How to Spot a Turkey in
Cyberspace
Web Resource Evaluation Techniques
2005 NMC Summer Conference
OR, Conquering Data Smog,
Information Overload, and
Information Fatigue Syndrome!!
Carole Robinson
Jeanie Wells
Conquering Data Smog
Information Overload
Information Fatigue Syndrome

New information per year per person


World population - 6.3 billion
Almost 800 MB of recorded information is produced
per person each year (about 30 feet of books to
store the equivalent on paper).
- How Much Information? 2003: University of California Regents
Conquering Data Smog
Information Overload
Information Fatigue Syndrome

2002 - World Wide Web contained about 170
terabytes of information on its surface

17 times the size of the Library of Congress
print collections
- How Much Information? 2003: University of California Regents
Conquering Data Smog
Information Overload
Information Fatigue Syndrome

Sifting through masses of irrelevant online
information to locate specific information is
daunting.

U.S. user spends a monthly average of 25
hours and 25 minutes at home and 74 hours
and 26 minutes at work sifting through online
information.
Conquering Data Smog
Information Overload
Information Fatigue Syndrome



Google estimates that over 8 Billion Web sites
exist.
Search engines cover less than 25% of Web
sites.
How much of this information do you estimate
is quality, useful information?
- Search Engine Watch
An Information Literate Person

…can understand, locate, access, use,
and evaluate information efficiently and
effectively.
- Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education,
2002
Information Technology Literacy

…enables us to analyze and evaluate the
information we find on the Internet, giving
us confidence in using the selections to
make a decision or create a product.
Increasing Reliance Upon
Web-based Information
 Web resource quality varies tremendously.
 Information technology literacy helps
separate quality information treasure from the
massive collection of cyber trash inhabiting
the Internet.
5 + 1 Evaluation Criteria
1. Accuracy
2. Authority
3. Objectivity
4. Currency
5. Coverage
5+1. Design /Navigation /ADA
1: Web Resources Accuracy
Remember:


Almost anyone can publish on the Web. The Web
can be a virtual soapbox for organizations or
individuals.
Web standards to ensure site information accuracy
does not exist (like information accuracy for
published books, magazines, and newspapers).
1: Web Resources Accuracy

Does evidence exist to confirm the
information on the site is true?

Does a bibliography of citations on the page to
show where the data is coming from?

When in doubt, return to the home page to
determine source of information.

Can the information be verified elsewhere?

Perhaps in a print source?
1: Web Resources Accuracy

Watch groups and services scan the web
for bad information, fraudulent, and
fanatical web sites.

The Virtual Chase maintains an updated
list of these groups.
2: Web Resources Authority
Remember:
 A reputable site author / publisher is
important.
 Locate the author’s / producer’s qualifications
for writing on the subject.
2: Web Resources Authority

Is the author's / producer’s verifiable
information readily available AND clearly
visible?







Name
Qualifications
Organization affiliations
E-mail address
Biography
Curriculum vita
Personal homepage
2: Web Resources Authority

Is the source peer-reviewed or edited?

If the source peer-reviewed or edited, is the
source reputable?

Has the author / producer written articles or
books other than web pages?
3: Web Resources Objectivity
Remember:

Is the purpose of the site clearly stated?


Why was the site authored?
What are the goals / aims of persons /groups
presenting material?
3: Web Resources Objectivity

Is the intended audience clearly defined?





Advocacy
Business /marketing
Informational
News
Personal
3: Web Resources Objectivity
 Is the information presented with a minimum
of bias or viewpoint?
 Is the information trying to sway the opinion of
the audience?
 Does the site use inflammatory or provocative
language?
3: Web Resources Objectivity
Remember:

Distinctions between advertising and information can
become extremely blurred on the Web.

If advertising is on the site, can it be differentiated
from informational content?
4: Web Resources Currency
 Is the content of the work up-to-date?
 Is the publication date clearly indicated? If so,
a date may have various meanings:
Date first created
Date placed on Web
Date last revised
4: Web Resources Currency





Is information current?
Are dead links non-existent the site?
Do links supply enhanced information?
Are links appropriate to the topic on the site?
Are links evaluated in any way?
5: Web Resources Coverage
 Are topics explored in depth?
 Is the topic adequately covered?
Is the site display complete documents or an
abstract / summary?
Is important information left out intentionally?
5+1: Design/Navigation
 Is material presented in an orderly format?
 Is information provided within a reasonable
number of links (preferably 3 or fewer clicks)?
5+1: Design/Navigation
 Does the text follow basic rules of grammar,
spelling, and literary composition?
 Are obvious errors present?
5+1: Design/Navigation
 Does the site follow good graphic design
principles?
 Do the graphics serve an informational (see
below) NOT decorative function ?
Clarify
Instruct
Inspire
Elaborate
 Do icons clearly represent what is intended?
5+1: Design/Navigation
 Usability
Does a link on each supporting page to go back to
the main page?
Is a comment link provided at the bottom of the
main page?
5+1: Design/Navigation
 Usability
Are options available for text only, non-frames,
and non-tables views of this Web site?
Is attention paid to the needs of the disabled (e.g.,
large print and graphics options; audio; alternative
text for graphics)?
Confused?

With…Accuracy, Authority, Objectivity,
Currency, Coverage,and Design

Use…Who, What, When, Where, Why, and
How?
Disability Types: Major Categories
1.
Visual - blindness, low vision, colorblindness
2.
Hearing - deafness
Disability Types: Major Categories
3.
Mobility - inability to use a mouse, slow
response time, limited fine motor control
4.
Cognitive - learning disabilities,
distractibility, inability to remember or focus
on large amounts of information
How Does Your Website Sound?

Screenreaders

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JAWS
WindowEyes
HAL & Supernova
Home Page Reader
Let’s Do The WAVE
Website Accessibility for FREE

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WAVE - external link
Accessibility Toolbar - external link (NILS)
Cynthia Says - external link (ICDRI)
A-Prompt - external link (University of Toronto)
Site Valet - external link (WebThing)
Website Accessibility for FREE

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AccMonitor Online - external link (HiSoft)
Bobby online - external link (Watchfire)
TAW - external link in Spanish (Sidar)
Torquemada - external link in Italian (WebxTutti)
AskAlice - external link (SSB Technologies)
Commercial Products & Services
InFocus - external link (SSB Technologies)
 AccVerify, AccRepair, AccMonitor - external
link (HiSoftware)
 LIFT (including LIFT for Dreamweaver &
for FrontPage) - external link (UsableNet)

Commercial Products & Services
RAMP - external link (Deque)
 Bobby - external link (Watchfire)
 COAST - external link (COAST Software)

How NOT To Be a Turkey

Images & Animations: always use Alt Tags
for graphics.
 There is no ALTernative

Image Maps: use client-side map elements
and text for hotspots.
How NOT To Be a Turkey

Multimedia: Provide captioning and
transcripts of audio, and descriptions of
video.

Hypertext Links: Use text that makes sense
when read out of context.
 For example: “Click here.”
When in doubt…

Learn
 Webaim.org

Change

Promote
Presented at the New Media Consortium
Summer Conference
June 15-19, 2005
Honolulu, HI
Dr. Carole S. Robinson, Academic Support
Pasadena City College
csrobinson@pasadena.edu
Jeanie Wells, Technology Support Services
CSU, Monterey Bay
Jeanie_Wells@csumb.edu