Pre-Drinking

Use these tips to prepare yourself before you ever take your first drink.

1. Eat something. Having a little something in your stomach can help you better pace your drinking and make you feel better the next day. Aim for something with a good amount of carbs and fat to start your night.
2. Take some B6. Studies have shown that vitamin B6 may help you avoid a hangover if it’s taken before drinking, during drinking, and before bed. Even at worst, all you’ll have in your system is more vitamins, so give it a try.
3. Have a good time. While it might be a given, research has shown that those who have a positive outlook on life generally have less intense hangovers than those who are angry or depressed.
4. Eat olive oil. Coat your stomach with this age-old oil to help protect you from the worst of a hangover. The fat content of olive oil has traditionally been believed to reduce the impact of hangovers.
5. Get hydrated. Many of the effects of a hangover are caused by the dehydration of the body from alcohol and caffeinated beverages. Make sure you drink enough water to start counteracting this early on in the evening.
6. Try a glass of milk. Some believe that it coats the stomach and helps the alcohol you’ll soon be pouring down the hatch from absorbing as quickly.
7. Know your limits. Before you ever head out, you should know how much you can safely drink. While everyone wants to have a good time, what might have been a simple hangover can quickly turn into alcohol poisoning if you get too carried away. Know what you can drink and stick to it.

While Drinking

These tips can help you mitigate the severity of your hangover while you’re enjoying a night on the town.

8. Drink water between drinks. This will help you to pace your drinking and ensure that you are rehydrating your body as you go through the night.
9. Avoid caffeinated mixers. Caffeine and alcohol are two substances that are great at dehydrating the body and combining them is just asking for a hangover the next day.
10. Limit your drinking. It might sound pretty simple, but college students aren’t exactly known for their conservative sipping when it comes to drinking. Avoid binge drinking and you’ll do your body a great service and avoid a whole lot of hangovers in the process.
11. Stick with beer. Mixed drinks might taste delicious but they can have varying amounts of alcohol in them based on how much the bartender chooses to put in. With beer, you always know what you’re getting so you can moderate your drinking.
12. Have a snack. Enjoying a few peanuts or chips while you’re drinking can help slow down alcohol absorption and taste pretty good to boot.
13. Choose hangover-friendly alcohols. You don’t have to be a connoisseur of booze to figure out that the cheaper the alcohol the worse hangover it will probably give you. If you’re planning for a long night of drinking, steer clear of red wines, and cheap, dark liquors if you want to wake up on the right side of the bed.
14. Don’t smoke. Smoking and drinking seem like a match made in heaven, but smoking can rob your body of oxygen and leave you with a worse hangover than before.
15. Don’t mix. The old saying goes, "Beer before liquor, never sicker. Liquor before beer, in the clear" and those can be words to drink by. Of course, you’re far better off not mixing your alcohols at al,l as studies have shown that mixing in general can worsen your hangover.
16. Pace yourself. Use this chart to determine the rate you should be drinking at to avoid getting completely wasted and ending up with a wicked hangover.

Before Bed

Don’t just pass out when you get home. Instead, try a few of these pointers to help you avoid feeling like death warmed over the next day.

17. Forget the pain killers. Mixing alcohol and medication can be deadly. Wait until morning (or if it’s already morning, whenever you get up) to take any ache relieving medication you might need.
18. More water. Before you go to sleep is a good time to stock your body up on water. You will thank yourself for it in the morning.
19. Have a vitamin. Drinking can be hard on your body, so give it the fuel it needs to repair itself while you’re sleeping by taking a multi-vitamin before bed. If you generally get queasy from vitamins, a chewable option might be best.
20. Stop drinking. You shouldn’t be drinking as you are climbing into bed, as awesome as that might sound to your friends. Stop drinking at least an hour before you head to sleep to your body has a chance to get some of the alcohol out of your system.
21. Have a little OJ. Some studies suggest that vitamin C can help speed up the process of getting that alcohol through your system. If you can’t stand orange juice, any other juice high in vitamin C will do.
22. Eat a little something. If you’ve had a lot to drink, you can do yourself a favor by having a high-carb snack before bed. It might pack on some calories but it will also help relieve your hangover.

Next Day

Even the best preparation can’t help you avoid a hangover if you’ve truly gone wild the night before. Try a few of these tips to ease your hangover pain the next day.

23. Take ibuprofen. If your head is pounding take ibuprofen to help get relief. To avoid further stomach upset, you might want to have a piece of toast or some cereal first, as ibuprofen can irritate the stomach.
24. Stay in bed. There is no hangover remedy as effective as sleep. Get as much of it as you can as it allows your body to get the alcohol out of your system while you’re safely tucked away into dreamland and out of hangoverville.
25. Take a shower. It might not get rid of your hangover, but it sure will help you feel better and probably smell a whole lot better. If nothing else, it will help you feel gross in one less way while you’re hung over.
26. Have something to eat. Holding down food isn’t always the easiest thing when you wake up with a hangover, but it’s important to try to eat something. Start with toast or crackers and work your way up.
27. Avoid any dehydrating foods and drinks. You might be craving a cup of coffee, but beware as the caffeine it contains could make you feel just as bad as good. Try to stick to foods and drinks that will help your body, not hinder it.
28. Get moving as soon as you can. You don’t have to be running around the block, but getting active can help you to feel better faster in some cases. If you want an easy avenue, try some yoga poses as they have been shown to help aid in detoxification.
29. Water, water, water. The worst parts of your hangover are caused by simple dehydration. Get as much water in your system as you can handle.
30. Hang in there. There is no surefire way to get rid of a hangover besides waiting it out, so stay in your jammies, chug water and lay around the house until you’re feeling like your old self again. It might take all day, but you’ll get there.
31. Try a sauna. Many people in colder climes, like Russia, believe that a sauna can help alleviate the effects of a hangover by causing you to sweat the toxins out. If you decide to try this, make sure to drink lots of water to stay hydrated while you’re sweating out your boozing.
32. Take a bath. Similarly, a warm bath can be a good remedy as well, helping you to relax and feel clean. Some say adding a little wasabi to the mix couldn’t hurt either.
33. Give yourself a massage. If you don’t have anyone around, you can give yourself a massage and help motivate your body to get those toxins out of there.

Hangover Friendly Drinks

While some people claim that the hair of the dog that bit you (even more alcohol) is the best remedy, medical science has shown that that’s absolutely the worst thing you can do for yourself. Try one of these drinks instead.

34. Emergen-C. This vitamin C-filled drink will help you battle off your hangover without the stomach-irritating acid of orange juice.
35. Green tea. Green tea is just plain good for you and in many places in the world it’s a traditional hangover cure. Give it a try the next time you don’t feel so good the morning after.
36. Salt solutions. Try adding a little salt to your water to make it easier for your body to handle while you’re hung over. Just don’t add too much as it can dehydrate you.
37. Pedialyte. While this drink is formulated for kids, it has plenty of ingredients in it to help adults who don’t feel well.
38. Fruit juice. Fruit juices have vitamin C and sugar, both of which can help you battle the effects of a hangover. Just beware of those that are especially acidic, as this can make your stomach feel even worse.
39. Carbonated soda. While you may want to avoid the caffeinated kinds, the carbonation of soda can help relieve an upset stomach and the sugar can help return your blood sugar levels to normal.
40. Ginger ale. Ginger is an age-old cure for stomach upsets. Make sure you’re getting a ginger ale with real ginger and you could get a little relief from nausea and the feeling like the room is spinning.
41. Gatorade. While a night of drinking doesn’t really have the same benefits as running a marathon, it can take the same kind of toll on your body. Drinking sports drinks can help you replenish your sugars, hydrate you, and get you balanced and back to normal.

Hangover Friendly Foods

If your stomach wants to reject just about anything you put in there, try one of these foods first to help you re-balance your body and get on the path to feeling better.

42. Crackers. If your stomach is particularly upset, crackers may be all you’re able to keep down. Keep nibbling away at those saltines as they will help your recovery greatly.
43. Rice. Rice is a pretty inoffensive food and can help you get something in your stomach and your body on the path to feeling better.
44. Pasta. The same goes for pasta. Avoid heavy, creamy sauces and you’ll be able to load up on hangover fighting carbs.
45. Eggs. Eat a healthy breakfast of eggs to get a dose of cysteine, a substance that fights off the by-products of your body’s metabolization of alcohol.
46. Asparagus. Some believe that eating asparagus before and after drinking can boost the enzymes responsible for breaking alcohol down in your system.
47. Bananas. With loads of potassium, bananas are one of the classic hangover foods as they won’t hurt your stomach and contain substances that can help you recover.
48. Chicken soup. Soup isn’t just good for when you have a cold, it can also help you battle through a hangover with helpful proteins and water.
49. BLT. Team up proteins and carbs in a bacon sandwich to do a number on your hangover symptoms.

Something Completely Different

You likely won’t have many of these remedies lying around the house, but if you’ve already tried everything else, why not truck on down to the grocery store and give these a whirl?

50. Prickly pear extract. One study has shown that taking this in pill form helped to stave off hangover symptoms like dry mouth and nausea.
51. Bifidus powder. It might cost you a pretty penny, but this protein powder will help you feel better faster. Isn’t that priceless?
52. Evening primrose oil. Find this age-old remedy at your local health food store. It will help your stomach feel better and ease the impact of your drinking on your liver.
53. Milk thistle. This herb, when taken in a pill before bed, is sworn by in many areas of the world.
54. Pickle juice. It might not be the most appetizing thing to drink, but some believe this interesting beverage could help your hangover by containing both salt and water.
55. Cumin seeds. One of the properties of this herbal seed’s oil is said to be sobering you up quickly, and it is also used to restore energy, settle the stomach and more.
56. Raw egg. If you can somehow choke it down, many claim it is a big help in getting rid of a hangover. You can aid in the process by mixing it with orange juice.
57. Ginseng. Ginseng isn’t just for old people, it can also help give you a burst of energy and help your body process the alcohol in your system.

Whether you are taking advantage of the economic times to make a career move or if you have been laid off from your job, by many accounts, this is a great time to reevaluate your options and move ahead toward a career that will provide you with the fulfillment you seek. The following list offers resources for career changing, career and skill assessments, tools to help you create awesome resumes and cover letters, information on changing careers later in life, moving into a non-profit job, and online networking to find your next job.

Resources on Career Changing

The following articles will help you learn about and plan for a career change.

1. Making Career Changes. Whether you were laid off or are making a career change intentionally, this resource offers tons of information on ways to make the transition smoothly and successfully.
2. Career Changers Choose Teaching. This article explores why many career changers go to teaching and how to make it happen for you.
3. Job Search and Career Change Success Stories. This podcast showcases several people who have successfully made career changes.
4. Strategic Portrayal of Transferable Job Skills is a Vital Job-Search Technique. Learn how to make your experience fit within your new target career with this article.
5. 10 Steps to Escaping the Job World and Creating the Life You Really Want. This article will help you identify your passions and focus on a new direction for your new career.
6. Make Your Vacation Spot Your Home. If you are considering moving to your ideal location, check out this article to find important points to consider.
7. Finding your Career Passion. This list of points to consider will have you thinking about what inspires and motivates you so you can consider a fulfilling career.
8. Three Who Followed the Market to a Better Job. Read about these three professionals who made solid career changes.
9. Career Change from the Inside Out. This article offers two great books to help you change your perspective on your career, whether you actually switch your job or not.
10. A career change in this economic climate? Absolutely!. This article outlines why now may be a great time to change careers and how to go about doing so.
11. How to Prepare for a Career Change, Job Loss or Self Employment. Find out what you can do to prepare for any type of job change.

Tips for Career Changing

Follow this advice to ensure your career change goes smoothly.

12. The 10-Step Plan to Career Change. These ten steps will help you explore and find the next career for you.
13. Practical Tips for Professionals Ready for a Career Change. Exploring some of the options available to one specific professional, the tips here are inspiring for anyone looking for a career change.
14. Career Change Do’s and Don’ts. From having a well-developed plan to being flexible, these tips will help you get in the right frame of mind when considering career change.
15. Facing a Job Search | Dodging Landmines. This video interview discusses what you should do to prepare for a career switch.
16. Control Your Career — Be Your Own Headhunter. Don’t rely on someone else to find your perfect job, follow this advice and let the person who knows you best do it–you!
17. Five Tips for Switching Career Paths. Follow these tips to ensure you can make the career switch successfully.

