Gathering

Gathering is the next step to our challenge cycle that I'm going to talk about. Simply put to gather is to do research on the topic that you are framing. I feel like I have been doing research for a long time now and my internet gathering process has changed over the years. However I am old fashioned sometimes and still love going to the library and searching through the millions of books.

My current internet gathering technique is when I decide on a topic to research, whether it be for school, work, or just for fun I go to Wikipedia then Google. I first go to Wikipedia to gain more knowledge on a subject with the mind set that it may not all be correct but it can help me gain more understanding about the subject I'm reasearching. Another thing that I like about going to Wikiedia first is that it normally gives me ideas of what I can type into google other than just the key words. I then go to Google and type in the general key words on the subject I read the parts of the website that pop up under each website. I will then pick the ones that sound relivant and open them in new tabs. Then in Google I enter other words or phrases that I think will be useful from what I learned about the subject on Wikipedia. I choose the websites that sound useful and open them in more tabs. I then go through and read through the web sites and take notes/ mental thoughts on them. After reading through part of a website if it doesn't seam usefull or about what I am researching I simply close it. After going through all the sites i opened in tabs, if I need more info than I will either do more on Google or go to other websites that I was linked to through the previous websites.

From reading through the Internet Tutorials ( http://www.internettutorials.net/engines.asp )I learned that there are a lot more search engines out there then I thought there were. From the Berkeley Library I learned that there are 5 steps to follow when doing research. First, Analyse your topic and decide where to begin. Second, Pick the right starting place using a table they provied on their website ( http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Strategies.html ). Third, learn as you go and vary your approach with what you learn. Fourth, Don't bog down in any strategy that doesn't work. Finally fifth, return to previous strategies to get better informed. The Berkeley Library also talks about learning to recognize how reliable a resource is. It also talks about making sense of the info you find. The Next website that I looked at the OWL Perdue site about how to cite website and other digital resources. Personally I am lazy and simply go to easybib.com for all my citing needs.

Through all of the info that I gathered about gathering I have learned a lot and will adjust my gathering skills and technique to fit each assignment and topic differently.