1. Understanding a URL A URL (Uniform Resource Locator)is a unique address for a web site..com Commercial sites that are in the business of selling something to the visitor. (www.amazon.com).net Commercial sites that are in the business of selling something to the visitor. (www.lightspeed.net) ~ Personal sites that are unedited and opinionated (www.gradmath.fresno.edu/~xfiles) members.aol users.geocities Same as above (www.softcom.net/users/rossd22)www.softcom.net/users/rossd22.gov These are tax dollar supported sites. They tend to be fairly objective and free from an overt ideologic stance. They host current acts, policies, and historical records..edu College or university hosted sites offer research results and repositories of information..org Organizations (nonprofit) that may or may not be perfectly objective.

2. Truth on the Net Fact: Net information must be validated before it is accepted! Use the following table to do Web Page evaluations: Authority: What is the authors background? Are his credentials or qualifications as an expert on the subject given? Is the name of the host school or organization stated? Is there a way to verify the information (phone #, address, email of the author, etc.) Objectivity: Is the information objective or biased or prejudiced? Is the information based upon fact or opinion? What is the authors point of view or position toward the subject? What purpose did the author have for writing the information? Is this a personal web site? Is it free of advertising? Accuracy: Are the facts and stats. verifiable? Is it a primary source or a secondary source? Are additional resource links included? Is there a bibliography? Are there many spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors? Currency: When was the page written or last revised? Is this the most current information? Is the date of publication important to the subject matter? (In history older material is no less valuable than newer material; yet, in science currency matters.) Usefulness: Does the site offer thorough information on the topic? Is the info clearly labeled, organized, and easy to read? How does it compare to other sites on the same subject? Technical Elements: Does the site load quickly? Do all the links work? Is the site easy to navigate? Is the table of contents easy to find and use? Is it easy to return to the home page?

3. Checking Links with Alta Vista Another way to check a web sites credibility is to use www.altavista.com to check out who has links to a site.www.altavista.com Once you are on the main page, type this command in Search for box: link:website address link:www.maddog.com Then, click Search. Use the search results to validate the sites credentials. BE WARY OF SITES whose links are mostly made up of personal, group, or commercial sites. LOOK FOR SITES whose links are made up of mainstream sources: i.e. World Book, U.C. Davis, Dept. of Fish and Game…

4. Boolean Logic Searches AND + Connects two search terms and will bring up Web pages where both words appear. Use all caps for AND New York AND Yankees OR Connects two search words and at least one of them will appear in the Web site search results. Use all caps for OR. New York OR Yankees NOT - Use NOT to exclude a term from your search results. Use caps for NOT. Mustang NOT Ford NEAR Use between search terms to insure that they are close to each other. Use all caps. Carter NEAR pills Use quotes to find an exact phrase on a page. P51 Mustang