The Help Desk Institute

For a hot time, dial the Help Desk Institute! If you're a techie or CSR (or someone who hires them), you won't be able to tear yourself away from HDI's goodies. Check out the industry polls (with real-time voting), workshops, book reviews, monthly "All Star Awards" for exceptional support personnel, calendar of industry events, and employment opportunities at Jobdesk.com—the industry's "only career assistance Web site dedicated solely to the support professional." Click "My Tools" to find the "Computer Help Center," which is chock-full of news about the latest computer viruses, technology marvels (petri-dish fingers, the secrets of bacterial DNA), industry news, and flat-out gossip. There's also a search engine for locating highly specialized software for business, Internet, multimedia, operating systems, utilities, and development applications. Click "Publications/Research" for advice from experts, plus current and past issues of SupportWorld Magazine Online (in PDF format). That's all in the free part. HDI also sells memberships ($150-up) that buy you forums, product discounts, salary surveys, certification evaluations, and more. On the day we visited, however, membership was free in exchange for responding to a survey. The only thing wrong with this site? No "home" button. We can live with it.