Evaluating+websites

Introduction
Many people Google some information, and just accept the first answer without considering that the information given might be incorrect. Anyone can post information to the Internet, so it should be considered that anyone can post factually incorrect or false information to the Internet.

Accuracy
Information may be out-of-date. It may be a simple mistake. It may be a deliberate mistake. It may even be a hoax.

Whenever you are gathering information from a website, you should ask yourself some basic questions which will help you to decide whether or not the information is accurate.
 * Who is the author of this site? What are his/her credentials?
 * Who sponsors the site?
 * Have the authors of the site listed their sources?
 * Is this a serious site, or is it a hoax?
 * When was the page or site last updated
 * Can the information provided on the site be supported on other websites?

Videos
[|Common Craft - Evaluating Websites] [|Website Evaluation]

Task 1
Sites like wikipedia and wikianswers are open to inaccurate entries. Write a blog post identifying 3 well known inaccurate entries which have appeared on wikipedia. [|This web page] may be of use (if you trust it...)

Task 2
Identify which of these sites are accurate and which are hoaxes: [] [] [] [] [] [] []

Bias
A website may be correct, but it may still put across its view with bias.

Task 3
Explain how each of the following websites are biased: [] [] [| http://www.rednews.co.uk/]

Credibility
Accuracy and bias used together can tell you whether a site is credible or not

Other factors
When evaluating the usefulness of a website, the following factors should be taken into account:


 * Purpose - why has the site been created
 * Clarity - is the information on the site provided in a clear manner
 * Appropriateness - is the information on the site given at an appropriate level for the reader
 * Accessibility - is it easy to navigate the site

Task 4
Complete the following table for 3 websites of your choice: