A trusty navigator

For journalists looking for resources on the Web, one of the challenges is finding sites that offer a quick, easy-to-use list of links. There are now so many link-o-rama sites available, the trick is finding a reliable few that are comprehensive but still conducive for quick info-hunts.

The good folks at the National Conference of Editorial Writers (http://www.ncew.org) recently called attention on their listserv and Web site to a handy guide produced by The New York Times.

The guide, called CyberTimes Navigator, can be found at http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/refe...

"Navigator is the home page used by the newsroom of The New York Times for forays into the Web,'' explains Rich Meislin, who maintains the site. ''Its primary intent was to give reporters and editors new to the Web a solid starting point for a wide range of journalistic functions without forcing all of them to spend time wandering around blindly to find a useful set of links of their own."

As might be expected for The Times, it's a quality site that will earns its way into the bookmarks of many in the media. I spotted quite a few links I haven't seen on other journalism-minded lists.

Among the offering is a list of the standard search engines, plus a few lesser-known sites that focus on specific topics, such as health. You'll also find a good reference desk, with links to sites that will direct you to collections of facts that--if you're like me--you half-remember or really ought to know from way-back-when but don't.

The "collections for journalists" section is strong too, with links to numerous government-related sites. I was especially pleased to find a link to a wonderfully easy-to-navigate list of state and local government Web sites. It's located http://www.piperinfo.com/state/slfl.html

Elsewhere on the CyberTimes site, you'll find links related to commerce and entertainment, lists of international and national media sites, and more. Rounding out the site is "Demonstrations and Miscellany,'' a compendium of goofy time-wasters. It's nice to know such things are of interest to the high-minded folks at The New York Times. Perhaps there's hope for the rest of us.

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