Websites Specifically for Career Changing

Visit these websites for advice on career changing, discovering terrible bosses, and advice for women coming into the workforce after time away.

18. Career Change: Advice and Tips for Changing Careers. From About.com, this site offers resources, tips, and advice on changing your career.
19. eBossWatch. Make sure your next boss isn’t a bad one with this website where employees can make anonymous reports about the quality of their boss.
20. Careershifters. This site from the UK offers tons of advice and resources for those making a career change.
21. A Career Change. Find advice and tips on making a career change from experts on this site.
22. YourOnRamp. Specifically for women making a career change, this site offers tons of advice and resources, as well as a job board.

Career and Skill Assessment Tools

Use these tools to discover your strengths and find direction when looking at new career options.

23. O*NET Online. From the US Department of Labor, this site lets you browse skills, tools, and technology to find matching occupations as well as explore occupations in a variety of categories, including In-Demand Jobs.
24. CareerOneStop Career Tools. Find tools such as a certification finder, job description writer, and skills profiler here.
25. VocationVacations. An excellent way to try out your dream job to ensure it really is your dream, VocationVacations offer you the opportunity to try jobs while on vacation.
26. LiveCareer Free Career Testing. Take this assessment to receive a report detailing career options specifically matched to your skills and abilities.
27. JobDiagnosis.com. Get free job diagnosis and career matching when you complete the survey on this site.
28. Work Preference Inventory. This quick assessment will map out the environment in which you work best.
29. Career Planner Quiz. Take this quiz to discover what new career might be for you.
30. Keirsey Temperament Sorter. This popular personality assessment will help you discover for what type of career you are best suited.
31. Career Exploration. This step-by-step tutorial can help you determine what career is right for you.
32. Career Tests. These tests can help you understand your specific styles so you can know what kind of career to seek.

Tools for Resumes and Cover Letters

Make sure you use these tools and resources to create great resumes and cover letters–your first introduction to potential employers.

33. Career Changers’ Most Powerful Resume and Cover-Letter Tool: Transferable Skills. Learn how to make your past experience work for you on your resume and cover letter during a career change.
34. 5 Phrases That Can Poison Your Resume. Avoid these resume killers and cliches when putting together your resume.
35. Resume Videos. Watch these free videos to learn how to create a great resume.
36. Quickstart Resume Templates. Select from over 300 templates from a variety of educational backgrounds to help you create a perfect resume.
37. Free Resume Critique. Submit your resume here to find out how it measures up and what you might need to change.
38. Sample Cover Letters. These samples include a generic template as well as more specialized letters from a variety of referrals.
39. Cover Letters. Find a sample cover letter, an example of the best and worst cover letters, and more.
40. Cover Letter Samples. Use these samples to get you started writing excellent cover letters that will get your foot in the door for an interview.

Job Search Sites

These sites offer tons of job opportunities as well as advice and information to make your job search a successful one.

41. Indeed. Indeed just asks you to enter a location and job title, key word, or company name to find what jobs are available in your area.
42. Yahoo! HotJobs. See what jobs are available through Yahoo!, where you can search by keyword or browse by category or location.
43. Monster. One of the most popular job search sites, Monster will help you connect with employers, create a resume, plot a career plan, and much more.
44. Jobster. Create a profile with such features as a video resume, links to your website, and more with Jobster.
45. Quintessential Careers. Create a free account to find jobs with this industry-specific tool.
46. Simply Hired. Simply Hired allows you to easily search by keyword and location to find available jobs.
47. CareerBuilder.com. Search for jobs, send out your resume, and more with this job search site.
48. JobPile. A job board aggregator, this site brings you the best of the popular job boards in one place.
49. Craigslist. Craigslist is a great place to search for jobs with small to medium-sized companies. Stay on top of your search daily to find the best jobs.
50. Employment Spot. Find a job or browse through the articles and information available here to get tips on finding a job.
51. JobFox. Create a profile and let JobFox match you to potential job openings through introductions.
52. JobBoardReviews. This site lets you look at the major job boards and get job search news too.

Interviewing

Make sure you are ready for the interview by checking out these resources.

53. Tough Interview Questions. Read through and answer these tough questions, then click on "Best Answers" to see how you did.
54. Fifty Standard Interview Questions. Practice answering the questions on this list to ensure you aren’t caught by surprise during the big interview.
55. Candidate Interview Questions. Asking questions of your interviewers is important, so be prepared with these handy lists of questions.
56. Phone Interviewing Success. Use these tips to make sure you make the best first impression with your phone interview.
57. When Job Hunting: Dress for Success. Find out what to wear to an interview, how to get donations if you can’t afford interview clothes, and other information about dressing for success.
58. What Not to Wear on an Interview. Make sure you look professional on your interview with the suggestions here.
59. Improve Your Interview Appearance and Body Language. This video will help you learn the importance body language can play in an interview and teach you what to do.
60. Interview Prep for New Grads. You don’t have to be a new grad to use these great tips.

Resources for Returning to School

If you are thinking about going back to school as a part of your next career move, then read these informative articles.

61. Considering Graduate School? Answer These Five Questions Before You Decide. These questions are a great place to start when considering going back to school for your graduate degree.
62. A return to school before a return to the job market. This article takes a look at why many choose poor job markets as a time to return to school and what that education may look like with online and part-time educational opportunities.
63. Non-traditional Student. This list of resources is specifically for older students returning to school.
64. Alternative Admission Programs. If you are considering returning to college for your undergraduate degree but have been out of high school for many years, learn about these programs that may gain your admission to college.
65. Getting creative. This article describes how laid-off workers and career-changers go back to school to follow their passions.
66. Is a Return to School in Your Future?. This blog post offers helpful advice and points of consideration if you are contemplating returning to school.
67. Career Path Leads Back to School. Learn how this late-blooming student went back to school to improve her career.

Career Changing Later in Life

All of these resources are targeted to those making career changes later in life.

68. Can I Change My Career Without Losing Ground?. For women over 50 with a gap in employment history, this article offers advice about seeking a career without undervaluing yourself.
69. Resume, Cover Letter, and Interview Strategies for Older Workers. Get great tips to make all aspects of your job search appealing to employers.
70. Life After Work. Become inspired by the stories of these seven Baby Boomers who recreated their careers after retirement.
71. An Unsatisfied Executive Asks ‘How Do I Change Careers?’. Find out how you can use your past experience to focus on your future.
72. AARP Work. This section of the AARP website offers articles, tips, and more for mature individuals seeking information on career and job.
73. Career Change and the Seasoned Worker. Explode some tired myths about career change with this article.
74. Baby Boomers, Beware! Don’t Let Your Resume Date You!. Follow these strategies to ensure your resume looks current and attractive.
75. Positive Attitude is Key When Fighting Prejudice Against Older Workers. If you’ve bumped up against age discrimination during your job search, then this article is a must-read for you.
76. WiserWorker.com. This site is dedicated to helping seniors find employment with resources and job listings.
77. Experience Works. Helping older people get training and find employment is the mission of this organization.
78. RebootYou.com. Find plenty of information here about recreating your career later in life.
79. SeniorJobBank. Specifically for job-seekers over 50, this site brings employers and employees together.
80. Seniors4Hire. For job-seekers over 50, this site offers free membership, job resources, resume posting, and more.

Non-Profit Jobs

If you are looking for a more fulfilling career, take a look at the non-profit world with these resources.

81. Career Change to a Job in the Non-Profit World. Determine if a job with a non-profit is for you and how to go about establishing this new career.
82. Bridgestar. If you are trying to find a non-profit job, this site offers information about working in the non-profit realm as well as job searches.
83. Opportunity Knocks. Find a non-profit job, post your resume, and browse through all the resources on this site.
84. NTEN. Non-profit technology jobs are the focus on this site that offers job postings, events, webinars, and much more.
85. Idealist. Not only can you find job postings here, but you can also connect with other like-minded people and organizations working for the opportunity for all people to "lead free and dignified lives."
86. Care2 JobFinder. Find jobs with socially responsible companies at the Care2 JobFinder page.
87. Jobs for Change. If you want a job where you can make a difference for society or in a non-profit sector, then check out this site.

Online Networking

Online networking has become an important way to find a job. Learn what you should do to pursue this avenue.

88. Guy Kawasaki Shares 10 Ways to Use LinkedIn to Find a Job. Follow this advice to learn how to use online networking to help you find a job.
89. Five Strategies for Leveraging Your Online Social Networks. Use these five strategies to improve your chances of finding a job through online networking.
90. Career Networking Do’s and Don’ts. Don’t be afraid to ask and do realize why networking is important are just the beginning of the helpful tips here.
91. HOW TO: Build the Ultimate Social Media Resume. Use this tool to help you build an online resume that will let others know what you have to offer.
92. Using Your Blog as a Job Search Tool. Use your blog to find a job with the information here.
93. 50 People on Twitter Job Seekers Should Follow. Follow these 50 Twitter feeds if you are looking for a job and read the follow-up post for even more.
94. Networking. This article will help you learn what you should and shouldn’t do when it comes to online networking.
95. Keep Your E-Image Clean. This advice will help you know how best to keep your image clean when it comes to online networking.

Freelancing

Maybe you are ready to strike out on your own. If so, then you will want to look through these resources.

96. Freelance Employment: a Viable Option. Learn about the advantages and disadvantages of freelancing as a career change or parallel career.
97. Five steps to a successful freelance career. These five valuable pieces of advice will get you started on a successful freelancing career.
98. The Pros and Cons of Freelancing. This article offers a fair look at some of the benefits and down sides of freelancing.
99. Go Freelance. This site helps connect freelancers with people hiring freelancers.
100. FreelanceJobOpenings.com. Browse through the freelance listings here to find opportunities.

Getting your degree in three years isn’t impossible, especially if you’re earning your degree online. It just takes some dedication and excellent time management skills. The following tools will help you take shortcuts, take an honest look at how you use your time, help create lists and schedules, organize your tasks, help with research and projects, keep you connected with classmates more efficiently, and more.

Shortcuts

From hotkeys to password managers, the following tools will help you find shortcuts for plenty of computer activities.

1. Launchy. Bypass your start menu and desktop icons to launch documents, files, folders, bookmarks, and programs with a single key stroke when you use Launchy.
2. Quicksilver. Mac users can enjoy using Quicksilver for launching apps, like with Launchy, but also emailing files, queuing albums for that extra study motivation, looking up definitions, and sending IMs.
3. AutoHotkey. Create hotkeys or mouse clicks to automate anything from expanding abbreviations to creating custom menu bars.
4. MemoKeys II Lite. Similar to AutoHotkey, this tool allows you to create shortcuts with hotkeys to help speed up composing email messages, automatically plug in passwords, open documents, and more.
5. Hyperwords. If you use Firefox for your web browser, then check out Hyperwords. This add-on allows you to select a word on any page and perform any number of tasks with it, such as look up the definition, translate it, tag it, email it, send it to Twitter or Facebook, and more.
6. WakeupOnStandBy. Use this tool to wake your computer from standby or hibernation to run scheduled tasks or programs automatically.
7. LastPass. This password manager will remember passwords, complete online forms for you, and allows you to log in to sites with one click.
8. Agrata. Forget your passwords and spend more time remembering important facts for school with this encrypted tool that securely stores all your passwords.

Analyze and Manage Your Time

Use these tools to monitor, analyze, and even promote smart usage while online or on your computer.

9. RescueTime Solo. Install this app, then let it do the work for you as it tracks the apps and websites you are using. Find out how much time you spend on each and learn how to restructure your time more efficiently.
10. Toggl. This time tracker is easy to embed and helps you track and analyze your time spent on various projects.
11. TimeTracker. Keep track of the amount of time dedicated to any task you do with TimeTracker.
12. LeechBlock. Block yourself from using any time-draining websites with this Firefox add-on.
13. SlimTimer. Create tasks, time your work on each, then take a look at how well you are managing your time with this tool.
14. Personal Time Management Tool. Complete this worksheet for one typical week and see how you can better manage your available time.
15. Wakoopa. Track the time you spend using various apps and create easy-to-read graphs to better understand how you can optimize your time on the computer.

