Just like the cartoon above: the provider of "information" may be drab and dull looking; the provider of "misinformation" may be bright, colorful and cheery looking.
There are no authorites monitoring the integrity of website content. If you search the term "website ratings", the first few hits are for companies that are monitoring website traffic and user satisfaction. These factors are not indicators of the reliability of the information contained on the sites. The site http://alexa.com/ monitors internet "hot topics". This is a visually stimulating site. It has colorful pictures and graphs. Its purpose is not to confirm accuracy of information, it rates the popularity of the information. At a glance, the graph below seems informative, however, closer review of the graph leads you to ask the question: is the traffic going up or down?
The lines indicate up; the values indicate down.
The internet can be an excellent source of information. It can also be misleading: spreading inaccurate information, rumor and opinion. Anyone can publish a website. The intention of the creator could be to inform, but it may also be just a method of broadcasting their ideas or selling their products.
Creating a website can be a costly venture. Sometimes the only way a trustworthy publisher can afford to maintain a site is by selling advertising space. Having advertising on a website is not necessarily an indication that the site can not be trusted. Afterall, even on http://dictionary.com/ a user can quickly access cheap flights and hotels. Usually advertiser supported websites are more enticing to the user since the pubisher can afford to invest more funds in the development of the site.
Every year the use of the internet in our schools increases. There are very few classrooms that do not have computers. Students need to be sure that the information they are accessing is timely and accurate. The best way to determine whether or not the information on a website can be relied upon is to research the reputation and intentions of the publisher. According to a web-based article published by Manchester College "Anyone can put anything on the web for almost no cost in just a few minutes; as a student you need to be able to distinguish between the reliable and questionable information that is there." Though the website is not full of bold, enticing images, it is informative and a must read for anyone that uses the internet for study or research purposes.
sometimes quality means pretty, however, pretty doesn't always equal to quality.:)
ReplyDeleteThis blog has a great point in regards to advertising. Websites that don't sell a product, or are not funded have to offset the costs of maintaining that website. How do they do it? The advertising pays for the site. I have noted a few sites which clearly state that the advertising is there to fund the free service the site provides.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I have seen, the sale of advertising on a website does not necessarily mean that the website can't be trusted. Even charitable organizations, such as the Amercian Diabetes Association is selling something on its website, likely to offset the costs of the technology and raise funds.
ReplyDeleteWell-said Zhen, you've captured the core idea of quality assurance. Technology has made it easy hide an empty message behind fancy HTML.
ReplyDelete