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A dozen sites
I'm diggin'

*1. StinkyJournalism.org's "Dubious Polling" Awards list is worth a read.

*2. Find out why a six-hour flight now takes seven. Airlines are "baking in" extra time to make up for long delays.

*3. Check out RTDNA's News and Terrorism workshop chat site.

4. BusinessWeek has highlighted big corporations that are pouring millions into Haiti relief.

5. Amazing: how phone apps helped save a man's life after he was buried by the Haiti earthquake.

6. The New York Times explains how cancer-treatment radiation saves lives, and ruins some.

*7. Here are some great databases that newsrooms have created to help connect people with their community.

8. A new study explores the media habits of teens.

9. The pros and cons of evangelizing on Facebook.

10. The FCC investigates the health and future of local news.

11. Brookings assesses Obama's first year in office.

12. Why you better be careful when covering 100th birthdays!

All of my Diggin' sites are saved on Poynter's del.icio.us page.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Al's Morning Meeting is a compendium of ideas, edited story excerpts and other materials from a variety of Web sites, as well as original concepts and analysis. When the information comes directly from another source, it will be attributed and a link will be provided whenever possible. The column is fact-checked, but relies on the accuracy and integrity of the original sources cited. We will correct errors and inaccuracies when we become aware of them.

How to Find Out About Black Friday's Best Buys

Posted by Al Tompkins at 12:01 AM on Nov. 25, 2009

Roughly 77 million Americans are expected to head to stores Friday, often considered the start of the holiday shopping season.

A survey conducted for the National Retail Federation found that as many as 134 million people will shop Friday, Saturday or Sunday -- up from the 128 million people who planned to do so last year, The New York Times reported.

Here are some deal-related Web sites you might find useful:

DealNews.com, a Web site whose motto is "Where every day is Black Friday," said "the easiest way to save money on Black Friday is to stay home and shop online." The site lists stores that offer "price matching." It also provides online coupons that you can print and use at big retailers.

CouponSherpa.com offers various types of coupons

Blackfriday.com says it can show you "how you can purchase almost all of the Black Friday products online on Thanksgiving morning."

Currentcodes.com promises online secret codes that you can plug in at checkout to get significant discounts.

Go to PriceProtectr.com to enter a product that you want to monitor, in case there is a price cut, which often happens as the shopping season drags on.

You can compare prices by using PriceGrabber.com or Shopping.com.

ToysRUs.com has a phone app that lets you create electronic lists, check inventories and read product reviews on the run. Yahoo has a new phone app that lets you comparison shop, and eBay has one that lets you stay on top of online bidding.

Staples is using its Facebook page to post the latest specials.

Online sites such as DealNews.com are tracking both rumored and confirmed Black Friday deals by category.

DealNews.com offers a "Black Friday Strategy Guide":

"Start your Black Friday on Thursday

"The 'big-box' stores will have most of their Black Friday sales online on Thursday. In fact, in years past, we've seen some deals sell out before Black Friday. DealNews' No. 1 Black Friday tip is to begin shopping online on Thursday, as early as possible (if you live on the West Coast, start Wednesday night at 9 p.m.)

"You should also pre-shop Black Friday doorbusters online. Once you decide on an in-store only doorbuster you want, search DealNews to be sure no one else has a deal on that or a very similar product. Then, use price comparison engines like Biz Rate or PriceGrabber to make sure that the alleged doorbuster is in fact the lowest available price. Still a good deal? Then it might be worth a trip to the store.

"Shop online on Black Friday too

"Major online retailers like Amazon.com, Buy.com, and Overstock.com will have Black Friday sales. Expect to find aggressively-priced electronics from each store, but let us cut through the clutter for you: on Black Friday, the DealNews' home page will be full of Black Friday deals, all confirmed and price-checked."

Really? Car dealers are going to try to cash in on Black Friday? TrueCar.com says it is the best day of the year to buy a car.

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