SECOND EDITION WEB WISDOM How to Evaluate and Create Information Quality on the Web MARSHA ANN TATE Boca Raton London New York CRC Press is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group 6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300 Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742 © 2010 by Taylor and Francis Group, LLC CRC Press is an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business No claim to original U.S Government works Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper 10 International Standard Book Number: 978-1-4200-7320-1 (Paperback) This book contains information obtained from authentic and highly regarded sources Reasonable efforts have been made to publish reliable data and information, but the author and publisher cannot assume responsibility for the validity of all materials or the consequences of their use The authors and publishers have attempted to trace the copyright holders of all material reproduced in this publication and apologize to copyright holders if permission to publish in this form has not been obtained If any copyright material has not been acknowledged please write and let us know so we may rectify in any future reprint Except as permitted under U.S Copyright Law, no part of this book may be reprinted, reproduced, transmitted, or utilized in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying, microfilming, and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publishers For permission to photocopy or use material electronically from this work, please access www.copyright com (http://www.copyright.com/) or contact the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc (CCC), 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400 CCC is a not-for-profit organization that provides licenses and registration for a variety of users For organizations that have been granted a photocopy license by the CCC, a separate system of payment has been arranged Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Tate, Marsha Ann Web wisdom : how to evaluate and create information quality on the Web / author, Marsha Ann Tate p cm Includes bibliographical references and index ISBN 978-1-4200-7320-1 (alk paper) Web sites Web site development World Wide Web I Title TK5105.888.A376 2010 004.67’8 dc22 Visit the Taylor & Francis Web site at http://www.taylorandfrancis.com and the CRC Press Web site at http://www.crcpress.com 2009020890 Dedication To my mother, Barbara, and in memory of my father, Andrew Tate Jr., and my grandfather, Andrew Tate Sr Their enduring love and confidence in me made this all possible Contents List of Illustrations xi Preface xiii Acknowledgments xv About the Author xvii Related Web Site xix Chapter Web Wisdom: Introduction and Overview Introduction The Need for Web-Specific Evaluation Criteria What This Book Includes A Note about Design Issues How to Use This Book Two Important Caveats .5 Definitions of Key Terms Chapter Information Quality Criteria for Web Resources Introduction A Comparison between Two Web Pages Presenting Information Five Traditional Evaluation Criteria and Their Application to Web Resources 10 Authority 10 Authority of Traditional Sources 10 Authority of Web Sources 11 Accuracy 11 Accuracy of Traditional Sources 11 Accuracy of Web Sources 12 Objectivity 12 Objectivity of Traditional Sources 12 Objectivity of Web Sources 13 Currency 13 Currency of Traditional Sources 13 Currency of Web Sources 13 Coverage and Intended Audience 14 Coverage and Intended Audience of Traditional Sources 14 Coverage and Intended Audience of Web Sources 14 Conclusion 14 v vi Contents Chapter Additional Challenges Presented by Web Resources 15 Introduction 15 The Use of Hypertext Links 15 The Use of Frames 16 Dynamic Web Content 16 Database-Driven Web Sites 16 Really Simple Syndication 17 Software Requirements and Other Factors That Limit Access to Information 17 Pages Retrieved Out of Context by Search Engines 19 The Susceptibility of Web Pages to Alteration 19 The Redirection of URLs to Different Web Sites and Other Malicious Activities 19 The Instability of Web Pages 20 Conclusion 20 Chapter Weblogs and Wikis: Social Media Content 21 Introduction 21 Social Media: An Overview 21 Weblogs (Blogs) 22 Wikis 22 Evaluation Challenges Presented by Social Media Content 23 Conclusion 27 Chapter Advertising and Sponsorship on the Web 29 Advertising, Sponsorship, and Information on the Web 29 Defining Advertising and Sponsorship 29 Commercial Advertising 30 Advocacy Advertising 30 Institutional Advertising 31 Word-of-Mouth Advertising 31 Corporate Sponsorship 33 Nonprofit Sponsorship 33 Distinguishing among Advertising, Sponsorship, and Information on the Web 33 The Overlapping and Blending of Advertising and Sponsorship on the Web 33 A Continuum of Objectivity on the Web 36 Hypertext Links and the Blending of Advertising, Information, and Entertainment 36 Sorting Out the Relationship between Advertisers, Sponsors, and Information 36 Contents vii Strategies for Analyzing Web Information Provided by Sites That Have Advertisers or Sponsors 38 Conclusion 40 Chapter Applying Basic Evaluation Criteria to a Web Page 41 How to Use Chapters through 12 41 Incorporation of the Basic Elements into Web Pages 41 Authority (Elements and 2) 41 Element 1: Authority (Site Level) 42 Element 2: Authority (Page Level) 42 Element 3: Accuracy of the Information 46 Element 4: Objectivity of the Information 47 Element 5: Currency of the Information 49 Element 6: Coverage of the Information and Its Intended Audience 50 Interaction and Transaction Features 52 An Introduction to Navigational and Nontext Features 53 Consistent and Effective Use of Navigational Aids 53 Browser Title 55 Page Title 56 URL for the Page 56 Hypertext Links 56 Site Map and Index 56 Internal Search Engine 