Thursday, December 11, 2008

Maternity Mayhem!

In light of Townsville’s recent baby boom there is no doubt in my mind that I am not the only expectant mother confused by the overwhelming wealth of web information concerning every aspect of impending parenthood. From nutrition to nappies, caffeine to cravings, exercise to epidurals, caesarean section vs. natural birth, the list truly is never ending.

To add to this perplexing pregnancy plethora, when it comes to babies, it seems everyone has an opinion and wants to ‘weigh-in.’ With a paediatrician brother, midwife mother-in-law, and a whole tribe of nurses in the family, I truly have heard every bit of advice under the rainbow, and here-in lies the problem: as a parent-to-be, how does one sort the baby information designed to keep mum and baby happy, from the information that could, quite frankly, fill your baby’s nappy?

For better or for worse, the internet is a highly accessible tool and anyone with the know-how can publish an internet site, regardless of qualification or agenda. This unregulated nature of the internet presents a unique set of challenges when trying to determine the reliability of information retrieved. As you might do when purchasing a new product in the supermarket, when researching any topic, it is always important to ‘read the label.’ When researching on the internet, some examples of questions you should ask are: Does the site have a reputable author? Is it up-to-date? Is there an obvious bias? Is the site trying to sell you something? Can the information be verified on other similar sites? Does the page contain links to other reliable sites?

To get you started, CityLibraries provides a number of reliable health related online databases through the CityLibraries website (http://tinyurl.com/66awf2): Medline Plus, HealthInsite, Health and Wellness Resource Centre and Credo Reference.
The Townsville General Hospital also provides a good resource at http://tinyurl.com/6czt2k (click on ‘Having a baby’ in the left hand navigation bar). Bellybelly at http://www.bellybelly.com.au
is also a great place to start for all things maternity and be sure to read their ‘about us’ and ‘disclaimer’ links before proceeding.

Of course, before making any medical decisions, consult your qualified healthcare provider.


Need help searching the web? Contact your local CityLibrary branch:
CityLibrary Aitkenvale 4727 8312
CityLibrary Flinders Mall 4727 9665
CityLibrary Thuringowa 4773 8601 or infodesk@townsville.qld.gov.au

Friday, December 05, 2008

Finding stuff you like

Have you been searching for some new music to listen to, a new author to read, or a new travel destination to visit? By using some simple search techniques in an internet search tool, you can mine the wisdom and opinion of millions of internet users to find things similar to what you like.

Firstly we need to explore phrase searching. Google and most other search engines enable you to search for phrases by enclosing your search words in inverted commas. Typing “Sydney ferry timetables” will force Google to search for those three words as they appear in the phrase, not as separate words within a webpage. This can dramatically increase the accuracy of your search results.

By using this technique and a few different search phrases, you can make new discoveries based on other people’s opinions. If you are searching for music similar to your favourite band (we’ll use the band Coldplay as an example), use a phrase like “reminds me of Copldplay”, or “similar to Coldplay”, or “sounds like Coldplay”. In the results you should find websites and blogs where people are discussing a band or artist that they think sounds like your favourite band.

To find reviews that are more opinionated, try using a phrase like “better than”, for example “better than Melbourne”.

Phrase searching can also be useful for finding answers to questions. Simply imagine how the answer you are looking for would be written, then search for that phrase. For example, if you want to find the longest river in the world, your search phrase would be “the longest river in the world is”.


Need help searching the web? Contact your local CityLibrary branch:

CityLibrary Aitkenvale 4727 8312
CityLibrary Flinders Mall 4727 9665
CityLibrary Thuringowa 4773 8601 or infodesk@townsville.qld.gov.au