What's the best way of finding technical information? 

 
• Printed Documents
• Search Engines
• Web Pages
• Newsgroups
• Ask an Expert
 

These remain static for ever and easy to copyright. Most of us have grown up with the illusion that books hold all the answers. This not necessarily true for the designer of today.

Most books in people's possession are usually many years old, so will have references to electronic devices that are virtually obsolete and have been superseded by better ones.
 

 
Therefore always question the written word. Is it the best device for the application?

 
Finally, always check to document's date! If it's more than a year old then there will most certainly be a better device or more recent information available!

Search Engines are a way of FINDING Web Sites with information you require. They are Commercial Web Sites and thus have to make money from advertising. They offer a free service of searching for information you request in return you are presented with adverts.
 

A much quicker method of using search engines is to use:
 

This searches the Top 10 most efficient Search Engines at once. There is also far less advertising to view.

Web Pages are dynamic, meaning that the information can be updated regularly. They are hosted and maintained by professionals that offer the BEST and MOST RELIABLE information available.
 

 
Otherwise they'll fall into the category above and another colleague my pick up the printed document in a years time and assume that the information is up to date!

Knowledge Bases:
These are Web Pages run by companies in the form of Frequently Asked Questions i.e. FAQs. Their content is directly related to the products they sell. They will contain data sheets, application notes and advice on using their products.

Newsgroups are a way of ASKING for information and nowadays come in 2 forms:


• UseNet
• eGroups

UseNet:
These traditional newsgroups have a high readership of which a lot are top professionals in their field. These newsgroups cover most subjects but are not necessarily very specific. See eGroups below for a comparison.
 

Open an account with deja.com. It enables you to read and post into all the UseNet newsgroups. They collect newsgroup E-mails, store and index them.  The search box allows you to find any message as far back as 1995.
 

 
eGroups:
eGroups are similar to the UseNet newsgroups but are run by individuals or moderators as they're called. The eGroup relates to a much more specific subject. You usually have to join the group to post messages. They have a much smaller membershipthan UseNet but you're now communicating with a small group of individuals but with exactly the SAME interest as you.
 

There are a number of Expert Web Sites where you can ask a question to a selected range of experts on key subjects.

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