To-Do Lists

These to-do lists will ensure you never miss an important assignment or test.

16. NowDoThis. To-do lists can’t get more simple than this one. Use this for an easy way to remember what you need to do next.
17. Checkvist. This is a to-do list on hyperdrive. It manages all your to-do lists and organizes them into one list that you can even share with others.
18. Ta-Da Lists. Make as many to-do lists as you need with this tool that very easy to use.
19. Vitalist. This web-based GTD tool helps you stay on task with its intuitive format.
20. Remember the Milk. This popular to-do list keeps your tasks organized, reminds you when something is due, and works with Google Calendar and your iPhone.
21. HassleMe. Your to-do list will hassle you when it’s time to get something done.
22. bitBomb. Get text messages with reminders for your tasks with this tool.
23. Toodledo. Create a to-do list, then let Toodledo analyze your dates, priorities, and time estimates to create a schedule for you.
24. Bla-bla List. You can email this simple to-do list to yourself or update others via RSS feed.
25. My 50. This tool will help you keep focused on your goals by managing your list of accomplishments.

Note-Taking and Highlighting

Organized and efficient highlighting and note-taking of information can drastically cut your study time down, so give these time-saving tools a try.

26. Evernote. Probably the most popular note-taking tool, and for good reason, Evernote allows you to capture notes from any format, synchronize them across your devices, and even share with others.
27. Google Notebook. Keep all your notes together with this tool. You can even label and share your notes.
28. Zotero. This Firefox app helps you collect, organize, and cite research sources from the Internet.
29. Stickies. If you need a way to keep quick notes available on your desktop, Stickies allows you to use virtual Post-It notes to keep track of your information.
30. Wizlite. Use this tool to highlight any text online. You can share with classmates, too.
31. Qipit. Take a photo with your phone of a document, then create PDF files that you can fax, email, or store.
32. Clipmarks. Save text, images, and video from any place on the Internet with this tool.
33. Web-Chops. This tool lets you to take portions of web pages and save them on your own page at Web-Chops.
34. Diigo. Highlight portions of web pages, create sticky notes, and have access to your notes from your cell phone.
35. UberNote. UberNote allows you to email or IM notes or bookmark them, with access from your desktop or your mobile phone.
36. Jott. Call a number to leave yourself a note, add an appointment to your calendar, and even have your voice mail transcribed with Jott.
37. Wired-Marker. A great way to remember exactly what you were interested in remembering, this tool permanently highlight specific sections of websites and automatically bookmarks your selection.

Citation

Don’t spend needless time trying to get your citations done correctly. Instead, use these tools.

38. EasyBib. Create a bibliography in MLA style of any book, journal article, or website with this tool.
39. Ottobib. Enter the ISBN from any book and automatically get a bibliography in MLA, APA, Chicago, or other styles of your choice.
40. Connotea. Manage online references with this tool that is specifically designed for researchers.
41. CiteULike. As you find scholarly articles on the Internet, use this tool to store, organize, and share them from any browser.

Student Organizers

These organizers address scheduling, homework, tasks, assignments, and more so you can stay on the fast track to graduation.

42. MyNoteit. Just for college students, this note-taking and organizing tool will help you keep notes, assignments, and tasks organized and is also shareable with classmates.
43. Notely. This student organizer has a to-do list, calendar, schedule, and homework planner to help keep you on track.
44. GradeMate. Manage grades, assignments, notes, discussions, and more with this student organizer.
45. Gradefix. Fix your grades or just learn to manage your time better with this tool that organizes your homework schedule for you.
46. CollegeRuled. College students can create schedules that are even accessible through Facebook, create lists and manage notes for specific classes, and create message boards to facilitate communication between classmates.
47. Backpack. Backpack allows for easy organization and collaboration with to-do lists, announcements, calendars, files, and even centralized discussions with others.
48. Tasks Jr.. This web-based task manager allows you to organize and prioritize your projects for class.
49. HiTask. This free task management tool provides you with easy scheduling, organizing, and sharing of tasks.

Documents, Spreadsheets, and Presentations

These tools will help you create awesome documents, spreadsheets, and presentations with ease.

50. Google Docs. Write your own papers or collaborate on class projects with Google Docs.
51. Zoho Docs. Another free document organizer and creator, Zoho Docs allows you to share, collaborate, or work on your own.
52. Zoho Sheet. Zoho also offers a free spreadsheet program with plenty of great features that is also compatible with Excel.
53. EditGrid. This collaborative spreadsheet is great for class projects and is feature-rich.
54. OpenOffice.org. If you don’t have the money to spend on Microsoft Office Suite, then check out this open source alternative.
55. Empressr. This presentation tool lets you incorporate video, photos, music, and more to create stunning presentations.
56. ajaxWrite. Firefox users can download this free word processor for a great substitute for Microsoft Word that is also compatible with Word.
57. Writeboard. Create a web-based text document with this tool, then edit, share, or send yourself a text file of the document.

Bookmarking

Bookmarking your research with these tools ensures you spend less time trying to track down what you already found online.

58. Delicious. This popular bookmarking site allows you to save favorite sites, add notes to yourself, and share with others.
59. Digg. Bookmark your favorites and see how users vote and what they say about their own favorite sites here.
60. PurpleBunny. Bookmark, comment on sites, share with others, and discuss web sites.
61. StumbleUpon. StumbleUpon offers sites that meet your selected criteria that you can bookmark for future reference.
62. Fleck. Keep all your bookmarks in one place and share with friends. Choose between the original a lite version for Twitter, or (soon) a version specifically for education and business.
63. Reddit. Bookmark your favorite sites here where users can vote on the content.
64. Snip!t. Snip sections of webpages you want to remember and add them to your bookmarks.
65. iFaves. Organize bookmarks most visited or tags you assign so that you don’t lose track of your bookmarks.
66. Clipmarks. With this bookmarking tool you can select text, video, or image from a webpage and save it.

Organizing Thoughts and Ideas

Whether planning out a major project, a research paper, or just keeping all your thoughts in one place, these tools provide great ways to do all of that.

67. Mind42. This free browser-based online mind mapping tool allows you to organize all your thoughts for yourself or to share with others.
68. Mapul. Easily create organic-looking mind maps with this tool.
69. Kayuda. Organize your thoughts, whether you want to record your own or are trying to organize a brainstorming session with classmates.
70. Gliffy. Make flowcharts for a project or use this tool to help organize your ideas.
71. yWriter5. This app organizes large written projects in a unique way that breaks them down into smaller, more manageable pieces.
72. VUE. Created at Tufts University, this mind mapping tool is designed specifically for teaching, learning, and research.
73. FreeMind. This mind-mapping software helps you keep track of projects, organize research, brainstorm.
74. Cmap Tools. Create concept maps with this tool designed specifically for academic research.
75. Mindomo. This web-based mind mapping tool will keep you organized and thinking clearly.
76. bubble.us. Start your brainstorming session with this simple online tool that connects your ideas through thought bubbles.
77. WiseMapping. Create free mind maps with this tool, then share with classmates.
78. View Your Mind. This mind mapping tool draws images to represent your thoughts and ideas.

Communicating and Collaborating

Staying in touch with classmates or study partners can reduce wasted time. Use these tools to enhance your communication and collaboration.

79. Gmail. This popular email program is not only free, but so full of incredible features that will have you saving time instead of becoming a slave to your email.
80. meebo. IM your friends and classmates with meebo and it doesn’t matter if they are on AIM, MySpace, MSN, or Yahoo!
81. Pidgin. Download this tool so you can IM with classmates and friends on 16 different IM accounts.
82. Campfire. Set up instant chat rooms with your study group or classmates using this tool to make communicating as a group much easier.
83. MeetWithApproval. Plan a virtual meeting with classmates or organize a face-to-face meeting with this tool.
84. ThinkFold. ThinkFold allows groups to create interactive, real-time outlines without the confusion often experienced during collaboration.
85. Thinkfree. The free services with this tool include document creation and sharing, file sharing, collaboration, blogging, and iPhone access.
86. Thinkature. Collaborate with classmates, organize your thoughts and research, and prepare your paper or project with this tool.
87. Springnote. This note-taking and collaboration tool allows you to take notes for yourself or work with others to create a group notebook.
88. LooseStitch. Create outlines, share with others, and keep your changes in one place with this tool.
89. writewith. Ideal for writing projects, this tool keeps everyone on the same page with shared documents and tasks, discussions, and more.

Calendars

These calendars are dynamic and will help you stay on task for your three years of college–and beyond.

90. Google Calendar. This popular calendar allows you to track events, set reminders, share with others, and easily import appointments straight from Gmail.
91. Yahoo! Calendar. Another popular calendar similar to Google, this one keeps your schedule and also has a contact list, note pad, and access to your Yahoo! email.
92. 30 Boxes. This online calendar is easy to use and has a simple design that leaves your time for more important things than entering schedule information.
93. Jotlet. Create an online calendar and share it with friends, family, or classmates with Jotlet.
94. WhichTime. Download this free calendar to keep up with everything and customize it with the widgets available.

Miscellaneous Tools

From sharing class notes to finding text books quickly to getting an instant word count on your paper, these tools offer even more ways to save time.

95. UniversityNotes.net. Upload notes or download notes from others, share information about classes and instructors, and more on this site.
96. Google Reader. Whether you are keeping track of blogs for school research or personal interests, using Google Reader will keep them organized and easy to access in one place.
97. Bookfinder.com. Find any text you need quickly with this handy tool–and even sell them back when your semester is finished.
98. WordCounter. Use this online word counter by simply pasting your content into the tool and get an instant and accurate word count.
99. Emurse. After all your hard work, get ready for your job search with this tool that will create, store, and share your resume and provides you with printing in a variety of formats.
100. TelePixie. Get wake-up calls, reminders, alerts, and more on your mobile phone with this tool.

With the help of the Internet, the Ivy League doesn’t have to be walled off. Through online tools, libraries, and more, anyone can get access to learning tools created by Ivy League schools. Read on, and you’ll find 100 Ivy League learning tools that anyone can make use of.

Courses & Lectures

Here you’ll find resources for free courses and lectures from Ivy League universities.

1. Open Yale Courses: Find courses and lectures in astronomy, economics, psychology and more. [Yale]
2. Princeton WebMedia Lectures: See videos of lectures presented at Princeton here. [Princeton]
3. University Lectures: Here you’ll find lectures from Columbia University. [Columbia]
4. Department of Physics Lecture Demonstrations: You’ll find demos on astronomy, fluids, waves, optics, and more here. [Brown]
5. 60 Second Lectures: Listen to quick School of Arts & Sciences lectures here. [Penn]
6. Public Lectures Series: Check out Princeton’s public lectures that are free and open to the public. [Princeton]
7. eCommons@Cornell: Cornell’s eCommons highlights university archives, multimedia, theses, and dissertations. [Cornell]

Career

Develop your career with the help of these Ivy League tools.

8. Career Development Center: Learn about career exploration and more in the Career Development Center. [Brown]
9. CareerSearch: Gain access to the "hidden job market" through this resource. [Brown]
10. Career Resources: Find career profiles, resources, and more from the Schepens Eye Research Institute here. [Harvard]
11. Columbia Resource Library: Columbia’s Resource Library offers an excellent collection of useful career resources. [Columbia]
12. Career Resources Tip Sheets: Download these tip sheets for help with cover letters, business etiquette, interviewing, and much more. [Columbia]
13. UCAN Internship Database: Check out this database, and you’ll find an excellent resource for finding internships, summer jobs, and more. [Brown]
14. FOCUS: With this assessment tool, you can decide on career goals for your future. [Brown]
15. Career Tools: Columbia’s career tools include useful resources for resumes, networking, interviewing, and career assessments. [Columbia]
16. Tip Sheets: Find a wealth of knowledge in Brown’s career tip sheets, including cover letters, interviewing, career fair strategies, and more. [Brown]

Research

Use these tools to improve your research.