56 Effective Use of Nontext Features 57 Information on the Six Types of Web Pages 58 The Checklist of Basic Elements: Keys to Evaluating or Creating Web Pages 58 Authority (AUTH) 58 Authority of a Site 58 Authority of a Page 59 Accuracy (ACC) 59 Objectivity (OBJ) 60 Currency (CUR) 60 Coverage and Intended Audience (COV/IA) 60 Interaction and Transaction Features (INT/TRA) 61 Chapter Keys to Information Quality in Advocacy Web Pages 63 Keys to Recognizing an Advocacy Web Page 63 Analysis of Advocacy Web Pages 63 The Advocacy Checklist: Keys to Evaluating and Creating Advocacy Web Pages 65 Authority .66 Authority of the Site’s Home Page 66 viii Contents Accuracy .66 Objectivity 66 Interaction and Transaction Features 66 Chapter Keys to Information Quality in Business Web Pages 67 Keys to Recognizing a Business Web Page 67 Analysis of Business Web Pages 67 The Business Web Page Checklist: Keys to Evaluating and Creating Business Web Pages 70 Authority 71 Authority of the Site’s Home Page 71 Accuracy 71 Objectivity 71 Currency 71 Coverage and Intended Audience 72 Interaction and Transaction Features 72 Chapter Keys to Information Quality in Informational Web Pages 73 Keys to Recognizing an Informational Web Page 73 Analysis of Informational Web Pages 73 The Informational Web Page Checklist: Keys to Evaluating and Creating Informational Web Pages 75 Authority 77 Authority of the Site’s Home Page 77 Accuracy 77 Currency 77 Coverage and Intended Audience 77 Chapter 10 Keys to Information Quality in News Web Pages 79 Keys to Recognizing a News Web Page 79 Analysis of News Web Pages 79 The News Web Page Checklist: Keys to Evaluating and Creating News Web Pages 82 Authority 82 Authority of a Page within the Site 82 Accuracy 82 Objectivity 82 Currency 82 Coverage and Intended Audience 83 Chapter 11 Keys to Information Quality in Personal Web Pages 85 Keys to Recognizing a Personal Web Page 85 Analysis of a Personal Web Page 85 Contents ix Chapter 12 Keys to Information Quality in Entertainment Web Pages 89 Keys to Recognizing an Entertainment Web Page 89 Entertainment Pages: A Note for Web Users 89 Analysis of an Entertainment Web Page 92 Entertainment Web Page Creation Issues 92 Chapter 13 Creating Effective Web Pages and Sites 93 Introduction 93 The Navigational Aids Checklist 93 NAV 1: Browser Titles 93 Browser Title for a Home Page 93 Browser Title for Pages That Are Not Home Pages 94 NAV 2: The Page Title 94 Page Title for a Home Page .94 Page Title for a Page That Is Not a Home Page .94 NAV 3: Hypertext Links .94 NAV 4: The URL for the Page .94 NAV 6: Internal Search Engine 95 The Nontext Features Checklist 95 Nontext Features (NONTX) 95 The Interaction and Transaction Features Checklist 95 Interaction and Transaction Issues (INT/TRA) 96 The Web Site Functionality Checklist 96 Printing Issues 96 Usability and Quality of External Links 96 Usability of the Site 97 Meta Tags 97 A Brief Introduction .97 Descriptor Meta Tags 98 Example of a Descriptor Meta Tag 98 Keyword Meta Tags 98 Tips for Using the Keyword Meta Tag 99 Example of a Keyword Meta Tag Included with a Descriptor Meta Tag 99 Copyright and Disclaimers 99 Copyright and the Web 99 Works in the Public Domain (Works Not Protected by Copyright) 100 Fair Use 100 Copyright Notice 100 Copyright Notice Format 100 Copyright Registration 101 Suggested Copyright Guidelines for Web Authors 101 References 135 U.S Federal Housing Administration 2008-b Pre qualify In FHA wiki [page last changed April 29, 2008] Washington, DC: U.S Federal Housing Administration http://portal.hud.gov/portal/page?_pageid=73,1829262&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL (accessed April 2, 2009) U.S Federal Trade Commission, et al n.d Learn the terms In OnGuard Online Washington, DC: U.S Federal Trade Commission http://www.onguardonline.gov/tools/learn-terms aspx (accessed March 11, 2009) U.S Food and Drug Administration n.d U.S Food and Drug Administration [home page] Silver Spring, MD: U.S Food and Drug Administration http://www.fda.gov/default htm (accessed April 3, 2009) U.S Food and Drug Administration, Center for Veterinary Medicine 2009 CVM and animal cloning [page last updated January 31, 2009] Rockville, MD: U.S Food and Drug Administration, Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) http://www.fda.gov/cvm/cloning.htm (accessed April 3, 2009) U.S Legal Services Corporation, Technology Initiative Grants Program 2007 Tech glossary Washington, DC: Legal Services Corporation http://tig.lsc.gov/techglossary.php (accessed January 19, 2008) U.S National Archives and Records Administration 2008 Implications of recent Web technologies for NARA Web guidance College Park, MD: U.S National Archives and Records Administration http://www.archives.gov (accessed January 19, 2008) U.S National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion media Campaign Resource Center 2001 Glossary http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/mcrc/glossary.htm U.S National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute 2007 Second hand smoke: Questions and answers [reviewed August 1, 2007] Bethesda, MD: National Cancer Institute http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Tobacco/ETS (accessed April 3, 2009) U.S National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Sanctuaries n.d.-a The migration game Silver Spring, MD: NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/whales/main_page.html (accessed April 7, 2009) U.S National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Sanctuaries n.d.