OK. This question is all my own. I'm working on the recent questions received, and I've got some experts working on others, but I thought I would take this opportunity to offer up a few Web sites that I've found to be helpful.

http://www.snopes.com

If you don't know the Snopes site yet, you should. Especially if you have friends and family members who like to add you to their long address list — and then shoot you every forward they've ever received.

Perhaps you've received the one about the woman who heard a loud bang, thought it was a gunshot, felt a sticky substance on the back of her head, and then found out it was an exploded can of biscuits. Or the one about how a plug-in air freshener can cause a fire. Or the one claiming Barack Obama would like for Coca-Cola's "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" to be the National Anthem.

There's so much of this stuff out there, being pushed around, clogging inboxes and spreading just a lot of outright falsehoods — and some that have legitimate information but are sent around for the same reason — to gum up the works. Snopes helps weed out the truth, or lack of it, in those e-mail forwards and gives you great ammunition for telling people why they shouldn't automatically hit the FW button (at least, not with your name still on that list).

http://www.cnet.com

CNET is a great source for product reviews. The site also has tech news and price comparisons, but the reviews are what keep me coming back to CNET. A lot of times I'll stick to the print review, though it is sometimes helpful to watch a video review, particularly if it's something fairly interactive where seeing the interface is helpful. You also might like their "Tips & Tricks" section, which offers tutorials and free online classes. I haven't used any of them, but that's not to say I wouldn't.

http://www.digitaltips.org

Disclaimer: Digital Tips is a new Web site from the Consumer Electronics Association, so know going in that it is a site supported by the industry. That said, the site was created to offer some help in guiding people through consumer electronics choices, whether it's audio, digital cameras or video cameras, digital television, wireless devices or in-car systems. Different areas of the site are broken down into "Want It?" and "Own It?" so you can seek out information to help with selecting a device — or help you use what you have.

The site also includes helpful links for recycling your old electronics.

As of this posting, the site is still new, so there are a few glitches in navigation that I've noticed, but let's hope those will be smoothed out shortly.

http://www.engadget.com

This site has dedicated bloggers who get some of the latest tech news up and out there. It's probably the tech blog I visit most often.

I'd like to hear from you guys which tech blogs you check out regularly — there might be a few I'd like to add to my list.

http://www.hoovers.com

Hoover's can be a helpful resource if you're trying to find out a bit more about a public business. The free search on the site offers information you could turn up on your own with some research on recent news and a peek at the company's SEC filings, but gives you that information quickly and concisely. Paying guests get a lot more features and information, but the free service is quite helpful all by its lonesome.

Those are just a few that I've found useful. Of course, the page I see the most every day is Google's search page, but, then, I'm pretty sure that's the case for you, too. Running a close second is the Ventura County Star's Web site, where I'm usually checking for breaking news or watching Studio 805's Adoptable segment or reading the comments readers leave on that day's business stories.

I'd like to hear what Web sites are most helpful for you. Please pass them along!

And, if you have questions for "Ask Allison," please send them my way at abruce@VenturaCountyStar.com.