Finding Sites to Add to JoeAnt: Part II

You may have chosen your topic because one of its subtopics was what interested you but, remember, you have access to every subtopic within your main topic. How do you find sites that belong in other areas of that topic?

Look for search engines or directories that focus on your topic. This isn't a complete list nor are we suggesting that the directories that are listed are better than others that are available, it's just a starting point. Go. Explore. Who knows what sites you'll find to add.

Art & Humanities:
YourArt
Artifact
101 Best Sites for Writers

Business:
Business.com
Kellysearch

Children:
Yahooligans
FirstGov for Kids
Kids Click

Computers:
Technorati
Computer Science

Education:
American Universities
All Schools

Entertainment:
Blues Links
Movies

Home & Garden:
Dog Info
Restaurant Page
Crafts Fair Online

Health & Fitness:
OmniMedicalSearch
U.S. Hospital Directory

News & Politics:
Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources
Online Newspapers

People & Society:
Church.net.uk
Christmas Guide
Avatar Search

Real Estate:
Canada Real Estate Directory
Rebuz

Recreation & Sports:
Sports Team Directory
Cyber Cyclery

Science & Technology:
Scirus
Virtual Library: Natural Sciences and Mathematics

Shopping:
Google Catalogs
Antiques & Collectibles Guide

Travel:
Aardvark Travel
EatandStay.com
National Tourist Offices

Other good sources for sites to add are Web Award lists and the portfolios of Web design companies.

Why Be a JoeAnt Editor?

Some people become JoeAnt editors because they want to list their site. Some join because they want to share some of the interesting sites they have found, perhaps ones that relate to their business or hobby. Some join to be a part of a community. (Regardless of why they join, it's the community and the feeling of doing something productive that many of them stay for.)

Remember when you first started going online? Before you learned how to use search engines and directories to find sites. Or if you've been around as long as some of us, before there really was much in the way of search tools? Back then, one of the best ways to find sites was through links pages. If you had a site you would create a page of links to sites that you liked. When you found a site that interested you, you would look at their list of links to see if they had anything new.

A directory is similar to the old links pages except that it is done by a group of people and we include descriptions of the sites to help visitors decide which ones they want to visit. (The downside to the links pages was that they often just had the URL or site's name without much other information. Clicking a link could mean a great new discovery or it could be a big waste of time...especially when everyone was on dial up!)

Being an editor lets you share sites you like and there's a certain (geeky) thrill of having your editor-name attached to the listing. If you have a hobby, do you know of sites that are informative but may not be getting the attention they deserve? Join and add them. Make the topic(s) you add sites to the best place for others who share your hobby or who may want to get started in it to find sites. (Browse the topics before joining so you select the best one for adding your sites.)

See what JoeAnt editors have been adding lately.

Finding Sites to Add to JoeAnt

You've joined the JoeAnt community. Maybe you contribute or have contributed listings to another human edited directory. If so you probably don't need much help finding sites to add. You already know where to look for sites for your favorite topics. If you've submitted your favorite sites to another directory, you may still add them to JoeAnt (assuming they meet our guideline standards). Just remember that you need to write unique descriptions - even if you are the author of the site's description in another directory, once you submit it there the description belongs to them and you need to write a new one at JoeAnt.

What if you've never worked on a directory before? Maybe you joined because you wanted to list your own site. Or you remember how hard it was for you to find truly good sites about your favorite topic and want to do something that will help others with the same interests find them more easily. Or you just wanted to join an online community and help create something useful. What do you do to find sites to add?

If you have a site that is not an affiliate and has original content, begin with that. Next look through the sites that you have bookmarked on your computer. Will any of them go in the topic you selected when you joined JoeAnt? If they were good enough to bookmark then the chances are that they are good enough to be listed...so add them.

Even the sites that don't have enough content to be added to the directory may have something you can use, a page with links to related sites. Check them out. Would any of those sites be a good addition to the directory? We don't allow sites that are just a collection of links to be added to the directory but they can still be an excellent resource for an editor.

Use search engines and directories. You probably have one or two favorites that you use most often but try some others also. Here are a few to get you started.