-b National Marine Sanctuary education fun stuff Silver Spring, MD: NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/education/fun/­welcome html (accessed April 7, 2009) U.S National Weather Service, National Hurricane Center 2007 NHC RSS feeds [page last modified August 16, 2007] Miami, FL: NOAA/National Weather Service, National Hurricane Center http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutrss.shtml (accessed January 16, 2008) U.S National Weather Service, n.d NOAA’s NWS RSS library [page last modified July 20, 2009] Silver Spring, MD: National Weather Service http://www.weather.gov/rss/ (accessed July 27, 2009) We need you to become an advocate for public television n.d http://www.wqln.org/advocate/ default.aspx?sid=wpsu (accessed March 27, 2009) Web site error rocks global oil markets 2007 Reuters, May 30 http://www.reuters.com/­ article/internetNews/idUSN3040403520070530 (accessed March 24, 2009) WebMediaBrands Inc 2009-a Dynamic URL In Webopedia Computer Dictionary Sine loco: WebMediaBrands Inc WebMediaBrands, Inc 2009-b Static In Webopedia Computer Dictionary Sine loco: WebMediaBrands Inc Worldwide Internet users top billion in 2005 January 4, 2006 Arlington Heights, IL: Computer Industry Almanac http://www.c-i-a.com/pr0106.htm (accessed March 30, 2009) Bibliography 3Com Corporation “Understanding IP Addressing: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know: White Paper.” Santa Clara, CA: 3Com Corporation, 2001 “7 Online Blunders That Threaten Your Identity.” Yahoo! Finance, August 1, 2008 http:// finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/105534/7-Online-Blunders-That-Threaten-Your-Identity Personal Finance News from Yahoo! Finance.htm (accessed March 24, 2009) Adobe Adobe® Acrobat® Pro Accessibility Guide: Creating Accessible Forms Sine loco: Adobe Systems Inc., n.d http://www.adobe.com/accessibility/products/acrobat/pdf/ A9-creating-accessible-pdf-forms.pdf (accessed March 24, 2009) Alexander, Janet E., and Marsha Ann Tate “Teaching Critical Evaluation Skills for World Wide Web Resources.” Computers in Libraries 16, no 10 (November–December 1996): 49–55 American Society for Magazine Editors (ASME) “About ASME.” n.d http://www.magazine org/Editorial/About_ASME/ (accessed June 21, 2008) American Society for Magazine Editors (ASME) “Best Practices for Digital Media.” n.d http://www.magazine.org/ASME/ASME_GUIDELINES/BestPracticesDigMed/index aspx (accessed April 3, 2009) Anderson, Janna Quitney, and Lee Rainie “The Future of the Internet III.” Sine loco: Pew Internet and American Life Project, December 14, 2008 http://www.pewinternet.org/~/ media//Files/Reports/2008/PIP_FutureInternet3.pdf.pdf (accessed March 24, 2009) Apple “Apple Glossary.” 2008 http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=51908 (accessed March 24, 2009) Arens, William F., Michael F Weigold, and Christian Arens Contemporary Advertising 11th ed Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill Irwin, 2008 Arizona Office of Tourism “How to Develop an Interactive Marketing Strategy.” Phoenix, AZ: Arizona Office of Tourism, n.d http://www.azot.gov/documents/Interactive_Marketing pdf (accessed March 24, 2009) Armbrust, Michael, Armando Fox, Rean Griffith, et al “Above the Clouds: A Berkeley View of Cloud Computing.” Berkeley, CA: UC Berkeley Reliable Adaptive Distributed Systems Laboratory, February 10, 2009 http://d1smfj0g31qzek.cloudfront.net/abovetheclouds pdf (accessed March 23, 2009) Bertolucci, Jeff “AOL Turns Bebo into One-Stop Inbox.” PC World, December 10, 2008 Browne, M Neil, and Stuart M Keeley Asking the Right Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking 8th ed Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007 Cable News Network Inc “iReport.com.” Sine loco: Cable News Network, n.d http://www ireport.com/index.jspa (accessed April 1, 2009) Canada Telecommunications Policy Review Panel “Telecommunications Policy Review Panel final report, 2006.” Ottawa, ON: Telecommunications Policy Review Panel, 2006 http://www.telecomreview.ca/eic/site/tprpgecrt.nsf/vwapj/report_e.pdf/$FILE/report_e pdf (accessed January 13, 2009) Carvajal, Doreen, and Brad Stone “New Flavors for Addresses on the Web Are on the Way.” New York Times, June 27, 2008 http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/27/technology/27icann html (accessed March 24, 2009) Chu, Lenora “What PayPal Does with Your Money.” CNNMoney.com, February 26, 2008 http://money.cnn.com/2008/02/26/smbusiness/paypal_float.fsb/index.htm?postversion= 2008022611 (accessed March 24, 2009) 137 138 Bibliography ConsumerReports.org “Online Security Guide.” Sine loco: Consumers Union of U.S., Inc., 2004–2009 http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/electronics-computers/resource-center/ cyber-insecurity/cyber-insecurity-hub.htm (accessed April 8, 2009) Consumers Union “About Consumers Union.” Yonkers, NY: Consumers Union, 1998–2009 http://www.consumersunion.org/about/ (accessed April 1, 2009) Council of Better Business Bureaus “Start with Trust—Start with BBB” [Better Business Bureau home page] S.l.: Council of Better Business Bureaus, 2008 http://www.bbb org/ (accessed April 8, 2009) Creative Commons “History—Creative Commons.” San Francisco, CA: Creative Commons, n.d http://creativecommons.org/about/history (accessed March 23, 2009) Creative Commons “What Is CC—Creative Commons?” San Francisco, CA: Creative Commons, n.d http://creativecommons.org/about/what-is-cc (accessed March 23, 2009) Desautels, Edward “Software License Agreements: Ignore at Your Own Risk.” Washington, DC: US-CERT, 2005, updated 2008 http://www.us-cert.gov/reading_room/EULA.pdf (accessed March 24, 2009) Digital Media Project “The Digital Learning Challenge: Obstacles to Educational Uses of Copyrighted Material in the Digital Age: A Foundational White Paper.” S.l.: Digital Media Project, August 9, 2006 http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/sites/cyber.law.harvard edu/files/BerkmanWhitePaper_08-10-2006.pdf (accessed March 24, 2009) Discovery Education “Kathy Schrock’s Guide for Educators.” S.l.: Discovery Education, 2008 http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/ (accessed March 24, 2009) European Publishers Council (EPC) “European Publishers Council: Welcome.” 