For many people online searching has become an every day
practice. What used to take a trip to the library or require a shelf of
dictionaries and encyclopedias can now be found in under a minute. There are
plenty of tools to choose from whether you prefer Yahoo, Google, Bing, Stumble
Upon, or one of the many others each drawing from a wealth of information on
the internet.
It is important to keep in mind that not all search engines
are created equal. Many of the sites use different criteria for searches. Based
on the exercise in the book I tried searching for the same information on
Google, Bing, Ask.com, and Yahoo and received some very different results. I
have pretty much always used Google as my default search engine but I am seeing
now that it may be a good idea to use multiple engines to make sure I am
getting the best information available.
Perhaps one of the most important steps in the search
process is the ability to evaluate the credibility of the search results since
we want the information we are using to be accurate. The four key areas to look at are the
authority, objectivity, scope, and design/functionality of the web page.
Authority refers to the author of the web site having expertise or appropriate
background to support the information on the site. Objectivity refers to making
sure the information is fair and unbiased. Scope refers to the depth of
information contained on the site. Design and functionality refers to the
impression and usability of the site. By taking all of this in to consideration
helps determine if the site should be used for reference purposes.
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