Topic:Review of Jack Solock's 'The Internet:Window to the World or Hall of Mirrors...'

Conf: 387 3b. Review of an article from Auer's biblio.

From: Megan Forness (mforness@springfield.k12.il.us)

Date: Wednesday, July 15, 1998 09:17 PM

I chose to read Jack Solock's article entitled, "The Internet : Window to the World or Hall of Mirrors? Information Quality in the Networked Environment" because I found the title very clever. Apparently, this article is a continuation of two former articles that address strategies for locating reliable Internet resources. However, learning how to locate these sources is pointless if the results of these searches produce low quality or unreliable sites. The Internet promises to be a vast source of information to the educated user. The incredible variety of sites provide a challenge to the web surfer. In a paper entitled, "The Six Quests for The Electronic Grail: Current Approaches to Information Quality in WWW Resources," http://coombs.anu.edu.au/SpecialProj/QLTY/TMC/QuestMain.html

T. Matthew Ciolek likens this vast intermingling of sites to a, "hall of mirrors, each reflecting a subset of the larger configuration." I think this analogy is appropriate when examining web resources. Upon pondering how my own experiences reflect this mirror analogy (no pun intended), I can easily relate to this concept. I often feel as if I am expected to follow a maze of infinite links that manage to "trap" me on the Internet for hours. During my journeys, I often get so sidetracked that I forget to eat meals, keep appointments, and even use the restroom.

Solock explains that many sites contain more "pointers" to other sites than they do original material. As I often insist on being thorough, it is very difficult for me to ignore prompts to other sites. While amassing a wealth of information, web crawlers must exercise knowledge of authentic web site characteristics. Site information should not be accepted as gospel simply because of the medium through which it is viewed. Solock has summarized three categories of "quality signposts" that can help browsers explore sites more intelligently. These categories include comments that address issues involving the content, accessibility, and design of sites. The aspects of content, access, and design are familiar to me after having read similar articles in a former course. Solock lists seven multi-faceted questions to consider when evaluating content.

Most of these questions address how the site functions: is it a pointer site? what is its purpose? who created it? is the information current and accurate? and who is their target audience? If the answers to these questions are not evident, users should heed this warning and proceed to another source. Other media sources can still provide a wealth of information and should not be disregarded. Good sites should present a logical design and be accessible in several forms. A reliable site designer will consider these issues and make appropriate adjustments. Consistency in site design facilitates site navigation and announces a reliable designer. Links should be logical and certainly not labor intensive. Sites should be as user-friendly as possible. The guidelines suggested in this article are intended to arm Internet guests with tools for uncovering the coveted Ògem sitesÓ while discounting Òdebris sitesÓ that often lurk in its vastness. As a final thought, Solock reminds the reader whose responsibility it is to uncover these invaluable resources...ours.