Aesop
All the Web
Ask Jeeves
Brainboost
DMOZ - Open Directory Project
Gigablast
Google
IceRocket
MSN
Scrub the Web
Yahoo!
Zeal

Advance Directives, Attorneys, Adventure Travel and More

Recent topic additions:

Arts & Humanities:

Photography Communities for sites that provide an online gathering place for hobbyist and professional photographers.

Business:

Advance Directives and Living Wills lists sites with printable forms and information about selecting a health care proxy.
Audience Response Systems has sites with products for interactive meetings.
Promotional Balloons and Inflatables
Moving Company Reviews

Attorneys_and_Law_Firms By Practice Specialty is a new topic with several new subtopics in it. (Administrative, Bankruptcy, Business, Civil Liberties, Criminal Defense, Employee Rights, Family, Immigration, Intellectual Property, Malpractice, Personal Injury, Product Liability, and Trust and Estate.

We also have Lawyers listed by location. Most law firms should be listed according to the location of their offices unless the site clearly emphasizes a practice area.

Computers:

Internet > Weblogs > Media Weblogs for comments, criticism, and backstage looks at the journalism industry.

Home and Garden:

Pets_and_Animals > Cats > Breeds > R-Z > Siamese Cats

People and Society:

Romance > Weddings > Destination_Weddings > Las Vegas Weddings has its own topic now because the listings for this destination were about 1/3 of the total Destination Wedding sites.

Real Estate:

We have added some new topics for Real Estate Agents in these locations.

Turkish Real Estate Agents
North Carolina > Dare County Real Estate Agents (Kitty Hawk and the Outer Banks area)
North Carolina > Buncombe County Real Estate Agents

Recreation and Sports:

Recreation > Summer_Camps > Day Camps (This had been in the Children's topic but was moved to consolidate the camp topics in Recreation.
Travel and Adventure Camps are usually for teens and offer more challenging programs than more traditional camps.

Shopping:

Music Lessons for music classes, in person or online. This topic is crosslinked under Arts_and_Humanities > Arts > Performing_Arts > Music and under Entertainment > Music > Musical Instruments
Outdoor > Coolers and Picnic Supplies
Playground Equipment for the backyard.

Travel:

Agents_and_Services > Tour_Operators_and_Travel_Agents > Regional_Tours > Africa > African Safaris (This is crosslinked under Adventure Travel.)
Destination Guides > South Padre Island, Texas and Devon, England.

The English Hotels topic was getting full so we have new subtopics for London Hotels, Lancashire Hotels, and Warwickshire Hotels.

Drug Stores Online

The JoeAnt Directory has for online pharmacies in two separate categories. In the Health and Fitness topic we list pharmacies that are VIPPS (Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites) and Certified Canadian International Pharmacies. The VIPPS pharmacies are ones that have been certified by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. CIPA (Canadian International Pharmacy Association) is an association of licensed pharmacies in Canada that do business internationally.

In the Health and Beauty topic in the Independent Business Affiliates category we list other online pharmacies with subtopics for buying Viagra online and buying pain medication online.

Any sites that sell prescription medication must have either the VIPPS or CIPA seal displayed on the Web site to be listed in the general Health and Fitness category. All other drug retailers will be listed in the Affiliate category. Any editor may add a VIPPS or CIPA certified site to the directory but all non-certified pharmacy listings are through Speed-Pass only.

Moving Scams, Podcasting, Apartment Rentals, and More

Business:

Moving and Storage > Moving Scams lists sites that provide information to help people avoid fraud by moving companies.

Computers:

Internet > Broadcasting > Podcasting for downloadable audio broadcasts. This topic is crosslinked with Audio Blogs.

Programming > Game Programming is a new topic for resources for game developers.

Education:

There are two new subtopics under Quotations - Humorous Quotations and Inspirational Quotations.

Entertainment:

Music > Artists and Bands > P > Elvis Presley > Elvis Impersonators

Real Estate:

The Apartments topic has been subdivided by region - Asian Apartments, European Apartments, and North American Apartments.

Note - Topics for leasing Vacation Rental Apartments are in the Travel > Accommodations section of the directory while the topic for those wishing to purchase Time Share Apartments is in the Real Estate topic.

There is a new topic for Real Estate News.

