Not all sites are created equal

      According to the Libraries of Purdue Publication, Evaluating World Wide Web Information, there are some essential elements that all web pages should have so that we as browsers and users may evaluate what we find on the Internet. The article points out that unlike articles printed in magazines and journals, what we find on the WWW is unfiltered and, in most cases, unedited, first draft work. Anybody can publish anything on the web, and any web page can have any title whatsoever.

      Just because a web page on Christopher Columbus looks good, doesn't mean it was written by someone who has studied about Columbus or knows anything about Columbus. It could be just one person's opinions. So what do you look for to tell the difference?

1. An author's name and/or some kind of contact information. Who wrote it and what makes that person someone you can believe?
2. Is the publication associated with some institution? Was it written from a University, a corporate office, or someone's home?
3. Who is it written for? (You can usually tell by how the page looks, i.e. are there a lot of pictures and animations but no real content or is it all words and no graphics.)
4. Is it recent information? Does it have a date telling you when it was updated? Does it have a date at all?

      If a web site has inappropriate pictures, foul language, offensive remarks, or anything you don't feel is right or makes you feel uncomfortable, don't put up with it! Hit the back button and get out. Tell an adult. That's one of the benefits of that back button, you don't have to let a page load if it looks like it's going to be bad.

How do I keep all this in my head?

These pages created by Mr. González and students.
Email us at: Al_Gonzalez@chimacum.wednet.edu
Copyright © 1998 [Chimacum Middle School]. All rights reserved.