to what you’re not doing well.
91. Set it aside: Do nothing to your work for a day or two.
92. Get rid of unnecessary adjectives: Cut adjectives and adverbs out of your sentences unless they’re absolutely necessary.
93. Cut out the non-essential: Be sure to take out everything that isn’t absolutely essential
94. Listen to feedback: Make use of the valuable feedback provided by editors.
95. Banish unnecessary words: Read your work to identify words that can be cut out.
96. Give attribution: Support others by highlighting their ideas when you’d like to share them.
97. Fail and learn: You probably won’t do a perfect job right out of the gate-allow yourself to fail and edit from there.
98. Know when to stop: Carefully consider when it’s time to stop editing a post.
99. Plan to revise later: Let yourself go with your first draft, then revise.
100. Know common mistakes: Recognize mistakes that you’re likely to come across.

Tips

Here you’ll find tips for getting value out of social networking.

1. Establish a professional online presence: It’s important to create an online reputation that’s in line with your professional credentials.
2. Complete your profile: It seems like a no-brainer, but it’s essential that you not only create a profile, but fill it out completely.
3. Connect with firms for opportunities: Become a fan on Facebook or follow a firm on Twitter, and you can get the inside scoop on job openings.
4. Create a Google profile: Set up a Google profile so that you can better control the links that make up your online personality.
5. Connect with the people you know already: Get started by connecting with people you know already — fellow students, professors, employers, and friends.
6. Control what’s available online: Use LinkedIn and other profiles to present the information you want to be seen, and help guard against mistaken identity online.
7. Join groups: Whether on Facebook, LinkedIn, or other social media sites, seek out groups that are relevant to you and join them.
8. Write a blog: A blog gives you a central place to share your philosophy, skill, and more when employers and clients start looking.
9. Google yourself: See what your online reputation looks like now, and think about what you’d like to do about it.
10. Follow up: Studies show that law students are making use of social media, but it’s important to use the services to their full potential.
11. Learn from Twitter: Find influencers on Twitter that can teach you a thing or two, and don’t forget to interact and expand your network.
12. Break the ice: Use social media to break the ice with valuable contacts.
13. Actually use LinkedIn: Make it a point to take part in discussions and groups to get the most out of LinkedIn.
14. Get recommendations: Ask professors, employers, and people you’ve worked with to create recommendations on your LinkedIn profile.
15. Use a professional photo of yourself: Don’t use a snapshot — project a professional image.
16. Supplement with old-fashioned networking: Meet contacts in person, and make sure you follow up by finding them in the social media world.
17. Watch what you say: Most employers will use social media to research your past and personality, so make sure that what’s being found is nothing to be embarrassed by.
18. Purchase your name as a web domain: Start a professional blog, or at least reserve the fate of your online name by purchasing your name’s domain.

Websites

These are some of the websites you can use for social networking.

19. TweetLaw: Tweet and connect with legal professionals on TweetLaw.
20. LinkedIn: LinkedIn is ubiquitous and powerful for establishing yourself as a professional online.
21. mypractice: mypractice shares documents, events, and more for lawyers and law students.
22. Counsel.net: The Counsel.net is a network for attorney-to-attorney connections.
23. Legal Birds: Connect with legal professionals on Twitter with the help of Legal Birds.
24. Advanced Advocates: Advanced Advocates is a collaborative platform for law students.
25. Law Marketing: Check out this business network for the legal industry.
26. LexTweet: LexTweet makes it easy to follow legal community members who use Twitter.
27. Law School Numbers: Law School Numbers’ social networking tools will help you judge your chances in law school admissions.
28. LawLink: LawLink is a social network for the legal community, from law students to expert witnesses.
29. LegallyMinded: LegallyMinded offers news, resources, community, and more for legal professionals.
30. ESQChat: Connect with other attorneys on ESQChat.
31. Lawyrs.net: Lawyrs is an international law community for lawyers and law students.

Blogs

Read, comment, and learn from these law school and lawyer blogs.

32. Josh Camson: Josh Camson is a law student and nerd extraordinaire.
33. Above the Law: Above the Law is a legal tabloid with news, gossip, and commentary on the legal profession.
34. Law is Cool: Law is Cool is the law school blog and podcast from Canada.
35. i don’t wear skinny jeans: This twenty-something guy is trying to make it as an NYU law student.
36. Futurelawyer: Futurelawyer writes about future technology for the lawyer.
37. Legally Fabulous: Legally Fabulous is a place where you’ll learn about the ridiculousness of law school.
38. Social Media Law Student: Check out this blog to find regular posts on using social media as a law student.
39. Virgin in the Volcano: Virgin in the Volcano discusses the struggle of law school.
40. The Frugal Law Student: This frugal law student is trying to mitigate crippling law school debt.

Advice

Here you’ll find lots of advice for law students using social media.

41. Harsh Words Die Hard on the Web: See how social media can bite back at you in this article.
42. 10 Ways to Make Money and Save Money on Facebook: This post from The Frugal Law Student explains how to make Facebook work for you financially.
43. Social Media Planning for Lawyers: This post offers insight on planning and making time for social media while still making law school or your work as a lawyer a priority.
44. Five Things Lawyers Should Know About Social Media: Read this post for a guide to effectively using social media as a lawyer.
45. 10 Reasons for a Law Student to Blog: In this post, you’ll learn why blogging is valuable for law students.
46. Social Media Best Practices for Law Schools: Check out this resource to find social media advice for law students.
47. 145 Lawyers (and Legal Professionals) to Follow on Twitter: Here you’ll find an almost-complete list of lawyers and legal professionals on Twitter.
48. Twitter is Valuable: A Few Examples: These examples explain why Twitter is useful for law students and professionals.
49. Social Media for Law Students (and everyone else): This post explains why social media is essential for law students.
50. Blogger’s Legal Guide: If you’d like to start a blog, check out this legal guide first.

eBooks

When you want to read books online, use these search engines to find free versions, PDF files and .doc formats.

1. Ebook Engine: This engine will connect you to free ebooks and ebook sites like Project Gutenberg, Archive.org, Feedbooks.com and others.
2. PDF Search Engine: Search for PDF versions of ebooks using this tool, which also features an ebook search toolbar for Firefox.
3. Ebooksearchengine.com: Search ebooks in various languages in PDF or .doc forms here.
4. Google Books: Google Books offers an impressive database of searchable titles in non-fiction, fiction, poetry, self help, science, reference and more. Not all books can be accessed for free in full text, but you will at least find shopping information for each book.
5. PDFse: This is another ebook search for PDF texts, complete with a tag cloud, keyword search box, and alphabetical glossary.
6. Open Library: This beta open source site claims to have "one web page for every book," and gives you the choice of searching fully scanned titles only.
7. eLibrary: eLibrary is a good tool for searching reference books, self-help titles, instructional books and training guides.
8. Bibliomania: Literature nerds can browse classic works, including poetry, drama, short stories and novels, at Bibliomania.
9. Project Gutenberg: Project Gutenberg is the original search engine and archive of ebooks, specializing in old and classic texts.
10. Digital Book Index: You can search plenty of subcategories in umbrella sections like authors, subjects, keywords or publishers from the Digital Book Index, which has over 100,000 titles.
11. The Online Books Page: The University of Pennsylvania supports book search engine for classics and more modern works that can be read online, downloaded, and saved.
12. Etext Center: The University of Virginia’s ebook collections contain over 2,100 works, from classics, American history, children’s literature and more.

Books to Swap, Sell and Buy

Use these search engines when you need to swap, sell or buy a book over the Internet. Below are tools for old and used books, new books, out-of-print titles, and more.

13. BookFinder.com: You can search through 150 million books for sale, including textbooks, rare and out-of-print books, and international titles.
14. AbeBooks.com: This book and bookseller site has all kinds of options for searching, including most popular subjects, author/title/keyword/ISBN, simple browsing, top reviewed, and more. You can also sell books through AbeBooks.com
15. AllBookstores.com: Use this site to compare prices on books and textbooks.
16. BookFinder4U: This simple search engine offers advanced and out-of-print search.
17. PaperBackSwap.com: Join this community to search and swap all kinds of books, including memoirs, fantasy, fiction, historical, religious books, children’s books, and more.
18. eBay: eBay’s book page has search options for book type, rare books, textbooks, printing year, book accessories, and more.
19. Barnes & Noble: This mega retailer has one of the most popular online book search tools, too, including a section just for ebooks.
20. BookSwap Textbooks: College students can select their school or school system to find textbooks for swap or sale here.
21. TitleTrader: Book categories here include nonfiction; cooking, food and wine; sports; teens; comics and graphic novels; biographies and memoirs; reference; and others.
22. ISBN.nu: Compare books and book prices on this site.
23. AddALL: AddALL is a popular book search engine and price comparison tool for new and used books.

Rare Books

Collectors of rare, signed, and out-of-print books can use these search engines to help them complete their libraries.

24. Inprint: Inprint has been finding out-of-print books since 1980 and now operates online, too.
25. Bibliofind: Bibliofind and Amazon.com offer this book search for rare and out-of-print books, letting you search by category, format, reader age, language, publication date and other qualifications.
26. Powell’s Books: Powell’s is a legendary independent bookseller that can connect you to signed editions, collectibles and rare books.
27. Alibris: With Alibris, you can easily locate rare and collectible books by searching publication years, signed or first editions, dust jacket, collectibles, and more.
28. Rare Book Room: Find digitized rare books from a range of disciplines and authors, like Shakespeare, law, philosophy, natural history, linguistics, botany, and more.
29. Book Values: Here you can search for and compare prices of rare books.
30. Bauman Rare Books: Rare book gallery owners David and Natalie Bauman offer a searchable library online too, where you can find books in categories like music, photography, children’s books, Americana, religion, and more.
31. Biblio.com: Biblio.com’s antiquarian and rare books page covers law, philosophy and reference books, business, cook books, history books, "books on books," literature, rare art books, and lots more.
32. Bibliopoly: Bibliopoly is a search engine that pulls rare books from many different languages.