1996–2009 http://www.epceurope.org/index.shtml (accessed March 24, 2009) Federation of European Direct Marketing “FEDMA Code on E-commerce & Interactive Marketing.” September 2000 http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/12/21/2091875.pdf (acces­ sed March 24, 2009) Fishman, Stephen The Copyright Handbook: What Every Writer Needs to Know 10th ed Berkeley, CA: Nolo, 2008 Google “Blogger: Content Policy.” n.d http://www.blogger.com/content.g (accessed March 23, 2009) Google “Digital Millennium Copyright Act–Blogger.” n.d http://www.google.com/blogger_ dmca.html (accessed March 23, 2009) “Google Software Bug Shared Private Online Documents.” Yahoo! News, March 10, 2009 http://tech.yahoo.com/news/afp/20090310/tc_afp/usitinternetsoftwaregoogle (accessed March 24, 2009) Harvey, Ian, Ted Kritsonis, and Grant Buckler “39 Security Threats You Need to Know about in 2008.” Globe and Mail, TQ Magazine, November 27, 2007, p 42 Harvey, Mike “Twitter to Hit the Big Time with Explosion in Microblogging.” Times Online, January 22, 2009 http://technology.timesonline,co.uk (accessed January 22, 2009) Kissel, Richard, ed “Glossary of Key Information Security Terms.” Washington, DC: National Institute of Standards and Technology, April 25, 2006 http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/ nistir/NISTIR-7298_Glossary_Key_Infor_Security_Terms.pdf Knorr, Eric, and Galen Gruman “What Cloud Computing Really Means: The Next Big Trend Sounds Nebulous, But It’s Not So Fuzzy When You View the Value Proposition from the Perspective of IT Professionals.” InfoWorld, April 7, 2008 http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/04/07/15FE-cloud-computing-reality_1.html (accessed March 24, 2009) Lenhart, Amanda “Adults and Social Network Sites” (Pew Internet Project Data Memo) January 14, 2009 http://www.pewinternet.org/~/media//Files/Reports/2009/PIP_Adult_ social_networking_data_memo_FINAL.pdf.pdf (accessed March 24, 2009) Bibliography 139 Lenhart, Amanda “Twitter and Status Updating” (Pew Internet Project Data Memo) February 12, 2009 http://www.pewinternet.org/~/media//Files/Reports/2009/PIP%20Twitter%20 Memo%20FINAL.pdf (accessed March 24, 2009) Lenhart, Amanda, and Mary Madden “Teens, Privacy & Online Social Networks: How Teens Manage Their Online Identities and Personal Information in the Age of MySpace.” Washington, DC: Pew Internet & American Life Project, April 18, 2007 http://www pewinternet.org/~/media//Files/Reports/2007/PIP_Teens_Privacy_SNS_Report_Final pdf.pdf (accessed March 24, 2009) Lenhart, Amanda, Mary Madden, Alexandra Rankin Macgill, and Aaron Smith “Teens and Social Media: The Use of Social Media Gains a Greater Foothold in Teen Life as They Embrace the Conversational Nature of Interactive Online Media.” Washington, DC: Pew Internet & American Life Project, December 19, 2007 http://www.pewinternet.org/~/media//Files/ Reports/2007/PIP_Teens_Social_Media_Final.pdf.pdf (accessed March 24, 2009) Library of Congress “Help with Library of Congress RSS Feeds.” Washington, DC: Library of Congress, n.d http://www.loc.gov/rss/faq.html (accessed January 16, 2008) Madden, Mary, Susannah Fox, Aaron Smith, and Jessica Vitak “Digital Footprints: Online Identity Management and Search in the Age of Transparency.” Washington, DC: Pew Internet & American Life Project, December 2007 http://pewinternet.org/~/media// Files/Reports/2007/PIP_Digital_Footprints.pdf.pdf (accessed March 24, 2009) Malone, Michael S “Is Google Turning into Big Brother?” ABC News, September 5, 2008 http:// abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=5727509&page=1 (accessed March 24, 2009) Markoff, John “Microsoft Plans ‘Cloud’ Operating System.” NYTimes.com, October 28, 2008 http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/28/technology/28soft.html (accessed March 24, 2009) McCarthy, Caroline “Oops! Twitter Phishing Scam Snares CNN Anchor.” CNET News, January 5, 2009 McMillan, Robert “Researcher Accuses Sears of Spreading Spyware.” PC World, January 2, 2008 Michigan State Police (MSP) “MSP—Glossary of Computer & Internet Terms.” East Lansing, MI: State of Michigan, 2001–2009 http://www.michigan.gov/msp/0,1607,7-1231589_1711_4579-142199 ,00.html (accessed March 24, 2009) National Cyber Security Alliance “Welcome to Stay Safe Online.” http://www.staysafeonline org/ (accessed March 24, 2009) Pegoraro, Rob “Facebook Backs into a ‘Bill of Rights.’” Washington Post, February 19, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2009/02/19/ST2009021901903 html (accessed March 24, 2009) Pennsylvania State University Department of Plant Pathology “Department of Plant Pathology” [home page] Last modified March 27, 2009 http://www.ppath.cas.psu.edu/ (accessed April 3, 2009) Richardo, J “Dictionary of Terminology, Advertising.” 1995–1996 http://advertising.vtexas edu/research/terms/index.html (accessed February–March 1998) Roots Canada Ltd “About Us.” 2002–2009 http://about.roots.com/on/demandware.store/ Sites-RootsCorporate-Site/default/Page-Show?cid=ABOUT_US (accessed March 31, 2009) Roots Canada Ltd “Privacy Policy.” 