Web Feet

by Dale Farris, President, Golden Triangle PC Club
July 2000

In today's reality of endless Internet web sites, finding the right site with the answer to a question has become even more challenging than looking for a needle in a haystack. Now, instead of having to find the gem in merely one haystack, we face the daunting task of looking through a vast field of countless haystacks, only one of which has exactly what you need.

To the rescue comes a variety of newly emerging resources designed to aid the online researcher. These include the ever increasing number and diversity of online search engines, web browser add-on search utilities, specialized online databases, online directories and paper-based directories. While all these tools are soon mastered by the savvy researcher and reference librarian, lay folks usually have access to few of these tools and certainly have very little experience in maximizing the value of these many resources.

Ironically, this ever increasing abundance of information on the Internet has meant an accompanying growth in importance in professional information specialists, just the opposite of what one might think would have happened to this profession. Contrary to popular belief, the explosion of information on the Internet has not meant the end of information specialists. The paradox is that while the onslaught of information on the Internet continues to grow, this has overwhelmed novices and increased their need for professionals trained in how to most effectively and efficiently find their needed information. Among the many new search tools used by information professionals is the superb Web Feet Internet directory from Rock Hill Communications.

Web Feet represents one of the better of these search tools, designed to be of help primarily to teachers, researchers and librarians. To participate in this service, you subscribe to an annual enrollment (see pricing below), and for a very reasonable price, you receive an initial 2-volume collection of thousands of web sites organized and categorized by professional librarians and researchers. In addition to this initial collection, you then receive monthly updates to the sites in the collection, as well as newly added sites.

Each web site in the directory is briefly annotated, and includes a screen shot of the home page and the complete URL to get to the site. Web Feet's experienced librarians, educators, and subject area specialists recommend and describe the "best" Web sites in many subject areas, from history and science, to genealogy and cooking. Thousands of sites on hundreds of topics are included, and the content is reviewed, updated, and expanded monthly. A rigorous criteria and site evaluation process makes Web Feet a more reliable and credible source of sites compared with the results in some of today's online directories and search engines.

The professionals involved in organizing the Web Feet URL's include experienced teachers, librarians and editors. This team of experts includes a site in Web Feet ONLY if they think it is an "outstanding site in its subject area." Having a site receive a Web Feet "Seal of Approval" says to teachers, librarians, parents, and students that the site is especially valuable for research, teaching, or general interest, and most importantly, is safe for student use. This added level of professional involvement in the review and screening of the many included sites means this resource can be considered by targeted customers as a highly important "first use" resource when needing to search for relevant and appropriate web sites to integrate into the classroom, or to provide in response to a customer's request.

What You Get

The print format material is extremely well organized, and includes an extensive table of contents, the 2 volumes of URL's all organized alphabetically by subject category, and a subject index that cross-references the many sites. In addition, you will also get a Calendar Connections section that provides many URL's related to upcoming observances, timely events, key leader birthdays, and holidays, and all are ready for planning for inclusion in classroom activities.

After you receive the initial collection of material, once each month you will then receive an update that is one of the most useful services provided by any company now involved in Internet research. These monthly mailings include updates to the changes in the URL's in the initial collection, and are organized page by page with what you first receive. This means you can simply remove the original pages and replace them with the revised pages you receive each month. In addition, the monthly mailings also include many newly added sites that are to be added to your original collection, also ready to be inserted in the right category section. This intensive attention to detail adds still more to the already super value one receives when subscribing to this superior Internet research tool.

If all this added value were not enough, Rock Hill Communications goes even further to make this resource even more valuable and user-friendly. Beginning July 2000, subscribers to Web Feet will be able to access the Web Feet database online, with the advent of Web Feet Online. Rock Hill has wisely decided to design the look and feel of Web Feet Online to look very similar to what you see with the paper material, and this online access is just a super idea that will surely catch on with all satisfied subscribers to the paper-based directory. This means you can choose to search for a relevant web site either in the specialized Web Feet Online database, or look for it in the already expertly organized paper material in the 2-binder collection. Of course, access to the online database is restricted to subscribers.

Typical Uses

This collection is an excellent tool for all teachers at all levels of public school, especially elementary and middle school level, and librarians in public libraries. You can use the information in planning curriculum units, as a "safe" way to browse the database for sites, as the trusted directory of sites to send children looking for information, and as a very helpful time saver for teachers. This is an excellent resource that is absolutely essential for all schools and public libraries.

For public librarians, this tool is as essential as the always important "ready reference" titles that are always within an arm's reach of the reference librarian. Increasingly, folks with questions are requesting web site URL's for their needed information. With Web Feet, it is very easy to use this organization of thousands of URL's, and finding the right one is now more easy than ever. In addition, with the extensive involvement of the many professionals in producing this handy guide, you can always feel comfortable when referring your customers to these already heavily screened site suggestions.

Tools Built Into Web Feet

Hundreds of categories with thousands of excellent web sites
Alphabetical organization of categories
Professional screening and filtering of sites
Calendar Connections of upcoming events
Subject index
Monthly revisions of web site changes
New sites added monthly
Web Feet Online providing online access to the material for subscribers
Focus on the needs of students, teachers, researchers, reference librarians
Very reasonably priced

Ease of Use

Web Feet can be used by professionals, as well as students and parents, and is designed in three-ring binders that include heavy stock paper, crisp screen shots of web site home pages, and highlighted URL's for easy reading when entering into the address field in browsers. The included annotations also help users better understand the value of the selected web site and with determining the "best" site to go for the needed answer.

Students can use the organized material in formalized assignments that require them to search Web Feet sites to retrieve results for reporting back to their teacher or their class.

Recommendations

Web Feet easily can be considered an essential investment by all schools and public libraries, to be added to the already growing bag of tricks and tools used to help folks get the right information they need from the right web site. For the price, users will receive an expertly organized collection of highly reliable web site resources that will save many hours of time trying to get to these gems of knowledge on the Internet.

While Web Feet is certainly NOT the most complete directory of web sites, this is not its intent. Rather than striving for collecting the most web sites, instead Web Feet provides an excellent, filtered collection of solid, substantial sites that are tailor-made for the targeted customers. You will find no URL's to sex sites here, and no sites with "little knowledge value."

Think of Web Feet as one of the major tools that should be included in your entire collection of resources used to help you find your way in the maelstrom of web sites. You can be assured a Web Feet site will be a site of substance that will be very well received by your customers looking for answers they can trust. On your burgeoning "ready reference" shelf of reference tools, surely containing other web site directories, you can now add this one to the list of "must haves."

Prices

$165 1-year subscription, 12 issues of Web Feet (includes 2-binder set)

$495 for schools, for Web Feet MARC Records for Library Catalogs
$975 for public libraries, for Web Feet MARC Records for Library Catalogs

$495 for schools, for Web Feet Online
$975 for public libraries, for Web Feet Online

$66.50 for Web Feet K - 8 (formerly "Online-Offline"), 1-year, 9 issues
($72 beginning September 1, 2000)

$495 for schools, $975 for public libraries, introductory price for BOTH Web Feet Online and MARC Records

10% discount on new products to existing subscribers of Web Feet
6% discount for new subscribers ordering two or more products

Call for network and consortium pricing

Contact

Rock Hill Press
Rock Hill Communications
14 Rock Hill Road
Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania 19004-2132
1-888-762-5445
610-667-2040
FAX 610-667-2291
info@rockhillcommunications.com
http://www.rockhillcommunications.com
http://www.webfeetguides.com