Blind to the Link, Sighting the Blog for Reference

I knew it had to be there. A library client wanted a transcript of an interview from MSNBC's Meet the Press. I looked all over the MSNBC website for it. I scanned the menus on the left of the screen and found the web page for Meet the Press. There were many links among the boxes on the page, but I did not see one to the transcript of the interview. I tried the search tool for the web site and found information about the show's topic but not the transcript.

I took a different approach. I searched Google and Google Blogsearch with no luck. Then I went to Feedster but found it was down for maintenance. Then I searched Technorati and the first item on the results list was the wanted transcript posted to a blog. The library client said that it was the right thing and he left happy.

I noticed that the blog said that the transcript had been taken from the MSNBC web site. Being half crazed, I went back to look again. After gazing at the Meet the Press web page for a minute or two, I saw it. Near the top of the page in a dark rectangle in a spot often occupied by ads, in thin white letters I found the link “Transcripts & Resources.” I clicked the link and found the wanted transcript. It was right in front of me all the time.

My instincts for finding the link failed me this time, just when I thought I knew how web designers think. I am glad someone blogged the wanted transcript. I turn to blogs for current information and answer reference questions often these days when my other attempts fail. I am pleased how often someone has already posted something helpful.