MARCH 2006 - Hobbies on the Internet

A good source for researching a hobby is About.com. About.com is a web portal that relies on paid human editors to cover a specific topic by writing articles and constructing a web directory. There are currently about 700 topic-sites, most of which are led by a guide (who acts as the editor). The website address is:

www.about.com

Either enter your hobby or topic in the search box at the top of the page, or use the “Channels” column on the left-hand side to browse the sites.

FORUMS AND GROUPS

Did you think you were alone in your obsession with a hobby? Chances are there's an Internet group for people like you, discussing every little detail of your obsession right now. Most forums or groups allow you to read and search their entries (called “posts”), but you must register if you want to post comments. About.com has forums on all of their topic-sites. Locate the site for your favorite hobby, then scroll down the list on the left side of the page. Click on the word “Forums”, then in the sign-in box that appears, click on “Guest Access”.

Another site that has groups is www.google.com. To search them for a specific topic, go to the main Google page at www.google.com and enter your hobby name in their search box and hit “Enter”. Then click on the “Groups” tab above the box.

Yahoo! is also a very popular site for groups. However, their messages are done via their email system and most of the groups require you to become a member. You will receive the posts as emails that are sent to all members of the group and you can respond via email. To find a group on Yahoo, go to their main page at www.yahoo.com and click on “Groups” in the left-hand column. Enter your hobby in the “Find a Group” box and press “Search”. Click on the group name to learn more about the group.

March 2006 Hobbies

Hobbies and interests - March 2006
Hobbies and interests keep your mind alive and healthy. Some even help increase activity and keep your body in better shape. But, how do you find information and others with similar interests? The Internet is becoming the best place to solve this problem. Using search tools like "Google, Yahoo and MSN search you can find information on practically subject if you know how. The secret is knowing how the search works and using the right words and being specific. For example, if you want to find groups that are interested in making jewelry, you must use the terms "jewelry making hobby groups information" so that jewelry sellers and sellers of tool, equipment and materials are eliminated. Even with the best searching technique you will still get to many results and have to learn to read the results carefully. If you have specific information about the subject like a particular unique piece of information it can help you narrow your search by looking for related links.
Here are some site I found using these ideas for hobbies I like.
House plants
http://www.epfl.net/subjects/subjectguide.cfm?cid=537&sid=24&pid=534
African violets
http://www.gesneriads.ca/
Painting lessons
http://www.interactiveartschool.com/free-art-lessons.html
Photography Clubs
http://www.chicameraclubs.org/
Jewelry Making instructions
http://jewelrymaking.about.com/library/weekly/aa051799.htm
Jewelry Supplies and finished products
http://www.firemountaingems.com
Supplies and instructioms
http://www.jewelrysupply.com/index.php?main_page=1/diy_projects.html
Model building help
http://www.answers.com/topic/ship-model
Model ship instructions
http://www.sailingmodels.com/
Orchid groups and supplies
http://www.iosoc.com/