Evaluating Websites

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Evaluating Websites

• Making sense of what you find

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Decode the URL

• Use the URL to make an informed guess about the
  site.
• A registered domain would indicate some level of
  authority.
• Is it a .com .edu .gov .org .net .mil
• long paths mean the page is buried deep on the
  website.

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Site Types
Source http//www.isc.org/ds/WWW-200001/report.ht
ml
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The growth of .com

• They may be trying to sell you something.
• They may be biased, or have a vested self
  interest.
• They may not carry information that has only a
  small commercial value.
• They may try to charge you for more valuable
  information.

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.edu, .gov and .org

• More likely to be trustworthy.
• More likely to be independent.
• More likely to contain official information.
• Remember they are still just peoples opinions,
  not always facts.

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A search on back pain...

• www.sechrest.com/mmg/back/backpain.html
• www.macrocap.com/painswelling/sleepdisorder.htm
• www.backpain.org
• www.backpainalternatives.com
• www.backmagic.com
• www.wdxcyberstore.com/wdxcyberstore/backpainguide.
  html
• Which of these sites would you tend to trust?
• Which of these would cause you to be a bit wary?
• Why?

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Authority

• Can you find out the author?
• What are the credentials of the author?
• Are they likely to have reliable, accurate
  information?
• Does the author have expertise in their area?

Hint Try stripping the path off the domain to
get back to the home page.
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Currency

• How current is the information?
• Is the site well maintained?
• When was it last updated?
• Are all its links still current?

Hint Both Netscape and Explorer will allow you
to view the Page Properties for
information. Hint Pages that are Under
Construction usually arent.
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Content/Purpose

• What is the purpose of the site?
• Is the information balanced and fair?
• How accurate is the information?
• How well does it do what it sets out to do?
• How comprehensive is it?

Hint Pages with lots of spelling or grammatical
errors suggest they have been put together very
hastily.
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Audience

• Who was this site made for?
• Is the reading level of the text suitable for the
  audience?
• Is the site providing the right content for the
  intended audience?

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Structure and Workability

• Is the site nice to look at?
• Is it easy to locate information on the page?
• Are the icons meaningful?
• Can you move through the site easily?
• How long do the pages take to load?
• Is the page viewable with any browser?

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Assignment 2

• Look at the 4 suggested websites.
• Write a paragraph on each in terms of
• authority
• currency
• content purpose
• audience
• structure and workability