2. • If there are millions of terabytes of information, how much of
that is quality information?
• What should be considered when evaluating websites?
[Some of you may already feel very comfortable with this, but it’s always worth
reviewing again.]
Consider the Web
3. • Who is the author?
• Is there an author listed anywhere on the website?
• Is there an “about” section that gives information about the
author?
• If there are articles linked, do the articles have a good citation
including a date for the publication?
• Where are the articles posted? Is it a .com site or a more reliable
.gov or .edu site?
• You may also need to search the author
on a website to see what you can find out
about him/her.
• What is the author’s expertise on the
subject?
Credibility
4. What does the URL extension tell you about the site? For research
.edu, .com, and .org have the most reliable information.
Extension Definition of the Extension Information about
.com Commercial Most common in world; businesses use this extension.
.net Network Most commonly used by Internet Service providers.
.org Organization Most commonly used for non-profit groups or trade associations.
.edu Education U.S. postsecondary institutions that are institutionally accredited,
i.e., the entire institution and not just particular programs, by
agencies on the U.S. Department of Education’s list of Nationally
Recognized Accrediting Agencies.
.biz Small businesses use this extension.
.info Credible source websites and signifies a resource. Most popular
except for .com, .net, .org.
.mobi Mobile This is reserved for mobile websites.
.us United States The newest extension and is for American websites. Has the
largest amount of available names in inventory.
.tv Rich content/multi-media websites, especially from the
entertainment industry.
.name Only domain name extension specifically for personal use.
Personal websites that include display photos or personal
information about an individual.
.co.uk .co indicates the domain name is for commercial purposes and from
the UK. Other countries also have country codes.
URL Extensions
5. What about contact information? Is there a mailing address,
email, or phone number? This lets you know that there is a
recognizable person behind the website, someone you can
contact if you want more information.
Credibility – Addresses
6. • Who is the audience?
• Why was the page created?
• Was it to sell something, advertise something or just
make information available?
Content – Why
7. • Does the website offer something unique or not found
easily somewhere else?
• What is the relative value of the website in comparison to
the other sites available on the topic?
• If there are links, are they relevant to the site?
Content – What
9. When was the site created? How to find out:
1- Check the web archive (The Way Back Machine)
http://www.archive.org/index.php
They record changes in the website. Although it's not going to give
an exact start date, it will help you have a better idea.
2- Check the whois of the domain, so you can find out when the
domain name was created by entering the domain name into
http://www.whois.sc/
Currency
10. • Domain ID:D128146077-LROR
• Domain Name:MYMCPL.ORG
• Created On:01-Sep-2006 14:49:21 UTC
• Last Updated On:13-Aug-2012 13:47:22 UTC
• Expiration Date:01-Sep-2017 14:49:21 UTC
• Sponsoring Registrar:Network Solutions, LLC (R63-LROR)
• Status:CLIENT TRANSFER PROHIBITED
• Registrant ID:41062079-NSIV
• Registrant Name:Bryan Gash
• Registrant Organization:Mid-Continent Public Library
• Registrant Street1:ATTN insert domain name here
• Registrant Street2:care of Network Solutions
• Registrant Street3:PO Box 459
• Registrant City:Drums
• Registrant State/Province:PA
• Registrant Postal Code:18222
• Registrant Country:US
• Registrant Phone:+1.5707088780
• Registrant Phone Ext.:
• Registrant FAX:
• Registrant FAX Ext.:
Whois for Mymcpl.org
11. • When was the site last revised?
• How reliable are the links? Are there any broken links?
Currency – Information
dates
12. • http://www.theworldsworstwebsiteever.com/
Do I need to say more? Colors should be pleasing to the
eye. Text should be easy to read on a colored background.
Structure – Good Graphic
Design Principles
14. This is a deal breaker for me. When I find the first word
that is misspelled, I’m done with the site. If you are in the
position that you select which websites are linked on your
library’s web page, make this as important a rule as
credibility or content.
This is a link to the Spell Checker poem – I think spell
checker is the bane of our existence as a society. Well, that
may be overstated!
http://grammar.about.com/od/spelling/a/spellcheck.htm
Structure – Spelling,
Grammar
15. • http://www.digital-
web.com/articles/understanding_disabilities_when_desig
ning_a_website/
This is a very thorough article about the needs of all types
of disabilities.
Structure – Needs of the
Disabled
16. • The HonCode is a non-governmental group that provides a
certification of medical information on the web.
http://www.hon.ch/HONcode/Conduct.html
• Timeliness is of the greatest importance on medical and legal
sites since things can change almost daily.
• Because you are not relying on an edited, approved print
source, you must do a thorough job of evaluating these
websites.
• There are many .gov sites for medical that give very customer
friendly information.
Medical and Legal
Websites
![• If there are millions of terabytes of information, how much of
that is quality information?
• What should be considered when evaluating websites?
[Some of you may already feel very comfortable with this, but it’s always worth
reviewing again.]
Consider the Web](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)