17. Introduction to Google Scholar: Find out how to best use Google Scholar with the help of this guide from Brown. [Brown]
18. Ask Dartmouth: Find facts and more about Dartmouth and beyond in this question and answer site for the college. [Dartmouth]
19. Planetary Data Center: This public facility provides researchers, educators, and the public with image data obtained by the US Space Program. [Brown]
20. Brown Library Resource Guides: Check out these guides to find resources in academic departments, special subjects, and more. [Brown]
21. Tips and Strategies for Evaluating Web Sites: Use this resource, and you’ll be able to find out how to find the best sources of research online. [Brown]

Language & Literature

Explore language and more with the help of these Ivy League tools.

22. Brown Language Resource Links: Here you’ll find language resource pages for each of the languages taught at Brown. [Brown]
23. Harvard University Press: Browse books created through the Harvard University Press with this tool. [Harvard]
24. University of Pennsylvania Language Resource Center: Find language resources through this center from the University of Pennsylvania School of Arts & Sciences. [Penn]
25. Harvard Language Resource Center: Harvard’s Language Resource Center offers documentation, learning and more for languages. [Harvard]

Collections

Here you’ll find loads of great collections available through Ivy League universities.

26. Iberian, Latin American, and Latino Resources: Find electronic resources, sound recordings, sheet music and more relating to Iberians, Latin Americans, and Latinos in this collection. [Brown]
27. Our Tools of Learning: See some of the gifts of manuscripts and books in the Plimpton collection at Columbia. [Columbia]
28. Internet-First University Press: In this collection, you’ll be able to find freely available manuscripts and videos in the Cornell University Library’s Digital Repository. [Cornell]
29. Picture Database at Language Resource and Research Center: Find images related to the language and cultures of Africa, China and Mexico, as well as vegetables in this database. [Penn]
30. DigitalCommons@ILR: Find research and scholarship as well as featured collections here. [Cornell]
31. Princeton University Art Museum Home Page: Explore the collections and exhibitions of Princeton online through the University Art Museum. [Princeton]
32. Biomed Library Grand Rounds: Learn about a variety of topics in biomedicine from this library collection. [Dartmouth]
33. arXiv: You’ll get open access to 542,353 e-prints in math and science here. [Cornell]
34. Columbia University Medical Center ALS Patient Education: In this resource bibliography, you’ll find lots of great resources for learning about Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. [Columbia]
35. All About Birds: In this lab of Ornithology, you’ll find a bird guide, images, birding tips, and so much more. [Cornell]
36. NELLCO Repository: Cornell Law School’s NELLCO Repository is full of papers for you to search and download. [Cornell]
37. Helpful Study Abroad and Travel Resources: Here you’ll find useful resources for traveling and studying abroad. [Brown]
38. Exploring New York City: Use Columbia’s guide to exploring New York City if you’re planning to take a trip to the Big Apple. [Columbia]

Environmental

These Ivy League resources can teach you more about the environment.

39. Brown is Green: This resource will show you how Brown University is working to become more sustainable, and how you can become greener as well. [Brown]
40. Growing Greener: Follow this plan to learn about sustainable development as recommended by the University of Pennsylvania. [Penn]
41. Resource Guide for Organic Insect and Disease Management: Use this resource guide to learn about crops, materials, and more. [Cornell]

Health & Safety

Learn about health and more from these Ivy League resources.

42. Health Education: This resource offers useful information on drugs, sexual health, nutrition, sexual harassment, assault, and more. [Brown]
43. TeenScreen: This resource center offers accessible and up to date information on mental health and suicide statistics throughout the US. [Columbia]
44. Sexual Violence Resources: Find resources for dealing with sexual assault in this collection from Harvard. [Harvard]
45. Cornell Women’s Health: Check out this center to find resources for women’s health. [Cornell]
46. Institute for Computational Biomedicine Resource Center: In this resource center, you’ll get access to computational research tools, microarray resources, biocatalogs, and much more. [Cornell]

Resource Centers

Use these resource centers for educational tools and more.

47. Food Entrepreneur Resource Center: In this resource, you’ll learn about the starting a food business from basics to marketing and product development. [Cornell]
48. FORE: Yale’s Forum on Religion and Ecology offered educational tools and class resources. [Yale]
49. Access Dartmouth: Find information about creating accessible websites and more from Access Dartmouth. [Dartmouth]
50. EnhancED: Columbia’s EnhancED offers new media tools and resources for enhancing education. [Columbia]
51. Department of Chemistry Resource Links: You can find useful resources for chemistries, particularly women in chemistry, from this resource center. [Princeton]
52. Resources for Biomedical Terminology and Ontology: Find projects, sources, software, and more for biomedical terminology and ontology in this resource center. [Penn]
53. Peace Education Center: Columbia’s Peace Education Center offers reports, a learning portal, and more for peace. [Columbia]
54. Human Rights Research on the Web: Harvard offers high quality links to human rights research all around the Internet. [Harvard]
55. OncoLink: Find cancer resources from the University of Pennsylvania with OncoLink. [Penn]
56. Agroforestry Resource Center: Through this center, you’ll get access to education, research, and organizational collaboration in agroforestry. [Cornell]
57. Silicon Sam’s Technology Resource: Find excellent resources for computer, electronics, and technology troubleshooting here. [Penn]
58. Web Teaching: Learn about using the web in teaching with Dartmouth’s articles, case studies, and more. [Dartmouth]
59. Self-Help Resources: Find self help in academics, mental health and more. [Harvard]
60. Africa Web Links: The African Studies Center at University of Pennsylvania offers an excellent collection of Africa web links. [Penn]
61. South Asia Center: Find educational, library, community, and more resources for South Asia here. [Penn]
62. Harvard NeuroDiscovery Center Shared Resources: Harvard’s NeuroDiscovery Center shares a variety of programs and resources with the degenerative disease research community. [Harvard]
63. Columbia University Libraries Database: Search for articles, books, data and more in this database. [Columbia]
64. Identity Theft Resources: Dartmouth offers a collection of resources for identity theft here. [Dartmouth]

Multimedia

Find videos, lectures, and much more in these Ivy League multimedia centers.

65. CornellCast: With CornellCast, you’ll get access to video and audio of lectures, discussions, performances and more from the Cornell community and guests. [Cornell]
66. African Studies Center: You’ll find African city maps, sculptures, art, and much more in this multimedia collection. [Penn]
67. Harvard@Home: Get the best of Harvard through these featured programs. [Harvard]
68. Birth of a Supernova: See animations, presentations and more relating to the birth of a supernova here. [Princeton]
69. News at Princeton: Find news stories, student work, and much more in this collection. [Princeton]
70. Career Multimedia: Here you’ll find videos and more that will help you with your career education. [Columbia]
71. Harvard University Multimedia Stories: Find videos, slides, and more from Harvard here. [Harvard]
72. Dartmouth Sights & Sounds: Check out audio, video, images, webcams, and lots more in Dartmouth’s Sights & Sounds. [Dartmouth]
73. Princeton Program in Law and Public Affairs Multimedia Archive: View news and events through this archive of multimedia. [Princeton]
74. Penn Graduate School of Education: Tune into podcasts, small screen productions, and more in this education collection. [Penn]
75. Videos and Multimedia eCommons@Cornell: Check out the Internet-First University press and more here. [Cornell]
76. BioVisions: Check out this multimedia project to get a look into multimedia in biology education. [Harvard]
77. Central Park: Core of the Big Apple: In this multimedia collection, you can explore the people, art, nature, and more of Central Park. [Columbia]
78. MARS Multimedia: Learn about the Multiple Autonomous Robots project here. [Penn]
79. Harvard School of Public Health: Harvard’s public health school offers a collection of forums, symposia, and lecture videos. [Harvard]
80. Kelly Writers House: Listen to recordings, KWH-TV, and more here. [Penn]
81. Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies Multimedia: Check out this multimedia resource to find podcasts, videos, and interactive maps. [Yale]
82. School of Industrial and Labor Relations Multimedia: Find multimedia from the Global Unions Conference in this collection. [Cornell]
83. Harvard Institute of Politics Multimedia Center: Here you’ll get access to a searchable multimedia center with John F. Kennedy Jr. forum events, Q&A sessions, and much more. [Harvard]
84. The South African Truth & Reconciliation Commission Videotape Collection: Watch videos from South Africa through this collection. [Yale]
85. School of Arts & Sciences Multimedia: See a DNA collector, virtual mummy, and much more here. [Penn]
86. Office of University Communications: Find videos highlighting Penn people, news, and events in this collection. [Penn]
87. Princeton Faculty Blogs: You can read the blogs of Princeton faculty through this listing. [Princeton]
88. Massachusetts General Hospital Multimedia: You can learn more about the Massachusetts General Hospital from this collection of multimedia. [Harvard]
89. Pearl S. Buck Multimedia: Browse through this multimedia to find a photographic tour of Pearl S. Buck’s life, video documentaries, and more. [Penn]
90. Columbia University World Leaders Forum: see photo galleries and video from the World Leaders Forum. [Columbia]
91. Penn Perspectives: Get updated on people doing exciting and innovative work at the University of Pennsylvania in this multimedia collection. [Penn]
92. Havard School of Public Health: Harvard’s School of Public Health offers videos and more about health issues that impact the general public. [Harvard]
93. ExoSquad: Find clips, video trading cards, and other multimedia files from ExoSquad in this collection. [Penn]
94. Department of Human Development: This collection offers video, slides, and more discussing human development. [Cornell]
95. Harvard Law School Multimedia: See video and more from Harvard Law School in this multimedia collection. [Harvard]
96. VoxBox: Stay on top of alumni and events at Dartmouth through this multimedia. [Dartmouth]
97. Yale IPAG Multimedia Demos: See an interactive heart, movies, and other multimedia demos from Yale IPAG. [Yale]
98. Multimedia Recent Submissions: Find the latest Cornell multimedia here. [Cornell]
99. Harvard Kennedy School Multimedia: See videos and other multimedia from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. [Harvard]
100. Chandra: Check out Chandra to see images, illustrations, and more from the X-ray observatory Chandra. [Harvard]

Twitter has become a powerful tool for community organizers, marketers, and others who want to share and receive information in a fast, friendly environment. It’s no wonder, then, that teachers have also found success on Twitter, using the tool to connect with students, share information with parents, and find useful resources. Here, we’ll take a look at 100 tools that can help twittering teachers make the most out of this helpful microblogging tool.

Managing Twitter

These tools will help make managing your Twitter account just a bit easier.

1. TweetDeck: You can create Twitter groups on TweetDeck, so you can keep your school and personal contacts somewhat separate.
2. twitTangle: twitTangle will allow you to rate and tag your friends, then filter your timeline based on those that are most important to you.
3. TweetBackup: TweetBackup offers a great way to back up your tweets and friends.
4. RSSFriends: RSSFriends will give you an RSS update of new followers and unfollowers.
5. EmailTwitter You can post Twitter updates using email with this post.
6. Tweetreplies: Use Tweetreplies to have your @replies sent directly to your email in real time.
7. Splitweet: Get multi account management using Splitweet, so you can separate your educational and personal accounts.
8. Followize: Use Followize for a fast and efficient way to read your tweets.
9. Qwitter: Find out when students and other followers stop following you.
10. Tweet Later: With Tweet Later, you’ll be able to schedule your tweets for specific times.
11. HootSuite: You can manage multiple Twitter profiles and more using HootSuite.
12. Twitblocker: Use Twitblocker to temporarily hide your friends that are updating a bit too often.
13. twAitter: This Twitter web client will allow you to schedule, and create recurring Tweets.

Finding Friends

Connect with other teachers, people in your local community, and more by finding followers through these tools.

14. Twits Like Me: Find other users in education through Twits Like Me.
15. Nearby Tweets: You can find Twitter users near you using this tool.
16. Twubble: Twubble will help you find people who have interests that are compatible with yours.
17. WeFollow: WeFollow offers a user powered Twitter directory.
18. GeoFollow: GeoFollow offers a location-based Twitter user directory.
19. Twellow: This Twitter directory is sorted by application.
20. Twitter Packs: Twitter Packs makes it easy for you to find new people based on interests.
21. Follow Cost: Use this tool to determine how much effort it takes to follow a specific Twitterer.
22. Atlas: Using Atlas, you can watch Tweets that are shown on a map.
23. TwitterLocal: TwitterLocal will help you find Tweets from a specific location.

