Using the Internet as a Resource
The age of the Internet has made it increasingly easy for us to find information about anything you can imagine. The trick is knowing how to find what you need from within in a sea of information. As scrapbookers, facts are precious to us. We want to have accurate information and interesting tidbits to add to our pages. The Internet is a great way to find that information. Below are some web sites that are very useful for finding appropriate information for your scrapbook pages. Simple Search
If you have a basic idea of what you are looking for, but are not sure where to look, a simple search at a well known online search engine is a good starting point. In order to get the best results, narrow your search results by using appropriate keywords. When searching, remember to: 
- Be as specific as possible. For example, search for “wedding etiquette”, rather than just “weddings”.
- Leave out unimportant words such as a, an, the, etc. for faster and more targeted searches.
- Use quotation marks around phrases that you want to match exactly in your results.
- Use the Advanced Search options. They will help you narrow your results by allowing you to search for exact phrases, exclude certain words, and search for a combination of words.>
Some reliable search engines include:
www.ask.com
www.google.com
www.yahoo.com
Logos and Images
Often when I’m creating a layout I will want to include a logo from a restaurant, park, or product on my page. If I know the company’s web site, I’ll try there first to find a logo to either print out or use as a pattern to create my own title or embellishment. Other images you might want to look for online include clip art and photographs of current events or people. Some good places to search for images are:
images.google.com
www.altavista.com/image *When using logos and images, be aware of copyrights and always respect them. If you are using the images for anything other than personal use, be sure that you obtain written permission from the copyright holder to use those images. Poems, Quotes and Titles
A poem or quote can be the perfect finishing touch to a scrapbook page. Many web sites are dedicated to organizing and providing various poems and famous quotations. These sites can help you quickly find fantastic journaling additions for your pages. Some popular poem, quote and title idea web sites:
www.geocities.com/Heartland/Farm/9753
www.lovepoemsandquotes.com
www.quotationspage.com
www.quotegarden.com
www.quoteland.com Journaling Starters
Including unique and thought-filled journaling isn’t always easy. Journaling starters for regular journal-keepers make excellent scrapbooking page starters as well. These web sites give suggestions for journaling that looks deep into your soul and helps direct your thoughts. Starters such as “I am glad my parents taught me…”, “Describe a place that you really love in detail,” or “I would like to be this kind of person…” are just a few of the hundreds of journaling starters available on the Internet. Genealogy
You may also want to use the Internet to do some research on family history. A core element of scrapbooking is learning more about your family. Sites such as Ancestry.com help you find out information about your ancestors and fill in your family tree. These sites facilitate your search to find the information you need and then help you organize the information you collect. Family History Sites:
www.ancestry.com
www.familysearch.org
www.genealogy.com Dates
The cost of living prices, daily headlines, popular books, music and movies all make excellent point of reference information for scrapbook pages. In addition to visiting daily news web sites for this information, you can find out what happened on specific days in history by visiting the following web sites. Today in History Links:
www.dmarie.com/timecap
www.historychannel.com/today These web sites are just a small sampling of what information is available at your fingertips. The Internet is a fantastic, inexpensive, and simple tool for learning and gathering information. So what are you waiting for? Log on and dig in! Article originally printed in the Ivy Cottage Creations December 2003 issue.
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