This story was originally published in the Summer 1995 issue of
Classroom Connect magazine. Copyright 1995 Wentworth Worldwide Media.
Contact connect@wentworth.com or http://www.wentworth.com for more
information.

-- Organizing your Net information
-- Tips and tricks for dealing with the InternetÕs ÒInfoGlutÓ

Chances are youÕll be spending a lot of time on the Internet this summer,
researching lesson plans, integrating Net databases into your curriculum,
and conversing with colleagues around the world. But as you know, logging
onto the Internet is a lot like opening a firehose in your face. ThereÕs so
much information out there that itÕs hard to keep everything organized and
make it easy to find your way back to the great sites youÕre finding as you
surf.
But take heart. Here are a few tried and true tips and tricks you can use
right now make those summer afternoons of surfing more productive and
enjoyable!
Subhead: Dog-eared notebook
A great way to start is to fill a three-ring binder with notebook paper and
divide it into four sections: Email addresses, gopher sites, ftp sites, and
Web sites. 
As you navigate the Net and come across Internet addresses you want to
keep handy, jot them into the notebook. The binder will soon become your
Internet Bible, guiding you back to familiar sites and people. (Just donÕt
lose it!)
The same thing can be done on a word processor, with separate files or
subheads for each section. Either way, itÕs better than relying on post-it
notes or (uh oh!) your memory. Speaking of post-it notes, Mac users
running System 7.5 can create them right on their desktop! Look for a
program called Stickies. That way, you can litter your screen with little
notes about great sites! 
All IBM-compatible computers running Windows have a program called
CardFile, which allows you to create a searchable card file with Internet
address and the like on separate cards.
Subhead: Address books and mailboxes
A great way to keep track of the email addresses of those people or
mailing lists you send a lot of email to is to create address books.
You can set up one address book just for your closest circle of friends,
another just for the K-12 teachers youÕve met online, and another just for
family members. Then, as you create new messages, you simply access one
of the address books, click on the name of the person you want to send the
email to, and his or her email address will automatically be placed in the
To: field. 
Once you have your email addresses organized, itÕs time to sort out your
incoming email. Email filters handle this. Filters are small instructions
that tell your email software to put incoming email containing certain
words into specified mailboxes. 
Thus, if you subscribe to the Kidsphere mailing list, you could set up a
filter to take all incoming mail containing the word ÒKidsphereÓ and drop
it into a Kidsphere mailbox automatically. That way, your personal mail is
separated from the Kidsphere mailing list discussion. 
Filters are a great way to keep yourself organized in the face of dozens of
new email messages coming in everyday! Consult your email software
manual or help file for more on how to create address books and filters.
Subhead: Gopher bookmarks
YouÕve probably spent hours pouring through the NetÕs gopher sites. Their
easy-to-navigate menus make it easy to get around, but difficult to keep
track of where youÕve been. Thus, gopher bookmarks were born. 
As you surf gopherspace and find menu items you want to keep on a
running bookmark list, you simply hit b or select the Add this Item from a
Bookmark menu. Instantly, a pointer to that menu is added to your
bookmark list in your gopher software. 
After a few weeks, youÕll find that your bookmark list will grow very
large. This list is, in effect, your cheat sheet; by clicking on each
bookmark youÕll be instantly transported back to where you were! Consult
your gopher softwareÕs manual for more on how to create bookmarks.

Subhead: Web hotlists
Similar to gopher bookmarks are World Wide Web hotlists. All Web
browsers allow you to instantly add a Web page youÕre currently accessing
to a hotlist menu. Everytime you add a new Web page to the hotlist, it
appears on the list. Consult your Web browser softwareÕs manual for more
on how to create hotlists.