Book Reviews and Community

Online book clubs and communities also offer powerful search engines to help you find new books to read, browse reading lists, and research authors while networking with other serious readers.

33. Reader’s Robot: Reader’s Robot contains databases filled with over 19,000 books and reviews in categories like popular fiction, romance, historical, travel, mystery, African-American and more. The tool’s "appeal factor" rating system will help you fill up your reading list.
34. AllReaders.com: AllReaders is a solid resource for locating book reviews and information based on keyword, plot, title, author, setting or character searches.
35. Book Movement: Book Movement hosts book clubs on its site and also features a very extensive search engine of book reviews that you can browse by top rated, a glossary, or keyword.
36. Book Crossing: This site incorporates a reading community with title searching. You can look up title, author, ISBN and publishing information, plus reviews, for all types of books.
37. Whichbook: This clever tool lets you pick keywords on a graph of opposing moods, characters, plots, or settings (like happy vs. sad or no sex vs. sex).
38. BookReview.com: Choose to search only must read books, or search by review date, author, publisher and/or title.
39. LibraryThing: On this book club site, you can catalog books, search reviews, swap books, and more. The powerful search engine features search by title/author/ISBN, author, tags, groups, and community members.
40. GoodReads: This community-driven book search will connect you to book reviews, top book lists, book discussions and giveaways, and more.
41. Bookwire Reviews: This user-friendly engine offers title, keyword or author search, as well as a category search that can find book reviews going back until 2004.
42. Sunday Book Review: Search the New York Times’ archives of book reviews here.

Libraries

Whether you want to find a nearby library or locate a book in a virtual or physical library, use these search engines.

43. AwesomeLibrary.org: Powered by Google, this search engine also searches the Internet Public Library, Google Books, Education World, and other reference sites.
44. Library of Congress Online Catalog: Search books housed at the Library of Congress here.
45. Internet Public Library: The IPL’s Online Texts section features collections of contemporary fiction, classical literature, drama and plays, poetry, and more.
46. Classic Reader: On Classic Reader, you can search free books, authors, categories and more.
47. World Cat: Use World Cat as a one-stop resource that will find books in nearby libraries.
48. Public Libraries: Search for public, state, Presidential, national, college and law libraries in all 50 states. This site also has a book search and author information center.
49. Questia: Questia can connect you to the largest online collection of books and journal articles in the world.
50. Library Spot: Use Library Spot to locate libraries around the world, find book reviews, shop for books, and more.

General

These writing tips will help you work on your writing habits and style each day.

1. Keep a notebook handy: Carry around a little notebook so that you can write down ideas, great words, characters, observations and inspirations, whether you’re a fiction writer or nonfiction writer.
2. Read more: Read authors, journalists and other writers you admire and notice the way they use language.
3. Become a better listener: Understand what really motivates people by listening to them more and imitating their dialog and speech patterns in your writing.
4. Simplify things for the reader: Instead of making concepts or events seem more complicated for your reader, aim to make them more simple through your writing.
5. Remember your audience: Always have a very clear of who your audience is before writing.
6. Write all the time: Write whenever you can, whether it’s a short story, a poem, an analysis of a play, or a column you send into the newspaper. Practice makes perfect.
7. Trim everything down: Good writing is concise writing, so weed out wordy phrases whenever you can.
8. Treat writing like it’s your job: Even if it is technically your job, the odd hours and free schedule can turn real writers into procrastinators. Treat it seriously, or you’ll never get anything done.
9. Keep it fun: At the same time, you shouldn’t take yourself or your skill too seriously: it’s okay to make mistakes during your brainstorming session or generate silly story ideas as practice.
10. Tell a story: Even journalists can use the right kind of language and style to make a fact-based event read more like a story.
11. Think before you write: Sometimes, just writing things down arbitrarily can help with brainstorming, but it also helps to have an organized idea of what you aim to communicate through your writing.
12. Write on the go: Being able to write anywhere at any time if a valuable skill.

Grammar and Spelling

Tighten up your writing by paying careful attention to grammatical nuances, spelling errors and word usage.

13. Always have perfect grammar: As Christopher Meeks points out, spelling and grammar mistakes are "the first things people will notice…Even if your writing is brilliant, if it has a lot of errors (not uncommon on the Web), then people think less of you."
14. Worry about spelling and grammar in your second draft: It’s okay to work with your natural flow and worry about spelling and grammar after you’ve gotten the ideas down on paper.
15. Learn new words: Writing consultant Judy Rose encourages writers to check out all the synonyms when looking up a word in the dictionary.
16. Never mistake sound-alike words: "Your" and "you’re;" "whose" and "who’s" are all sound-alike words that will make you look like an amateur if you confuse them.
17. Review punctuation rules: Don’t know when to use a semi-colon or dash? Use this guide to help you straighten it out.
18. Keep a dictionary handy: Keep an online dictionary or hard copy next to you when you write.
19. Use the thesaurus: Some writers believe that if they couldn’t think up the word themselves, it’s cheating. But think of a thesaurus as a vocabulary lesson and an opportunity to explore new words.
20. Don’t rely on spell-check: You may be using a correctly spelled word, but that doesn’t mean it’s the right one for the sentence.
21. Use niche dictionaries and glossaries: Science dictionaries, medical glossaries, foreign language dictionaries and slang dictionaries will help your writing appear more accurate and authoritative.

Creative Writing

Fiction writers will find tips for better character development, scene writing, and story ideas here.

22. Understand the four types of conflict: The four types of conflict are man vs. man; man vs. himself; man vs. society; and man vs. face, nature or circumstances of life. Identify the one that will be the center for your story.
23. Use examples: Clarify an emotion or event by using tangible examples that readers can relate to.
24. Don’t mix up your point-of-view: Your story’s point-of-view should remain consistent, so make sure you know all the nuances of perspective and point-of-view before you get lost in the story.
25. Have a backstory: All of your characters need a backstory, and you need to have a specific outline written out to keep you straight all through your primary story.
26. Reinvent old ideas: Just because a tragic story between star-crossed lovers has been written before doesn’t mean you can’t reinvent it based on your experiences and perspective.
27. Research setting: Setting is extremely important to your story, so be prepared to visit a real-life version of what you’d like to write about, especially if you’ve never actually been there.
28. "Show, don’t tell: Remembering this tip should help you create visual stories instead of dried-out narration.
29. Identify the purpose of each scene: Write down in a clear sentence what needs to happen in a scene for the story to move forward, and then generate specific details like location, time and starting and end points, before filling in the middle parts.
30. Use dialogue labels: Let dialogue propel the story, not your explanation of every thing that happens or the characters say.
31. Work from prompts: Tools like this one can help you come up with an entire story or refine a scene.

Business and Technical Writing

Business and technical writers should remember to keep up with industry publications and news, use charts and bullets, and write simplistic articles and guides for a range of audiences.

32. Be curious: Curious writers commit to finding out everything they can about a particular subject, which strengthens their writing and reporting.
33. Use bullet points: In technical writing, it’s okay to use bullets if you need to clarify a list or idea. Just make sure you use them only when necessary.
34. Keep up with changing words: Word meaning changes over time, especially in technical and business settings, so make sure you’re keeping up.
35. Write like a reporter: Stressing the "who,what, when, where and why" is most important to customers.
36. Write for an international audience: When writing for international audiences, use simpler language and avoid idioms and other figurative language.
37. Be careful with titles: Technical titles may be unfamiliar to you, but it’s very important to address people correctly.
38. Use tangible examples: Help readers — especially if they are not experts in the field — understand what you’re writing by detailing tangible examples.
39. Know the difference between being professional and formal: Keep your correspondence and your writings professional, but you don’t need to write as if you were generating a legal document.
40. Put yourself in the customer’s shoes: Consider what your readers are looking for when they turn to your article, manual or outline.
41. Stay on top of trends: Read other publications and blogs to stay updated on the newest emerging trends, concepts, people and standards in your industry.
42. Organize sources: Use proper documentation, and save links to or copies of your sources for back up.

Journalism

Whether you’re a rookie Jschool graduate or a veteran reporter, here are tips for strengthening your writing.

43. Use smart headlines and titles: The better your headlines and titles, the more likely people will want to read them.
44. Don’t make absolute predictions: Avoid absolute predictions, and remember that even if you’re confident in the outcome, "anything can happen" and "nothing has to happen."
45. Stop hedging: Copyblogger asks readers to stop hedging, or make allowances for every possible exception. It weakens your writing.
46. Get off the Internet: It’s very important for journalists — even web reporters — to talk to actual people when conducting research.
47. Learn shorthand: Shorthand is still around and can be especially helpful for journalists.
48. Work with multimedia producers: Strengthen your writing by working with photo, video and online journalists.
49. Start with meaning in your sentences: This guide recommends starting sentences with subjects and verbs, and then letting "weaker elements branch to the right."
50. Milk weird names: Weird names attract the reader and work for you by spicing up your sentences with minimal effort.
51. Don’t ignore Twitter: Some journalists have a love-hate (or just hate-hate) relationship with Twitter, but it can be a useful tool for story ideas, finding sources, and staying on top of trending topics.