Shopping:

Toys and Games > Board Games

Home > Bedroom > Bed and Bath Textiles for towels, sheets, comforters, duvets, blankets, and linens.

Auction sites have a new subtopic for Online Auctions. The main Auction topic should be for live auctions and auctioneers. There is also a subtopic for Online Auction Directories listing sites that allow visitors to find items from among several online auctions. Service Auctions lists sites that offer services rather than goods for sale. Government and Police Auctions has surplus, seized, repossessed and forfeited items.

Computers > Hardware > PDAs

Travel:

Accommodations > Vermont Bed and Breakfast is a new topic but already has over fifty listings!

Destination Guides > Iceland

Independent Buisiness Affiliates:

There is a new topic under Gambling for Online Card Games (Poker, Blackjack...)

What's Happening in March

Holidays and celebrations this month include St. Patrick's Day, Easter, U.S.A. Girl Scout Birthday, Earth Day, and Purim.

Other resources include Easter Crafts and Kosher recipes.

March is also Craft Month, Furniture Refinishing Month, and Nutrition Month. Find or share crafting sites in JoeAnt's Arts and Crafts topic, get Do-It-Yourself help, or Nutrition information. (Sites selling Nutritional products can be found in the Shopping topic.)

It's also time for March Madness. Find favorite College Basketball teams, Tournament Information, Sports News, and odds from Sportsbook sites.

Internet Service, Indian Hotels, Real Estate and more

Recent topic additions and changes in the JoeAnt Directory structure:

Note: Bingo sites have been moved to Independent_Business_Affiliates > Entertainment > Gambling > Bingo. There are two "Lottery" topics. Business > Industry_Specific > Media_and_Entertainment > Casinos_and_Gaming > Lottery is for state/government run lotteries (the official sites and sites with information about these lotteries). Independent_Business_Affiliates > Entertainment > Gambling > Lotteries are for gaming sites that offer online lottery play.

Arts and Humanities:
Humanities > History > By_Region > Asia > Indian History
Chinese History
Japanese History
Humanities > Languages > Natural_Languages > Indo-Iranian_Languages > Indo_Aryan > Assamese
Marathi
Panjabi
Oriya
Gujarati
Bengali

Business:
Industry_Specific > Construction > General Contractors
Law > Legal_Professionals > Attorneys_and_Law_Firms > North_America > United_States > California_Attorneys > San Diego Attorneys
San Francisco Attorneys
Finance > Financial_Services > Cash Flow
The following flooring topics are for contractors who provide these services. General information about types of flooring belongs in Home_and_Garden > Interior_Design > Furnishing_and_Decorating > Flooring
Industry_Specific > Construction > Trades > Flooring > Polished Concrete Flooring.
Hardwood Flooring

Computers:
To make it easier for customers to find an Internet Service Provider by type we have created these new subtopics.
Internet > Internet_Service_Providers > DSL
Wireless Internet Service
Cable Internet Service
Satellite Internet Service
Free Internet Service
Internet > Internet_Service_Providers > DSL > ADSL


Entertainment:
A new subtopic for music composition other than songwriting.
Music > Music Composition

Health and Fitness:
Dental_Health > Cosmetic_Dentistry > Dental Implants

Home and Garden:
Keep the kids entertained, begin a new career as a clown, or just have fun with balloon sculpting.
Hobbies > Balloon Sculpting

People and Society:
This topic is for recurring gay pride events (annual parades, conferences, festivals).
Communities_and_Groups > Gay_Community > GLB Pride Events

Real Estate:
New county subtopics have been added for real estate agents in Minnesota.
Agents > By_Region > North_America > United_States_Real_Estate_Agents > Minnesota_Real_Estate_Agents > By_County > Pope
Ramsey
Olmsted
Itasca

Recreation and Sports:
Recreation > Automotive > Four Wheeling
Recreation > Camping > Campgrounds > By_Region > North_America > United_States > New Hampshire Campgrounds

Shopping:
Toys_and_Games > Ride On Toys
Sports > Hunting_Equipment_and_Apparel > Gun Safes and Storage

