Q1) The author of this week’s article (Fogg) discussed credibility as a key attribute to evaluate online resources. In your own words, describe why it is important that we evaluate credibility of websites. In your discussion, provide an example of how credibility of the Web resources could affect you as a student (200 – 250 words).
It’s important to evaluate online creditability as it’s easier for people to make up stuff and publish it online with a creditable certification. On some site you can not only forage certifications but sometimes you’re not even asked about your educational background.
Wikipedia, a site that is widely used by kids in secondary school, can be edited by ordinary people. You can edit a person’s Wikipedia and make a whole lot of rubbish up and someone on the receiving end won’t have a clue, hence the “Wikipedia is NOT accepted” in the additional information for this question.
At an academic level it’s embedded in our minds to check and double check references and people who publish information as well as have primary and secondary source of information. ‘Without creditability, sites are not like to persuade users to change their attitude or behaviour,’ (Fogg, 2003)
Web creditability also being a representation of by the appearance. The type of theme, font, videos, images and the quality of images and videos determines whether or not someone is to even continue on with your webpage.
We’re now in a day and age where everyone can access the internet that cross checking authors of information is crucial for having the right information, especially now being at a university level.
Reference list
Fogg, B. J. (2003). Credibility and the World Wide Web. In Persuasive Technology: Using Computers to Change What We Think and Do (pp. 147-181). Amsterdam: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers.
Q2) In the learning portfolio, Wikipedia is not accepted as a credible resource for academic assignments. What do you think is the reason Wikipedia is not accepted (200 – 250 words)?
Wikipedia is not an accepted resource as the information distributed onto Wikipedia is eligible for editing by anyone, anonymous editing can be done, and there’s no need for certification of your knowledge about the topic at hand, despite being a brand out of an encyclopaedia.
Wikipedia is not an acceptable resource for academic assignments as most of the information displayed on the website, can be ineligible for creditability.
Wikipedia is an online resource that’s meant to act like an online encyclopaedia. It’s meant to give correct information and be a reliable source of information. However over time Wikipedia has become known as one of the worst information sites.
Anyone who can access the internet is able to write and/or rewrite information on Wikipedia. There is no checking of people’s certification, and people can even anonymously sent in information. As students, who should ne cross checking authors of information, there’s sometimes no tracing who the author is on Wikipedia. As well as the fact that anyone can make up certifications.
Wikipedia is a very dangerous place to be searching or accurate information, and that’s why many academic institutes strictly recommend for their students NOT to source Wikipedia. Especially if you’re trying to research some teeny bopper band, no doubt their girl crazy fan-base has put in their own names as current and/or former girlfriends.
Q3)In dot points, in your own words, list anticipated issues that may affect the users’ perceived Web credibility in future (200 words).
– Security issues with password and emails: having viruses sent through emails & hacking
– Sites spamming you with advertisement and pop up ads
– Overuse of ads and pop ups
– Cluttering on the website that makes it confusing where about on the website you are
– Information cluster; information overload and irrelevant information
– Unclear whose behind the website; massive loss of creditability here
– Unclear whose behind the organisation; massive loss of creditability here
– Spelling mistakes and grammar mistakes lacks professionalism and lacks creditability
– Physical appearance
– Misleading advertising information
– Subscription to sites either by email or credit card
– Website and company names don’t match
– Not regularly updated
– Orphan links (Error 404)
– Missing images
– Hard to navigate around
– Commercial purpose
– Hard to differentiate between the websites content and ads
Activity) Find a website for each type of credibility (i.e. presumed, reputed, surface, and earned) and upload snapshots of the websites on your blog site. Provide a brief explanation why the websites are credible.
Presumed is based on the users mind and generally any sites that have .edu are presumed creditability because it’s a website from an educational facility and/or institution.
Earned sites are those that overtime have continued to be accurate and again this is based off the users themselves.
Reputed creditability is established by awards that the site has won. Credited by webbyawards.com
Surface sites are kind of like first impressions of the site, like presumed but with the sites appearance rather than its URL.
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