Writer’s Block and Inspiration

Get over writer’s block with these ideas for brainstorming, scheduling, organizing and more.

52. Just start: When you feel overwhelmed or dried up, just start writing anything that comes into your head, and you’ll have a good starting point.
53. Don’t wait for motivation: You can’t always sit around and wait for motivation to come to you. Write and revise every day.
54. Take breaks: Sometimes, the only thing you need for a fresher start is a short break.
55. Identify your purpose: Figure out why you’re writing, and start by explaining to the reader what your purpose is (ie: setting up an argument or asking for something).
56. Set a personal deadline: If you procrastinate when you know your deadline is far off, set a personal one for yourself that makes you write on time.
57. Don’t save ideas for later: Whenever you’re suddenly inspired, write down as much as you can to accurately capture the experience or emotions.
58. Give each brainstorming session a theme: Focus your brainstorming and organizing sessions by giving each one a specific theme and goal.
59. Try the 3-day writing method: On the first day, write in a stream of consciousness; on the second, refine your writing and fix grammar errors; on the third day, polish your writing with better adjectives and clearer sentences.
60. Use the news and blogs as inspiration: To write about current topics that people want to read about, watch the news and read blogs for inspiration.
61. Set up a writing routine: If you don’t make yourself write, you’ll always have an excuse ready. Pick a time every day to sit and write for a half hour at least.

Style

From simple sentences to cliches to experimentation, these style tips will turn you into the kind of writer that readers love.

62. Write simply: Use the best words for communicating what you mean, and don’t pick words based on how long they are or how smart they sound.
63. Don’t back into sentences: Johnny Kramer asks writers to be more direct early in the sentence instead of "backing into" their words.
64. Avoid cliches: Here you’ll find a list of cliches and "worn-out" phrases to avoid in your writing.
65. Play around with style: Even if you’ve already pin pointed your personal style, don’t be afraid to try new techniques with your writing.
66. Avoid all caps: Use italics sparingly, and if you want your story to be more dramatic, work on word usage and sentence structure.
67. Use active voice: Active voice makes your writing more direct and powerful.
68. Know how to use repetition: When used correctly, repetition can add to your writing, but if overused, it’s irritating.
69. Leave out adjectives: Adjectives can add a lot to a story, but for clearer writing, leave out unnecessary modifiers.
70. Try to be conversational: Lifehack.org suggests adopting a more conversational tone when you write if you want to engage your readers.
71. Be original: You can emulate others’ style up to a point, but a copied style is boring and borders on plagiarism.
72. Use original similes and metaphors: This list of writing rules from George Orwell cautions writers against using figures of speech that have already been tried.

Composition and Organization

Get tips for outlining and understanding organizational structure here.

73. Keep it short: To help you write simply and clearly, make a point to keep sentences and paragraphs short.
74. Make — and remake — outlines: You can make outlines for every kind of story, report or column you’re writing. Revise your outlines as you add to your piece to make it easier on yourself.
75. Clearly identify your theme: Before you start writing, give yourself 15 seconds to write down the main purpose of your piece, and stick to that theme.
76. Use a template: Online article templates help you get started and avoid forgetting important elements.
77. Make use of the writing process: Brainstorm, organize, support, rough draft, revise, rewrite, final draft: those are the steps in the writing process.
78. Write a real conclusion: Your conclusion should depend on your purpose for writing: they can summarize, reinforce an idea, or tell a reader what to think.
79. Pick an organizational structure: Different pieces use different organizational structure. Review this table to identify which one you’ll need to develop.
80. Check for coherence: Each part of your piece should flow logically and in sequential order.

Revising and Editing

All writers need to revise their work, even if they have an editor. Here you’ll find tips for drafting, stripping, editing your work.

81. Revise everything: No matter how terrific you think your writing is the first time, everyone’s writing improves after editing.
82. Write the first draft for yourself: No one is going to see the first draft, so feel free to experiment, make mistakes, and really push yourself.
83. Watch out for redundancy: While editing, highlight any words, phrases or paragraphs that are redundant, and delete them.
84. Sleep on it: Don’t turn something in the second you finish the last sentence. Sleep on it, and check it for mistakes in the morning.
85. Read your work out loud: It’s easier to catch mistakes when you read out loud.
86. Eliminate everything that doesn’t have a purpose: Each word and punctuation mark should have a specific purpose for appearing in your piece.
87. Ask someone else to read your work: If you don’t have a professional editor, ask a friend, teacher or fellow writer to read over your work before pitching or publishing it.
88. Don’t be afraid to tackle large "out-of-control" projects: Read this guide to learn how to trim down sprawling, 700-page novels in just 20 steps.
89. Don’t add to your piece: Unless you forgot an important piece of information, avoid adding words. It’s best to shorten your pieces.
90. Know when to stop: Edit your work until it’s error-free, clear and seamless. Then stop and turn it in.

Computer and Web Tips

Web writers have a different type of audience to write for, and therefore, a unique set of standards to adhere to.

91. Save: Some web applications save your work automatically, but it’s best to be in the habit of manually saving your work too.
92. Use a headline formula: This guide highlights 10 headline formulas that will attract easily distracted readers.
93. Write for active readers: The Internet is an active medium, so be sure to write for readers who are actively pursuing information.
94. Use lists: Using lists in your posts draw readers in and let them know ahead of time how much time they need to invest in reading your piece.
95. Write with the goal of engaging others in discussion: You may have to write with more edge and a well-defined opinion, but getting readers to respond and take over the discussion is your ultimate goal.
96. Write for scanners: Web readers are scanners, so use short, simple sentences.
97. Stick to one idea per paragraph: This technique makes it easy for readers to find information quickly.
98. Use the inverted pyramid: Write what you’d normally save for the conclusion first, and stress the main point early on.
99. Optimize your subtitles: If you’re worried about dumbing down your writing for the sake of SEO, focus on optimizing your subtitles, and then sparingly add in keywords to your text.
100. Writer reader-centric posts: Web readers are selfish and expect pieces to help them directly. Write about yourself as infrequently as possible, and focus on what they want.

General Reference Sites

From traditional dictionaries and encyclopedias to specialized dictionaries to stories to facts, these reference sites will open up a world of information to homeschoolers.

1. Bartleby.com. Find a comprehensive listing of reference books as well as fiction, non-fiction, and poetry on this site.
2. Online Etymology Dictionary. This online dictionary lets you discover the origin of common words.
3. Dictionary.com. Not only can you find definitions with this online dictionary, but you can use other tools as well as that help with grammar and style, word FAQs, and more.
4. Library Spot Grammar/Style. Make sure you are using proper grammar and style with the resources provided here.
5. Multnomah County Library Homework Center. This is an awesome resource with links to information on a variety of topics and to several high-quality reference sites.
6. Internet Public Library. Find reference material on topics such as arts and humanities, law and government, business, education, and science. The online librarians will also help you find anything you need to know.
7. Awesome Stories. This resource allows you to discover original sources from national archives, libraries, universities, museums, and government databases.
8. Fact Monster. Get your facts from the Fact Monster.
9. BJ Pinchbeck’s Homework Helper. Sorted by subject, you will find plenty of reference material here.
10. Federal Resources for Educational Excellence. Use this government database to find information on everything from math to music.
11. HowStuffWorks. This reference resource will help you learn how just about anything works.
12. refdesk.com. Get facts, quotes, news, and more from this online reference desk.

Reading

Whether your children are beginning readers, struggling older readers, or accomplished readers, these reference tools will provide plenty of information to help.

13. Project Gutenberg. Project Gutenberg offers one of the largest collections of free books on the Internet.
14. DailyLit. DailyLit sends you small bits of the book you select to your email inbox each daily–for free.
15. Open Book Project. Get free text books and other educational material here.
16. Google Books. This powerful reference tool allows students to find information about books, read excerpts or full text, use interactive maps based on the content, and more.
17. The Reading Genie. Find a listing of lessons and other materials to help strengthen reading skills with The Reading Genie.
18. Reading Rockets. This site offers reading strategies, guides, and more for both beginning readers and older readers who need some reinforcement.
19. Thinkfinity Online Courses. These free online courses are designed for both students and those teaching to reinforce literacy.
20. All Info About Reading. Offering lessons, free worksheets, ideas, and more, this site provides tons of reading help.
21. Audio Stories 4 Kids. While this site offers tons of audio books for kids, it also offers some free text versions too.
22. Children’s Storybooks Online. This site offers full-color story books for young readers to books for young adults.
23. Open Library. Find information on just about any book ever published, including full text for over 200,000.

Writing and Research

These awesome reference tools will have homeschool students learning to improve their research and writing skills.

24. Purdue Online Writing Lab. This is the go-to spot for writing reference material.
25. Teaching Organization in Writing. Get a simple overview of how to write a well-organized paper here.
26. orangoo. Paste your writing into this tool to check for spelling errors.
27. EasyBib. If you need help creating a bibliography in the MLA style, this tool will help.
28. Ottobib. Similar to EasyBib, this tool creates a bibliography in most of the major styles based on the ISBN from any book.
29. A+ Research and Writing. This site steps high school and college students through the process of creating quality research paper.
30. University of California Berkeley Library General Guides. Find plenty of helpful research information here.
31. A Research Guide for Students. Use this tool to learn how to do research, how to correctly write your research paper, and even get links to additional reference materials.
32. Info Zone Research Skills. Move through the six steps of creating a research paper given here.
33. Research and Documentation Online. Find out how to evaluate the quality of information you find during your research, learn how to cite online material, and discover places to find reliable information on the Internet.
34. Research, Reports and Presentation Support. This site offers everything from the mechanics of writing a paper to how to research controversial topics.

