Quality Control for the World Wide Web

“So, What’s Your Problem?” Quantity vs. Quality Internet As an Uncontrolled Medium

“How do you rate…a web site?” Print evaluation criteria still apply 1. Accuracy 2. Authority 3. Objectivity 4. Currency 5. Coverage/Scope 6. Audience/Purpose

“Who says?” Who authored this web site??? –Is the website signed? –Are any credentials given? –Is there a link to a homepage? – Is the site sponsored by an organization, a corporation, government agency, academic institution?

“Who says?” What do you know about this “expert”? –Is there a contact address? –Is there an address for feedback/information? –If you do a web search by name, can you find out more?

Anatomy of a URL (Universal Resource Locator)

What type of a site is it? Domain.com – a commercial site.org – a group or organization.edu – an academic institution.gov – a government site.mil – a military site.net – a network

Interpreting URLs Topic: endangered species in Hawaii ngered/hawaii.html

Interpreting URLs aii.html

“When in doubt, doubt!” Separate fact from opinion Look for evidence of bias –Choice of content –Selected links –Manipulation Test accuracy against another source

“Why is this information free?” Intended purpose? Intended audience?

“Now….and then” How current is this information? When was the website last updated? How “fresh” is the information?

“Details, details, details…” Internal clues to quality –Spelling, grammar, syntax errors? –Sources cited? –Awards?

User-friendly design? Ease of navigation –Clear and logical organization? –Effective use of graphics? –Do pages load quickly? –Can you navigate back & forward freely? –Are there many “dead” links? –Is advertising intrusive?

“On a scale of 1 to 10…” How does the WWW rate compared to other available sources? –Library reference collection –Online subscription databases EBSCO Gale Student Resource Center –(Library website: whslibweb.homestead.com)

Practice, practice, practice!!

Give us your best…website! Blue Blaze Award