Three ways to find information on the American Colonies

Most students are firmly entrenched in school by now (parents everywhere, can I get a Amen?!?!?), and those ubiquitous history reports are starting to pop up in nightly homework. If you've got a kiddo looking for great American history information on the Web - specifically information on the early American colonies, here are a few ways you can accomplish that.

Use more than one search engine. Don't just fall back on the standard Google search, try a few alternative search engines. Why? Well, first because every search engine is different, sometimes dramatically so, and while Google is a fantastic resource, the top ten results aren't always going to be the best for your needs. Researchers especially love trying new search engines - check out Human-Powered Search Engines, Map Search Engines, Metasearch Engines, Question and Answer Search Engines, and Reference Search Engines to find what you need.

Try the Invisible Web. The Invisible, or Deep, Web is basically all the good stuff that search engines have trouble finding, such as databases. You can use the Invisible Web to find some seriously incredible information on the American colonies (or anything else your heart might desire). Try Humanities Resources on the Invisible Web, or use Invisible Web Search Engines to drill down quickly.

Try a social bookmarking service. This is probably my favorite way to dig up good information. The Social Web is not just a fun way to network with other people. It's also the source for some of the best content on the Web; sites that have been found and approved by other like-minded searchers such as yourself. Try looking for American colonies info at the Top Ten Best Social Bookmarking Sites.

How do you find information you need on the Web for an academic project (or anything else)? What are your favorite resources? Share with us in the comments below.