Sharing

Make Twitter a sharing tool for photos, video, and more with these resources.

24. Twitxr: You’ll be able to send photos from your mobile phone using this app, great for teachers and students alike.
25. Annotated Links: You can put a bunch of links and a note into one URL to share on Twitter with Annotated Links.
26. LiveTwitting: During lectures, events, and more, you can use LiveTwitting instead of liveblogging.
27. SnapTweet: Use SnapTweet to post your latest Flickr photos to Twitter.
28. TweeTube: Share videos on Twitter using TweeTube.
29. DreamTweet: Post your dreams and nightmares to share with the world using DreamTweet.
30. Private notes: Send password protected private notes using Twitter with this tool.
31. TweetCube: You can share files via Twitter using TweetCube.
32. Twitter Weather: Share daily weather updates with your class by using Twitter Weather.
33. TwitPic: You can share photos on Twitter, or find photos from all around the world using this service.
34. PhotoTwitter: Use PhotoTwitter to take snapshots with your iSight and post to Twitter.

Games

These tools offer a way for you and your students to learn through Twitter gaming.

35. Outwit Me: On this site, you’ll find intelligent Twitter games.
36. Plinky: With Plinky, you’ll get a daily prompt question or challenge to answer.
37. TweetTest: TweetTest offers a collection of mini games that use data from your tweets.
38. Tweet Words: Get clues and guess the answer from this Twitter game.
39. Twrivia: Twrivia gives a daily pop quiz with a new trivia question every day.
40. Whose Tweet?: Test how well you know your Twitter friends with this game.

News & Research

41. Twitscoop: This tool tracks events as well as trends.
42. Twiggit: Using Twiggit, you can find news and articles related to your curriculum.
43. QuoteURL: You can quote a number of different tweets at once on one page with this app, great for presentations.
44. TweetScan: TweetScan will make research on Twitter a breeze, allowing you to set up an alert to be emailed every time there are tweets matching your keywords.
45. Twups: This Twitter news aggregator makes it easy for you to follow all of your favorite subjects.
46. Just Signal: Using Just Signal, you can create a filter to only get tweets that discuss keywords you choose.
47. twAnswers: Ask a question, and get an answer from Twitter by using twAnswers.
48. TweetGrid: Make your Twitter searches easy with this customized search dashboard.
49. TwiST: This Twitter search tool will help make your searches more efficient.
50. Twilert: Get email updates of tweets that contain keywords you define.
51. twitority: Perform Twitter searches that offer authoritative sources by using twitority.
52. Twitter Search: Twitter Search will help you find out the latest Twitter trends.

Twitterers

Follow these Twitter accounts for useful educational resources.

53. @weather: You’ll learn about weather news from the Science News Blog from @weather.
54. @donorschoose: Follow @donorschoose to learn about funding for public schools.
55. @TWord_Chains: This account is a word game where you change one word into another.
56. @eduguru: You can learn about Internet marketing and web development in education from @eduguru.
57. @pbsteachers: Through @pbsteachers, you’ll get resources and more for teachers.
58. @BBCeducation: Check out this Twitter stream to learn about education and news in the UK.
59. @upromise: @upromise will help you get the latest news about savings, tips, and deals from Upromise.
60. Pulse of Education: The Pulse of Education aggregates tweets from the education community.
61. @educationweek: @educationweek shares news about American education.
62. @CollegeBloggers: Be a part of this Twitter network to connect with college students, faculty, and alumni.
63. @EarthquakeNews: Learn about earthquakes around the world from the USGS Earthquake Center’s account.
64. @LearnHub: Follow @LearnHub, and you’ll find lots of education-related links.
65. @digidirections: Check out @digidirections to learn about trends and advice in K-12 technology.

Groups

Make use of these tools to better manage your classroom group on Twitter.

66. Tweetizen: You can start your own group, or find groups with specific interests on Twitter.
67. HappyTwitday: Celebrate classroom birthdays on Twitter by using HappyTwitday.
68. twtpoll: Take classroom polls and surveys with the help of this app.
69. GroupTweet: You can make twittering in your classroom group-easy using this tool.
70. Tweetworks: Tweetworks offers groups and threaded discussions on Twitter.
71. tweetparty: Communicate directly with your Twitter group by using tweetparty.
72. TwitOrg: TwitOrg offers a great way to create, manage, and join organizations.
73. StrawPoll: Get tiny polls from StrawPoll.
74. ConnectTweet: ConnectTweet will help you combine the voices of your group.

Organization & Productivity

With these tools, you’ll find that your life on Twitter and beyond will be more organized and productive.

75. Tweetree: With Tweetree, you’ll be able to view your tweets in a conversational context.
76. 21Tweets: With this tool, you can create a new habit.
77. Twit2Do: Use Twitter to manage your to-do list using Twit2Do.
78. twtvite: This event management Twitter app can help you plan classroom events.
79. Twtask: Use Twtask to create simple tasks lists on Twitter.
80. TwitterNotes: Make private notes for yourself on Twitter by using this tool.
81. Twitterlights: Get one-click tweeting and content saving through Twitterlights.
82. TrackDailyGoals: TrackDailyGoals will help you keep track of your productivity and goals.
83. postica: postica will let you post sticky notes on Twitter for reminders and more.

Integration

Make Twitter work with other apps by putting these useful integration tools to work.

84. TwitterBox: Use Twitter from within Second Life with this tool.
85. LoudTwitter: LoudTwitter will send tweets to your blog, so you can keep parents and other contacts updated even if they don’t read your Twitter.
86. 30 Boxes: 30 Boxes offers easy integration with Twitter.
87. TwitterFeed: TwitterFeed will automatically post content from an RSS feed to Twitter, so you can update your timeline with educational blogs as well as your own.
88. Twttrstrm: Using Twittrstrm, you can ask a question and have others contribute answers to your Squidoo lens.
89. twiggit: Let your students know about the articles you digg by using twiggit.
90. SI-Messenger: SI-Messenger is a service that integrates IM, Twitter and more in Second Life.
91. Twoxit: Twoxit makes it possible for students and other users to update their Twitter profile from your website or blog.

Classroom Tools

These tools seem to be designed specifically with the Twittering classroom in mind.

92. Twishlistter: Create a wish list for classroom supplies using this tool.
93. Weatherizer: Weatherizer will update the background of your Twitter homepage to reflect your local weather.
94. Book Price Check: Check prices of books from your mobile device through Twitter using this tool.
95. MoochFly: Create a classroom library that you can easily keep track of with MoochFly.
96. FuelFrog: With FuelFrog, you can use Twitter to keep a log of your fuel and mileage.
97. Ququoo: Ququoo can turn your Twitter timeline into a timesheet.
98. Twitrans: Twitrans can translate your tweets to any language using human translators.
99. Tweeteorology: Tweeteorology will show you tweets about the weather.
100. Xpenser: You can use Xpenser to track your time and expenses related to education.

General

Find listings for thousands of jobs all over world in a variety of fields on these feeds.

1. Monster.com: One of the biggest names in job search sites now offers the convenience of RSS feeds so you don’t have to browse jobs every day to get the latest updates.
2. CareerBuilder: Another job search giant, CareerBuilder allows you to customize RSS feeds so you get the job openings you’re most interested in.
3. American Preferred Jobs: Find jobs by state, popularity and field through this easy-to-use RSS tool.
4. Superior Jobs: Here you can find jobs in fields like finance, engineering and design and have them delivered right to your RSS reader.
5. HireAbility: Make the most of the thousands of job listings on this site by setting up a simple feed to send the best jobs your way.
6. Job.com: Get feeds from Job.com through their site and advice on choosing and setting up an RSS reader.
7. indeed: indeed offers complete feeds of its job listings or the ability to limit them by salary, company, title, location and job type.
8. DotOrgJobs: Find feeds for job searches in administrative support, finance, fundraising, human resources, marketing and more on this job search site.
9. Commongood Careers: Here you can subscribe to listings for a variety of jobs in over 12 US cities.
10. Yahoo! HotJobs: Check out this popular site for some helpful job finding feeds.
11. SimplyHired: With over 6 million jobs to choose from, this site can be a valuable resource for setting up an RSS feed.
12. JobSearchUSA: Get connected to jobs and employers by setting up a customized RSS feed through this site.
13. ZamZim: With this site you can limit your RSS feed by city or the type of job that you’re looking for.

Region Specific

Check out these feeds for state and city specific listings.

14. Chicago Tribune: Those in the Chicagoland area can check out the job listings the Tribune offers and set up a convenient RSS feed to monitor them.
15. Guardian Jobs: One of the UK’s largest papers, the Guardian makes it easy to track and search for jobs through RSS.
16. Star Tribune: This Minneapolis-St.Paul paper provides simple RSS feeds for the kinds of jobs you’re interested in.
17. California Jobs: If you’re looking for work in the state of California, check out this helpful RSS feed.
18. International Jobs: Find a job away from your home country with a little help from this site and a customized RSS feed.
19. Los Angeles Times: As one of the biggest cities in the US, LA can offer a wide range of employment opportunities. You can track them through your RSS reader and the Times.
20. Jobs In Dubai: Find work in this growing city through this site’s RSS feeds.
21. New York Times: One of the most well-known papers in the world, the New York Times provides not only news by job listings as well, which you can get delivered right to an RSS reader.
22. DallasJobs: Whether you’re in the Dallas area or looking to relocate, this site can help you find work.
23. BestAustinJobs: Find the best jobs in the Austin area by signing up for this site’s RSS feeds.

Librarians and Academics

Whether you’re at home in the library as a researcher or a librarian, these feeds can help you find a job.

26. ALA JobLIST: The American Library Association provides these listings and the RSS feed that can help you find work in a library around the nation.
27. Alliance Library System Job Listings: Search through these listings or sign up for a feed to find great library centered jobs.
28. Chronicle of Higher Education: This site is a great resource both for librarians and those working in academics and higher education. Sign up for feeds that meet your needs.
29. Lib-bling.com Professional Postings: Check out this site and its feed for great openings in libraries around the country.
30. LISJobs: Here you’ll find jobs at huge libraries like the Library of Congress as well as smaller libraries in towns across the US.
31. NASIG Jobs: You’ll find a wide variety of library-focused jobs through this site and its easy to browse them through your RSS reader.
32. SLA Career Center: Subscribe to this feed to get research and library science jobs that meet your interests.
33. GlobalEdge: Find some great listings for academic jobs on this site and sign up to get them delivered to your RSS reader.
34. H-Net: Sign up for a job feed on this site to get the latest in jobs for humanities and social sciences academics.
35. Jobs.Ac.UK: This UK-based site focuses on providing listings for jobs in science, research and academics.
36. AcademicKeys for Engineering: These feeds provide help finding work in academic and teaching positions related to engineering.
37. BioPortfolio: This site can be an invaluable and convenient resource for those looking to be professors or scientists in biology.

Medical

Doctors, nurses and support staff can find great job listings and news in these feeds.

37. PhysciansEmployment: Doctors around the nation can make the most of this valuable job search feed.
38. Physical Therapy: Those working in the field of physical therapy can find the job openings they need through this feed.
39. Hospital Jobs Online: Subscribe to this feed to get the latest on a wide range of jobs in hospitals across the nation.
40. Foundation Rehab Staffing: Find work in a great rehabilitation facility through the listings from this site.
41. Intelli-Source: Here you can find feeds and searches for everything from nurse practicitioners to orthopedic surgeons.
42. MedicalJobs: You can get a variety of healthcare related job listings delivered to you in RSS form through this site.
43. AtlasMedical International: If you’re looking for work in the medical profession outside of the US, check out the feed provided by this site.
44. 4NursingJobs: Nurses should check out this feed for loads of nursing job openings.
45. Healthcare Republic: Find all kinds of healthcare related news, educational opportunities and job listings through this site’s feeds.
46. StaffPointe: Check out this recruiting company’s site to get jobs as nurses, physicians and other healthcare professions delivered to you in feed form.
47. NurseRecruiter: Nurses can find all kinds of listings through this feed to help them find jobs that reflect their skills and personal goals.
48. Reflectx Services: This staffing services company offers feeds for jobs in nursing, physical therapy, speech therapy, medical imaging and a variety of other healthcare professions.