Travel:
Accommodation > Resorts > By_Region > North_America > United_States > Minnesota Resorts
Accommodation > Hotels > By_Region > North_America > United_States > Michigan Hotels
Planning a trip to India? We have several new Indian hotel topics for specific cities.
Accommodation > Hotels > By_Region > Asia > Indian_Hotels > Chennai Hotels
Shimla Hotels
Madurai Hotels
Kolkata Hotels
Manali Hotels
Ahmedabad Hotels
Kochi Hotels
Varansi Hotels
Bangalore Hotels
Agra Hotels
Udaipur Hotels
Goa Hotels
Dehradun Hotels
Accommodation > Hotels > By_Region > Asia > Hong Kong Hotels
Accommodation > Bed_and_Breakfast > North_American_Bed_and_Breakfast > Mexican Bed and Breakfast
Accommodation > Vacation_Rentals > North_America > Canadian_Vacation_Rentals > Prince Edward Island Vacation Rentals
Destination_Guides > Asia > Nepal
Transportation > By_Road > Bicycle and Pedestrian Travel

Political Weblogs, Shopping for Pet Supplies, Hotels and more

Recent subtopic additions:

Business > Human_Resources > Employment_and_Career > Jobs > Driving Jobs

Computers > Internet > Weblogs > Political Weblogs for blogs that focus on politics (any country, any party).
Politician Blogs for official blogs belonging to a candidate or elected politician.
Political Party Blogs for official political party weblogs. Blogs which support a party but are not the official party blog should be placed in the Political Weblogs topic.
Computers > Companies > Web_Design_Companies > By_Region > North_America > Canada > Newfoundland

Home_and_Garden > Pets_and_Animals > Dogs > Breeds > D-H > English Bulldogs

Regional > North_America > United_States > By_State > Texas > By_City > E-H > Fort Worth

Shopping > Computers > Hardware > Computer Parts and Accessories
Shopping > Jewelry > Jewelry Boxes
Shopping > Sports > Golf_Equipment_and_Apparel > Golf Shoes
Shopping > Home > Windows > Curtains and Draperies
Note to editors: Parts of the Shopping/Pets topic has been restructured.
Shopping > Pets_and_Pet_Supplies > Pet Doors and Gates
Pet Grooming Supplies (combs, brushes, clippers, and trimmers)
Pet Furniture and Bedding (beds, scratching posts, carpeted cat furniture, and litter boxes)
Pet Training Equipment (training supplies for guard or hunting dogs, behavior modification, and obedience)
Pet Toys
Cat Toys
The "Supplies" topics are for sites selling a wider variety of products.
Cat Supplies
Dog Supplies
Ferret Supplies
Fashions for your best friend - Pet Apparel
Pet Food and Treats (We also have sites with recipes to make your own pet food.)
Cat Food
Dog Food

Travel > Accommodation > Hotels > By_Region > Asia > Singapore Hotels
Travel > Accommodation > Hotels > By_Region > North_America > United_States > California_Hotels > San Francisco Bay Area Hotels
Monterey Bay Area Hotels
Travel > Destination_Guides > North_America > United_States > Massachusetts >
Cape Cod

Regional Internet Directories, Shopping, Travel and More

Recent subtopic additions:

Shopping

Shopping > Home > Bedroom >
Pillows
Mattresses
Golfers, get ready for spring - the shopping for golf supplies topics have new subtopics to make it easier to find golf clubs, tees, and other accessories.
Shopping > Sports > Golf_Equipment_and_Apparel >
Golf Clubs
Golf Tees and Accessories
Shopping > New_Age > Spells
Jewelers who specialize in either gold or silver now have their own subtopics.
Shopping > Jewelry > Precious_Metals > Silver Jewelry
Shopping > Jewelry > Precious_Metals > Gold Jewelry
A much need subtopic for religious items has been added to the Shopping topic.
Shopping > Religious Products
Shopping > Apparel > Religious Apparel
Sites with product reviews by experts and consumers belong in this new subtopic. Sites that draw price comparisons/reviews from other sources and are mainly used to give a choice among a listing of affiliate companies do not belong in this topic. All affiliate sites should be submitted through Speed Pass to the Independent Business Affiliates topic.
Shopping > Comparison_Shopping > Product Reviews

