WHO?

The "who" of a web site can tell you a lot about how valuable the site might be.

Try to find out who is responsible for the web site. Where does the site originate from? Is the originator a reliable source? Were you referred to this resource through another trusted Internet resource?

Look for an "About This Page" or "About This Company / Organization" link. Or, look at headers, footers, and the URL to see who is producing or sponsoring the document. Your first clue is in the Internet address, itself. All addresses or URL's contain a subdivision called the "domain". The domain is the last part of the address, after the final "dot".

The large majority of domains will be one of the following:

• .com = Commercial; Remember all that a commercial domain implies. Anyone can use this, so be careful for bogus or "persuasive" information.
• .edu = Educational; Educational sites tend to be the most reliable.
• .gov = Government; Government sites also tend to be most reliable.
• .mil = Military
• .org = Non-profit organization
• geographical domain, such as il.us, for someone in Illinois, in the United States.

Evaluating Web Sites	Why? How?