Evaluating Websites

Today we were given directions to visit 2 websites, then decide which one has true information and which one does not . The first website that I had visited was http://www.google.com/onceuponatime/googlegulp/. This website does not have an author of who listed the information, it also does not have  adate of when this article was written or when it was updated. Also on this website there is no E-mail address or no way to contact the author. The information on this website has no links or any other website or form of information to verify it on. On this page it says things like this drink is able to make you smarter and less thirsty. I do not believe that a drink is able to make you smarter, and if it is where are your supporting facts ? In conclusion I do not believe that this website contains true information. The other website that I had to take a  look at was http://zapatopi.net/afdb/. On this page it is easy to find what your looking for. On the left there are tabs where you are able to go to the specific topic that you want and find the information. At the top you are easily able to see the title, and the name of the author. At teh bottom of this page there is contact information where you are able to get a hold of the author. There is also a tab where there are questions and answers. Located in the bottom right hand corner it gives a date of when it was last updated. So in conclusion I believ that this website has everything that a website needs to be valid.
I was also asked if I my teacehr assigned me to do a state report about a town in Minnesota called Mankato whcih website would be the best for my report ?  How do you know ? The website that I would choose is http://descy.50megs.com/Emankato/mankato.html. I would choose this website because at the bottom of the page it says that it si updated on the first Monday of each month so i know that the information is recent and that the page is updated. I also would use this website because every picture that is on the site has been cited. On this page there is also tabs that you are able to click on to move around easily about the site. This website also has a title across the top. The second website that I had been given the oppurtunity to look at was  http://www.mankato-mn.gov/. This website looks to be valid , but it is irrelevant as to what I would be loking for. This website talks about moving there and it mentions the plaque that is to be dedicated to them. The third website that I had been given the oppurtunity to look at was http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mankato,_Minnesota. I did not even bother to look through this website because it is wikepedia. Wikipedia can be changed and edited by anyone who chooses to write information. There is now ay to verify this information, although it may be true, it's best not to take any chances.
The Third thing that Iwas asked to do today was to let you know whether the information discussed in the past two days has given me any new information related to research and usuable websites. The naswer to this question is yes. In the past few days we have discussed how to verify information on a website. I have learned that there are a couple things that you look for when trying to do this. First is it clear who has written the information ? Try to find an author and is there a way to contact them, look for an e-mail address. Second are the aims of the site clear ? Is this site giving you information that you are looking for does it clearly show you ot tell you what it's goals are ? Third does the site achieve it’s aim ? Within the website does it tell you what the aim in and then does it achieve it's aim ? Fourth is the site relevant to me ? Is the site showing me what I am looking for ? Does it stay on the topic that I am trying to learn about . Fifth, can the information be checked ? Within the website are you able to find who has posted the information , or are there other websites that you are able to read the same information on ? Sixth , when was this site produced ? Are you able to find a date of when the post was made or when it was updated it last ? Seventh , is the information biased in any way ? Does the website try to convince you to buy something ? Or is there opinion the only one that is portrayed ? Last does the site tell you about choices open to you ? Are there ares where you are able to click and find what your looking for or are options given to you ? These are the eight main points that I have learned about evaluating websites in the past couple days.