Computers
Computers > Internet > Search_Engines_and_Directories > Directories > Regional Directories

Travel
Travel > Destination_Guides > Asia > Myanmar
Travel > Destination_Guides > North_America > United_States > Massachusetts > Boston
Travel > Transportation > By_Air > Airports > By_Region > European_Airports > Irish Airports
Travel > Accommodation > Hotels > By_Region > Asia > Indian_Hotels >
Mumbai Hotels
New Delhi Hotels
Jaipur Hotels
Pune Hotels
Travel > Agents_and_Services > Tour_Operators_and_Travel_Agents > Regional_Tours > Asia > India > New Delhi

Science_and_Technology
Science_and_Technology > Science > Biology > Pharmacology

Recreation_and_Sports
Inline skaters, take note. We have an editor who has been working to build topics with links just for you.
Recreation_and_Sports > Sports > P-S > Skating > Roller_Skating > Inline_Skating > Aggressive Skating
There are also subtopics for Speed Skating, Teams, and Races along with over 30 Inline Skating Clubs.

Indian Languages, UK Property Agents, Pain Relief and More

Recent subtopic additions:

Arts & Humanities
Arts_and_Humanities > Humanities > Languages > Natural_Languages > Indo-Iranian_Languages > Indo_Aryan >
Sanskrit
Romani
Hindi

Business
Business > News_and_Resources > Business_Portals_and_Directories > By_Region > North_American_Business_Directories > United_States_Business_Directories > Georgia Business Directories

Computers
Computers > Internet > Web_Design > Accessibility

Recreation & Sports
Recreation_and_Sports > Sports > C-F > Football > Gaelic Football

Real Estate
There's a new subtopic for Property (Real Estate) Agents in the United Kingdom.
Real_Estate > Agents > By_Region > Europe > UK Real Estate Agents
Or, if you're planning a move to Idaho...
Real_Estate > Agents > By_Region > North_America > United_States_Real_Estate_Agents > Idaho_Real_Estate_Agents > By_County > Bonneville

People & Society
People_and_Society > Society > Social_Issues > Death Care

News and Politics
Local, regional, and national news from newspapers located in Ireland.
News_and_Politics > Newspapers > By_Region > Europe > Ireland

Health & Fitness
Feldenkrais uses manipulation, passive movement, and movement exercises to relieve pain and improve posture, flexibility, coordination.
Health_and_Fitness > Alternative_Medicine > Feldenkrais

Travel
Two new subtopics for a topic that is growing quickly, California Hotels. If you're planning a trip to California this should be one of the first places you look. If you've already taken your trip and enjoyed your accommodations, add the hotel's site (if it's not yet listed.)
Travel > Accommodation > Hotels > By_Region > North_America > United_States > California_Hotels >
Napa Hotels
Pismo Beach Hotels
For those traveling to the east coast...
Travel > Accommodation > Hotels > By_Region > North_America > United_States > West Virginia Hotels

Independent Business Affiliates
Independent_Business_Affiliates > Real Estate
Independent_Business_Affiliates > Health_and_Beauty > Health > Pharmacies > Buy Pain Medication Online

Car Parts, Real Estate Software, Cities Across the U.S. and More

Recently added subtopics:

Editors are encouraged to check the topics in which they have editing permission and move entries from parent to child subtopics or add new listings to empty subtopics.

Shopping
Looking for car, truck, or SUV parts for a specific manufacturer, make, or model vehicle? There are also new subtopics for covers (for cars, trucks, vans, SUVs and boats), racks and hitches, and supplies to keep your vehicle clean.
Shopping > Vehicles > Parts_and_Accessories >
By Manufacturer
Vehicle Covers
Racks Mounts and Hitches
Cleaning and Detailing Supplies
Shopping > Vehicles > Trucks_Vans_SUV > Truck_Van_SUV_Parts_and_Accessories > Truck Parts and Accessories

Business
Subtopics related to shipping cases include Packaging Supplies and Mailing and Shipping Supplies.
Business > Commodities > Packaging_and_Containers > Shipping Cases
Items to give to customers and employees to promote your business can be found in these new subtopics.
Business > Sales_and_Marketing > Advertising > Promotional_Items >
Promotional Buttons and Pins
Promotional Stickers and Decals
Promotional Lanyards
Promotional Apparel

Computers
Real estate agents and other real estate professionals can find software for their businesses in these new subtopics.
Computers > Software > Business > By_Industry_Type > Real_Estate_Software >
Real Estate Contact Management
Real Estate Transaction Software
Real Estate Appraisal Software
Virtual Tour Software
Property Management Software
Real Estate Forms

Second level or higher editors who have chosen access to the Regional topic may want to request the development of subtopics for their city.