Math

From basic math all the way up to college level, these math reference tools will help students of any age learn.

35. Ask Dr. Math. This impressive resource is a must for anyone studying math.
36. AplusMath. Students working on simple math skills through basic algebra can find worksheets, flash cards, interactive math games, and more.
37. The Math Forum at Drexel. Find plenty of tips, problems, and puzzles to help strengthen your math skills at this site.
38. Math Playground. This site offers lots of fun activities such as logic problems, word problems, and games geared specifically for elementary through middle school.
39. curiousmath. Students can learn lots of great time-saving math tricks here.
40. Algebra.help. Get algebra help with these lessons, calculators, and worksheets.
41. Math.com. If you are looking for help with algebra and geometry, this is the place.
42. Roman Numeral Converter. This tool helps students learn about proper roman numeral usage.
43. Algebra Homework Help. Find algebra and geometry topics, get a free tutor, and more on this math site.
44. The Abacus. This is a great resource to learn how to use the abacus as well as learn about its history, practice calculations, and more.
45. Martindale’s Calculators On-line Center. Find virtually any type of calculator you may need right here.
46. Mathematics Articles. Read these articles to gain a better understanding of everything from algebra to statistics.
47. The Most Common Errors in Undergraduate Mathematics. Learn from this professor what some of the most common errors in math are.
48. Free Math Help. Whether you are learning algebra, calculus, trig, geometry, or statistics, you can get help here.
49. dansmath. With new lessons frequently added, you will certainly find resources for algebra, calculus, and other math topics.
50. Virtual Math Lab. Visit the virtual math lab at West Texas A&M to find help in algebra, GRE math, and other standardized math tests.
51. Graphing Calculator. Don’t invest in an expensive graphing calculator when you can use this one online.
52. Universal Currency Converter. Use this reference tool to learn about currencies and their exchange rates around the world.

Science

From chemistry to biology to anatomy, homeschool students will find plenty of information here.

53. MadSci Network. Find thousands of science questions and answers with this resource that also allows you to ask a scientist if you didn’t find the answer you needed.
54. eNature.com. Learn about nature, get field guides, ask an expert, and more on this site.
55. Chem4Kids. This site provides a ton of information on matter, atoms, elements, reactions, biochemistry, and more.
56. Dynamic Periodic Table. This is the only periodic table you will ever need. It is interactive and provides much more detail that the old paper versions ever could.
57. Exploratorium. Get a wealth of useful science information from this science museum.
58. The Image. Students learning about minerals and gemstones will find tons of information and images.
59. CELLSalive. Learn about cells up close and personally with this visually-appealing site.
60. Who Named It?. This reference site helps students learn about the people who contributed their names to medical phenomena.
61. The Science Page. The Science Page offers a wealth of science resources.
62. Climate Zone. Use this interactive map to find climate data around the world.
63. Online Conversion. Find conversion tools for just about anything here.
64. Visible Body. This online anatomy tool is amazing, but does require a fee for use after the 7-day free trial.
65. TryScience. Students can go on virtual field trips, perform science experiments, and have online science adventures with this fun tool.

History and Government

Use these reference tools to learn about history, current events, and American government.

66. The Biography Maker. Choose the subject of your biography, then let this tool walk you through creating an informative biography.
67. Biography.com. Find information on the subject of your biography with this resource that provides information on everyone from Emily Dickinson to George Washington.
68. History Timelines on the Web. The time lines here document historical events from around the world.
69. History Help. Use this resource to post your questions about history or browse through past questions and answers.
70. The History Place Homework Help. Find resources to help learn about history here.
71. U.S. House of Representatives Floor Summary. This real-time tool keeps students informed of what’s happening on the House Floor as it occurs.
72. Clickable Mummy. This interactive mummy is a wonderful reference tool for learning about the ancient process of mummification.
73. Sparticus Educational. This online encyclopedia holds a vast amount of information on the American Civil War.
74. ANYDAY Today-in-History. Use this reference tool to discover any historical events, important birthdays or holidays, and any religious observances for any specific day of the year.
75. EyeWitness to History. Learn about history from those who were present at the time with the stories and photos available here.
76. Scholastic News Online. Stay on top of current events happening around the world with this reference site that’s organized by grade level.

Geography

Students of any age will be able to explore geography around the world without ever leaving home.

77. Visible Earth. These images come courtesy of NASA and offer a unique view of the Earth.
78. 50States. Learn all about the 50 states with the information available here.
79. IPL Kidspace: Stately Knowledge. Click on any one of the 50 US states here to learn fascinating facts.
80. Maps.com. Find educational map games, free route maps, maps in the news, reference atlas maps, and more.
81. Countries of the World. This site provides a comprehensive listing of information about all the countries around the world.
82. Destination: Himalayas–Where Earth Meets Sky. This resource provides information about and photos of the Himalayas.
83. KidsWebJapan. Explore Japanese culture on this site that covers everything from culture to folk legends to technology.

Search Engines

These search engines are dedicated just for children or with education in mind and are a great way to find what you need to know.

84. Searching for Stuff. Search by topic or select one of several kid-friendly search options here.
85. KidsClick!. Created by librarians and made especially for children, this search engine allows kids to search by keyword or by topic.
86. CyberSleuth Kids. This educational search engine is specifically for K-12 students.
87. Google Scholar. Perform scholarly searches with this specialized Google search engine.
88. Ask Kids. This search engine is designed for children ages 6-12 and all website results are kid-friendly.
89. MetaGlossary.com. Enter a term, phrase, or acronym and get the definition with fast and accurate results.
90. Education Planet. Search educational resources with this search tool or browse by category.
91. Awesome Library for Kids. Browse or search with this reference tool to find articles and information appropriate for students.
92. Lego Educational Search Engine. Find Lego robotics sites that are education-based.
93. Infomine. Find scholarly Internet resources geared to the college-level research here.

Miscellaneous

From virtual field trips to notebooking resources for homeschoolers, these miscellaneous reference tools will help teach about a wide variety of subjects.

94. Produce Oasis. Learn all about fruits, vegetables, and herbs with this easy to use reference tool.
95. Virtual Field Trips. Take a virtual field trip here or create one of your own design.
96. GPS Activities and Lesson Plans. Find out how to use GPS and geocaching to create a dynamic lesson with all the resources here.
97. Free SAT Exam School. If you are studying for the SAT, this resource is one you won’t want to miss with practice tests, study guides, articles, and more.
98. The Encyclopedia of Traditional Celtic Music. Learn all about this music that comes from a rich history.
99. NotebookingPages.com. This resource provides a wealth of homeschooling information, experiences, and tons of notebooking pages.
100. Google Translate. Translate any webpage, word, or phrase in 51 different languages.

Search Tricks

These search tricks can save you time when researching online for your next project or just to find out what time it is across the world, so start using these right away.

1. Convert units. Whether you want to convert currency, American and metric units, or any other unit, try typing in the known unit and the unknown unit to find your answer (like "how many teaspoons in a tablespoon" or "10 US dollars in Euros").
2. Do a timeline search. Use "view:timeline" followed by whatever you are researching to get a timeline for that topic.
3. Get around blocked sites. If you are having problems getting around a blocked site, just type "cache:website address" with website address being the address of the blocked site to use Google’s cached copy to get where you are going.
4. Use a tilde. Using a tilde (~) with a search term will bring you results with related search terms.
5. Use the image search. Type in your search word, then select Images to use the image search when trying to put a picture to your term.
6. Get a definition. If you want a definition without having to track down an online (or a physical) dictionary, just type "definition:word" to find the definition of the word in your results (i.e.: "definition: serendipity" will track down the definition of the word "serendipity").
7. Search within a specific website. If you know you want to look up Babe Ruth in Wikipedia, type in "site:wikipedia.org Babe Ruth" to go directly to the Wikipedia page about Babe Ruth. It works for any site, not just Wikipedia.
8. Search within a specific kind of site. If you know you only want results from an educational site, try "site:edu" or for a government site, try "site:gov" and your search term to get results only from sites with those web addresses.
9. Search for a specific file type. If you know you want a PDF (or maybe an MP3), just type in "filetype:pdf" and your search term to find results that are only in that file type.
10. Calculate with Google. Type in any normal mathematical expressions to get the answer immediately. For example, "2*4" will get you the answer "8."
11. Time. Enter "what time is it" and any location to find out the local time.
12. Find a term in a URL. This handy trick is especially useful when searching blogs, where dates are frequently used in the URL. If you want to know about a topic for that year only and not any other year, type "inurl:2009" and your keyword to find results with your keyword in URLs with 2009 in them.
13. Use Show Options to refine your search. Click "Show Options" on your search result page to have access to tools that will help you filter and refine your results.
14. Search for a face. If you are looking for a person and not just their name, type "&imgtype=face" after the search results to narrow your results to those with images of faces.

Google Specifically for Education

From Google Scholar that returns only results from scholarly literature to learning more about computer science, these Google items will help you at school.

