5 Websites That Offer Free Valuable Information

In a down economy, there is an increase in the demand for free, high quality information. The Internet has provided the opportunity for individuals to seek out relevant information related to pretty much anything. This can range from finding the perfect recipe, advice on how to enhance your business, where the nearest movie theater to you is located...virtually anything. What makes an informational-based website stand out from the clutter? Generally, a website that is "niche-based" and hones in enough on one topic to become an expert usually will stand out from the pack, but the websites that offer a lot of information related to multiple topics are the real diamond in the roughs. The list below represents five informational-based websites that stand out from the rest.


1. Wikipedia - This is the obvious #1. You can search for pretty much anything (that has some significance) on Wikipedia and find an entire page dedicated to it. The fact that anybody can edit an article makes it's credibility a little weak at times, but Wikipedia is great at weeding out the bs edits and ensuring that the content on the website is informative and accurate.

2. About.com - The great thing relating to About.com when compared to Wikipedia is the fact that the pages are written in a loose, casual manner instead of "Encyclopedia" type writing. The reason that this is an advantage is because while Wikipedia has extremely valuable information, the writing can be a little stale. About.com doesn't have this problem. The next time you are looking for information with an entertaining twist, check out About.com

3. findingDulcinea - Labeled as the "Librarian of the Internet", findingDulcinea.com seeks to find the best websites related to EVERY topic so you don't have to. Imagine not having to sift through the clutter and the spam on Google, Yahoo, and MSN when you run a search. When you explore topics and news on findingDulcinea, you are guaranteed that the websites being referenced are high quality, informative, and won't send spyware/viruses to your computer.

4. Mahalo - Whether it is news, sports, questions (and answers) you are looking for, you are sure to find it on Mahalo.com. Labeled as "human-powered" search, Mahalo (much like the other websites listed) provides a human-edited approach to a variety of different topics. Mahalo summarizes a particular article or topic and includes a list of other websites that have information relating to it.

5. YouTube - YouTube isn't only useful for finding 10 minute videos of people making jackasses out of themselves. Believe it or not, you can find a lot of valuable information on YouTube by just searching for it. YouTube contains a variety of tutorials related to pretty much anything (especially tech-related). I know with me personally, I always like to see a visual when I'm learning something new instead of just reading the instructions.