diff --git a/plugins/Gameknot.py b/plugins/Gameknot.py
index 35ba118d5..d375a7ccd 100644
--- a/plugins/Gameknot.py
+++ b/plugins/Gameknot.py
@@ -39,7 +39,6 @@ import supybot.plugins as plugins
 
 import re
 import sets
-import urllib2
 
 import supybot.registry as registry
 
@@ -47,6 +46,7 @@ import supybot.conf as conf
 import supybot.utils as utils
 import supybot.plugins as plugins
 import supybot.ircutils as ircutils
+import supybot.webutils as webutils
 import supybot.privmsgs as privmsgs
 import supybot.callbacks as callbacks
 
@@ -89,9 +89,7 @@ class Gameknot(callbacks.PrivmsgCommandAndRegexp):
     def getStats(self, name):
         gkprofile = 'http://www.gameknot.com/stats.pl?%s' % name
         try:
-            fd = urllib2.urlopen(gkprofile)
-            profile = fd.read()
-            fd.close()
+            profile = webutils.getUrl(gkprofile)
             rating = self._gkrating.search(profile).group(1)
             games = self._gkgames.search(profile).group(1)
             (w, l, d) = self._gkrecord.search(profile).groups()
@@ -150,8 +148,8 @@ class Gameknot(callbacks.PrivmsgCommandAndRegexp):
             else:
                 raise callbacks.Error,'The format of the page was odd.  %s' % \
                       conf.supybot.replies.possibleBug()
-        except urllib2.URLError:
-            raise callbacks.Error, 'Couldn\'t connect to gameknot.com'
+        except webutils.WebError, e:
+            raise callbacks.Error, webutils.strError(e)
 
 
     def gkstats(self, irc, msg, args):
@@ -174,9 +172,7 @@ class Gameknot(callbacks.PrivmsgCommandAndRegexp):
         if not self.registryValue('gameSnarfer', msg.args[0]):
             return
         url = match.group(0)
-        fd = urllib2.urlopen(url)
-        s = fd.read()
-        fd.close()
+        s = webutils.getUrl(url)
         try:
             if 'no longer available' in s:
                 s = 'That game is no longer available.'
diff --git a/plugins/Google.py b/plugins/Google.py
index bf3a353a9..c7edb20c9 100644
--- a/plugins/Google.py
+++ b/plugins/Google.py
@@ -42,7 +42,6 @@ import sets
 import time
 import getopt
 import socket
-import urllib2
 import xml.sax
 
 import SOAP
@@ -55,6 +54,7 @@ import supybot.utils as utils
 import supybot.ircmsgs as ircmsgs
 import supybot.plugins as plugins
 import supybot.ircutils as ircutils
+import supybot.webutils as webutils
 import supybot.privmsgs as privmsgs
 import supybot.callbacks as callbacks
 import supybot.structures as structures
@@ -381,10 +381,8 @@ class Google(callbacks.PrivmsgCommandAndRegexp):
         m = match.group(0)
         header = {'User-agent': 'Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 5.5; '
                                 'Windows NT 4.0)'}
-        request = urllib2.Request(m, headers=header)
-        fd = urllib2.urlopen(request)
-        text = fd.read()
-        fd.close()
+        request = webutils.Request(m, headers=header)
+        text = webutils.getUrl(request)
         mThread = None
         mGroup = None
         if 'threadm=' in m:
@@ -392,19 +390,15 @@ class Google(callbacks.PrivmsgCommandAndRegexp):
             if path is None:
                 return
             url = 'http://groups.google.com%s' % path.group(1)
-            request = urllib2.Request(url, headers=header)
-            fd = urllib2.urlopen(request)
-            text = fd.read()
-            fd.close()
+            request = webutils.Request(url, headers=header)
+            text = webutils.getUrl(request)
         elif 'selm=' in m:
             path = self._ggSelm.search(m)
             if m is None:
                 return
             url = 'http://groups.google.com/groups?%s' % path.group(0)
-            request = urllib2.Request(url, headers=header)
-            fd = urllib2.urlopen(request)
-            text = fd.read()
-            fd.close()
+            request = webutils.Request(url, headers=header)
+            text = webutils.getUrl(request)
         else:
             pass
         mThread = self._ggThread.search(text)
diff --git a/plugins/Http.py b/plugins/Http.py
index e24a9dd37..ba225ab4a 100644
--- a/plugins/Http.py
+++ b/plugins/Http.py
@@ -42,7 +42,6 @@ import sets
 import getopt
 import socket
 import urllib
-import urllib2
 import xml.dom.minidom
 from itertools import imap, ifilter
 
@@ -235,7 +234,7 @@ class Http(callbacks.Privmsg):
         acronym = privmsgs.getArgs(args)
         url = 'http://www.acronymfinder.com/' \
               'af-query.asp?String=exact&Acronym=%s' % urllib.quote(acronym)
-        request = urllib2.Request(url, headers={'User-agent':
+        request = webutils.Request(url, headers={'User-agent':
           'Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 5.5; Windows NT 4.0)'})
         html = webutils.getUrl(request)
         if 'daily limit' in html:
diff --git a/plugins/OSU.py b/plugins/OSU.py
index aecaeda36..05536489f 100644
--- a/plugins/OSU.py
+++ b/plugins/OSU.py
@@ -38,10 +38,9 @@ __revision__ = "$Id$"
 
 import supybot.plugins as plugins
 
-import urllib2
-
 import supybot.utils as utils
 import supybot.privmsgs as privmsgs
+import supybot.webutils as webutils
 import supybot.callbacks as callbacks
 
 
@@ -237,8 +236,7 @@ class OSU(callbacks.Privmsg):
         s = '.'.join(args)
         url = 'http://www.ohio-state.edu/cgi-bin/inquiry2.cgi?keyword=%s' % s
         try:
-            fd = urllib2.urlopen(url)
-            data = fd.read()
+            data = webutils.getUrl(url)
             emails = []
             for line in data.splitlines():
                 line.strip()
diff --git a/plugins/__init__.py b/plugins/__init__.py
index 074bf9498..6be678777 100644
--- a/plugins/__init__.py
+++ b/plugins/__init__.py
@@ -43,7 +43,6 @@ import sets
 import time
 import random
 import os.path
-import urllib2
 import UserDict
 import threading
 
diff --git a/src/webutils.py b/src/webutils.py
index 61b5bc561..79d4cb722 100644
--- a/src/webutils.py
+++ b/src/webutils.py
@@ -34,11 +34,13 @@ __revision__ = "$Id$"
 import supybot.fix as fix
 
 import re
-import supybot.conf as conf
 import socket
 import urllib2
 import urlparse
 
+import supybot.conf as conf
+
+Request = urllib2.Request
 class WebError(Exception):
     pass