2002–2009 http://canada.roots.com/Privacy-Policy-forRoots/privacyPolicy,default,pg.html (accessed March 31, 2009) Roots Canada Ltd “Roots Canada & International Home Page.” 2002–2009 http://canada roots.com/ (accessed March 31, 2009) Sandoval, Greg “Who’s to Blame for Spreading Phony Jobs Story?” CNET News, October 4, 2008 http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10058419-93.html (accessed October 10, 2008) 140 Bibliography Schwartz, Ephraim “The Dangers of Cloud Computing: On-Demand Apps and Services Have Several Security Risks that IT Should Address Up Front.” InfoWorld July 7, 2008 http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/07/07/28NF-cloud-computing-security_1.html (accessed March 24, 2009) Silverblatt, Art Media Literacy: Keys to Interpreting Media Messages 3rd ed Westport, CT: Praeger, 2008 Story, Louise, and Brad Stone “Facebook Retreats on Online Tracking.” New York Times, November 30, 2007 http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/30/technology/30face.html (accessed March 24, 2009) Technorati Inc “Blogging Basics.” In Technorati Support: Site Guide San Francisco, CA: Technorati, n.d http://support.technorati.com/support/siteguide/ (accessed April 2, 2009) Technorati Inc “State of the Blogosphere, 2008.” San Francisco, CA: Technorati, 2008 http:// technorati.com/blogging/state-of-the-blogosphere/ (accessed March 30, 2009) Tellis, Gerard, and Tim Ambler, eds The Sage Handbook of Advertising Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications, 2007 The Math Forum @ Drexel “About the Math Forum.” 1994–2009 http://mathforum.org/ about.forum.html (accessed March 24, 2009) The Math Forum @ Drexel University “The Math Forum @ Drexel University” [home page] 2009 http://mathforum.org/index.html (accessed April 3, 2009) The Math Forum @ Drexel University “The Math Forum @ Drexel University: Our Thanks.” 2008 http://mathforum.org/appreciation.html (accessed March 25, 2009) The Math Forum @ Drexel University “The Math Forum @ Drexel Privacy Policy.” 1994– 2009 http://mathforum.org/announce/privacy.html (accessed April 3, 2009) The Math Forum @ Drexel University “The Math Forum @ Drexel Terms of Use.” 1994– 2009 http://mathforum.org/announce/terms.html (accessed April 3, 2009) United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) “Home Computer Security.” Pittsburgh, PA: Carnegie Mellon University, 2002 http://www.us-cert.gov/reading_ room/HomeComputerSecurity/home_computer_security.pdf (accessed June 24, 2008) United States Copyright Office “Circular 1: Copyright basics.” Washington, DC: U.S Copyright Office, rev July 2008 http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.pdf (accessed March 23, 2009) United States Copyright Office “U.S Copyright Office” [home page] Washington, DC: U.S Copyright Office, rev March 10, 2009 http://www.copyright.gov/ (accessed March 24, 2009) U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC Online Newsroom Atlanta, GA: U.S CDC, page last updated April 2, 2009 http://www.cdc.gov/media/ (accessed April 3, 2009) U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “Wireless-Only Phone Use Varies Widely Across United States,” press release Atlanta, GA: U.S CDC, March 11, 2009 http:// www.cdc.gov/media/pressrel/2009/r090311.htm (accessed April 3, 2009) U.S Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences National Center for Education Statistics “Glossary.” In Weaving a Secure Web Around Education: A Guide to Technology Standards and Security Washington, DC: U.S Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 2003 http:// nces.ed.gov/pubs2003/2003381.pdf (accessed June 10, 2007) U.S Department of Health and Human Services “Can Your Food Do That?” In Smallstep Kids Washington, DC: U.S Department of Health and Human Services, n.d http:// www.smallstep.gov/kids/flash/can_your_food.html (accessed April 4, 2009) U.S Department of Health and Human Services “Help with RSS.” In PandemicFlu.gov Washington, DC: U.S Department of Health and Human Services, n.d http://www pandemicflu.gov/rss/whatisRSS.html (accessed August 2, 2007) Bibliography 141 U.S Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families “Glossary.” Washington, DC: U.S Department of Health and Human Services, Admini­ stration for Children and Families, last updated May 4, 2005 http://www.acf.hhs.gov/ nhsitrc/it_planning/consolidated_definitions/glossary_ref.html (accessed  October 5, 2007) U.S Department of Transportation Federal Lands Highway Division “Glossary.” In Design Visualization Guide Washington, DC: U.S Department of Transportation, Federal Lands Highway Division, n.d http://www.efl.fhwa.dot.gov/manuals/dv/glossary/ (accessed January 16, 2008) U.S Department of Transportation Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) Bureau of Transportation Statistics “Table  4-46: Estimated National Emissions of Lead (Thousand Short Tons).” Washington, DC: U.S Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, n.d http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_statistics/html/table  04_46.html (accessed April 3, 2009) U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) “EPA Environmental Kids Club: Home Page.” Washington, DC: U.S EPA, n.d http://www.epa.gov/kids/index.htm (accessed April 6, 2009) U.S Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) FFIEC Information Technology Examination Handbook Glossary Sine loco: FFIEC, n.d http://www.ffiec gov/ffiecinfobase/html_pages/gl_01.html (accessed August 20, 2007) U.S Federal Trade Commission, Plaintiff, v John Zuccarini, Individually and d/b/a Cupcake Party, Cupcake-Party, … Defendant “Judgment and Permanent Injunction.” U.S District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, April 9, 2002 http://www.ftc gov/os/2002/05/johnzuccarinijudandpi.pdf (accessed March 24, 2009) U.S Federal Trade Commission et al “Learn the Terms.” In OnGuard Online Washington, DC: United States, Federal Trade Commission et al., n.d http://www.onguardonline gov/tools/learn-terms.aspx (accessed April 2, 2009) U.S Food and Drug Administration “U.S Food and Drug Administration home page.” Silver Spring, MD: U.S Food and Drug Administration, n.d http://www.fda.gov/default.htm (accessed April 3, 2009) U.S Food and Drug Administration Center for Veterinary Medicine “CVM and Animal Cloning.” Rockville, MD: U.S Food and Drug Administration, Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM), page updated January 31, 2008 http://www.fda.gov/cvm/cloning.htm (accessed April 3, 2009) U.S National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) “Implications of Recent Web Technologies for NARA Web Guidance.” College Park, MD: U.S National Archives and Records Administration, 2008 http://www.archives.gov (accessed January 19, 2008) U.S National Archives and Records Administration “NARA Guidance on Managing Web Records.” College Park, MD: U.S National Archives and Records Administration, 2005 http://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/pdf/managing-web-records-index.pdf (accessed January 12, 2009) U.S National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Media Campaign Resource Center “Glossary.” 