Regional
Regional > North_America > United_States > By_State > Arizona > By_City > Q-T > Sierra Vista
Regional > North_America > United_States > By_State > California > By_County > Riverside County
Regional > North_America > United_States > By_State > Colorado > By_City > E-H > Grand Junction
Regional > North_America > United_States > By_State > Connecticut > By_City > A-D > Danbury
Regional > North_America > United_States > By_State > Florida > By_City > E-H > Gainesville
Regional > North_America > United_States > By_State > Florida > By_City > Q-T > Sarasota
Regional > North_America > United_States > By_State > Georgia > By_City > A-D > Albany
Regional > North_America > United_States > By_State > Ohio > By_City > A-D > Akron
Regional > North_America > United_States > By_State > New_Mexico > By_City > I-L > Las Cruces
Regional > North_America > United_States > By_State > Tennessee > By_City > E-H > Gatlinburg
Regional > North_America > United_States > By_State > Utah > By_City > M-P > Provo
Regional > North_America > United_States > By_State > Utah > By_City > Q-T > Saint George

Education
Education > Libraries > By_Region > Europe > Irish Libraries

Independent Business Affiliates
Sites that provide visitors looking for hotels and other vacation accommodations from one or more outsourced databases can be found in these new topics.
Independent_Business_Affiliates > Travel > Accommodations >
North American Accommodations
European Accommodations
Asian Accommodations

Iraq News, Home Builders by State, Libraries and More

New subtopics are added when a topic becomes large and there are entries within it can be reasonably sorted into smaller groups. Editors may also request new subtopics in which they have an interest (sports, hobbies, business...).

Recently added subtopics:

Regional
Regional > Middle_East > Israel > Israel News
Regional > Middle_East > Iraq >
Iraq News
Iraqi Culture
Regional > Middle_East > Afghanistan >
Afghan Culture
Afghanistan News
Regional > North_America > United_States > By_State > Arkansas > By_City > E-H > Fayetteville > Tourism >
Accommodations
Fayetteville Restaurants

Real Estate
Find or list local home builders by state.
Real_Estate > Home_Builders > By_Region > North_America > United_States_Builders >
Arizona BuildersCalifornia Builders
Colorado Builders
Florida Builders
Georgia Builders
Kentucky BuildersMassachusetts Builders
Michigan Builders
Nebraska Builders
New York Builders
Oregon BuildersTexas Builders
Real_Estate > Agents > By_Region > North_America > United_States_Real_Estate_Agents > Kansas_Real_Estate_Agents > By_County > Sedgwick

Business
For manufacturers and sellers of mobile or modular homes -
Business > Industry_Specific > Construction > Manufactured and Modular Homes
Business > Finance > Consumer_Finance > Loans > Vehicle Financing
Looking for work in the UK?
Business > Human_Resources > Employment_and_Career > Jobs > Jobs_By_Region > Jobs_In_Europe > United Kingdom Jobs

Education
Education > Resources > School Management
Education > Libraries > By_Region > Europe >
British Libraries
German Libraries
Education > Libraries > By_Region > North_America > Canadian_Libraries > Nova Scotia Libraries
Education > Schools > Colleges_and_Universities > By_Region > Europe > Irish Colleges and Universities

Health & Fitness
Health_and_Fitness > Dental_Health > Dentists > North_American_Dentists > US_Dentists > Pennsylvania Dentists

Travel
Travel > Accommodation > Hotels > By_Region > North_America > United_States >
Alabama Hotels
Texas Hotels

Planning a Trip: Packing

Need a camera? Look in the Photography topic in Shopping for film or Digital Cameras and Photography Accessories. You can find Photography Tips and Resources in the Photography topic in Arts & Humanities.

