This document provides an overview of how to effectively search and evaluate information found on the World Wide Web. It explains key concepts like search engines, URLs, and how to perform advanced searches using Boolean operators and wildcards. It emphasizes the importance of carefully evaluating websites for authority, accuracy, bias, and timeliness. Readers are encouraged to consider the purpose of a website and check things like date of last update before trusting information at face value. The document aims to help people become savvier consumers of online information.

1. Fact or Fiction? The World Wide Web and the tricks it will play on you.

2. “Fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again‘” Former President George W. Bush “…the internet is not something you just dump something on. It's not a truck. It's a series of tubes.” Former Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska)

4. Web Browser: A software platform you use to search the internet (Firefox, IE, Netscape)

5. Search Engine: The page you start at to begin your search (Google, Ask.com, Yahoo, MSN, AltaVista)

6. Directory: Site where people determine the main subject of a Web page and categorize it based on topics and subtopics used by that directory (DMOZ) Anatomy of your WEB

8. .gov

9. .mil

10. .org

11. .com

12. .net

13. .uk

14. /~ (personal page) (http://infolab.stanford.edu/~sergey/booklist.html)

15. If link doesn’t work, back-track to root (http://lwtclearningcommons.com/education-resources/)Anatomy of a URL

16. Ask for EXACTLY what you want! Quotes “” around phrases Wildcards * for variations (Invest*) (Auto*) Excluded words – for unwanted words Boolean – AND, OR, NOT Numerical ranges … Advance Search is fun The Power of Searching

17. Does it stack up? Pro = If you have fingers, you can write Con = If you have fingers, you can write History Tab tells all Use as a jumping off point …But what about Wikipedia?

18. What’s at stake? How reliable does my information have to be? What can the URL tell you in a search result? What do others say about the page? Who links to it? Owns it? Why was this page put on the web? Inform with facts/data? Share/disclose information? Entice/sell products? Explain/persuade one point of view over another? Is this the website I want to use?

20. Accuracy: Reliable and Error-Free?

21. Bias/Objectivity: Both sides of issue present?

24. Note your first impressions

25. Evaluate the site for the Big 4

26. Authority

27. Bias

28. Accuracy

29. TimelinessAt what point did you have your “AH-HA-HA-HA” moment? Give it a try!

30. “I wasn't born a fool. It took work to get this way.” –Danny Kaye "Colleges don't make fools, they only develop them.” – George Lorimer Go forth and search the Web