2001 http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/mcrc/glossary.htm U.S National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Marine Sanctuaries “The Migration Game.” Silver Spring, MD: NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program, n.d http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/whales/main_page.html (accessed April 7, 2009) 142 Bibliography U.S National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Marine Sanctuaries “National Marine Sanctuary Education Fun Stuff.” Silver Spring, MD: NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program, n.d http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/education/fun/welcome html (accessed April 7, 2009) US-CERT “Recognizing and Avoiding Email Scams.” Washington, DC: US-CERT, 2005, updated October 2008 http://www.us-cert.gov/reading_room/emailscams_0905.pdf (accessed March 24, 2009) US-CERT “Spyware.” Washington, DC: US-CERT, 2005, updated October 2008 http://www us-cert.gov/reading_room/spywarehome_0905.pdf (accessed March 24, 2009) US-CERT “Virus Basics.” Washington, DC: US-CERT, n.d http://www.uscert.gov/reading_ room/virus.html (accessed March 24, 2009) “Web Site Error Rocks Global Oil Markets.” Reuters, May 30, 2007 http://www.reuters.com/ article/internetNews/idUSN3040403520070530 (accessed March 24, 2009) “Your Data Love It or Lose It.” Baseline.com, January 31, 2008 Index a ACC, see Accuracy Accuracy (ACC), 59, 114, 129 advocacy Web pages, 66 business Web pages, 71 definition of, 11, 46, 129 informational Web pages, 77 news Web pages, 82 of sources, 11–12 Advertisers, potential influence exerted by, 13 Advertising and sponsorship, 29–40 advertising, definition of, 30 advertising–editorial content demarcation, 35 advertising, sponsorship, and information on the Web, 29 affiliate marketing, 37 corporate sponsorship, 33 defining, 29–33 advocacy advertising, 30–31 commercial advertising, 30 corporate sponsorship, 33 institutional advertising, 31 nonprofit sponsorship, 33 word-of-mouth advertising, 31–33 distinguishing between advertising, sponsorship, and information on the Web, 33–36 continuum of objectivity on the Web, 36 hypertext links and blending of advertising, information, and entertainment, 36 overlapping and blending of 33–35 E-marketing, 29 key stakeholders, 38 medical sites, 34 nonprofit sponsorship, 33 print publishing, 35 sorting out of relationship between advertisers, sponsors, and information, 36–40 advocacy groups, 38 commercial businesses, 38 nonprofit organizations, 38 strategies for analyzing Web information, 38–39 special advertising feature, 35 sponsorship, definition of, 30 viral marketing, 31 vocabulary, 29 Web page, combined sponsorship, 34 Advocacy advertising definition of, 30 example of, 32 groups, Web information provided by, 38 Advocacy Web pages, 63–66 analysis, 63–65 example home page, 64, 65 examples of organizations, 63 keys to evaluating and creating, 65–66 accuracy, 66 authority, 66 interaction and transaction features, 66 objectivity, 66 keys to recognizing, 63 purpose of, 63 URL address, 63 Affiliate marketing, 37 American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME), 35 The American Summer Colony at Cobourg, Ontario, ASME, see American Society of Magazine Editors AUTH, see Authority Authority (AUTH), 58–59, 113–114, 127–128 advocacy Web pages, 66 business Web pages, 71 definition of, 10, 41, 127 informational Web pages, 77 keys to verifying, 43 news Web pages, 82 page level, 42, 45 page not a home page, 128 site level, 42, 43 site’s home page, 127–128 of sources, 10–11 b Basic evaluation criteria, application of to Web page, 41–61 author’s qualifications, 44 checklist of basic elements, 58–61 accuracy, 59 authority, 58–59 coverage and intended audience, 60–61 currency, 60 interaction and transaction features, 61 objectivity, 60 143 144 cookies, 52 copyright holder, 42, 44 data encryption, 53 incorporation of basic elements into Web pages, 41–52 accuracy of information, 46 authority, 41–51 coverage of information and its intended audience, 50–52 currency of information, 49–50 objectivity of information, 47–49 information, error-free, 46 information on types of Web pages, 58 interaction and transaction features, 52–53 keys to evaluating or creating Web pages, 58–61 keys to verifying authority, 43, 45 methods of contact, 42 navigational aids, 53, 57 navigational and nontext features, 53–58 browser title, 55–56 consistent and effective use of navigational aids, 53–56 hypertext links, 56 internal search engine, 56 nontext features, 57–58 page title, 56 site map and index, 56 URL for page, 56 passwords, 52 shopping cart, creation of, 52 user feedback, 53 user IDs, 52 Blog, 6, 22, 26, 85 Blogger, 22 Blogosphere, 22 Blogposts, 22 Browser hijacker, 19 information, ways of displaying, 17 text-only, 57 titles, 55, 93–94, 132–133 Business Web pages, 67–72 analysis, 67–69 business home page, 68 business Web site privacy policy, 70 keys to evaluating and creating, 70–72 