If you take pictures on your vacation and share them on your Web site, join as an editor (select the Travel topic) and add your site to our collection of Travelogues.

The Shopping topic also has sources for Travel Items (Luggage and Accessories), Apparel (Athletic Clothing, Footwear, Outdoor Apparel, and Swimwear), and Outdoor Supplies (Camping Gear).

Sources for Travel Insurance can be found in the Business Topic.

Planning a Trip: Getting Help

If you don't want to do all the planning on your own, check out the Planning Your Trip topic for travel tips and planning guides or look through the Travel Agents and Services topic to find someone to take care of making the travel arrangements for you. Find Outbound Tours from your location or Regional Tour Operators at your destination.

Planning a Trip: Getting There

Transportation in the Travel topic has sites with resources for Air Travel, Bus, Railroad, Road Trips (including Car Rental, Limousines and Shuttle Services, and Taxis), and by Sea (Cruises and Ferries).

Planning a Trip: Accommodations

Accommodations - resource for finding Bed & Breakfast Inns, Hostels, Hotels, Resorts, and Vacation Rentals. Begin with the type of lodging in which you are most interested and click through the links to find your travel destination.

The related topic, Campgrounds, is in the Recreation and Sports topic.

Planning a Trip: Choosing a Destination

Destination Guides - the place to begin planning your trip. Find information about accommodations, restaurants, transportation, and attractions in your chosen destination. Frequently the information provided by the sites listed in this topic is more specific to a particular location than the information that can be found in the Travel Directories topic.

The Regional topic also may also have sites with similar information. The decision to place a guide to a particular location in the Travel topic or in the Regional topic is often a judgement call by the submitting and reviewing editors. In general, the location guides or directories that are intended primarily for visitors go in the Travel topic while those that contain links of interest to area residents may be listed in the Regional topic.

Featured Topic: Holidays

Holidays - learn about secular and Religious Holidays. Favorite subtopics here include: Christmas, Easter, Chanukkah, April Fool's Day, Halloween, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, New Year's, and Thanksgiving.

Related sites for Holidays and Events Recipes and Holidays and Events Crafts are in the Home and Garden topic. Also see the blog post on Gifts and Holidays.

Children's Topic

The Children topic contains sites designed to be of interest to children. It includes Arts and Crafts for Kids, Web Directories that list sites for children, Mythology and Folklore, Hobbies for Kids, Homework Help, and Sports for Kids.

Editors should be especially careful when adding/reviewing sites for this topic to make sure that all content and links are appropriate for children. Sites should be in compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act.

Sites that are more for parents than for children belong in other topic trees: Parenting, Infant, Child, and Teen Health, Baby Clothing, Toys, and Furniture, Children's Apparel, Furniture, Toys, and other products.

Yesterday's Additions

Yesterday's Additions - view the JoeAnt Directory additions made over the past four days.

Featured Topic: Gifts and Holidays

Shopping for Gifts and Holidays - extensive resource for Gift Baskets, Care Packages for students or members of the military, Corporate Gifts, Personalized Gifts, Regional and Ethnic Gifts, and Themed Gifts.

There are also links to sites selling Gift Wrap, Greeting Cards, and Party Supplies.

What Are People Looking For?

Recent Keywords (linked from the index page) shows what visitors to JoeAnt are searching for. Beside each keyword on this page is the number of results that search returned. Click on the keywords to see those results.

Searches look at the words in the site's URL and the directory title, description, and regional fields. The topic in which each site is listed shows under the search result. To the left of each result are Info and Related links. Click on the Related link to go to the topic for that site. The Info link will show a thumbnail of the site from Alexa (if available) along with the top 20 listings in the same topic, keywords, and referrers to that topic.

This combination of features does more than provide amusement for the curious, it's also an excellent resource for Webmasters to check on their (or a competitor's) sites.

Featured Topic: Weblogs

Weblogs - listings include some of the most popular weblogs. Find new blogs to read, Learn About Blogging, find Weblog Hosting, Blogging Tools and Software, or join a Weblog Webring.

