How Can You Know if a Web Page is Really What it Says it is?

Cabrillo College Library Workshops Schedule Back to Web Workshops homepage	In the the world of the Internet, nearly anyone can publish anything. If you browse the Library's book collections, it is pretty much guaranteed that the resources you encounter are of pretty high quality. Authors were selected, and paid, to write them. Established publishers printed them. Librarians selected them. Out on the Internet, there are no established publishers like that. The government can publish, our college and other institutions can publish, but it's also true that you and I and our neighbors can create materials and make them available on the Internet. It falls on you, the user, to figure out whether something is really what it says it is. Let's start with a few examples. Here are two Web sites that have the word whitehouse in them: http://whitehouse.gov http://whitehouse.net Official U.S. government Web sites have .gov as the last part of their domain name. But, nearly anyone can buy a .net domain. So the http://whitehouse.net Web site is bogus. These two Web pages both claim they are Web sites for Mankato, a city in Minnesota: City of Mankato, MN Mankato, MN Click to go to each of them and poke around a bit. Which one do you think is the real Mankato Web site? Here's another pair of Web sites for you to explore: Ban Dihydrogen Monoxide! DHMO.org You can check your favorite big dictionary, but dihydrogen monoxide won't be in it. But just reason it out -- 2 hydrogen, 1 oxygen. It's water! Both Web resources are bogus. Though the first one appears a little hokey, and might arouse suspicion, DHMO.org looks more official, and includes links to real Web sites, such as the Environmental Protection Agency. How do you deal with all of this?Here are some things to keep in mind: 1. Frequently, authors of Web pages include a date to indicate when the page was last updated; these dates are usually at the bottom of the page, so scroll down and look. 2. Examine the domain name carefully. Usually, but not always, domain names in the U.S. that end in .com are commercial, those that end in .gov are governmental, .edu is for educational institutions, and .org is for nonprofits and other organizations. 3. Frequently (but not always), a tilde (the symbol ~) prior to a file name indicates that it is someone's personal Web page. Some places on the Web are in the business of hosting personal Web pages for free, or as a part of membership. When a domain name has geocities, angelfire, tripod, or aol in it, the Web page is probably a personal one. 4. If a site has a long file name, try taking off the last part of the URL to see the Web page or site to which it is hooked. 5. If you are puzzled about who might own a domain name, you can go to register.com and find out. Want to learn more? Check these out! Advocacy Web Pages Business/Marketing Web Page News Web Page Informational Web Page Personal Web Page The most important caveat of all is to think critically!! And cross-check information that seems at all suspicious! How to get to this page on the Internet Go to the Cabrillo College Library homepage <http://libwww.cabrillo.edu> Click on Library & Internet Instruction (3rd icon from the bottom, on left) Click on 1. Web Workshops for Fall 2003 Topsy N. Smalley last rev. 10/03/03

Workshops Schedule

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In the the world of the Internet, nearly anyone can publish anything.

If you browse the Library's book collections, it is pretty much guaranteed that the resources you encounter are of pretty high quality. Authors were selected, and paid, to write them. Established publishers printed them. Librarians selected them.

Out on the Internet, there are no established publishers like that. The government can publish, our college and other institutions can publish, but it's also true that you and I and our neighbors can create materials and make them available on the Internet.

It falls on you, the user, to figure out whether something is really what it says it is.

Let's start with a few examples. Here are two Web sites that have the word whitehouse in them:

Official U.S. government Web sites have .gov as the last part of their domain name. But, nearly anyone can buy a .net domain. So the http://whitehouse.net Web site is bogus.

These two Web pages both claim they are Web sites for Mankato, a city in Minnesota:

Click to go to each of them and poke around a bit. Which one do you think is the real Mankato Web site?

Here's another pair of Web sites for you to explore:

You can check your favorite big dictionary, but dihydrogen monoxide won't be in it. But just reason it out -- 2 hydrogen, 1 oxygen. It's water!

Both Web resources are bogus. Though the first one appears a little hokey, and might arouse suspicion, DHMO.org looks more official, and includes links to real Web sites, such as the Environmental Protection Agency.

How do you deal with all of this?Here are some things to keep in mind:

1. Frequently, authors of Web pages include a date to indicate when the page was last updated; these dates are usually at the bottom of the page, so scroll down and look.

2. Examine the domain name carefully. Usually, but not always, domain names in the U.S. that end in .com are commercial, those that end in .gov are governmental, .edu is for educational institutions, and .org is for nonprofits and other organizations.

3. Frequently (but not always), a tilde (the symbol ~) prior to a file name indicates that it is someone's personal Web page. Some places on the Web are in the business of hosting personal Web pages for free, or as a part of membership. When a domain name has geocities, angelfire, tripod, or aol in it, the Web page is probably a personal one.

4. If a site has a long file name, try taking off the last part of the URL to see the Web page or site to which it is hooked.

5. If you are puzzled about who might own a domain name, you can go to register.com and find out.

Want to learn more? Check these out!

The most important caveat of all is to think critically!! And cross-check information that seems at all suspicious!

How to get to this page on the Internet

Go to the Cabrillo College Library homepage <http://libwww.cabrillo.edu>
Click on Library & Internet Instruction (3rd icon from the bottom, on left)
Click on 1. Web Workshops for Fall 2003

Topsy N. Smalley last rev. 10/03/03