accuracy, 71 authority, 71 coverage and intended audience, 72 currency, 71 interaction and transaction features, 72 objectivity, 71 keys to information quality, 67 keys to recognizing, 67 purpose of, 67 Buying habits, Index c Cable News Network (CNN), 21 CC, see Creative Commons Challenges presented by Web resources, 15–20 browser information, ways of displaying, 17 dynamic Web content, 16–17 database-driven Web sites, 16–17 Really Simple Syndication, 17 feed reader, 17 frames, 16 HTML coding, 16 hybrid medium, 15 hypertext links, 15–16 instability of Web pages, 20 news aggregator, 17 news reader, 17 pages retrieved out of context by search engines, 19 Portable Document Format, 18 redirection of URLs to different Web sites and other malicious activities, 19–20 social media, 15, 20 software plug-ins, 17 software requirements and other factors limiting access to information, 17–18 sound card, 17 susceptibility of Web pages to alteration, 19 Checklist of Basic Elements advocacy Web pages, 65 business Web pages, 67, 70 entertainment Web pages, 90 informational Web pages, 74 news Web pages, 82 personal Web pages, 86 social media, 24 Checklist compilation, 113–125 advocacy Web pages, keys to evaluating and creating, 65–66, 116–117 accuracy, 66, 116 authority, 66, 116 interaction and transaction features, 66, 117 objectivity, 66, 117 business Web pages, keys to evaluating and creating, 70–72, 117–118 accuracy, 71, 118 authority, 71, 117–118 coverage and intended audience, 72, 118 currency, 71, 118 interaction and transaction features, 72, 118 objectivity, 71, 118 Checklist of Basic Elements, 58–61, 113–116 accuracy, 59, 114 authority, 58–59, 113–114 coverage and intended audience, 60–61, 115 145 Index currency, 60, 115 interaction and transaction features, 61, 115–116 objectivity, 60, 114–115 social media, 24 informational Web pages, keys to evaluating and creating, 75–77 accuracy, 77, 119 authority, 77, 119 coverage and intended audience, 77, 120 currency, 77, 119 interaction and transaction features checklist, 123–124 navigational aids checklist, 93–95, 121–122 browser titles, 93–94, 121 hypertext links, 94, 122 internal search engine, 56, 95, 122 page title, 94, 121–122 site map or index, 56, 122 URL for page, 94, 122 news Web pages, keys to evaluating and creating, 82–83 accuracy, 82, 120 authority, 82, 120 coverage and intended audience, 83, 121 currency, 82–83, 120–121 objectivity, 82, 120 nontext features checklist, 57, 95, 123 Web functionality checklist, 96–97, 124–125 printing issues, 96, 124 usability and quality of external links, 96–97, 124 usability of site, 97, 124–125 CNN, see Cable News Network Commercial advertising, definition of, 30 Commercial businesses, Web information provided by, 38 Cookies, 52 Copyright guidelines for Web authors, 101 holder, 42, 44 notice, 100–101 registration, 101 sponsorship, 33 Coverage and intended audience (COV/IA), 60–61, 115, 131 business Web pages, 72 coverage, definition of, 14, 50, 131 informational Web pages, 77 intended audience, definition of, 14, 50, 131 news Web pages, 83 COV/IA, see Coverage and intended audience Creative Commons (CC), 102 Credit card number, 52 CUR, see Currency CUR 1.2, Currency (CUR), 60, 115, 130–131 business Web pages, 71 definition of, 13, 49, 130 informational Web pages, 77 news Web pages, 82–83 d Database-driven sites, 16 Data encryption, 53 Descriptor meta tags, 98 Disclaimers, 101 Dynamic URLs, 16 e E-mail message, hypertext link provided in, 19 E-marketing, 29 Entertainment Web pages, 89–92 analysis of, 90 business purposes, 89 creation issues, 90 keys to recognizing, 89–91 note for Web users, 89 purpose of, 89 Evaluation criteria, see Basic evaluation criteria, application of to Web page eXtensible Markup Language (XML), f Facebook, 21, 85 Fair use, 100 Feed reader, 17 Frame, definition of, 16 g Globalization, 7, Glossary, 135–142 h Home page, HTML, see Hypertext Markup Language Hybrid medium, 15 Hypertext links, 5, 15–16, 36, 56, 133 Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), 5, 16, 55 i Index, definition of, 56 Information currency, 49 146 error-free, 46 objectivity, 47, 49 Informational Web pages, 73–77 analysis of, 73–75 keys to evaluating and creating, 75–77 accuracy, 77 authority, 77 coverage and intended audience, 77 currency, 77 keys to recognizing, 73 purpose of, 73 Information quality criteria for Web resources, 7–14 advertisers, potential influence exerted by, 13 comparison between Web pages presenting information, 7–10 condensation of publishing process, 12 search engine, thumbing through Web pages, 14 traditional evaluation criteria and their application to Web resources, 10–14 accuracy of traditional sources, 11–12 accuracy of Web sources, 12 authority of traditional sources, 10–11 authority of Web sources, 11 coverage and intended audience of traditional sources, 14 coverage and intended audience of Web sources, 14 currency of traditional sources, 13 currency of Web sources, 13–14 objectivity of traditional sources, 12–13 objectivity of Web sources, 13 Web page reliability, Information quality questions compilation, 127–134 accuracy, 129 authority, 127–128 page not a home page, 128 site’s home page, 127–128 coverage and intended audience, 131 currency, 130–131 interaction and transaction features, 131–132 navigational aids, 132–134 browser titles, 132–133 hypertext links, 133 internal search engine, 134 page title, 133 site map or index, 133–134 URL for page, 133 nontext features, 134 objectivity, 129–130 Index Institutional advertising, definition of, 31 Intended audience, definition of, 14, 50, 131 Interaction and transaction features (INT/ TRA), 52, 61, 115–116, 131–132 advocacy Web pages, 66 business Web pages, 72 definition of, 131 Internal search engine, 56, 95, 122 INT/TRA, see Interaction and transaction features