15. Google Scholar. Use this specialized Google search to get results from scholarly literature such as peer-reviewed papers, theses, and academic publishers.
16. Use Google Earth’s Sky feature. Take a look at the night sky straight from your computer when you use this feature.
17. Open your browser with iGoogle. Set up an iGoogle page and make it your homepage to have ready access to news stories, your Google calendar, blogs you follow in Google Reader, and much more.
18. Stay current with Google News. Like an electronic clearinghouse for news, Google News brings headlines from news sources around the world to help you stay current without much effort.
19. Create a Google Custom Search Engine. On your own or in collaboration with other students, put together an awesome project like one of the examples provided that can be used by many.
20. Collect research notes with Google Notebook. Use this simple note-taking tool to collect your research for a paper or project.
21. Make a study group with Google Groups. Google Groups allows you to communicate and collaborate in groups, so take this option to set up a study group that doesn’t have to meet face-to-face.
22. Google Code University. Visit this Google site to have access to Creative Commons-licensed content to help you learn more about computer science.
23. Study the oceans with Google Earth 5. Google Earth 5 provides information on the ocean floor and surface with data from marine experts, including shipwrecks in 3D.
24. Learn what experts have to say. Explore Knol to find out what experts have to say on a wide range of topics. If you are an expert, write your own Knol, too.

Google Docs

Google Docs is a great replacement for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, so learn how to use this product even more efficiently.

25. Use premade templates. Use these 50 pre-made templates to track spending, keep up with your health, and much more.
26. Collaborate on group projects. Google Docs allows for real-time collaboration, so make easy work for everyone next time you have a group project due.
27. Use keyboard shortcuts. Use this handy list of keyboard shortcuts to save lots of time while using Google Docs.
28. Create online surveys for research projects. Quickly and easily create online surveys for any research project that requires feedback from others. The answers are saved to your Google Docs account.
29. Add video to your presentation. Learn how to seamlessly add video to your Google Docs page to really give your presentation or project a boost.
30. Use the school year calendar template. Have an easy to use school year calendar through Google Docs by following these instructions.
31. Create graphs from spreadsheets. Once you have populated a spreadsheet with data, you can easily create a graph. Google Docs allows for pie, bar, line, and scatter graphs.
32. Create a new document with shortcuts. Learn two ways to open a new Google Docs page with these tricks.
33. Right click to use save-as. Use the right click save-as option to save a Google Docs document on your computer.
34. Send invitations. School shouldn’t be all about work. Find out how to send party invitations using Google Docs.

Gmail

The super-popular Gmail is full of fun and fast ways to make your life and communications easier.

35. Use the Tasks as a to-do list. Use the Tasks available in Gmail as a way to stay on top of assignments, exams, and project due dates.
36. Use the Archive feature. One of the great features of Gmail is that it allows you to archive emails to get them out of your inbox, then you can use the search feature to find them if you need them again.
37. Highlight mail with labels. Use labels to mark your messages. You can find them easily while in your inbox and do a search for all the messages with that label after you archive them.
38. Never forget to attach a file. By signing up for the Labs, you can select to have the Forgotten Attachment Detector. This feature notices if you have typed something about an attachment in the body, but are sending without actually attaching anything–a great tool to save time and embarrassment.
39. Use keyboard shortcuts. Go to Settings and enable keyboard shortcuts so you can perform common tasks at the touch of just one or two keys.
40. Add multiple attachments. Use the Control (or Cmd on Macs) and Shift keys to select more than one file to attach to your email at one time.
41. Use the https option. Google recommends using this option if you use your Gmail in public places like a dorm or coffee shop to add an extra bit of protection to your Internet activities.
42. Incorporate Google Calendar and Docs on your Gmail page. Have access to recent documents used in Google Docs and get an agenda of upcoming activities you have on Google Calendar with small boxes added to your Gmail page. Go to Labs to select this option.
43. Add a "Waiting for Response" label. If you have emails in your inbox that you are holding until someone gets back to you, creating this label keeps you from forgetting to follow up on it later.
44. Use Canned Responses. If you find yourself writing the same type of email over and over, use the Canned Responses feature in the Labs to create a template that you you can use without having to type out the entire email every time.
45. Consolidate email accounts. If you have a Gmail account, an account through school, and any other account you are juggling separately, combine them all into Gmail to cut down on time spent checking all those accounts.
46. Use AIM in Gmail. If you use AIM to IM friends or partners on projects, add it to the chat feature already in Gmail to have access to both.

Google Calendar

Save yourself some time by keeping track of appointments, assignments, and more with Google Calendar.

47. Sync up with others using iCal or Sunbird. Google lets you sync your calendar with others using Apple iCal or Mozilla Sunbird.
48. Customize reminders. Set reminders in your Google Calendar so that you never forget an appointment again. Choose from email, pop-up, or SMS reminders and even set when the reminder comes.
49. Learn some basic keyboard shortcuts. Change from daily to weekly to monthly view, compose a new event, and more with these simple shortcuts.
50. Use Quick Add. Click on Quick Add and type the day and time and what you are doing to have the calendar create the event with the correct time and date.
51. Use multiple calendars. Create separate calendars for school work, personal information, important due dates, and more to stay ultra-organized.
52. Get a text message with your daily agenda. Keep up with all that you need to do for the day without ever having to log on to your Google Calendar.
53. Set weekly repeats for any day. The drop-down menu only offers M/W/F or T/Th options for repeating events. Go to "Every Week" and customize which days you want the event to repeat.
54. Get upcoming events while away from the computer. Check out #8 in this list to learn how to access your upcoming events via your phone.
55. Add events from Gmail. If you receive an email with event time and date information, you can easily add this event to your calendar by clicking "Add to calendar."
56. Invite others. If you have events on your calendar that you want to invite others to join, just add their email address under Add Guests within the event.

Google Mobile

Whether riding the bus or walking to class, use Google Mobile to stay productive while away from your computer.

57. Sync your calendar. Never be far from your Google Calendar when you sync it to your phone.
58. Check your email. Keep your email right at your fingertips with Gmail for mobile.
59. Access your blog subscriptions. Keep up with your blogs and news feeds that you subscribe to through Reader right on your phone.
60. Use Google Voice to consolidate phone numbers. If you have a phone in your dorm or apartment, a cell phone, and any other phone numbers, consolidate them into one number with Google Voice.
61. Easily find friends. Find out where your friends are and even get a map with directions for how to get there with Google Latitudes.
62. Find out information easily while on the go. Whether you are looking for a great place to eat dinner, wondering what the weather is like, or want to know what the Spanish word for "bathroom" is, just text your information to Google (466453–spells Google on your phone) to get the answer texted back right away.
63. Access iGoogle. Get your iGoogle page formatted just for the smaller screen size of your phone.
64. Read your Google Docs. Have access to all your Google Docs items right on your phone.
65. Keep a to-do list on your phone. Use Google Tasks for mobile so you can access your to-do list any time–and check off what you’ve finished, too.
66. Never get lost again. Google Maps is an interactive program for most smart phones that offers tons of features so you will never have to be lost again.
67. Do a quick search anywhere. Find information with a Google search from your phone to impress your professors and your friends.
68. Access Google Books. Android and iPhone users can access Google Books on their phones.
69. Post to your blog. Use your mobile to post to your Blogger blog.

Google Chrome Tips and Extensions

If you are using the Google Chrome browser, then you will love these time-saving tips and extensions.

70. Use a "Pin Tab". If you have multiple tabs open, use a "Pin Tab" to make the tabs the size of the little icon on the left side.
71. Don’t overlook Paste and Search and Paste and Go. These two features are available when you right-click to add a word or URL to Chrome and will save you an extra step.
72. Reopen a closed tab. Oops! If you didn’t mean to close that tab, just press Ctrl+Shift+T to reopen it.
73. Use the Chrome shortcuts. Open a new tab, see your history, maximize your window, and much more with these shortcuts.
74. Take advantage of the address bar. With Google Chrome, you can use the address bar to perform a Google search, quickly access pages you’ve already visited, and get recommendations for places to go.
75. Go incognito. If you don’t want to leave traces of where you were browsing, use incognito mode instead of having to go back and delete your history and cookies.
76. Use the bookmarks manager. Stay organized, rearrange bookmarks, search for bookmarks, add folders, and much more with the bookmark manager.
77. ChromePass. This tool will give you a list of all the password information stored in Google Chrome.
78. Save as PDF. Save any page as a PDF with this bookmarklet.
79. ChromeMailer. If you’ve lost valuable time when having to manually enter email information from a website because Google Chrome doesn’t support the mailto: function, then you will love this extension.
80. Google Chrome Backup. Back up your personal data, bookmarks, and more with this simple tool.

Google Books

Learn how Google Books can save you time and trips to the library with these tricks.

81. Search full text. Google Books offers full text for over 10,000 books, so look here the next time you are researching something at the last minute.
82. Use "About this book". At the top left of the page of a book, clicking this link will give you helpful information such as the table of contents, related books, and a map of places mentioned in the book.
83. Create a personalized library. Click on "Add to my shared library" to start your own personalized library where you can label books to keep them organized for each class or project.
84. Find books in your college library. Each book in Google Books has a link to find the book in a library. It can tell you exactly where to look at your own school.
85. Use the Advanced Book Search. If you can’t find the book you are looking for, try the advanced search, which provides you with many more detailed options.
86. Access text books. Many text books are available on Google Books, so see if you can save a trip to the bookstore next semester.
87. Search for magazine content. Select Magazines in the Advanced Book Search to locate information from magazines.
88. Read the blog. Google Books is constantly evolving, so stay on top of all the latest news with the Inside Google Books blog.
89. Find books to supplement your assigned texts. Search by subject to see what books you may be able to read to get the extra leg up in your classes.

Handy Google Services and Apps

These other Google products will help you save time by offering you everything from alerts to online collaboration to help working with data sets.

