CLICK AND DOUBLE CLICK: ENCYCLOPEDIA OVERWHELMED BY REPONSE TO WEB SITE

Sometimes you can have too much of a good thing. That's what the folks at Encyclopedia Britannica discovered last week when overwhelming response shut down their new Web site.

Britannica had found demand for its service all but drying up. In a daring move, the 213-year-old company decided to offer free access to its 32-volume set online. The only source of revenue will be online advertising. That's quite a change considering the bound volumes still sell for $1,250 a set.

The response has been so overwhelming that it's hard to gain access to the site. www.britannica.comWhat you'll probably get is a message to visitors from the company's CEO, admitting they have not been able to handle the enormous volume. He encourages visitors to check back, as the company "continues to work around the clock" to accommodate the enormous volume of traffic.

The problems will get worked out eventually. Bookmark this site and check back in a few days or weeks. This should be a great resource.

In the meantime, you can use the Concise Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia free of charge. It's offered by the Electronic Library.www.encyclopedia.comThis site offers more than 14,000 articles, but most are fairly brief. You can use the search tool or browse on the "book" from the appropriate alphabet letter. It will also link you over to Encarta online, which is paired with Microsoft. This is free for seven days, and then gets pretty pricey. It will be interesting to see how these other encyclopedia companies react to Britannica.

There are lots of other sites to gain free information on the Internet. Need to find out how to carve a pumpkin for Halloween? Check out eHow.www.ehow.comThis site bills itself as "The fast and easy way to find out how to do just about anything." It offers thousands of staff-written step-by-step projects ranging from changing the oil in the car to making Cajun hot sauce.

The 10 top eHow requests today are pretty varied: From how to ask for a raise to using chopsticks. There's also step-by-step advice on creating something such as old jars or CDs. There's also eHow advice for who you are, whether it be computer newbie, sports fan or parents. Each category has related sites, related eHows and more on the topic. Many projects include printable directions or shopping lists. This is a very extensive Web site.

The company dates back to March 1999. Courtney Rosen, eHow's CEO, founded the company in response to her frustration in trying to find how to fix her inline skates. How's that for corporation gumption.

This site is very similar to one of my favorite destinations: Learn

2.www.learn

2.comThis site offers easy-to-follow instruction on thousands of projects and skills. Most of their "2torials" include illustrated instructions. There's also a place to pose your own solutions with Community Learn

2s.

Today's featured topics include: Wax a car or Build a fire in a fireplace. But you can search the database or hunt through specific categories. Under automotive, learn how to change a flat tire, lease a car or drive a stick shift. Under Food and Drink, you can learn to make flavored vinegar or boil an egg.

Another great site for the curious is "How Things Work."www.howstuffworks.comHave you ever wondered how the engine in your car works or what makes the inside of your refrigerator cold? Then this site is for you.

You can search the database, or browse such categories as engines, around the house, basics, the Internet, computers, digital, automotive, in the news, electronics, in public, food, your body, your teeth and miscellaneous.

I clicked on "How Caffeine Works," under the "Your Body" category. The author points out that 90 percent of Americans drink something with caffeine every day. He calls it Americans' most popular drug by far since more than half of all American adults consume 300 milligrams of caffeine every day. You can learn why it's so popular and what it does to your body.

You can also check out the question of the day, which is submitted by readers of "How Stuff Works." Want to go straight to the horse's mouth for a problem you're having? "Ask An Expert" connects you with hundreds of real-world experts, ranging from astronauts to zookeepers. These experts have volunteered to answer your questions free of charge. This site is billed as "kid-friendly."www.askanexpert.comMost of the experts have Web sites packed with information on their areas of expertise, and many post helpful FAQs for instant information. But if your question remains unanswered, go straight to the source. Some experts have a special form on their site to post a question; others simply provide their e-mail address. A one-week response time is typical, so don't wait until the last minute.

Another similar expert site can be found at Allexperts.com. This too is a free question-and-answer service.www.allexperts.comAmong the most popular categories in recent weeks include: Windows 95/98, neurology, The Phantom Menace, Ford repair, N'Sync, Backstreet Boys, Xena Warrior Princess and mathematics. That certainly shows the diversity of users.

For example, if you have a burning question about Xena the Warrior Princess, you can check out their 10 experts who list their varying levels of expertise. You can also see the person's rating from other users, and the number of questions they've answered since joining AllExperts. If you want to be an expert, take one of their six question expert tests. If you get all the answers right, you might earn the designation of expert.

What's your favorite reference site on the Internet? E-mail me at click@semissourian. comSee you in cyberspace.

Joni Adams is managing editor of the Southeast Missourian.