iReports, 22 k Keyword meta tags, 98–99 l Links, 56 m Marketing affiliate, 37 online, 29 users drawn by entertainment, 39 viral, 31 Metalanguage, Meta tags, 97–99 descriptor meta tags, 98 introduction, 97–98 keyword meta tags, 98–99 MNC, see Multinational Corporation Multinational Corporation (MNC), 7, MySpace, 21, 85 n National Science Foundation (NSF), 33 NAV, see Navigational aids Navigational aids (NAV), 53, 57, 132–134 browser titles, 132–133 definition of, 132 hypertext links, 133 internal search engine, 134 page title, 133 site map or index, 133–134 URL for page, 133 News aggregator, 17 News reader, 17 News Web pages, 79–83 analysis of, 79–82 keys to evaluating and creating, 82–83 accuracy, 82 authority, 82 coverage and intended audience, 83 currency, 82–83 objectivity, 82 147 Index keys to recognizing, 79 purpose of, 79 Nonprofit organizations, Web information provided by, 38 Nonprofit sponsorship, 33 Nontext features (NONTX), 57–58, 95, 134 NONTX, see Nontext features NSF, see National Science Foundation o OBJ, see Objectivity Objectivity (OBJ), 60, 114–115, 129–130 advocacy Web pages, 66 business Web pages, 71 definition of, 12, 47, 129 news Web pages, 82 Online marketing, 29 Overview, 1–6 blog, book contents, buying habits, caveats, CUR 1.2, design issues, eXtensible Markup Language, home page, how to use book, hypertext link, Hypertext Markup Language, key terms, 5–6 metalanguage, need for Web-specific evaluation criteria, 2–3 paid program, search engine, social networking site, uniform resource locator, Weblog, Web page, Web site, Web subsite, wiki, Public domain, works in, 100 Publishing process, condensation of, 12 r Really Simple Syndication (RSS), 17, 22 RSS, see Really Simple Syndication s Search engine, 6, internal, 56, 95, 122 pages retrieved out of context by, 19 Shopping cart, creation of, 52 Site map, 56 Social media nature of, 21 word-of-mouth advertising and, 31 Social media content, 21–27 blog, information evaluation, 26 blogosphere, 22 Checklist of Basic Elements, 24 evaluation challenges, 23–26 nature of social media, 21 overview, 21–22 popularity of social media, 21 postings, 22 Really Simple Syndication, 22 weblogs (blogs), 22, 23 wikis, 22 entry, 25 information evaluation, 26 tasks, 22 Social networking site, Software plug-ins, 17 Sound card, 17 Special advertising feature, 35 Sponsorship, see Advertising and sponsorship t Text-only browser, 57 Twitter, 21 p u Page title, 56 Passwords, 52 PDF, see Portable Document Format Personal Web pages, 85–87 analysis of, 85–87 blogs, 85 keys to recognizing, 85 URL address, 85 Portable Document Format (PDF), 18 Postings, 22 Printing issues, 96 Uniform resource locator (URL), 6, 89, 94 advocacy Web page, 63 analysis, 46 dynamic, 16 entertainment Web pages, 89 page, 56 personal Web page, 85 redirection of, 19 URL, see Uniform resource locator User feedback, 53 User IDs, 52 148 v Viral advertising definition of, 31–32 forms, 33 Viral marketing, 31 w Web information, strategies for analyzing, 38 Weblogs, 6, 22, see also Social media content example, 23 posts, 22 Web page, advocacy Web pages, 63–66 The American Summer Colony at Cobourg, Ontario, business Web pages, 67–72 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 80, 81 combined sponsorship, 34 counterfeit, 19 entertainment Web pages, 89–92 example blending entertainment and educational content, 90 Federal Housing Administration, 24 informational Web pages, 73–77 instability of, 20 keys to evaluating or creating, 58–61 accuracy, 59 authority, 58–59 coverage and intended audience, 60–61 currency, 60 interaction and transaction features, 61 objectivity, 60 Math Forum @ Drexel University, 48, 51 Mave’s Media Haven, 86 Multinational Corporation, National Cancer Institute, 47 news Web pages, 79–83 personal Web pages, 85–87 privacy policy, 70 reliability, RSS feeds, 18 subsite, susceptibility of to alteration, 19 thumbing through, 14 trustworthiness, 10 U.S Department of Transportation, 76 U.S Food and Drug Administration, 74 U.S National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 90, 91 Index Web pages and sites, creating effective, 93–102 copyright and disclaimers, 99–102 copyright notice, 100–101 copyright registration, 101 copyright and the Web, 99 Creative Commons, 102 disclaimers, 101 fair use, 100 suggested copyright guidelines for Web authors, 101 works in public domain, 100 interaction and transaction features checklist, 95–96 meta tags, 97–99 descriptor meta tags, 98 introduction, 97–98 keyword meta tags, 98–99 navigational aids checklist, 93–95 browser titles, 93–94 hypertext links, 94 internal search engine, 95 page title, 94 URL for page, 94 nontext features checklist, 95 Web site functionality checklist, 96–97 printing issues, 96 usability and quality of external links, 96–97 usability of site, 97 Web-related challenges, see Challenges presented by Web resources Web sites, see Web page; Web pages and sites, creating effective Wiki, 6, see also Social media content definition of, 22 entry, 25 example, 24 Federal Housing Administration, 22, 24 information evaluation, 26 tasks, 22 Wikipedia, 21 Word-of-mouth advertising, definition of, 21 x XML, see eXtensible Markup Language y Yahoo, 16 YouTube, 21 ... How to Evaluate and Create Information Quality on the Web • There is a link to the home page of the individual responsible for the page • A date on the page indicates the currency of the information. .. a Web author’s message will be more successfully ­conveyed to the Web user Web Wisdom: How to Evaluate and Create Information Quality on the Web The Need for Web- Specific Evaluation Criteria Today’s... (McFarland, 2007) xvii Related Web Site A companion Web site to Web Wisdom: How to Evaluate and Create Information Quality on the Web, 2nd edition, is available at http://mtateresearch.com /web_ ­