Online Reliability
Reliable:
- won’t change
- trustworthy
- unbiased
Not everything on the internet is true. So how do you know what is? Here are some guidelines:
[Please add your ideas to the list!]
1. Check the domain name in the URL or web address.
Domain | Stands for | Purpose | Example | Trustworthy? |
.com | Commercial | To make money | Ford.com is selling cars, not trying to inform you about Henry Ford *Note* Many websites use .com because it’s easy to remember, not necessarily because they’re making money. Use additional reasons to decide if .com is trustworthy | Maybe |
.org | Organization | Non-profit, usually promoting a charity, cause, educating public, etc. | pbs.org is a publically funded site that is intended to educate the public about news and information | Yes |
.edu | Education | Information and research from colleges and universities (NOT K-12) | asu.edu shares information about the school and research it’s students and employees are doing | Yes |
.gov | Government | Information given by the US government for public benefit | fbi.gov shares information about crime and safety | Yes |
(ex) .uk | Country Code | 2 letters ALWAYS = country code | .uk = United Kingdom | Maybe |
2. Check the About page. Who is the author/organization and why are they sharing the information?
- Do they seem like an expert in the subject with lots of experience (or do they claim to know everything about everything? Bad sign.)
- Is it research and facts or is it the author’s opinion?
- Is it a large, established organization with lots of people working all over on behalf of the topic, or is it some guy ranting in his basement?
- Have you heard of the organization before? Do they have a good reputation? (PBS, National Geographic, ESPN, etc.)
- Are they trying to make money?
3. Is it recent? And does that matter?
- If it’s about who your favorite soccer team’s current ranking, it matters.
- If it’s about Henry Ford, it’s not as important.
4. Is it accurate?
- If there are spelling errors, typos or silly mistakes, it means there may not be anyone checking for mistakes in the content either.
5. Does it make sense with what you already know?
- If it doesn’t sound right or doesn’t agree with what you’ve previously been told, double-check the information somewhere else.
6. Do NOT trust Answer websites (answers.com, wikianswers.com, ask.com, etc.)
- You have no way of knowing who the answer-givers are, if they’re experts and why they’re sharing.
7. What kind of source is it?
- Is it an online newspaper, encyclopedia, magazine or news organization?
- If something has a print version, it is more likely to be accurate.
8. Opinions are fine as long as the person is an expert in the subject.
9. How popular is it?
- Would you rather trust a youtube video about tigers that was created by 4th graders and has 43 views, or one made by National Geographic that has 13,000 views?
- Would you rather trust this fan page about Michael Jackson or the official page that has 56 million FB likes?
10. Does it look well-designed?
- Are the colors and design of the website appealing and easy to look at? (Good sign.)
- Do the colors make your eyes hurt? (Bad sign.)
- Is it mainly all lists of text? (Bad sign.)
- Do they look like they paid a professional to design the website? (Good sign.)
Image from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/orangeacid/420493902/