Net On It

Entrepreneur, Sept, 2000 by Cassandra Cavanah

Sure, you use the Net. But do you know how to make it work for you?

The Internet makes our lives easier, right? At any given moment, you're just a point and click away from news, information and resources sure to help you run your company better and smarter. You can access today's news, financial data, travel information, potential customers, suppliers and a whole lot more. Trouble is, you and your employees can also get bogged down with too much information, too many choices and simply too many distractions.

There are a lot of software tools out there designed to make the Web a lot more productive, not to mention considerably more focused. What's truly amazing is that many of these tools are free--so grab them while you can.

BEST BETS

* Find it fast: Are you ever working on a document, visiting an Internet page or reading an e-mail when you have a question about what you're reading? Normally, you'd head to the Web to search for a definition or additional information. Unfortunately, that search often leads you through a tangled Web to the ultimate answer. GuruNet (www.gurunet.com) is a software application that does away with all that unnecessary searching and, instead, puts the answers right at your fingertips (or your mouse click). Simply click on a word with your Alt key depressed; then GuruNet will go out to the Web for you, locate the information and deliver it back in an incredibly easy-to-read format. Furthermore, it will even give you click through options to additional information.

Say, for example, you're reading an e-mail, and the sender mentions a company, a person or even a word that you don't recognize. Just click on it and obtain the answer--fast and without ever having to leave the application. What a way to work! You can also search the dictionary and Web sites, find books on a topic and more. GuruNet will also send your browser immediately to the appropriate Web site for more information. Even better: GuruNet is free, and it downloads quickly.

* Double your viewing pleasure: Given the plethora of information and resources on the Web, there are times when one browser window just won't do. Sure, you can open another one and toggle between them, but that can be such a cumbersome way to work. Stilesoft's NetCaptor (www.netcaptor.com) offers a better alternative: It adds simple tabs to your browser so you can click between one page and the next. That way, you can open all your favorite Web sites at once. NetCaptor's CaptorGroup also lets you group related sites in one folder so you can view all the sites on a topic at the same time. A free version of NetCaptor includes advertising, but the ad-free version costs $19.95.

* Good save: How many times have you wracked your brain trying to find information from a Web site you surfed just last week? No matter how many different sites you try, the data you need is ultimately elusive. Perhaps the site you're attempting to find has already disappeared from the Web, or you simply can't remember where the data appeared. SurfSaver (www.surfsaver.com) from askSam Systems changes all that: It lets you save Web pages directly onto your hard drive in folders that can be searched even when you're not connected to the Internet. You can save a single page, multiple pages or even an entire Web site, including graphics and links. This takes bookmarking to a whole new level, because the actual Web pages are downloaded to your hard drive, not simply links to pages (which we all know can disappear at any moment). SurfSaver works with both Netscape and Explorer and can be had for free if you're willing to view ad banners. If not, a $29.95 version is available online. A CD version ($39.95 street) is a lso available for those who want to avoid lengthy download times.

* Added intelligence: Some offers on the Web seem too good to be true, and sometimes you just want to be sure that the site you're buying your next pair of shoes from has a good reputation. The Alexa (www.alexa.com) toolbar follows you around while you surf, giving you access to information you wouldn't otherwise be able to find so easily. For example, on a shopping site, you can check out consumer ratings with a click of a button. Better yet, visit your competitors' sites and obtain details on them. The bar also offers links to other sites in a similar category, giving you one-click search capabilities. Another bonus is that Alexa maintains archives of more than 5.1 million sites. So, if the site you desire has disappeared, Alexa may be able to find it. The software is free and easy to download.

* Supersonic browsing: Tired of waiting for Web pages to load? Is your modem connection speed bringing you down? Check out NetSonic (www.netsonic.com), a program designed to improve your Web experience by creating a special cache to hold all the Web pages, text and graphics. Dubbed one of the best Internet accelerators available, NetSonic is free for the downloading. However, you'll have to view advertising if you want the free version; the ad-free version, NetSonic Pro, costs $39.95. This program learns as you go, downloading pages faster and faster each time you visit a Web site. It also pre-loads the links on a Web page, creating a seamless surfing experience. The program works within almost any browser, including Netscape, Explorer, AOL and CompuServe.