Technology

Whether you’re a programmer, an IT professional or a web designer, you’ll find plenty of work on these feeds.

48. devBistro: Subscribe to these feeds for listings by location, keywords or latest jobs.
49. Perl.org: If you’re looking for work as a Perl programmer, this feed is the place to start.
50. Slashdot: This popular tech site provides jobs listings as well, with feeds in design, management, networking, programming, and system administration.
51. SourceForge: While this site mainly focuses on open source downloads, it can also be a great place to look for a job with a number of customized feeds available.
52. FreshMeat: Programmers, system admins and designers can check out these feeds to find great employment opportunities.
53. Wired: Wired is a popular tech magazine, online resource and place to look for jobs. Sign up for a feed to get help finding the tech job you’ve been looking for.
54. SharePoint Reporter: Find jobs working with AJAX, Microsoft products, SQL and more through this site.
55. TeachEBlog Jobs: This blog is all about the latest tech and gadget news but after you’re done reading it you can also sign up for some great RSS feeds to help you find a new job.
56. LinuxJobs: Find jobs working with this great open source OS through this feed.
57. Tom’s Hardware: Programmers and network designers alike can find work through these helpful feeds.
58. CMC Technical Staffing: Sign up for feeds that are organized by company or job type.
59. 37 Signals: Check out this site and its feeds for jobs programming, designing, administrating and more.
60. FindaTechJob: Here you can find loads of freelance opportunities and long-term employment for programmers of all kinds.

Aviation and Travel

Travel industry workers can find loads of jobs by signing up for these RSS feeds.

61. AviationNation: Here you’ll find three kinds of feeds: one for pilots, one for flight attendants and one for other aviation careers.
62. MaritimeJobs: Find work at sea through this site. You’ll get feeds for jobs on cruise ships, cargo ships, shore side jobs, naval architecture, port work and more.
63. FliteJobs: Pilots can find work through this site’s RSS feeds as well as other aviation professionals.
64. FindaPilot: Check out this site for listings for needed flight crew members in various places around the country.
65. AviationTire: Whether you’re a pilot, airline mechanic, or another member of a flight crew you’ll find helpful listings through this feed.
66. AviationEmployment: Those looking for work as everything from an aircraft manufacturing technician to a flight attendant can find job listings through this site’s feed.
67. BootsnAll TravelJobs: Find jobs that will allow you to travel and see the world while making money through this helpful site and feeds.
68. TravelingCrossing: Here you can find work doing everything from leading tours to booking flights in a convenient feed form.
69. TruckDriver.com: Truckers can make finding a new job more easy by checking out the listings or signing up for a feed through this site.
70. AirlinePilotJobs: Find work on a major airline by checking out the listings provided by this site.

Education

Teachers of all kinds can find job listings on these feeds.

71. ESLemployment: Teachers looking to work in ESL at home and abroad can find loads of job openings around the world through this feed.
72. EducationJobs: Teachers, administrators and other educational professionals should take a look at the feeds provided by this site when looking for work.
73. TedJobs: Find work in higher education by checking out the feeds you can subscribe to on this site.
74. OutdoorEd: If teaching in or about the great outdoors is your thing, get signed up for the feeds offer though this job search site.
75. Education Jobsite: Customize an RSS feed catered to your education job finding needs through this site.
76. EducationCrossing: With tens of thousands of education job listings, you’re sure to find something that suits your needs through these helpful feeds.
77. ESL Job Project: Find listings for ESL jobs around the world through these feeds.
78. TESall: ESL and EFL teachers will find everything they need to find work in the US and other countries around the world in this site’s feeds and job search capabilities.

Green Jobs

These feeds will help you find environmentally friendly work.

79. Renewable Energy Jobs: Leave the coal burning behind and find work in the renewable energy sector though this helpful site.
80. GreenBiz: Focused on all elements of green business, this site is an invaluable resource for job seekers looking for a green job and an easy-to-use RSS feed.
81. GreenIndustryJobs: Get feed updates on the latest jobs in a variety of green industries through this site.
82. SustainableBusiness: Whether you’re looking for work in a green business or a socially responsible organization, you’ll find great opportunities through these feeds.
83. Eco.org: Called the place for everything eco, this site provides loads of information on available eco-friendly jobs which you can get delivered right to your RSS reader.
84. TreeHugger: This popular green site has a job board which makes it easy to keep up with listings in an RSS feed.
85. Idealist.org: Find loads of work in the nonprofit, green and sustainable business sectors through the feed provided by this site.

Business and Finance

Find work crunching numbers or selling products with the help of these feeds.

86. MarketingHire: You’ll get access to thousands of listings for work in marketing through the feed provided by this site.
87. Seeking Alpha: This site specializes in listings for accounting, finance and investment professionals and you can set up an RSS feed to meet your individual needs.
88. Sales Recruitment Jobsite: If you’re looking for some work in sales, you’re sure to find some listings that interest you with this site’s feeds.
89. Finance Jobs: Find work in the field of finance through this site, whether you’re looking for accounting jobs, financial planning or something else entirely.
90. AccountingCrossing: Accountants looking for a new gig can sign up for an RSS feed on this site.
91. SalesJobs: Get a new sales job by searching for jobs and signing up for a feed provided by this sales oriented site.
92. BrandRepublicJobs: This site is an excellent resource for finding jobs in marketing, sales, media and public relations and offers a wide range of RSS choices.
93. NumericJobs: Find jobs in the direct and online marketing sector through the searches and feeds provided by this site.

Miscellaneous

These feeds can help you find work in a variety of specialty fields.

94. Freelancer Jobs Network: Find all kinds of freelance work from consulting to creative services through the postings in this RSS feed.
95. Building4Jobs: Don’t struggle to find construction work. Instead, sign up for this feed and get jobs brought to you.
96. ChristiaNet: Users of this feed can get updates on the best Christian jobs out there through this site.
97. EntryLevelJobsite: Whether you’re fresh out of college or just looking to start a new career at the bottom, you’ll find loads of entry level opportunities on this feed.
98. EnergyCentralJobs: Find work in an energy-related field by checking out this feed.
99. CoolWorks: Get a sweet summer job or internship by browsing the listings provided through this site’s RSS feed.
100. Officer.com: Police officers with a little tech savvy can sign up for this feed and get information about law enforcement jobs.

Quick Reference

This list features dictionaries, search tools and general reference extensions that can save you time and keep you focused on your actual work.

1. British English Dictionary: Fiction writers or those writing for or referencing British publications will benefit from this easy-to-access dictionary.
2. United States English Dictionary: Do simple spell checks with this online dictionary through Firefox.
3. del.icio.us: This add-on makes it easier to search through del.icio.us, perfect for journalists or other writers who need to know what everyone’s talking about.
4. Merriam Webster: Quickly search the Merriam Webster English dictionary without having to move away from your current page.
5. FreeTranslate: When digging up primary source material, use this add-on to translate pages into English.
6. Ask.com Toolbar: If you want to save an entire search and not just one or two pages, this extension will archive saved and favorite locations and individual sites.
7. Hyperwords 4.0.2: With this tool, you can select a word on any website and instantly perform a search on it, translate it, access conversions and reference material and more.

Staying Connected

When working on collaborative projects and when you’re trying to keep in touch with your classmates, stay connected with these Firefox tools.

8. Sage1.4.2: This "lightweight RSS and Atom feed aggregator" plays well with Firefox’s bookmarking system and lets you customize newspaper feeds.
9. LinkedIn Companion for Firefox: Network with your LinkedIn profile more easily when you download this extension, which lets you see the LinkedIn profile (if they have one) for anyone who sends you e-mail and bookmark profiles and profile searches.
10. Kaboodle: If you use Kaboodle to share websites or just store your own searches, you can access it more easily with this add-on.
11. WataCrackaz AutoSMS: Track down busy agents and editors with this tool, which lets you send texts to cell phones around the world from Firefox.
12. Send Page by E-mail: Send a website via this e-mail system to yourself, co-writers, your research assistant or anyone else. This extension lets you send the site or a clip of the site directly from Firefox.
13. Unofficial MySpace Toolbar: If you prefer to stay connected through MySpace, add this extension so that you don’t have to open a new tab to log in, comment, read messages and more.
14. Notify: If you frequently visit a website for basic reference information, use this tool to be notified anytime content on that site changes. That way, you’ll always be up-to-date and can avoid writing or sharing old information.
15. Dai.sy 1.1.0: Chat and share files with your colleagues or editors when they visit the same site as you.
16. SiteSays: When you’re working with a team, you can use SiteSays to write comments about different websites you’ve looked at.

Saving, Bookmarking and Organizing

Keep track of your entire searches, favorite websites and comments or ideas with these extensions.

17. Chipmark 3.2.1: Writers who use different browsers and different computers for their research can use Chipmark to organize all bookmarks.
18. Clipmarks: This tool is great when you only want to save a certain part of a website and not all of the junk surrounding your research or clips.
19. Trexy TrailBar: Start a search trail in order to remember past searches and recover information you found weeks or even months before.
20. The Tip’d Bookmarklet: Use this tool to submit a new finance story to Tip’d, the most popular social media site about investing topics.
21. Add Bookmark Here: This extension allows for an even easier way to add a bookmark.
22. NeedleSearch 3.5: Bookmark niche search engines that are hard to find or hard to remember with this tool.
23. Plain Old Favorites: If you used to be an IE user, you can add those favorites to your Firefox bookmarks without having to export them.
24. Flat Bookmark Editing: Writers who don’t know how to manipulate their bookmark properties can opt for a simple "flat" editing tool like this one to organize them.
25. Scrapbook 1.3.3.7: This popular organization tool lets you save all or part of a website, organize your saved pages, and search within your collection.
26. NetMarks Manager 3.2: Capture Firefox bookmarks with this tool to comment on websites, search within your collection and more.

Files

From help with downloading files to managing images and other files, these tools can keep you from getting too sidetracked and bogged down in technicalities.

27. OpenDownload: This tool is great for writers who don’t want to pay for different programs or search out programs that let them download files. Instead, when you choose to open the file, OpenDownload connects you to the open source program that will let you view it.
28. PDF Download: View PDFs as HTML documents in Firefox and manage other save or viewing options with this tool.
29. Image Toolbar: Get immediate access to photo editing commands like saving and copying from a simple toolbar so that you can manage pictures for your blog, news story or just for inspiration.
30. Download Statusbar: When you download this extension, a small statusbar is installed that lets you manage all of your downloads from one spot.

Privacy

Maintain your privacy and your integrity with these extensions, which keep prying eyes and competitors locked out.

31. Gmail S/MIME: Encrypt sent and received Gmail messages with this tool.
32. hideBad 2.0: Perfect for writers working in competitive libraries or too-public coffee shops, this extension "quickly closes tabs that you do not want others to see" and lets you clear Firefox history.
33. Stealther 1.0.6: If you need to share your computer with another writer or editor, keep your research and comments safe by temporarily disabling browsing history, cookies, downloaded files, recently closed tabs list and more.
34. TrashMail.net: Set up a separate e-mail address for junk mail that clutters up your regular inbox and leaves you more vulnerable to online scams.

Staying On Deadline

Stay on top of your classes with these notifiers, calendars, automatic alerts and other Firefox tools.

35. FoxClocks: If your publisher or editor is in a different time zone, make sure you’re still on deadline with this in-sync clock.
36. ReminderFox 1.7.2: Mange your to-do lists and deadlines with this extension, which has a simple interface.
37. TimeTracker 1.2.4: Keep tabs on how much time you "waste" or work on Firefox to help you be more productive and on-task.
38. Google Reader Notifier: If you depend on feeds and stories sent to your Google Reader for inspiration or research, keep track of how much you still need to get finished with this notification add-on.
39. Gmail Manager 0.5.5: Manage all of your Gmail accounts with this extension, which also notifies you of new messages.
40. Usage Counter 0.2.1: Usage Counter is another time tracking add-on that lets you know how much time you’ve spent on a certain website, helping you figure out when it’s time to move on and when to take a break.
41. gotTime 0.2: gotTime allows you to "create countdown alarms for reminders of important events," from set-in-stone deadlines to meetings to draft reviews.