90. Google Alerts. Sign up to get email notifications any time a topic you designate shows up in Google search results. This is a great way to stay current with a project or news story.
91. Google Desktop. Keep a clock, weather, news stories, Google search box, and more all within easy reach when you use Google Desktop.
92. Google SketchUp. If you need to draw 3D figures for class, use Google SketchUp to do so easily and free of charge.
93. Google Talk. This versatile app is more than just for IMs. You can switch to voice, do a video chat, and send texts, too.
94. Google Images. Google has an incredible image search feature that will provide you with tons of high-quality images you can use in presentations.
95. Google Translate. Don’t spend time looking up stuff in books, use Google Translate to get foreign words translated right away.
96. Google Wave. This brand new Google product shows great promise for anyone collaborating, but especially for those in school. Communicate, create documents, and more–all in real-time.
97. Google Finance. Business students can keep track of markets, news, portfolios, and more in one place.
98. Google Toolbar. Have easy access to Gmail, Google search, bookmarks, and more with this toolbar available for Internet Explorer and Firefox.
99. Picasa. Manage your photos and even incorporate them into your blogs and emails with Google’s streamlines photo manager.
100. Google Squared. Find facts and organize them with this search feature from Google Labs.
101. Google Fusion Tables. If you are working with data sets, then you will love this program that will allow you to upload data, create visual representations, and take part in discussions about the data.
102. Blogger. Create a blog as a part of a project or just to stay in touch with friends and family in an easy way.

Organization

Check out these apps to leave yourself notes, make to-dos and keep all your ducks in a row.

1. Evernote: Use this handy app to jot down ideas, make notes, save them and send them to yourself.
2. Remember the Milk: You’ll never forget to do important tasks again if you remember to put them in this helpful to-do list manager.
3. 30Boxes: Check out this calendar application to keep track of important appointments and days off of school.
4. iBlueSky: This application will help you brainstorm new ideas and map them out visually.
5. Attendance Countdown: Count down the days left in your semester or the hours until summer vacation with this application.
6. Harvest: With this application you can track your finances, contact information for students, lesson plans and pretty much anything else job-related.
7. QuickVoice: If it’s easier for you to speak rather than type, this app will make it simple for you to record voice messages.
8. OmniFocus: This application is all about helping you to be more productive, keeping you organized and on task anywhere.
9. To Do: Here you can jot down all the little things you need to get done for class or at home.
10. A Personal Assistant: Ever feel like you could really use a personal assistant? This application takes on some of that role, making it easy to stay organized.
11. ZenBe: This application is all about simple, easy-to-use task management.
12. FireTask: If you’re all about GTD you can check out this application designed specifically to improve your productivity.

Helpful Tools

These apps will help make your life as a teacher a little easier.

13. TouchType: Download this application to make typing out an email easier on your iPhone by shifting it to landscape mode.
14. Spell Check: Make sure you’re not making any spelling gaffes in your communications with students with this app.
15. Date Wheel: This application will let you easily count down the days between two dates, like until an assignment is due or until spring break.
16. Mocha VNC Lite: Use this app to access a Windows PC or Mac OS X and see the files, programs, and resources exactly as you would if you were sitting at your desk.
17. HTML Cheat Sheet: Many teachers these days are responsible for maintaining websites, so this cheat sheet can make it much easier if you can’t remember your coding.
18. GPA.me: This tool will allow you, or your students, to more easily calculate their GPA.
19. Assignments: While this app is designed for students, it can be a great tool for teachers as well, allowing you to input and view your class assignments and notes.
20. Read It Later: Since you’re a busy educator, you may not have time to immediately read every interesting article you come across. This app lets you save that material for later.
21. QuickOffice: If you need to open Word or Excel documents on your phone, this application will make it possible.
22. Google Reader: Use the mobile version of this tool to easily read all your favorite blogs.
23. Free Wi-Fi Finder: If you’re struggling to find a Wi-Fi connection, this app will make it a lot easier.
24. Blackboard Learn: Professors or teachers using Blackboard in their classrooms will be able to use it a whole lot easier no matter where they are.

Communication

You’ll be able to keep in touch with students, parents and fellow teachers through these great mobile tools.

25. IfbyPhone: iPhone users can sign up to use this app and get iPhone Voice Broadcast and Conference Call services.
26. Facebook: Keep in touch with friends, family and even former students through the mobile version of this site.
27. WordPress: If you’re part of the growing number of teachers blogging, this tool is an essential download.
28. Skype: Talk to anyone, anywhere for much less with this great application.
29. Beejive IM: You don’t have to stick to AIM to message over your phone–this application is one of the best out there.
30. Twitterlator: Use Twitter on-the-go with this app that lets you read, post and track your tweets.
31. LinkedIn: Keep in touch with colleagues and your eyes open for new opportunities with this tool.
32. Ember: Campfire goes mobile with this app, letting users engage in mobile chatting, see live image previews right within the chat room, and view files right from the chat.

Reference

Need to look up a fact in a hurry? These tools will help you to do so no matter where you are.

33. Dictionary!: This dictionary will help you find the spelling and meaning of over 200,000 words.
34. Wikiamo: This application makes it easy to search for and find articles from Wikipedia.
35. Wikipanion: If you love looking things up on Wikipedia, then check out this application that lets you take it anywhere.
36. WorldCat: Find any research or classroom materials you need from the closest libraries that have it with this app.
37. GeoPedia: Try out this application to find out what Wikipedia articles relate to where you are in the world.
38. Google Earth: With this tool you can take a look at any place in the world with the mobile version of this program.
39. Poptiq: Through this application you can watch all kinds of educational videos from anywhere.
40. WeDict: Using this tool, you’ll be able to look up just about any word out there, as well as find translations for Chinese words.
41. QuoteBook: Whether you need a quirky quote for your lessons or just want to find something relevant, this app makes it simple to look up info.
42. Roget’s New Thesaurus: Find synonyms for any word with this helpful thesaurus.

History and Social Studies

Whether you need help with fact checking or just want to get new ideas on how to present material, these apps can help.

43. Declaration: This application will let you search through and read the whole Declaration of Independence.
44. Constitution: If you’re teaching your students about the Constitution, this application can make it easy to look up and reference any part of it.
45. iPresident: Check out this application for a list and information about all the presidents, former and present, of the United States.
46. This Day in History: Find out what happened on any day of the year in the past with this daily factual app.
47. AlltheCountries: Here you’ll be able to find out information about any country in the world–a big help if you’re in need of quick facts in the classroom.
48. Oregon Trail: You can get an updated version of this classic game on your iPhone and practice trekking across the United States.
49. Maps of the World: Not sure exactly where Bora Bora is? This application will help you look it up and pass on the information to your students.

Literature

These applications can help boost your knowledge and help you pass it on to your students.

50. VocabDaily Free: Learn a new word each day or find new words to share with your students using this application.
51. Word of the Day: This application is another way to get access to new words to expand your vocab and teach with.
52. AccelaStudy Vocabulary Builder: Created for studying for the SAT or ACT, this application is also a great way to boost your own vocab and teach your students new words.
53. Talking Phrasebooks: Check out this application to learn how to say basic phrases in almost any language out there.
54. EngLits: Download and read hundreds of classic books through this site.
55. Classics: If you want to bone up on classic literature, this application offers numerous free reads.
56. Stanza: Whether you’re rereading something you’ve assigned for class or just want to read more on your own, this application makes it easy.
57. Bookshelf: This application will turn your iPhone into a Kindle, allowing you to easily read ebooks on it.
58. Margins: Take notes as you read with this helpful tool that makes it simple to prepare for class.
59. Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms: If you’re a little shaky on your knowledge of literary terms, then this application can help.
60. Aristotle’s Complete Works: Read this famous philosopher and thinker’s works for free using this application.

Science

Download these apps to learn and find great material you can share with students.

61. Astronomy Picture of the Day: Get inspiring and beautiful pictures of the cosmos for yourself or to show in class with this application.
62. Atom in a Box: Through this app you’ll get real-time visualization of quantum mechanical atomic orbitals. Great for those upper-level courses.
63. Starmap: Track the progress of the stars through the sky with this application.
64. iAmino: This application can make it easier to teach and learn about amino acids.
65. Chemistry Formulas: You don’t need to remember every formula now with this helpful application.
66. EleMints: Take the periodic table with you everywhere with this tool.
67. ScienceFacts: Get all kinds of useful scientific fasts through this application that allows you to search or browse through all kinds of topics.
68. ScienceQuiz: From the earth to the outer limits of space, this application will test your knowledge.
69. Solutions: Learn and teach about chemistry with this helpful application.
70. The Chemical Touch: This application will make it simple to reference information about the properties of the elements, the standard amino acids, and the nucleobases.

Math

Do some simple calculations or find better ways to teach mathematics topics to your students through these applications.

71. Touch Calc: Do all kinds of basic calculations through this helpful calculator.
72. Slide Rule: This application takes out the nerdy necessity of using the old fashioned slide rule.
73. Protractor: You don’t need to bring along this geometry tool when you have your iPhone and this application.
74. Mathomatic: This application will let you double-check your work, with the ability to solve complex algebraic problems.
75. Abacus: The abacus has been used for thousands of years and this new application brings it into the 21st century.
76. Formul8: Download this application to get access to the most-used formulas for Algebra, Geometry, Calculus, Science, and Chemistry.
77. Algebra Helper: Learn how to better help your students master the basics of algebra with this application.
78. Graphing Calculator: You don’t need an expensive graphing calculator to map out a parabola or ellipse–just use this application.
79. Geometry Flash Cards: Test yourself and your students on their geometry knowledge with this app.
80. Math Quizzes: With this application you’ll get a better idea of how to make quick math quizzes.
81. Math Ref Free: Even teachers need a cheat sheet sometimes. This application provides reference tools for geometry, algebra, trig, derivatives and more.
82. BrainThaw: Boost your brainpower and ability to do mental math with this quick-paced math application.

