( By:
paola | 21-09-2011 |
Daily,
Guides |
Comment? )
It was the same situation when I was in school. I’ve always had a very healthy curiosity when it comes to technology and I’ve been in/around Photoshop since I was 12. So when I started taking Photoshop/Illustrator classes in college I was a little ahead of the curve. I was naturally inclined to help anyone who would have rather asked me a question than the teacher. I know a lot of people who take the stance of “you have the same resources I had, so figure it out.” There were a few times when helping someone else would have hindered my own progress and I politely asked that they reach out to the teacher instead. After all, he was getting paid to help them.. I wasn’t.
To this day I have people ask me how I find this, that or the third. “How do you know what to search for? Where do you look?” So I thought I’d put a sort of a Guide to searching the Internet. This is by no means a comprehensive guide nor should it be taken as an end-all be-all for navigating the interweb (HA! like anyone would take me that seriously). And if I’m being honest, its somewhere I can point people when they ask for help. Its pretty basic, so if you’re comfortable on the net this may not be for you. But maybe, just maybe, you might find something you didn’t know was out there. Ready? Here we go!
[heading size="4"]General/Homegoods Shopping[/heading]
Amazon – Anybody who knows me knows how much I love Amazon. About three years ago I was e-window shopping for a gift for Yong that I needed to get ASAP. They had just started their Prime program, which charges $79/year for free two-day shipping on any item sold or fullfilled by Amazon. I signed up for their free month-long trial and was instantly hooked. If you’re shopping for general goods, Amazon should be your first stop. There haven’t been very many times when I didn’t find what I was looking for and at a significantly lower price. You’ll be surprised at how extensive their selection is. They ship promptly (no more waiting two days for the company to “process” your order and then ship), even including a countdown of how much time you have left so that your item will ship same day on every product page. In the three years that I’ve been a Prime customer, I’ve only once not received a package on time. When I brought it to their attention they immediately issued a full refund and placed $10 credit on my account. I’m telling you, they rock!
O.co — So Overstock.com is now O.co. We’ve all seen the commercials but I never really jumped on the hype wagon until last year. If you’re in the market for home goods, don’t forget to check here. We’ve purchased side tables, end tables, rugs and dining chairs from O. Prompt delivery (nowhere near Amazon level but not dissapointingly slow), great packaging and awesome customer service. In June, California passed a law that required online retailers (even those not conducting business out of CA) to charge their customer sales tax. As a very generous gesture, the president decided to upgrade any CA residents that currently held accounts with them to Club O memberships. This meant free shipping year round and 5% cash back on every purchase, to help offset the tax. I have yet to take advantage of this membership but I’m pretty sure they have a customer for life because of it. Its the little things people.
Hayneedle — Such an appropriate name. I had never even heard of this place before last week, needle in a hay stack. I was perusing the latest issue of Lonny and came across this page. If you’re not familiar with Lonny, they do their best to supply links/details to where you can purchase the items in the photographs. This little side table caught my eye.
It was the perfect side table to have next to the chair I planned on buying for mom’s room. Half the time when I click on anything inside of Lonny I expect the price to be out of my range. But I was surprised to find that it was only $50. Compared to West Elm’s Martini side table for $129, which has amazing quality for the price don’t get me wrong. If you can afford it, by all means go for it. I received the table within 5 days of ordering it and it arrived in perfect condition. *Note: The magazine actually links to ModernFurniture.com which is owned by Hayneedle.
[heading size="4"]Clothing/Accessories Shopping[/heading]
ShopStyle — Ever have a description of a shoe or blouse you wanted to buy, but didn’t know where to look? Or simply wanted options? Shopstyle is the place for you! Simply enter your description and hit Go. You can refine your search by price, size or even color. The results will be pulled from stores all over the internet and you can even view inventory details when you hover over an item.
[heading size="4"]Cameras/Lenses Shopping & Research[/heading]
Amazon — I sang my praises before. Best prices, however I don’t have experience with their warranties. So you may want to look at B&H Photo Video below. I try to avoid buying anything from Amazon that has zero reviews or less than 3 stars overall. Take the time to read the reviews, sometimes it isn’t the actual product that people are disappointed with but with the seller/buying experience/shipping delay. Do your research!
B&H Photo Video — B&H is my go-to when it comes to upscale camera equipment. Fast shipping, top notch customer service and great prices. But the best part of B&H are the customer reviews. Wondering how that new camera will hold up? Check the reviews.
Pixel Peeper — If you’re contemplating buying a new camera or pricey lens but wish you could see what the pictures actually turn out like, visit PP. You can search by brand and even see what lenses/cameras are most popular. Pixel peeper then pulls images from Flickr taken with whatever equipment you chose.
[heading size="4"]Inspiration Search[/heading]
Pinterest — Fairly new, at least to me, Pinterest has taken off like a bat out of hell. Currently by invitation only, Pinterest acts as your virtual mood board. You can search for images and then “pin” them to your board. You can also follow other style savvy users and view their boards. It really is inspiration central!
[heading size="4"]Blogs Search[/heading]
Bloglovin’ – Looking for more great blogs to add to your Google Reader or just need some more variety when you make your morning rounds? Bloglovin has got you covered. You can search blogs based on popularity or overall blog theme, whether it’s Interior Design, Fashion, Photography or Humor.
[heading size="4"]Coupons Search[/heading]
Retail Me Not — Who doesn’t love a great discount? Retail Me Not was one of the first trust-worthy coupon sites (the cute design helps) that I fell in love with. Its still one of my go-tos if all else fails. Trust their Success Percentage rates, they won’t steer you wrong.
Ebates — Two things: Discount codes + cash back. Ebates has relationships with thousands of online stores. If you click on a store link through Ebates they will provide you with a discount code and a tracking code. Once you place your order Ebates will credit your account and you’ll basically get paid to shop. *Link contains affiliate link.
[heading size="4"]General Search[/heading]
Google – This should really be in every single one of these categories. Google should be your first stop with any query you may have. The reality is that no matter what question you may have, someone, somewhere in the world has probably already asked it. And someone else has probably already answered it to the best of their ability. Have general questions like “How many inches in a yard?” Google’s got you covered without leaving the page. I know, simple. But I’m embarrassed to tell you how many times I’ve googled that exact question. =\
Yahoo! Answers – Have a very specific question, like ‘What way do toilets flush in the northern hemisphere??’ Then check Yahoo! Answers to get a prompt answer. There’s a more than a few folks that like to troll YA posting bogus answers to random questions. Use common sense when digging through answers until you find what you’re looking for.
Bing – “Search one and done!” I don’t use Bing very much (more like at all). But I know folks who swear by it. It claims to cut through all the BS and get you the results you’re looking for the first time around.
[heading size="3"]So there you go, your guide to finding what you need online! :)[/heading]
(P.S. I am not affiliated with any company/link unless otherwise stated.)