Want to share your Personal Blog? Join as an editor (select the Computers topic) and add your blog. Does your weblog have a theme? Then add it to the most appropriate subtopic. Some of the choices include: Business Weblogs, Food Blogs, Game Blogs, Photoblogs, and Sports Blogs.

Don't forget to check out the JoeAnt index page each month to find the Blog of the Month. Each month (or two), one weblog along with one editor-owned site and one other directory-listed site is selected to be featured on the front page. You can see an archive of past Sites of the Month, including Blogs of the Month.

Featured Topic: Recipes

Recipes - general recipe collections and recipes by food or preparation type.

Includes recipes for Holidays and Special Events, Crockpot Recipes, Brand Name Recipes (collections and recipes from food companies), and even some Pet Food Recipes. If your looking for Ethnic or Regional Recipes, there are topics for Asian Cooking, European Cooking, Regional Recipes from North America, and more.

Featured Topic: News Aggregators and Summaries

Aggregators and Summaries - worldwide news sources. A wide selection of sites for anyone who want more than just their local news. Also a good starting point for bloggers who want to find breaking news and to compare the same news stories from different sources.

Includes Topix.net (Info), Ananova (Info), European Internet Network (Info), All Headline News (Info), and over 30 more aggregators.

Regional Field

Every time a site is listed in the JoeAnt Directory the editor/submitter is asked for this information:

• URL
• Title
• Description
• Rating
• Icons
• Region

The Regional field is for the physical location of the business. Consider, for example, three hardware stores in Tucson, Arizona:

• Business A - brick and mortar business with no e-commerce.
• Business B - brick and mortar business offering e-commerce.
• Business C - online only

All are in Tucson, Arizona so the Regional field for all should read: Tuscon Arizona United States (no commas). The differences come in the placement of the listing, the description, and the icons.

Business A should be placed in the Tucson, Arizona Shopping topic.

Business B could be placed under the Tucson Shopping topic or under the Tools topic in the Shopping category. The e-commerce icon should be marked. Because there is also a physical location for customers to go to, this information can be included in the description.

"Located in Tucson, AZ." or "Provides directions to Tucson, AZ store locations."

Business C should be placed in the Tools topic. The e-commerce icon should be marked but there is no need to mention the location in the description.

Sites That Sell

While you can find eCommerce and business sites throughout JoeAnt, most of the sites that offer products or services for sale belong in one of three main topics: Business, Shopping, or Independent Business Affiliates.

One of the functions of the Business topic is to contain sites that offer products and services to other businesses. It has subtopics for sites by Industry where businesses and consumers may find information about companies and their products (Manufacturers). Subtopics with sites that sell something include: wholesale items, commodities, B2B markets, and Human Resources services.

Sites that offer information for retail customers belong in the Shopping topic. Usually these sites will be ones that offer merchandise for sale online (the block for the Shopping feature will be marked). When the Shopping feature is not marked, the business may either only sell through its physical location or conducts transactions by email, mail, or phone.

The Independent Business Affiliate section is for resellers or sites that provide leads to other companies. Consumers can often find price comparisons and coupons or other discounts here.

All Gambling sites and Dating/Personals sites are listed in the Affiliate topic regardless of whether they are affiliates or an original content source.

Tip: If you aren't sure where your site should be listed, do a keyword search from the JoeAnt index page. Look through the search results for a site that offers similar products, services, or information and click on the "Related" link next to the listing. This will take you to the topic in which that site is listed.

Main Topics

The JoeAnt Directory has sixteen main topics:
Arts & Humanities
Business
Children
Computers
Education
Entertainment
Home & Garden
Health & Fitness
News & Politics
People & Society
Real Estate
Recreation & Sports
Regional
Science & Technology
Shopping
Travel

Sites may be added to these topics by editors or through Speed Pass. Affiliate, MLM, and similar sites where the content offered is not unique and/or sites which act as a reseller of merchandise may not be listed in the general directory. These sites may be submitted for Speed Pass review to the Independent Business Affiliate section of the directory.

Topics in the Independent Business Affiliate section are:
Apparel
Art
Automotive
Business_and_Finance
Communications
Computers
Education
Entertainment
Food_and_Beverages
Gifts_and_Flowers
Health_and_Beauty
Home_and_Garden
Jewelry
Lifestyle
Travel