Building Your Business

The following list includes add-ons that will help you find jobs through Craigslist, stay connected with your clients and manage your own advertising and revenue online.

42. Emurse.com Resume Quick Send: When you find contact information for someone you’d like to work with, right click and select "Send Resume via Emurse.com" to send a pre-filled e-mail message.
43. Facebook Toolbar 1.2.1: This extension lets you search Facebook from your browser, no matter what website you’re already on. You can also check messages, pokes, and updated profiles.
44. CraigZilla: Get to Craigslist even faster so that you can update postings, apply for jobs and more.
45. Adsense Notifier: After you download this extension, your Adsense earnings will be displayed on your Firefox statusbar.

More Writers’ Tools

Here you’ll find even more of our favorite writers’ tools from Firefox, from add-ons that link you to sources to extensions that make your blogging experience more efficient.

46. NowPublic: This tool is a must for journalists and other writers wanting first-hand information from real-life events. The system works by allowing users to "highlight anything on the web you think is newsworthy and connect to eye witnesses at the scene of the story."
47. Zotero: This Firefox add-on makes it easier for you to research and even cite your sources all from the web browser.
48. LinkChecker: Verify links for security and as legitimate sources with LinkChecker.
49. Tag Editor: Whether you blog full time or just for a few extra bucks each month, you can stop wasting time coming up with tag links after each post. This tool does it for you.
50. TextMarker! 0.3.2: Get super organized with editing and research by using three different highlighter colors to mark up text selections on websites.

Meta Search and Multi Search Engines

These meta search and multi search engines can search numerous engines and sites at once, maximizing the number of results you get each time you conduct a search.

1. Ms. Freckles: Adorable Ms. Freckles can search online for different file types, definitions, translations, film, finance sites, and a lot more all at once.
2. Kart00: This cartoon-inspired search engine lets you hover over results to get a preview of the site before you open it. Results are also organized by topic so that you can narrow down your search and organize hits.
3. Fazzle: Search the web’s best, the entire web, downloads, images, videos, audio or headline news. You can also select an advanced search to find incredibly specific results.
4. Trexy: This site saves your search memory so that you don’t have search multiple times on different engines.
5. Mamma: Here at "the mother of all search engines," librarians search the web or video. Next to your results is an option to refine your search by choosing a suggested category.
6. 1-Page Multi Search: Type your search into one or several of the following search engines at once: Alta Vista, AOL, EntireWeb, Gigablast, Hot Bot, Lycos, Scrub, Yahoo!, Google, YouTube, Dogpile, Ask Jeeves, and a lot more.
7. iZito: Busy librarians who are constantly finding new reference sites and search engines will like iZito because of its ability to save your history in an easy drop down tab.

Multimedia and Interactive

For help finding pictures, podcasts, music and shareware, use these search engines.

8. Metacafe: Find videos on this site if you want a change from YouTube.
9. Songza: Patrons looking for music can use this search engine, which "lets you listen to any song or band." You can also search the featured list or top played list.
10. Picsearch: This large photo search engine has more than 2 billion images in its directory.
11. Get a Podcast: Search for podcasts all around the web in this directory.
12. Shareware: If you need to install new software programs on your library computers, turn to Shareware first, which pulls up tons of free programs and downloads.
13. Public Radio Fan: Find information for thousands of public radio stations on this site. You can find the times of different broadcasts, station names, podcasts and more.

Google Search Engines

A Google search doesn’t just mean typing in a keyword on the homepage and seeing what pops up. Try out these niche search engines sponsored by Google to find books, images and more information that librarians will find useful.

14. Google Image Search: Ask Google to bring up the most popular images on the web with this engine.
15. Google Scholar: Get connected to scholarly journals and publications here.
16. Google Books: Search online copies of books on this search engine, which features categories like literature and science fiction to biology and linguistics to highly cited to categories organized by subject and keyword.
17. Alerts: Set up Google Alerts for any subject so that you’ll get results sent to your inbox every time there’s a new site, blog or keyword mention on the web.

Great Niche Sites for Librarians

From family friendly and kid-safe searches to science and medical search engines, these niche sites can help you with very specific research projects.

18. Scirus: Pull up science-related results on this research-oriented search engine. You can find "not only journal content but also scientists’ homepages, courseware, pre-print server material, patents and institutional repository and website information."
19. Librarians’ Internet Index: Here you’ll be connected to quality, authoritative sites. Search by keyword or narrow down your search by browsing categories like business, government, media, health, computers, or the arts and humanities.
20. Family Friendly Search: Librarians at elementary and middle schools, as well as public librarians, may be interested in directing patrons to this site, which is safe for kids.
21. Intute: This British search engine lets you pick search options in the following categories for a specialized search: science and technology, arts and humanities, social sciences, and the health and life sciences.
22. PubMed: PubMed is one of the premier search engines for medical students and researchers. You can find journal articles, citations, clinical information and more.
23. Meta-Index for U.S. Legal Research: On the GSU College of Law site, librarians and patrons can take advantage of this meta-index which brings up judicial opinions, legislation and more.
24. Internship Programs: College librarians may want to direct students to this search engine, which connects searchers to internship opportunities.
25. Congoo: For current events and news searches, use Congoo to connect you to the latest in technology, industry, business, world news, finance, politics, Internet trends and more.
26. CataLaw: CataLaw is another law search engine that organizes "all indexes of law and government into a uniform, universal and unique metaindex."
27. USGenWeb Archives: Help your patrons with genealogy searches with this engine.

Custom Searches

Tailor your search to your daily needs with these search engines, which can be modified by remembering search history, customizing templates and more.

29. mozbot: Pick a language and customize your search with this engine. Mozbot can also add results to your favorites, send results by e-mail, display thumbnails of different sites, and provide suggestions for similar sites.
30. Curriculum Search: Help teachers find reference materials, lesson plans and tools by searching this Google custom search engine.
31. Computer Science Research: Use this search engine or adapt it to make your own to find computer science materials and references.
32. Rollyo: Choose to search categories like health, travel, tech, reference and others using Rollyo, a system that "create[s] search engines using the sources you trust."
33. Ujiko: This sleekly designed search engine lets you choose how you want your results displayed and organized.

Reference Searches

The following list of search engines prove useful to all kinds of librarians in search of dictionaries and other reference materials.

34. JustCite: JustCite is a legal search engine and can help you find citations.
35. Online Journals Search Engine: Search scientific databases and journals here.
36. Powerset: For a basic Q&A session, use Powerset to quickly search Wikipedia entries.
37. Infoplease: Get information on any subject, from history and government to arts and entertainment to world news to biographical information to homework help.
38. Guide Star: This search tool is great for public librarians or librarians who work with teachers wanting information on grants and nonprofits. Type in the name of an organization or keyword to find nonprofit group information.
39. JoeAnt: You can get answers to research queries on any subject at JoeAnt, from computers to science to politics to the humanities to business law.
40. Find Tutorials: Find tutorials for practically everything on this search site, from education to culture to spirituality, to finance to the Internet.
41. RefDesk: RefDesk is known as the "fact checker for the Internet." You can search MSN, Google, Yahoo! or Wikipedia, as well as various dictionaries and periodicals.
42. OneLook Dictionary Search: Get detailed definitions, translations and more on this search engine, which pulls from over 1,000 different dictionaries.
43. The Dictionary of Free Online Books and Shopping: Look up and access books online for free using this search engine, which includes educational books, history books, children’s books, biographies, political books and a lot more.
44. Thinkers: Wisdom: This site features a literary search engine called Wisdom that can search the web, images, audio, video, a dictionary and more.
45. Information.com: Use the web search or search encyclopedias, blogs, articles and online groups to get creative with your reference search.

Library Search Engines

Check out these search engines that are designed to emulate or are sponsored by libraries and librarians.

46. Internet Public Library: Find references, search the collections by subject, check out the reading room or KidSpace when you visit this online public library.
47. The Open Library: Here, librarians discover "one web page for every book." This open source project also features an advanced search, connecting you to the exact book and full-text publication you’re looking for.
48. Awesome Library: Find full-text books, journals, kid-safe sites, business information and more on this online library search engine.
49. LibDex: Search the indexes and other information for 18,000 different libraries here.
50. WorldCat: WorldCat helps patrons and librarians "find items in libraries near you." Search for books, DVDs, CDs and articles.

Sharing & Discovery

Get social with your favorite websites and use these add-ons to share and discover new places on the web.

1. StumbleUpon: This add-on learns what you like and will help you find web sites based on your interests.
2. ShareThis: Share any type of online content with your friends, family, and colleagues with ShareThis.
3. Me.dium: Share your favorite sites and communicate with your friends using this add-on.
4. Shareaholic: Use this add-on to make sharing URLs easy and streamlined.

Tabs

Make Firefox’s incredibly useful tabs even better with these add-ons.

5. Morning Coffee: Organize your websites to open up in tabs as part of your daily routine.
6. Tab Mix Plus: Tab Mix Plus supercharges Firefox’s tab browsing capabilities.
7. ColorfulTabs: Color each of your tabs in a different shade and color so that they’re easy to distinguish.
8. FaviconizeTab: This add-on allows you to cut the size of your tabs down to favicons.
9. Firefox Showcase: Manage and view your Firefox tabs as thumbails in a single window, tab, or sidebar.
10. Taboo: If you leave too many tabs open between sessions, use Taboo to save them for later.
11. IE Tab: Open up pages in Internet Explorer-compatible tabs with this add-on.

Reference & Connection

These add-ons can make simple text turn into usable reference points.

12. Who Is This Person?: With this add-on, you can highlight a name on any web page and find information on that person on a variety of different sites.
13. BlueOrganizer: BlueOrganizer will make web page content more interactive, allowing you to look up maps, save books to your wish list, and more.
14. Hyperwords: Use Hyperwords to select text on any page, and get quick access to reference, search, and more.

Bookmarks

Supercharge your bookmarks with these tools for Firefox 3.

15. del.icio.us: This official add-on will allow you to save your bookmarks on the web.
16. Jeteye: Save and share your best web searches using Jeteye’s super-powered bookmarks.
17. Clipmarks: Capture exactly what you want from a page and save it with Clipmarks.
18. Foxmarks Bookmark Synchronizer: Keep the same bookmarks on multiple computers using Foxmarks.

Files

Get some help with your files from these add-ons.

19. Open IT Online: Open your documents and images in Firefox with this add-on.
20. Video DownloadHelper: Easily download and convert web videos with Video DownloadHelper.
21. PDF Download: Before opening a PDF file in Firefox, PDF Download will let you know about it and give you the option to download, open, or convert it to HTML.
22. DownThemAll!: This download manager and accelerator makes it easy to download files in Firefox.

Security

Make your online browsing experience safer and more private by taking advantage of these add-ons.

23. NoScript: Pick and choose the sites that you want to allow JavaScript and other executable content to run on.
24. Nuke Anything: Hide almost anything using this add-on in the context menu.
25. FoxyProxy: Stay safe and anonymous by using this add-on that automatically switches your internet connection over proxy servers.
26. Stealther: Surf the web without leaving a trace on your computer whenever you use Stealther.
27. Adblock Plus: Prevent ads from taking over your browser with Adblock Plus.
28. BugMeNot: Pass over compulsory web registration using this handy add-on.
29. Flashblock: This extension will allow you to disable Flash content until you want to view it.

News

Stay on top of the latest and greatest with these handy tools.

30. Feed Sidebar: View items from your Live Bookmarks in the sidebar of your browser with Feed Sidebar.
31. Sage-Too: With this RSS and Atom feed aggregator, you can stay on top of news and updates.

Ease of Use

These add ons are great for making your browsing experience just a little bit easier.