Creativity

Whether you want to make great animations to teach with or just find out more about art history, these applications will help.

83. Animoto: Use this application to make great animations you can use in the classroom.
84. FlipBook Lite: Make simple flip-book style animations with this tool for fun or educational purposes.
85. Artist’s Touch: Edit your photos for use in the classroom or elsewhere with this great tool.
86. Gallery of Painters: Learn more about the painters who have made a big mark on the history of art through this app.
87. Color Wheel: If you’re teaching students about color theory, this application can be a big help.
88. MovieMaker: Make short movies for your students with this tool.
89. OpenCulture: Here you’ll be able to find all kinds of free learning and cultural resources and bring them right to your phone.
90. Art2Go: Learn about artists who changed the world and get all the facts you need to teach your students form this app.
91. Brushes: With this application you’ll be able to draw just about anything you want, helping you explain and illustrate any concept.

Miscellaneous

Check out these apps for all kinds of inspiration, relaxation and help getting through your day.

92. School of Rock: If you’ve seen the movie of the same name you know what this app is all about, offering to teach you (and your students) about music.
93. ToyArk: Find some of the best educational toys you can add to your classroom through this online shopping application.
94. Fact of the Day: Boost your knowledge of random things with these daily fun facts.
95. BBC Reader: This application will make it easy to keep up with world news from the BBC right on your phone.
96. Stress Reducer: Have a hard day at work? Check out this application to calm and relax you.
97. Public Radio Tuner: Learn and be entertained at the same time with this tool that lets you find public radio stations no matter where you are.
98. The Weather Channel: Want to know if there might be a snow day headed your way? This app will help you keep up with the weather everywhere.
99. Flash-Me: This application from Cramberry makes it easier to create and share flashcards with your students.
100. GoogleMobile: Here you’ll be able to search Google from your iPhone easily and simply.

Finding Information

From doing math without a calculator to getting definitions, use Bing to find this information quickly and easily.

1. Use the background image. Hovering over different locations on the background image provides an opportunity to learn facts about the image or related topics.
2. Do math. Enter a math calculation directly into the search box to compute anything from simple math to trig functions.
3. Ask questions directly. Type a question into the search box and if the answer is located in Encarta encyclopedia, you will get an answer directly.
4. Get definitions. Enter "define" or "definition" along with a word to find a definition of that word.
5. Look up IP addresses. Type in IP: [IP address] (substituting [IP address] with the actual IP address) to find a list of domains associated with that IP address.
6. Find statistical information. Find statistical information by typing what you want to know, such as "population of Texas" or "number of bald eagles in America" to get the answer.
7. Locate area codes and zip codes. Enter an area code or zip code into the search box and find out with what location the number is associated.
8. Find business contact information. If you have ever tried to find a phone number for a business with little success, then try typing the name of the business in Bing’s search box. They frequently provide contact information even for companies with hard-to-find phone numbers.
9. Get used car information. Simply type a car’s VIN into the search box to get history on that car.
10. Get stock quotes. Add "stock" or "quote" to the name of the company or their stock quote symbol to find stock quotes and other financial information.
11. Find holiday dates. Enter the holiday and year to find out what date that holiday will occur.
12. Get sports information. Get scores, stats, game times, and much more quickly and easily by searching for your team only or adding specifically what you want, such as "Mariners score."

Research and Collaboration

Bing is great for Internet research and sharing that research for others. Find out how with these suggestions.

13. Save search results. Save your search results to a local folder online to have access to them without having to remember how you performed the search.
14. Share search results. If you have found important information you want to share, email your search results or share via Facebook.
15. Find specific types of files. Use a keyword and "contains: file type" (with file type being the file type you are seeking) to find PDFs, MP3s, and other files.
16. Get results from a specific region. Type your keyword and loc:US (or any other location) to get webpages from specific countries.
17. Restrict search to titles. If you want to find your keyword in a title only, use intitle: to search.
18. Disable search suggestions. If you don’t want Bing’s search suggestions, just click on "Turn off " at the bottom of the suggestions. To turn them back on, follow these directions.
19. Show more results. If you want more than 10 results per page, change your Preference to get up to 50 results per page.
20. Get search results as RSS feeds. Get your search results sent to your favorite reader where you can access them later or share with others.
21. Use related searches. When searching for a topic, use the related searches located in the left pane to more easily find what you are seeking.
22. Control search history. Learn how to turn off the search history or clear the search history here.

Images and Videos

Use images and videos easily and more quickly with Bing to find the information you need.

23. Easily find images. The image search on Bing provides many images that are easily scanable.
24. Preview videos. Get a whole page of video thumbnails, then just hover over each to start it playing.
25. Preview websites. Get an image of the website from your search results just by hovering over the link.
26. Find videos of a specific length. Whether you are searching for a full episode of your favorite show or a quick overview of a how-to, find the length video you want by following these instructions.
27. Specify the size image. When looking for an image, you can specify what size image you want, whether small, medium, large, or wallpaper.
28. Search for color or black and white. While performing an image search, specify if you want only color or only black and white images.
29. Ensure your images are safe for everyone. This blog post from Bing tells you how to ensure your image previews don’t show adult content.
30. Save Bing’s background images. If you want to keep the background images from Bing on your desktop, follow these instructions.

Travel

Whether you are going home for the holidays or traveling to the next big conference, use these tips to help facilitate your travel with Bing.

31. Find low air fares. Enter "flights from x to y" (with x and y being the cities of travel) to find low air fares as well as predicted fare trends.
32. Get flight status. Enter your flight number along with "flight status" to immediately find out the status of your flight.
33. Plan your stay. When you enter a place name, you will receive links for attractions, weather, nightlife, tours, and images of that location.
34. Find a hotel. Get star ratings, reviews, a map, and more details to help you find the perfect place to stay.
35. Eat out. Get maps, menus, and reviews easily for restaurants in the area.
36. Find directions. When you enter an address, you will get a map and directions powered by Microsoft Virtual Earth.
37. Get real-time traffic information. The traffic map has routes highlighted in red and green to designate which roads are having problems and which are good.
38. Find out the weather. Weather forecasts are easy to find and easy to read when you select "weather."
39. Convert currency. Type in "1 x in y" (with x and y being the currency abbreviations) to get an automatic currency conversion.
40. Take advantage of local search features. From detailed business listings to business scorecards to one-click directions, take advantage of the Bing local features.

Mobile

Just because you stepped out of the library or away from class doesn’t mean you can’t still access the benefits of Bing. Find out what you can do with Bing and your mobile.

41. Use their mobile site. The Bing mobile site is specially designed for mobile phone usage.
42. Download the app. From your mobile phone’s browser, go to http://m.bing.com/download/ to download their mobile app.
43. Get mobile with a text. Visit Bing for mobile to enter your phone number and receive a text with the link.
44. Download Bing Tones. Download these free MP3 ring tones for your cell phone from Bing.
45. Try Bing 411. Call 1-800-BING-411 to get information via text message or to contact a business directly–for free.
46. Get turn-by-turn directions. Save both home and work starting points to get turn-by-turn directions over your phone from Bing 411 if you don’t have a phone with GPS.
47. Get walking directions. If you are on foot, don’t rely on directions down highways, instead, get the step-by-step walking directions on your phone.
48. Get weather by phone. No need to get a meteorology degree online. Bing 411 also delivers very detailed weather for your specific location over the phone.
49. Find movies. Locate theaters, find show times, and buy tickets all from your phone.
50. Go shopping. Not only can you locate products, but you can also do a price comparison to ensure you are getting the best deal.

The recession has forced millions of people to reconsider their career options. Not only has technology made finding your next job easier, but self-education sites are training workers for their next jobs faster and more efficiently than ever before. Whether it’s brushing up on coding skills or learning how to write, the Internet is full of self-education sites ready to offer valuable job training. Here are the 100 best self-education sites for switching careers.

OpenCourseWare

Tired of accusations of elitism, universities have begun to offer courses online and free to the public. While these courses are available from accredited schools, none earn credit. Instead, the online resources provided by these schools are invaluable to continuing education and job training. Here is the best OpenCourseWare for switching careers.

1. MIT: The elite technical school was one of the first to make courses available online. Prospective students may choose from hundreds of classes ranging from creative writing or modern media techniques.
2. Notre Dame: The Catholic university based in Indiana has courses in over 24 fields of study.
3. University of California-Irvine: The public California school has a long history of social engagement and makes available quality courses to follow in that tradition.
4. Utah State University: This pioneering OpenCourseWare site from USU has been around since the late nineties. Users can take classes in engineering, media and humanities.
5. Yale University: Yale has educated princes and presidents for centuries. Now the school’s prestigious courses are available online for free.
6. University of Washington: The online course catalog from UW is a little limited but contains interesting and useful classes.
7. John Hopkins University: John Hopkins is one of the most renowned medical schools in the world. (Dr. House went there.) The courses available from this school are related entirely to health topics such as AIDS and refugee help.
8. Brigham Young University: An independent study program provided by the private Mormon university in Utah. This school’s great program has classes in everything from accounting to theater.
9. Tufts University: Great tools, tips, advice and courses from this university in New Orleans.
10. Carnegie Mellon University: Get free materials, assignments and exams for guiding your self-education. This resource is especially good for students looking to better their understanding of technical topics.
11. University of California, Berkeley: Get started on your self-education with podcasts and lectures from one of the most respected public schools in the country.
12. Harvard University: Harvard is the richest school in the world. Fortunately, they’ve decided to give back to the public with dozens of continuing education courses.
13. Stanford University: Apple and Stanford have teamed up to offer lectures and faculty interviews through iTunes.
14. Kutztown University of Pennsylvania: This continuing education resource focuses primarily on education for small business owners.
15. University of Southern Queensland: This Australian university gives self-learners around the world access to a range of classes in technology and media.
16. Columbia University: Quality distance learning from an Ivy League source, this site has classes in music, literature and journalism.