32. Greasemonkey: Greasemonkey is an incredibly useful tool for customizing the way a webpage displays in Firefox.
33. All-in-One Sidebar: This sidebar control will give you access to loads of controls at once.
34. Linkification: Linkification turns plain text into clickable links.
35. ReloadEvery: Set your browser to constantly reload web pages at intervals that you define.
36. ErrorZilla: ErrorZilla turns 404 pages into a useful page with links to the Wayback Machine, Whois, Google Cache, and more.
37. URL Fixer: This add-on will automatically fix your typos in the address bar.
38. Undo Closed Tabs Button: Quickly reopen closed tabs using this simple extension.
39. iMacros: Automate Firefox by recording and replaying repititious work in iMacros.
40. FireGestures: Create customizable mouse gestures that will help you browse faster in FireGestures.

Navigation

Find your way around better with the features these add-ons offer.

41. Tab Scope: Preview and navigate tab contents with the previews Tab Scope offers.
42. Interclue: Find out what’s behind a link before you open it with Interclue.
43. Fast Dial: Get fast access to your favorite sites with these thumbnails.
44. PicLens: Turn Firefox into a visual browser with this extension that makes it easy to find and view online photos and videos.
45. Thumbstrips: See a filmstrip of thumbnails that represent your history and more using ThumbStrips.
46. GooglePreview: Get a quick peek at what your Google search results have to offer with this add-on’s previews.

Shopping

Turn into a power shopper by taking advantage of these add-ons.

47. Firefox Companion for eBay: Stay on top of your eBay auctions using this add-on.
48. Grocery List Generator: Put together recipe ingredients and other necessities using the Grocery List Generator.
49. Yapta: Use the Yapta add-on to find and track fares on airline websites.
50. Plurbio: Get to the bottom line of the reviews on any Amazon item with Plurbio’s instant summaries.

General

Consider these tips when looking at overall ways to improve usability in your library.

1. Conduct a usability study: Gather some of your patrons, ask them to find something in the library, and analyze their behavior.
2. Make use of what users already know: Model your design after things that your user is likely to be familiar with already.
3. Use descriptive wording: Instead of using project names for something, call it what it really is. For example, instead of calling a search engine "Find It!," simply call it a search engine, or "Find It! Search Engine."
4. Avoid overwhelming users: Give enough information to provide guidance, but not so much that they’ll be confused.
5. Be friendly: No one wants to visit a library where the staff is rude and unhelpful.
6. Consider your users: When creating usable design, think about your users and how they’ll be utilizing what you create.
7. Use common terms: Make sure the words you’re using are easily understood by users.
8. Aim to save time: Make it a goal to help your visitors navigate information quickly.
9. Make your library desirable: Design and market your library in a way that makes people want to use it.

Website

Make your website easy to use and navigate with these tips.

10. Be consistent: Use the same fonts and design elements on all of your library’s pages so that users always know they’re still on your site.
11. Put a help link on every page: Don’t leave users stranded. Give them a way to get help no matter where they are.
12. Use templates: Create a template for your site, and base the design of all pages on that template.
13. Make your catalog search incredibly easy to find: Most visitors to your library’s website will be looking for items, so be sure to make it easy for them to find what they’re looking for right away.
14. Check for errors: Make sure that your site does not have any broken links or grammatical errors that will undermine the quality and authority of the library.
15. Create effective navigation: Use navigation that is simple and easy to understand.
16. Put your most important information up top: Avoid making your patrons scroll to find information. Put all of your most used functions and information high in the display field.
17. Check for accessibility: Ensure that your website is usable for everyone by assessing your site’s accessibility.
18. Be action-oriented: Let users choose what they want to do, like "reserve an item."
19. Meet specific goals and tasks: Consider what your site’s visitors are coming to do, and make it easy for them to do it.
20. Design for quick loading: Don’t make users wait around for information. Create a quick loading website.
21. Create a footer "mullet": Put all of your fun stuff like Flickr images, news, and events in your footer.
22. Leave bread crumbs: Show your users where they should go by putting lots of links in your website’s text.
23. Use lots of white space for important elements: Place a good deal of white space around important site elements like your search box in order to draw attention to them.
24. Create a task-centered home page: Instead of overwhelming visitors with information, give them areas where they can do tasks like search for a book or get directions to the library.
25. Make your search as Google-like as possible: Most visitors will intuitively understand how to do searches on Google, so model your search after theirs so that they’ll be able to use it easily.
26. Offer larger font sizes: Allow users to choose what size text they’d like to use for your site.

Catalog & Search

Follow these tips, and you’ll make finding information incredibly easy.

27. List your availability: When users search for an item, let them know how many you have available, or when they’re expected to be back in the library.
28. Offer a reservation system: If you don’t have an item currently in the library, allow users to sign up to get it when it comes available.
29. Offer filtering: Allow your visitors to place filters on their search, like non-fiction and poetry, to find exactly what they’re looking for without working through a lot fo what they don’t want.
30. Provide a search history: Help your patrons remember what they were looking for by offering a search history function.
31. Share with other libraries: If you don’t have a book or item within your library, offer a function that allows users to connect with a library that does.
32. Use search suggestions: Pre-populate your search field with ideas for what users should be searching for.
33. Check your logs: Take a look at what your patrons are searching for on your site, and whether or not they’re able to find it.
34. Offer a site search: Go beyond a catalog search and allow visitors to do a search of your library’s entire site.

Availability

Make your library a more open and available place for patrons with these tips.

35. Make your most often used items prominent: If you have certain selections that are used frequently, make sure they’re highlighted and incredibly easy to find.
36. Weed out your selection: Create a protocol for weeding out unused or unnecessary items so that the ones you actually need will be more prominent.
37. Use statistics: Find out what parts of your collection are most popular, and expand upon them.
38. Offer ebooks: Make ebooks available in your collection, and users can take advantage of a new way to enjoy books.
39. Put as much as you can online: Library patrons like the instant information and ability to make use of resources on the Internet from home and work, so be sure to facilitate this.
40. Make your help desk obvious: Put a well-staffed help desk in an obvious place so that users will be able to approach it easily.
41. Make sure users know they can get a book: Many people do not realize that they can reserve or order books from the library.

Staff

Ask your staff to make these improvements for the sake of usability.

42. Build camaraderie: Create a staff that enjoys working together, and they’ll be better prepared to serve the needs of patrons.
43. Encourage blogging: Allow your staff to evangelize for your library and get connected with patrons by encouraging them to blog.
44. Be available: Make sure that you always have enough staff on hand to meet the needs of your library’s users.
45. Support professional development: Encourage your staff to seek out additional education in new media, technology, and other courses that will help them in the library.
46. Use a wiki: Utilize a wiki for content management so that you can have an effective internal sharing system.
47. Cross train: Have staff in different departments train with each other, so that everyone has more knowledge to help library patrons when needed.

Library Environment

Make your library an easier place to learn and work.

48. Manage noise: Create quiet learning areas so that patrons aren’t disturbed by talking, cell phones, and other distractions.
49. Use signs to make areas clear: Use large signs to tell people when they’re in the childrens’ section, or a no cell phone zone.
50. Handle conflict between patrons: Be sure that your patrons aren’t driving each other out of the library.
51. Be positive: Make sure that your signs do not give off a negative or limiting feeling. Tell patrons what they can do, instead of what they can’t.
52. Offer lots of power outlets: Encourage users with laptops to come into the library by offering them an easy way to stay powered.
53. Make your signs readable: Use a large enough size and clear font to get the point across.
54. Create stations: Devote an area to reading magazines, another to doing research, yet another to individual studying, and so on.
55. Offer individual and group spaces: Create areas where individuals and groups can devote their time to study and discussion separate from the main library area.
56. Create a clean presentation: Don’t leave books cluttered on carts and on tabletops–put them where they belong.
57. Use signs to announce tools: If you have a self checkout machine, make it easy for people to find it with a sign.
58. Consider acoustics: If you’re undergoing new construction or a renovation of your library, ask your architect or contractor to design with sound in mind.
59. Create a bookstore-like layout: Make your library look like an inviting bookstore to encourage reading and visitors.
60. Make use of windows: Make the library a more comfortable place by using large windows for natural light.

Interaction

Improve communication in your library with these tips.

61. Ask staff to wear name tags: If patrons need help, make it easy to find someone by an identifying name tag.
62. Offer tours: Familiarize users with your library by giving regular tours.
63. Have an active email address: Be available through email, and you’ll be able to help more patrons.
64. Ask users what they want and need: Get to the root of what your patrons are looking for by simply asking them.
65. Blog: Keep patrons updated on what’s going on with the library by maintaining a regular blog.
66. Create exciting events: Get your library’s visitors to come in for more than just books by hosting fun and interesting events.
67. Make use of social networks: Be available and open up interaction on social networks like Facebook.
68. Use IM: Make your library available for assistance via instant message, so you can be helpful in a quick and easy manner.
69. Encourage user-generated content: Make it easy for your patrons to be involved in the creation of content.
70. Hold training classes: Not every visitor to the library will intuitively understand how to use it, even if you’ve designed an incredibly usable library. Hold training sessions to make it easier for people to navigate your stacks.
71. Offer RSS feeds: Make it easy for users to stay updated on new additions to the collection, library news, and more by implementing RSS feeds anywhere they fit.
72. Reach out to visitors: Ask your staff to always be on an active lookout for patrons who seem like they need assistance.
73. Improve service to remote visitors: Make your library’s availability from outside of the library easier and more effective for patrons to take advantage of.
74. Improve staff’s demeanor: Explain and encourage appropriate body language, voice tone, dress, observation, and listening in your staff.
75. Train regularly: Keep your staff’s skills fresh with regular training sessions.

Computers

Follow these tips, and you’ll make your library’s computers even more useful.

76. Install Firefox: With Firefox you can set up a custom experience, including the ability to put links to your library’s catalog on book names.
77. Designate catalog and Internet computers: Make it easy for users to know which computers are for browsing the catalog, and which can be used for the Internet.
78. Offer more laptops: Users want to make use of laptops, so be sure to have enough to give them what they want.
79. Allow patrons to use the tools they want: Make instant messaging, YouTube, gaming, and other resources available on your library’s computers.
80. Offer Wi-Fi: If you aren’t already, make free Wi-Fi available in your library.

Equipment

Make your library’s tools more useful with these tips.

81. Be available for troubleshooting: Have a prominent help desk, and offer a sticker with directions on your equipment.
82. Check out mp3 players: Make listening to podcasts and ebooks easy with mp3 player checkouts.
83. Offer a simple checkout system: Don’t put a lot of restrictions on how and when patrons can use equipment unless it’s entirely necessary.
84. Offer CD and DVD players: If you’re going to offer CDs and DVDs in your collection, make sure your library has players available for patrons to use.
85. Stay on top of maintenance and repairs: Always make sure that the equipment available to patrons is in good working order.
86. Lend tools: If you’re going to offer how-to books for checkout, make your library a one stop shop and offer tools to do the job as well.

Kid Friendly

Make children feel welcome and encouraged in your library by implementing these ideas.

87. Provide child-centric visual design: Offer animation and sound effects to get their attention.
88. Use multimedia for navigation: Show children images to suggest where they should go next.
89. Create reading nooks: Kids want a comfortable place to sit and read, so devote a few corners to comfortable bean bags and other implements that encourage curling up with a good book.
90. Give instructions: Studies have found that when given written instructions, children are willing to read them and will make use of them.

Fun Tools

Use these tools in your library, and you’ll be able to better connect to and serve your patrons.

91. Flickr: Let users see photos of the library in action and get excited about visiting.
92. del.icio.us: Make it easy for patrons to save their bookmarks to the web with del.icio.us.
93. Librarything: Create a social catalog for your library on Librarything.
94. Facebook: Get connected, share news, and spread information with patrons on Faebook.
95. Diigo: Make it easy for patrons to save information with highlighting and sticky notes right in the browser.
96. Twitter: Use Twitter to publish mini updates about what’s going on at the library.
97. Ma.gnolia.com: This online bookmarking site allows you to create bookmarks for an entire group.
98. LibGuides: With this app, you can create content, share knowledge, and promote resources.
99. Wikipedia: Encourage users to take advantage of and participate in this user-generated encyclopedia.
100. YouTube: Post videos of your library on YouTube to get patrons excited about visiting.