Self-Education Tools

Just because a course is online and free doesn’t mean it’s easy. Distance education requires discipline beyond most people’s normal abilities. These tools for self-education will help make your online classes a breeze.

17. Scholar.com: This is a great tool for research papers and assignments for any subject.
18. Springnote: An online note taking application, Springnote organizes thoughts, projects and classes.
19. incollector: This information collectors stores notes, data and other information for quick recovery later.
20. Evernote: Access task lists, assignment managers and research on any device.
21. EasyBib: Never be concerned with proper citation again. This handy little resources generates citations in a number of professional and academic formats.
22. iTunes University: Get lectures and other information in convenient podcast format.
23. TeacherTube: This community of users shares educational and "how to" videos on everything from algebra to carpentry.
24. WiseMapping: Some people are better visual learners. This great resource allows users to create their diagrams and flow charts.
25. AcademicEarth: Recorded lectures from leading scholar at the world’s top universities, this site puts anyone, anywhere in an Ivy League class room.
26. Graspr.com: High quality content on a range of topics, this site motivates users to learn new skills with educational videos.
27. ViewDo: The one stop shop for on the go know-how, this site offers videos for any device such as the iPod or PSP.
28. eHow: Learn how to do just about anything with this clever site that includes a social network.
29. Dictionary.com: One of the largest online dictionaries, this site also includes professional and legal terms.
30. Citizendium: Started by a Wikipedia founder, this "citizens’ compendium of everything" is an open source project aimed at creating a more reliable online encyclopedia.
31. InfoMine: An internet collection of scholarly articles available for subjects such as agriculture, biotechnology and the humanities.
32. Wikipedia: The collaborative online encyclopedia has been a bane to teachers everywhere since it was introduced in the nineties. Wikipedia contains millions of articles on pretty much any subject imaginable.
33. Scholarpedia: With articles written entirely by experts in their fields, Scholarpedia is reliable but offers much less than the other, more famous online encyclopedia.
34. The Open Video Project: An online shared digital video project, this site aggregates educational resources and documentaries.
35. Self Education Motivation Tools: This guide to staying positive during your self-education is a must for any online student.

Self-Education Communities

Social networking sites are great for self-education. Students can interact with others, share useful notes and information or even offer tutoring assistance. Find your virtual shoulder to lean on at these social networking sites for self-learners.

36. LearnHub: A community of experts and students seeking to help self-educators manage their course loads.
37. e-college: An e-learning network of professionals seeking advice and support as they continue their education.
38. Classroom 2.0: A free, community-supported network of people just starting their self-education online.
39. Creating Learning Communities: This network is dedicated to ongoing education for adults and working professionals.
40. Wikiversity: This community of students has an interface similar to the popular online encyclopedia. Discuss courses and trade notes with this community for continuing education.
41. Creating Learning Opportunities: A social site discussing the multitude of ways technology can help better education.
42. ClassScene: This social network is set up to add schools and courses by users as their needed.
43. Gather: Meet individuals taking the same or similar online courses with this intuitive social interface.
44. Classes Online: Connect with students and education professionals seeking to use networks and technology to improve online course quality.
45. College 2.0: An online higher education social network aiming to better its members understanding of Web 2.0 technologies.
46. Global Classroom: A fantastic social network for self-education linking students and educators with unique web tools. This site also features resources for teachers to use in their real world classrooms.
47. Connecting Online CO10: This is a social network of online students sharing their experiences with various courses.
48. Adda: A social site for Indian self-educators, this network offers invaluable advice on getting valuable training online.
49. SPEMFS: The goal of this network is to provide knowledge, mentorship, and networking opportunities to online students.
50. Apprendre 2.0: A social site for French students, this network is not for beginners. This community of students is a great way to start using French in everyday ways.
51. WebTools: A collaborative hub for educators to bring social media as a way to engage self-learners and promote 21st century skills for learning.
52. EduBloggerWorld: Education blogs have become a sizeable presence in the blogosphere. This education site seeks to boost communication between education bloggers.
53. Teaching Content 2.0: This social site is a platform for teachers to meet teachers and discuss online education techniques.
54. socialstudents: A network for students, this site focuses on tech issues and electronic education.
55. FieldFindr: This social network aims to connect teachers with students and volunteers to improve educational quality.

Self-Education Blogs

Blogs are a great way for prospective online students to learn more about self-education and others’ experiences. These are the best self-education blogs on the Web today.

56. Academic Blogs: This portal offers blogs on nearly any academic discipline.
57. Education Notes Online: Provides information on current issues and organizing activities for improving public education around the world.
58. Web Education Online: A blog for free online education advice and information. The helpful posts available on this blog are particularly great for electronic tutoring.
59. The Self-Education of Pat: This blogger details his trial and tribulations with online education.
60. iLearn Technology: An edublog about innovative education technology and real world applications.
61. Blogging About Web 2.0 Education Technologies: An unbelievable amount of information on using Web 2.0 education technologies in everyday life.
62. EdTech Live: A blog with a massive interview archive, EdTech Live is a great resource for computer education.
63. Weblogg-ed: This blogger offers valuable insight into online self-education by sharing his experience.
64. Selfmade Scholar: This blogger is a former English teacher who offers advice and helpful tips for self-learners.
65. The Art of Self-Education: A blog that understands the finer points of educating oneself, The Art of Self-Education has posts giving great motivation.
66. The Best Free Training: This blog discusses the best places to get free education online.
67. Pick The Brain: Motivation for self-education, this blog offers helpful and inspirational posts.
68. Stingy Scholar: A blog offering advice for how to learn online for free.
69. Clive on Learning: This technology consultant is obsessed with spreading technology assisted learning. Check out his blog pulling from over 25 years of experience.
70. Connectivism: A blog discussing the uses of social networking in education.
71. E-learning Queen: This bloggers writes about distance training and education, from instructional design to e-learning and mobile solutions.
72. Speed of Creativity: This blogger is a published author with numerous books and articles about the benefits of educational technlogy.
73. The Knowledge Tree: An Australian blogger discusses the opportunities afforded by e-learning and distance education.
74. Digital Chalkie: This blog focuses on informing users of the latest in education technology.
75. Xplanazine: A blog about the future of education and education technology.

Learning a New Language

Learning a new language is a quick and sure fire way to improve your job prospects. Check out these tools, resources and books for

76. italki: This site offers everything you need to learn a language and has a unique networking interface for practicing with partners.
77. busuu: A community for learning new languages, busuu has networks for dozens of languages.
78. LiveMocha: An online social network for language learning, LiveMocha is an extremely easy and useful tool.
79. BBC Languages: The BBC offers this resource for learning a new language and has over 36 to choose from.
80. Google Translate: Google applications are slowly becoming a way of life, this translator has languages from Armenian to Vietnamese.
81. Selfmade Scholar Language Classes: This site has resources for learning Middle Eastern languages such as Hebrew and Arabic.
82. Radio Lingua Network: This great site provides free audio materials for learning new languages such as German and Spanish.
83. How to Learn Any Language: Rather than simply give you the material, this site teaches users how to actually learn a language.
84. Open Culture: This site offers audio and text resources for learning any of 36 different languages.
85. WordLingo: One of the Web’s best online language translators, this site is invaluable for any student learning a language online.
86. Free Translation: This great online translator is fast and reliable for dozens of languages.
87. Translation Guide: This site guides users through accurate translations for 28 different languages.
88. Free Translation Online: Get an accurate translation fast with this great language resource.
89. Language Online: A site for materials and resources aimed at learning a new language.
90. Foreign Language Lesson Plans: Get a simple to follow lesson plan to ensure you actually learn the language your studying.

Library Resources

The best education begins with a book. While traditional schools have massive libraries, there are dozens of fantastic online resources to get the texts you need. Here are the best library resources for your self-education.

91. Project Gutenberg: One of the greatest projects being undertaken on the Internet today, Project Gutenberg is a non-profit effort to create the world’s largest online library. This site offers classics from Plato, Twain and Shakespeare.
92. Google Books: This site allows users to read whole books and excepts representing a variety of genres from non-fiction to poetry anthologies.
93. Wikisource: A source site from the makers of Wikipedia, this resource allows for quick access to literature and primary source documents such as speeches.
94. Scribd: An online network of readers sharing books and information for self-education
95. Bartleby: One of the world’s largest publisher of textbooks for students offers this free reference resource.
96. ManyBooks: Browse through popular titles, make recommendations, or read user reviews from over 20,000 books..
97. Read Print: Search famous works by famous authors with this amazing database of electronic books.
98. Havard Classics Bookshelf: Older works are available in the public domain, meaning they can be legally read without payment. This great collection of famous public domain works was put together by Harvard professors as must reads.
99. Sacred Texts: Does paying for a holy book make you uncomfortable? Get religious texts from major and not so major religions with this sacred site.
100. Daily Lit: This search engine for classic works of literature makes reading online fun and easy.